Card edge connector with structure for improving resonance problem and method of forming the same

Abstract

A card edge connector with improved resonance problem includes a housing, two terminal sets and two conductor sheets. The housing has an outer shape forming a card insertion space. The two terminal sets are arranged inside the housing and are located on both sides of the card insertion space. The housing has two rows of slots on both sides of its lower surface, each row of slots is parallel to its adjacent terminal set. The two conductor sheets are inserted into the bottom of the housing through their corresponding two rows of slots and are located inside the two terminal sets. Each conductor sheet contacts at least two ground terminals of its corresponding terminal set to form a ground structure, but does not contact all signal terminals in the same terminal set. When a card electronic assembly is inserted into the card insertion space, the differential transmission lines of the conductor sheets in the card edge connector form new discontinuities, which change the resonance wavelength of the high-order mode of the differential transmission lines in the card edge connector and shift the resonance frequency to a high frequency, thereby improving the resonance problem and the resulting crosstalk in the passband.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a card edge connector and a method for forming the same, and more particularly to a card edge connector structure that can improve resonance problems and a method for forming the same. Background Technology

[0002] PCIe is a high-speed serial bus standard widely used on computer or server motherboards to enable signal connections with other card-type electronic components. The development of data centers has further increased the demand for PCIe connectors with high-speed transmission capabilities. Among them, the PCIe Card Electro-Mechanical (CEM) connector, used to interconnect with card-type electronic components such as network cards, hard drives, solid-state drives, and display adapters, is becoming increasingly important.

[0003] like Figure 1 As shown, the known PCIe CEM connector terminal group 100 includes multiple ground terminals G1, G2 and multiple signal terminals S1, S2. The basic arrangement of these terminals is: ground terminal G1 - signal terminal S1 - signal terminal S2 - ground terminal G2, forming a differential transmission line. Figure 2As shown, the PCIe CEM connector is fixed to a main circuit board 300 at the bottom and a card-type electronic component 200 is connected to the top. One of the design principles of the differential transmission line within the PCIe CEM connector is that the differential impedance value of its fundamental mode is very close to the differential impedance value of the fundamental mode of the differential transmission lines connected in the main circuit board 300 below and the card-type electronic component 200 above. This ensures that the signal can be smoothly transmitted in the fundamental mode from the main circuit board 300 below, through the PCIe CEM connector, and then to the card-type electronic component 200 above, and vice versa. However, the construction of the differential transmission line within the PCIe CEM connector differs from the construction of the differential transmission lines connected in the main circuit board 300 and the card-type electronic component 200. Therefore, a first discontinuity P1 and a second discontinuity P2 of the differential transmission line are defined at the connection points between the PCIe CEM connector and the main circuit board 300, and at the connection points between the PCIe CEM connector and the card-type electronic component 200, respectively. The different construction of the differential transmission lines within the PCIe CEM connector results in a difference in the differential impedance values ​​of its higher-order modes compared to those within the main circuit board 300 and the card-type electronic component 200. Due to the presence of the first discontinuity P1 and the second discontinuity P2 in the differential transmission lines, higher-order mode signals are excited and propagated along the differential transmission lines within the PCIe CEM connector; this phenomenon is called modal expansion. Because the higher-order mode differential impedance values ​​of the differential transmission lines within the PCIe CEM connector are significantly different from those in the connected main circuit board 300 and card-type electronic component 200, the higher-order mode signals propagating along the differential transmission lines within the PCIe CEM connector are reflected at the two discontinuities P1 and P2, and then move back and forth along the differential transmission lines between these two discontinuities. When the length of the differential transmission line between two discontinuous points P1 and P2 is equal to half the wavelength or a multiple of the transmitted higher-order mode signal, the back-and-forth moving higher-order mode signal forms a standing wave, resulting in resonance.

[0004] Figure 2The white portions of the grounding terminals G1 and G2 and the signal terminals show the known electric field distribution of a PCIe CEM connector at a high-order mode half-wavelength resonance or half-wavelength harmonic resonance. Based on the structure of commercially available PCIe CEM connectors, as long as the length of the differential transmission line between the two discontinuous points P1 and P2 is equal to half the wavelength of the high-order mode signal on the differential transmission line, a half-wavelength standing wave phenomenon will occur, forming resonance (i.e., "half-wavelength resonance"). At this resonant frequency, the signal energy originally concentrated on the differential transmission line is easily radiated outwards due to the lack of shielding protection for the differential transmission line provided by the housing 102 design. This causes passband loss and crosstalk problems at adjacent terminals, and the outward radiation of signal energy also degrades the transmission quality. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One objective of this invention is to provide a card edge connector with a structure that improves resonance problems, enabling the resonant frequency to be shifted to a higher frequency to form a good high-frequency transmission passband, thereby solving the passband loss and crosstalk problems of known commercially available PCIe CEM connectors.

[0006] Another objective of this invention is to provide a method for forming a card edge connector with a structure that improves resonance problems, thereby improving the high-order modal resonance structure of commercially available PCIe CEM connectors in a simpler way.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a card edge connector with a structure that improves resonance problems, comprising a housing, multiple terminals, and two conductor plates. The housing forms a card insertion space and includes a bottom structure located below the card insertion space. The multiple terminals include a first terminal group and a second terminal group, respectively disposed inside the housing and arranged on both sides of the card insertion space. The bottom structure of the housing includes a first row of slots and a second row of slots disposed on its lower surface, with the two rows of slots located below both sides of the card insertion space. The first row of slots is located between the card insertion space and the first terminal group; the second row of slots is located between the card insertion space and the second terminal group. Each of the first terminal group and the second terminal group includes multiple ground terminals and at least one pair of signal terminals, wherein each pair of signal terminals consists of two adjacent signal terminals located between two ground terminals, and the two adjacent signal terminals are respectively adjacent to the two ground terminals. The size and shape of each conductor piece are suitable for insertion into the housing through the first row of slots and the second row of slots, so that the two conductor pieces are installed between the first terminal group and the second terminal group and are close to the inner side of the first terminal group and the second terminal group, respectively. Each conductor piece contacts the ground terminal in the corresponding terminal group, but does not contact all signal terminals.

[0008] In one embodiment, each conductor sheet includes an elongated plate and a plurality of conductive elastic arm assemblies connecting the elongated plate. The elongated plate is fitted into one of the rows of slots in the first row and the second row of slots. Each conductive elastic arm assembly includes an upper elastic arm and a lower elastic arm corresponding to each other to support the elongated plate and position it in the slot to prevent displacement. The upper elastic arm and the lower elastic arm in the same conductive elastic arm assembly are in contact with their corresponding grounding terminals, forming an upper contact point and a lower contact point.

[0009] In one embodiment, each of the conductor sheets has an upper elastic arm with an upper open-circuit endpoint and a lower elastic arm with a lower open-circuit endpoint. The upper open-circuit endpoint to its corresponding upper contact point forms an upward residual segment, and the lower open-circuit endpoint to its corresponding lower contact point forms a downward residual segment. The lengths of the upward and downward residual segments are, for example, less than 10 mils to avoid open-circuit resonance.

[0010] In one embodiment, the distance between the upper open-circuit endpoint and the lower open-circuit endpoint is 1.9 mm; and the height of the elongated plate is 0.75 mm, which can form a shielding surface at the bottom of the housing to shield electromagnetic interference.

[0011] In one embodiment, each of the plurality of terminals, the grounding terminal, has an outer side and an inner side opposite to the outer side. The outer side is attached to the inner wall of the housing, while the inner side contacts the upper and lower elastic arms to form the aforementioned upper and lower contact points.

[0012] In one embodiment, the distance between the inner side of each of the plurality of grounding terminals and the elongated plate is 0.3 mm.

[0013] From another perspective, the present invention also provides a method for forming a card edge connector with a structure that improves resonance problems. The method includes: opening a first row of through holes and a second row of through holes inside the housing, such that the first row of through holes and the second row of through holes open onto the lower surface of the housing and are located on both sides of a card slot in the housing; inserting the first terminal group and the second terminal group into the housing through the first row of through holes and the second row of through holes on the lower surface of the housing, respectively; and then inserting two conductor pieces into the housing through the first row of slots and the second row of slots, respectively, such that the two conductor pieces are positioned between the first terminal group and the second terminal group and are close to the inner sides of the first terminal group and the second terminal group, wherein each conductor piece contacts the ground terminal in the same terminal group but does not contact any of the signal terminals. The two conductor pieces introduce a third discontinuity into the differential transmission line within the PCIe CEM connector, changing the half-wavelength length of the higher-order mode resonance of the differential transmission line, shifting its resonant frequency to a higher frequency, thereby improving the resonance problem within the passband of the original PCIe CEM connector and the crosstalk it causes.

[0014] This invention provides two conductor plates, each capable of connecting all ground terminals of the same terminal group in a card edge connector to form a common ground structure. When a card-type electronic component is inserted into the card slot, the conductor plate introduces a third discontinuity into the differential transmission line between the fixed end (the first discontinuity of the differential transmission line) and the contact end (the second discontinuity of the differential transmission line) of each terminal group. This shortens the half-wavelength of the higher-order mode resonance of the differential transmission line in known connectors, shifting its resonant frequency to a higher frequency and improving the resonance problem in the passband of known connectors. The conductor plate also provides shielding for the differential transmission line at the bottom of the housing, reducing electromagnetic interference between differential transmission lines in this area and thus improving crosstalk. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the known terminal arrangement of a PCIe CEM connector.

[0016] Figure 2 The electric field distribution of a known PCIe CEM connector under high-order modal resonance is given.

[0017] Figure 3A and Figure 3B This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a card edge connector with a structure that improves resonance problems, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4A This is a side cross-sectional view of a card edge connector with a structure that improves resonance problems, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4B for Figure 4A A side cross-sectional view of the bottom structure of the card edge connector.

[0020] Figure 4C for Figure 4B A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the card edge connector.

[0021] Figure 5A for Figure 3B A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the card edge connector after removing the housing.

[0022] Figure 5B for Figure 5A A side view in one direction.

[0023] Figure 5C for Figure 5A Top view.

[0024] Figure 5D for Figure 5A A side view from another direction.

[0025] Figure 6 The graph shows the frequency variation of insertion loss for commercially available connectors and the card edge connector of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a frequency variation diagram of remote crosstalk between commercially available connectors and the card edge connector of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 The card edge connector of one embodiment of the present invention generates an electric field distribution with a higher resonant frequency under higher-order modal resonance. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The foregoing descriptions and other technical contents, features, and effects of this invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as up, down, left, right, front, or back, are merely for reference to the directions in the accompanying drawings. Therefore, these directional terms are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0029] Figure 3A An embodiment of the present invention provides a card edge connector 100A with a structure that improves resonance issues. The card edge connector 100A can be an improved PCIe CEM connector, comprising a housing 120, two terminal groups 140L and 140R, and two conductor plates 160L and 160R. The housing 120 provides a card insertion space 110 located at the center of its exterior, and the housing 120 has a first row of through holes 128L and a second row of through holes 128R located on both sides of the card insertion space 110. The two terminal groups 140L and 140R are respectively disposed within the first row of through holes 128L and the second row of through holes 128R of the housing 120, and are arranged on both sides of the card insertion space 110. Figure 3A The area enclosed by the dashed line represents the soldering pins of the right terminal group 140R. Each terminal group 140L (or 140R) includes multiple ground terminals G1, G2 and multiple pairs of signal terminals. Each pair of signal terminals includes two adjacent signal terminals S1, S2 located between two ground terminals G1, G2, and the two adjacent signal terminals S1, S2 are respectively adjacent to the two ground terminals G1, G2, forming a set of differential transmission lines arranged in a "ground-signal-signal-ground" sequence, or multiple sets of differential transmission lines arranged in this repeated sequence. Each conductor piece 160L (or 160R) is inserted into the housing 120 via the lower surface of the housing 120. Figure 3A As shown, the lower surface of the housing 120 has two rows of slots 124L and 124R, so that two conductor sheets 160L and 160R can be inserted into the housing 120 upward through the two rows of slots 124L and 124R respectively along the mounting direction Din.

[0030] Each conductor sheet 160L (or 160R) includes a strip-shaped plate 162 and multiple conductive elastic arm assemblies 164 connecting the strip-shaped plate 162, which can be integrally formed or not integrally formed. Each conductive elastic arm assembly 164 includes an upper elastic arm 1641 and a lower elastic arm 1642 corresponding to each other. The lower end of the upper elastic arm 1641 is connected to the strip-shaped plate 162, and the upper end is an open circuit. The upper end of the lower elastic arm 1642 is connected to the strip-shaped plate 162, and the lower end is an open circuit.

[0031] Figure 3B A card-type electronic component 200 is inserted into the card slot 110 of the display card edge connector 100A. All ground terminals G1, G2 and signal terminals S1, S2 each have a soldered lead protruding from the bottom of the housing 120. Figure 3B The area enclosed by the dotted line is the soldering pin of the left terminal group 140L, which can be fixedly connected to a main circuit board 300, such as the motherboard of a computer or server.

[0032] Figure 4A for Figure 3B The cross-section of the display card edge connector 100A shows the housing 120, the grounding terminals G1 of the two terminal groups 140L and 140R, and the cross-section of the two conductor plates 160L and 160R. Each grounding terminal G1 has a horizontal segment G11, a vertical segment G12, and an arc-shaped bend segment G13. The horizontal segment G11 is a soldering pin fixed to the main circuit board 300, with one end bent upwards to connect to the vertical segment G12. The vertical segment G12 is located in the accommodating space 1221 below the card insertion space 110 (located outside the housing 120) (located inside the housing 120), and has an outer side G121 and an inner side G123 located on the opposite side of the outer side G121. The outer side G121 of the vertical segment G12 is in close contact with the inner sidewall 126 of the housing 120, while the inner side G123 is in electrical contact with the upper elastic arm 1641 and lower elastic arm 1642 of the conductor sheets 160L and 160R, forming an upper contact point P131 and a lower contact point P132.

[0033] In this embodiment, the bottom structure 122 of the housing 120 includes an accommodating space 1221 located below the card insertion space 110 and a lower housing 1223 surrounding the accommodating space 1221. The lower surface 1225 of the bottom structure 122 is provided with a first row of slots 124L and a second row of slots 124R, which are respectively located inside the vertical segments G12 of two adjacent terminal groups 140L and 140R, and are parallel to each other. From the cross-sectional view, the first row of slots 124L is located between the card insertion space 110 and the first terminal group 140L; the second row of slots 124R is located between the card insertion space 110 and the second terminal group 140R. The two conductor pieces 160L and 160R are sized and shaped to be inserted into their accommodating spaces 1221 from the lower surface 1225 of the housing 120 through the first row of slots 124L and the second row of slots 124R, respectively.

[0034] In the accommodating space 1221, two conductor pieces 160L and 160R are installed between the first terminal group 140L and the second terminal group 140R, and respectively mechanically contact the inner surface G123 of the vertical segment G12 of the grounding terminal G1. The length of each conductor piece 160L (or 160R) should be sufficient to contact at least two grounding terminals G1 and G2 in at least one set of differential transmission lines. See also... Figure 3A and Figure 4A In the same conductive elastic arm assembly 164, both the upper elastic arm 1641 and the lower elastic arm 1642 are in contact with the same grounding terminal G1 (or G2). When the conductor plates 160L and 160R are respectively inserted into the first row of slots 124L and the second row of slots 124R, the upper elastic arm 1641 and the lower elastic arm 1642 can support the elongated plate 162, positioning it within the first row of slots 124L and the second row of slots 124R to prevent it from shifting or falling off. The elongated plate 162, combined with the conductive elastic arm assembly 164, can serve as a shielding surface to block electromagnetic interference. Furthermore, the upper elastic arm 1641 and the lower elastic arm 1642 are positioned on the elongated plate 162 only corresponding to the grounding terminals G1 and G2. The bending design of the upper elastic arm 1641 and the lower elastic arm 1642 can maintain an isolation distance between the elongated plate 162 and all signal terminals S1 and S2, so that the conductor sheets 160L and 160R as a whole will not come into contact with all signal terminals S1 and S2.

[0035] In one embodiment, the upper contact point P131 and lower contact point P132 of the conductor sheets 160L and 160R can be designed at any position between the central position G14 of the grounding terminal G1 and the horizontal segment G11 (i.e., the "welding foot"). Furthermore, the distance between the upper contact point P131 and the lower contact point P132 is designed to be sufficiently small so that, relative to the overall length of the grounding terminal G1, both the upper contact point P131 and the lower contact point P132 can be considered as the same zero-potential endpoint. Thus, each conductor sheet 160L (or 160R) can electrically connect all grounding terminals G1, G2, ... Gn in the same terminal group 140L (or 140R) to form a common ground structure. A new differential transmission line discontinuity P3 (e.g., ...) is formed at the conductor sheets 160L and 160R. Figure 8 As shown, the differential impedance value of the higher-order modes of the differential transmission line changes significantly at the new discontinuity P3, resulting in a standing wave phenomenon with a shorter half-wavelength. Since wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency, the presence of conductor plates 160L and 160R can push the resonant frequency of the higher-order modes to a higher frequency, thereby improving the resonance problem in the transmission passband and the resulting passband loss and crosstalk problems.

[0036] Figure 4B Showing Figure 4A A side profile of the bottom structure 122 of the edge connector 100A. Each conductor piece 160L (or 160R) has an upper elastic arm 1641 with an upper open-circuit endpoint 1643 and a lower elastic arm 1642 with a lower open-circuit endpoint 1645. The upper open-circuit endpoint 1643 to its corresponding upper contact point P131 forms an upward residual segment SL1, and the lower open-circuit endpoint 1645 to its corresponding lower contact point P132 forms a downward residual segment SL2.

[0037] In one specific embodiment, the lengths of the upward residual segment SL1 and the downward residual segment SL2 are less than 10 mil. The distance H1 between the upper open-circuit endpoint 1643 and the lower open-circuit endpoint 1645 is 1.9 mm. The lateral distance W between the shielding surface formed by the elongated plate 162 and the inner side surface G123 of the grounding terminal G1 is 0.3 mm. The distance H2 from the horizontal segment G11 (i.e., the "welding foot") of the grounding terminal G1 to the center point of the elongated plate 162 is 2.2 mm, and the height H3 of the shielding surface of the elongated plate 162 is 0.75 mm.

[0038] Figure 4CThe structure of the lower surface 1225 after the display signal terminals S1, S2, ground terminals G1, G2, and conductor sheet 160R are inserted into the accommodating space 1221 inside the housing 120. The structure of the lower surface 1225 of the housing 120 includes a plurality of strip-shaped portions 1222 forming a fence-like structure, and there is a gap portion 1224 between every two strip-shaped portions 1222. Each strip-shaped portion 1222 has two slots 124L, 124R. Figure 4C All the two rows of slots 124L and 124R on the strip-shaped portions 1222 are horizontally arranged and open in the same direction. Their opening ends are located on the lower surface 1225 of the housing 120, and can extend into the interior of the housing 120 to connect to the accommodating space 1221 (marked on). Figure 4A ).

[0039] Each signal terminal S1, S2 or ground terminal G1, G2 is sized and shaped to fit into the receiving space 1221 inside the housing 120 through a corresponding gap 1224 and a corresponding through hole 128L, 128R. Therefore, each slot 124L and 124R will be located between every two adjacent terminals. In this embodiment, the conductor pieces 160L and 160R are transversely elongated strips, suitable for insertion into the receiving space 1221 of the housing 120 along the two rows of slots 124L and 124R, respectively. In one embodiment, the conductor piece 160L (or 160R) corresponding to the same terminal group 140L (or 140R) can be a single elongated metal strip or a combination of multiple metal segments. Each conductor strip 160L (or 160R) must span at least one set of differential transmission line terminal blocks 140L (or 140R) arranged in the order of "ground-signal-signal-ground". Therefore, the shape and size of the conductor strip 160L (or 160R) are suitable for being placed into the receiving space 1221 through at least three slots 124L (or 124R) at the same time.

[0040] Figure 5A Show Figure 3B The internal structure of the card edge connector 100A after removing the housing 120; Figure 5B for Figure 5A A side view in one direction. Figure 5A and Figure 5B This shows the relative positions of the two conductor pieces 160L and 160R with the two terminal groups 140L and 140R. After the two conductor pieces 160L and 160R are installed, they are both located between the two terminal groups 140L and 140R, and within the receiving space 1221 below the card insertion space 110. Figure 5C for Figure 5A Top view; Figure 5D for Figure 5A A side view from another direction. Figure 5C and Figure 5DThis shows the arrangement of the grounding terminals G1, G2..., Gn and the signal terminals S1, S2..., Sn in each terminal group 140L, 140R, as well as the positions of the conductor plates 160L, 160R.

[0041] like Figure 5A In one embodiment, a ground via 320 may be added to the edge of the contact pad on the main circuit board 300 for connection with ground terminals G1, G2, ..., Gn to prevent other resonances from being generated from the main circuit board 300; and the reference ground layer (not shown) below the contact pad on the main circuit board 300 for connection with signal terminals S1, S2 may be hollowed out to prevent signal reflection caused by excessively low impedance.

[0042] From another perspective of the above embodiments, the present invention also provides a method for forming a card edge connector with a structure that improves resonance problems. For example, taking a PCIe CEM connector as an example, its differential impedance is 85Ω, which is currently the most widely used connector on the PCIe bus. This method includes: in addition to the first row of slots 124L and the second row of slots 124R mentioned above, a first row of through holes 128L and a second row of through holes 128R are also formed inside the housing 120, such that the first row of through holes 128L and the second row of through holes 128R are respectively opened on the lower surface 1225 of the housing 120 and located on both sides of the card insertion space 110 of the housing 120; the first terminal group 140L and the second terminal group 140R are respectively inserted into the housing 120 through the first row of through holes 128L and the second row of through holes 128R from the lower surface 1225 of the housing 120; and two conductor pieces 160L and 160R are also respectively inserted into the housing 120 through the first row of slots 124L and the second row of through holes 128R from the lower surface 1225. 4L and the second row of slots 124R are inserted into the housing 120, thereby installing two conductor pieces 160L and 160R between the first terminal group 140L and the second terminal group 140R, and respectively close to the inner side of the grounding terminals G1, G2..., Gn and the signal terminals S1, S2..., Sn, wherein each conductor piece 160L and 160R contacts all the grounding terminals G1, G2..., Gn, but does not contact all the signal terminals S1, S2..., Sn; then, a card-type electronic component 200 is inserted into the card slot 110 of the housing 120, and the two sides of the card-type electronic component 200 are electrically connected to the first terminal group 140L and the second terminal group 140R respectively.

[0043] Figure 6 The graph shows the frequency variation of insertion loss between commercially available connectors and the card edge connector of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 7 The graph shows the frequency variation of long-range crosstalk for both. Compare the insertion loss and long-range crosstalk of the two. Figure 6The insertion loss curve C61 shows that commercially available connectors exhibit significant resonance at frequencies of 12GHz and 24GHz, which increases insertion loss during high-frequency transmission and generates crosstalk, making them unsuitable for PCIe CEM connector specifications. Figure 6 Insertion loss curve C62 shows that this invention improves the high-order mode resonance problem of commercially available PCIe CEM connectors. By adding conductor sheets 160L and 160R, the resonance originally occurring at 12GHz and 24GHz is shifted to a higher frequency. Therefore, Figure 7 The remote crosstalk curve C72 of the connector of the present invention is significantly milder than the remote crosstalk curve C71 of commercially available connectors, and conforms to the PCIe CEM connector specification.

[0045] Figure 8 The white portions of the grounding terminals G1 and G2 and the signal terminals show the electric field distribution of the card edge connector 100A at the new resonant frequency. When the card-type electronic component 200 is inserted into the card slot 110, the conductor plates 160L and 160R placed inside the card edge connector 100A introduce a third discontinuity P3 into the differential transmission line between the fixed end (first discontinuity P1 of the differential transmission line) and the contact end (second discontinuity P2 of the differential transmission line) of each terminal group 140L and 140R. This shortens the half-wavelength of the known differential transmission line high-order mode resonance within the connector, shifting the original resonant frequency to a higher frequency, thereby increasing the transmission passband bandwidth of the card edge connector 100A. The elongated plate 162 of the conductor plates 160L and 160R and the conductive elastic arm group 164 provide shielding between the differential transmission lines to reduce electromagnetic interference, thereby improving crosstalk problems.

[0046] In summary, the conductor sheet of this invention adds a discontinuity to the differential transmission line of the card edge connector, shortening the half-wavelength of the original higher-order mode resonance in the differential transmission line, thereby shifting the original higher-order mode resonance frequency to a higher frequency. Compared with commercially available PCIe CEM connectors, this invention can effectively increase the transmission passband bandwidth required for high-speed signal transmission and improve the problem of crosstalk within the passband. In terms of manufacturing cost, only minor modifications are needed to the existing PCIe CEM structure to assemble this common-ground metal shield structure, eliminating the additional research and development costs for the module. Therefore, when this invention is applied to connecting various critical components in computers and servers, the increased transmission passband provides a connection for high-speed sequential bus signal transmission to meet the increasing demand for high-speed data transmission.

[0047] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made based on the claims and description of the invention are still within the scope of this patent. Furthermore, no embodiment or claim of the present invention needs to achieve all the objectives, advantages, or features disclosed in the invention. In addition, the abstract and headings are merely for assisting in patent document searches and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0048] [Symbol Explanation]

[0049] Terminal group 100

[0050] Card edge connector 100A

[0051] Card slot space 110

[0052] 120 shell

[0053] Bottom structure 122

[0054] Storage space 1221

[0055] Strip-shaped part 1222

[0056] Lower shell 1223

[0057] Gap portion 1224

[0058] Lower surface 1225

[0059] Slots 124L, 124R

[0060] Inner wall 126

[0061] Through-hole 128L, 128R

[0062] Terminal blocks 140L, 140R

[0063] Conductor sheets 160L, 160R

[0064] 162 long strip plates

[0065] Conductive elastic arm assembly 164

[0066] Upper elastic arm 1641

[0067] Lower elastic arm 1642

[0068] Upper road endpoint 1643

[0069] Lower end point 1645

[0070] Card-type electronic components 200

[0071] Main circuit board 300

[0072] 320mm power port

[0073] Insertion loss curves C61 and C62

[0074] Long-range crosstalk curves C71, C72

[0075] Installation direction Din

[0076] Grounding terminals G1, G2, Gn

[0077] (Grounding terminal) Horizontal section G11

[0078] (Grounding terminal) Vertical section G12

[0079] (G13) Bow-shaped bend in the grounding terminal

[0080] (G14) Central position of the grounding terminal

[0081] (G121) outer side of the grounding terminal

[0082] (G123) Inner side of the grounding terminal

[0083] Distances H1 and H2

[0084] Shielding surface height H3

[0085] (Differential transmission line) Discontinuities P1, P2, P3, contact point P131

[0086] Lower contact point P132

[0087] Signal terminals S1, S2, Sn

[0088] Upward Residual SL1

[0089] Downward Residual SL2

[0090] Spacing W

Claims

1. A card edge connector with a structure that improves resonance problems, comprising: A housing includes a card insertion space and a bottom structure located below the card insertion space, wherein the lower surface of the bottom structure is provided with a first row of slots and a second row of slots, which are respectively located below the card insertion space on both sides. Multiple terminals, including a first terminal group and a second terminal group, are respectively disposed inside the housing and arranged on both sides of the card slot. Each of the first and second terminal groups includes multiple ground terminals and at least one pair of signal terminals. Each pair of signal terminals consists of two adjacent signal terminals located between two ground terminals, and the two adjacent signal terminals are respectively adjacent to the two ground terminals. A first row of slots is located between the card slot and the first terminal group, and a second row of slots is located between the card slot and the second terminal group. Two conductor pieces, each sized and shaped to be inserted into the housing through the first row of slots and the second row of slots respectively, are positioned between the first terminal group and the second terminal group and are close to the inner side of the first terminal group and the second terminal group respectively. Each conductor piece contacts the plurality of grounding terminals included in one of the first terminal group and the second terminal group, but does not contact each pair of signal terminals.

2. The snap-fit ​​connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein each conductor piece includes an elongated plate and a plurality of conductive elastic arm assemblies connecting the elongated plate, wherein the elongated plate is snapped into one of the rows of slots in the first row and the second row of slots, and each conductive elastic arm assembly includes an upper elastic arm and a lower elastic arm corresponding to each other, wherein the upper elastic arm and the lower elastic arm in the same conductive elastic arm assembly are both in contact with the same grounding terminal, thereby forming an upper contact point and a lower contact point respectively.

3. The snap-fit ​​connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upper elastic arm on each conductor piece has an upper open-circuit endpoint, the lower elastic arm has a lower open-circuit endpoint, wherein the upper open-circuit endpoint to its corresponding upper contact point is an upward residual segment, and the lower open-circuit endpoint to its corresponding lower contact point is a downward residual segment, wherein the length of the upward residual segment and the downward residual segment is less than 10 mil.

4. The card edge connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the distance from the upper open end point to the lower open end point is 1.9 mm, and the height of the elongated plate is 0.75 mm.

5. The snap-edge connector of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of terminals, the ground terminal, has an outer side and an inner side opposite to the outer side, wherein the outer side is attached to the inner wall of the housing, and the inner side contacts the upper elastic arm and the lower elastic arm.

6. The edge connector of claim 5, wherein the distance between the inner side of each of the plurality of terminals and the elongated plate is 0.3 mm.

7. A method for forming a snap-edge connector with a structure that improves resonance problems, comprising: A first row of slots and a second row of slots are formed on the lower surface of the housing of a card edge connector, such that the first row of slots and the second row of slots are located below the two sides of a card insertion space of the housing; A first row of through holes and a second row of through holes are formed inside the housing, such that the first row of through holes and the second row of through holes open onto the lower surface of the housing and are located on both sides of a card slot in the housing; A first terminal group and a second terminal group are provided, wherein each of the first terminal group and the second terminal group includes a plurality of ground terminals and at least one pair of signal terminals, wherein each pair of signal terminals is two adjacent signal terminals located between two ground terminals, and the two adjacent signal terminals are respectively adjacent to the two ground terminals; The first terminal group and the second terminal group are respectively inserted into the housing from the lower surface of the housing through the first row of through holes and the second row of through holes, and are arranged on both sides of the card slot. The first row of slots is located between the card slot and the first terminal group, and the second row of slots is located between the card slot and the second terminal group; and Two conductor pieces are inserted into the housing from the lower surface of the housing through the first row of slots and the second row of slots, respectively, and are installed between the first terminal group and the second terminal group, respectively, close to the inner side of the first terminal group and the second terminal group, so that each conductor piece contacts the plurality of ground terminals included in one of the first terminal group and the second terminal group, but does not contact each pair of signal terminals.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each conductor sheet comprises an elongated plate and a plurality of conductive elastic arm groups connecting the elongated plate, each conductive elastic arm group comprising an upper elastic arm and a lower elastic arm corresponding to each other, the method further comprising: The long strip plate is inserted into one of the rows of slots in the first row and the second row of slots, and the upper elastic arm and the lower elastic arm in the same conductive elastic arm group are both in contact with the same grounding terminal, thus forming an upper contact point and a lower contact point.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: The upper elastic arm on each conductor sheet forms an upper open-circuit endpoint, and the lower elastic arm forms a lower open-circuit endpoint; as well as After the upper elastic arm and the lower elastic arm come into contact with the same grounding terminal, an upward residual segment with a length of less than 10 mil is formed from the upper open-circuit endpoint to its corresponding upper contact point, and a downward residual segment with a length of less than 10 mil is formed from the lower open-circuit endpoint to its corresponding lower contact point.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of terminals, the grounding terminal, has an outer side and an inner side opposite to the outer side, the method further comprising: The outer side of the grounding terminal is attached to the inner wall of the housing; as well as The inner side of the grounding terminal is brought into contact with the upper elastic arm and the lower elastic arm to form the upper contact point and the lower contact point.

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