Double-shaft connector for preferred bending configuration

Abstract

A biaxial cable assembly is described that includes a plurality of biaxial cable groups. The assembly includes a connector that receives a portion of the plurality of sets of biaxial cables. The connector has a connector housing that houses a connector printed circuit board (PCB) and an aggregated cable, the connector printed circuit board (PCB) being connected to a plurality of rows of biaxial cables at a cable end, the plurality of rows of biaxial cables exiting the connector housing in a vertical configuration through the aggregated cable tie. In the vertical configuration, a lateral direction of the biaxial cable is substantially perpendicular to a top or bottom surface of the connector printed circuit board.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application US63 / 342,265, filed on May 16, 2022, entitled "Dual-Axis Connector for Preferred Bend Configuration," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Background Art

[0003] Twinaxial cabling, also commonly referred to as "Twinax", is a type of electrical cable similar to coaxial cable but with two inner conductors instead of one. Twinax is used in modern ultra-short-range high-speed differential signaling applications. Signals are transmitted differentially over two conductors at 1 Mbit / s (1 μs / bit ± 2%). Twinax is typically used in short-range high-speed applications and can be designed to meet established signal integrity performance standards.

[0004] Twinaxial cables may be assembled in bundles that terminate in connectors at opposite ends of the bundle. A cross-section of the ends of the bundle may form a two-dimensional array in which each cable end terminates on a printed circuit board disposed in the connector. The printed circuit board may be encased in a connector shell or housing, wherein a plurality of conductors or metal contacts on an edge of the printed circuit board are exposed at the end of the connector, which is connected to a receptacle configured to mate with the connector. In some installations, a plurality of bundles of cables, each with a connector, may be connected to a backplane of a computer component. Summary of the invention

[0005] In a first aspect, a twinaxial cable assembly is described as comprising: a plurality of twinaxial cable groups, each twinaxial cable group comprising a plurality of twinaxial cables, each twinaxial cable comprising a first conductor and a second conductor spaced apart, each twinaxial cable group having opposite cable ends and a connector end corresponding to first and second assembly ends, each twinaxial cable in the twinaxial cable group being connected to a terminal component at the connector end; a connector in which a portion of the plurality of twinaxial cable groups is housed, the connector having a connector housing and a connector printed circuit board, the connector printed circuit board being connected to a plurality of rows of twinaxial cables at the connector end; and a clustered cable tie, the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables passing through the clustered cable tie out of the connector housing in a vertical configuration, wherein, in the vertical configuration, the lateral direction of the twinaxial cables is substantially perpendicular to a top or bottom surface of the connector printed circuit board.

[0006] The connector further includes: a horizontal tie bar downstream of the connector printed circuit board for maintaining the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables in a horizontal configuration, wherein the connector ends of the twinaxial cables are attached to the connector printed circuit board in the horizontal configuration. The connector further includes: a vertical tie bar downstream of the horizontal tie bar for maintaining the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables in a vertical position. Each twinaxial cable includes a pair of ground wires disposed on opposite sides of the pair of conductors, the pair of conductors and the pair of ground wires being spaced apart in the lateral direction.

[0007] The pair of conductors at the connector end of each twinaxial cable group are connected to the connector printed circuit board in a row of connections that are generally parallel to the row of connections of the connector end of an immediately adjacent twinaxial cable group to the connector printed circuit board. The first conductor and the second conductor are laterally spaced apart from each other. The cluster cable tie and the horizontal tie are each formed of an injection molded polymer material.

[0008] In a second aspect, a twinaxial cable assembly is described as comprising: a plurality of twinaxial cable groups, each twinaxial cable group comprising a plurality of twinaxial cables, each twinaxial cable comprising a first conductor and a second conductor spaced apart and surrounded by an insulating material, each twinaxial cable group having opposite cable ends corresponding to first and second assembly ends and a connector end, each twinaxial cable in the twinaxial cable group being connected to a terminal component at the connector end; a connector accommodating a portion of the plurality of twinaxial cable groups, the connector having a connector housing, the connector housing accommodating a termination structure connected to a plurality of rows of twinaxial cables at the cable ends and a cable aggregation tie, the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables passing through the cable aggregation tie in a vertical configuration and exiting the connector housing, wherein, in the vertical configuration, the lateral direction of the twinaxial cables is substantially perpendicular to a top or bottom surface of the termination structure.

[0009] The termination structure is a connector printed circuit board. The connector further includes: a horizontal tie bar downstream of the connector printed circuit board for maintaining the plurality of rows of twin-axial cables in a horizontal configuration. The connector further includes: a vertical tie bar downstream of the horizontal tie bar for maintaining the plurality of rows of twin-axial cables in a vertical position. Each twin-axial cable includes a pair of ground wires disposed on opposite sides of the pair of conductors, the pair of conductors and the pair of ground wires being spaced apart in the lateral direction.

[0010] The pair of conductors at the connector end of each twinaxial cable group are connected to the connector printed circuit board in a row of connections that are generally parallel to the row of connections of the connector end of an immediately adjacent twinaxial cable group to the connector printed circuit board. The first conductor and the second conductor are laterally spaced apart from each other. The cluster cable tie and the horizontal tie are each formed of an injection molded polymer material.

[0011] In a third aspect, a twinaxial cable assembly is described as comprising: a plurality of twinaxial cable groups, each twinaxial cable group comprising a plurality of twinaxial cables, each twinaxial cable comprising a first conductor and a second conductor spaced apart and surrounded by an insulating material, each twinaxial cable group having opposite cable ends and connector ends corresponding to first and second assembly ends, each twinaxial cable in the twinaxial cable group being connected to a terminal component at the connector end; a connector accommodating a portion of the plurality of twinaxial cable groups, the connector having a connector housing, the connector housing being accommodated in a termination structure connected to a plurality of rows of twinaxial cables at the cable ends; a vertical tie bar disposed in the connector housing, the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables passing through the vertical tie bar in a vertical configuration; and a horizontal tie bar disposed in the connector housing, downstream of the vertical tie bar, the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables passing through the horizontal tie bar in a horizontal configuration, wherein the plurality of twinaxial cables are connected to the termination structure in the horizontal configuration.

[0012] The termination structure is a connector printed circuit board, and the twin-axial cable assembly further includes: a cable tie bar disposed in the connector housing, through which the plurality of rows of twin-axial cables pass out of the connector housing in a vertical configuration. Each twin-axial cable includes a pair of ground wires disposed on opposite sides of the pair of conductors, and the pair of conductors and the pair of ground wires are spaced apart in the lateral direction.

[0013] The pair of conductors at the connector end of each twinaxial cable set are connected to the connector printed circuit board in a row of connections that are generally parallel to a row of connections of the connector end of an immediately adjacent twinaxial cable set to the connector printed circuit board. The first conductor and the second conductor are laterally spaced from each other; and the vertical tie bar and the horizontal tie bar are each formed of an injection molded polymer material.

[0014] In various additional aspects, methods for forming or otherwise configuring the aforementioned twin-axial cable assembly are described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Many aspects of the present disclosure may be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, but emphasis is placed on clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. In addition, in the drawings, like reference numerals represent corresponding components throughout the various figures.

[0016] Figure 1A It is a front cutaway perspective view of a twin-axial cable.

[0017] Figure 1B A side view of a twinaxial cable bent about a horizontal axis.

[0018] Figure 1C is a top view of a twinaxial cable bent about a depth axis.

[0019] Figure 1D A rear perspective view of a portion of a twin-axial cable connector.

[0020] Figure 2 is a front perspective view of a twinaxial cable assembly configured for routing in horizontal bends without significant degradation of signal integrity according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of a twinaxial cable assembly configured for routing in horizontal bends without significant degradation of signal integrity in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] A twin-axial cable assembly is described, which includes a plurality of twin-axial cable groups. Each cable group includes a plurality of twin-axial cables. Each twin-axial cable includes a first conductor and a second conductor that are spaced apart in a transverse direction and surrounded by an insulating material. Each twin-axial cable group has opposite cable ends corresponding to first and second assembly ends and a connector end, and each twin-axial cable in the twin-axial cable group is connected to a terminal component at the connector end.

[0023] The assembly also includes a connector that receives a portion of the plurality of twinaxial cable groups. As will be described, the connector has a connector housing that receives a connector printed circuit board or other termination device and one or more cable aggregation ties that connect to multiple rows of twinaxial cables at the ends of the cables, the multiple rows of twinaxial cables exiting the connector housing through the one or more cable aggregation ties in either a vertical configuration or a horizontal configuration. For example, in the vertical configuration, the lateral direction of the twinaxial cables is generally perpendicular to a top or bottom surface of the connector printed circuit board. For example, in the horizontal configuration, the lateral direction of the twinaxial cables is generally parallel to a top or bottom surface of the connector printed circuit board.

[0024] As described above, in some arrangements, multiple bundles of cables having connectors may be connected to a backplane on a computer component. Each cable bundle or cable assembly may need to be bent at tight spaces, so that the bend may be a tight bend or a sharp-angled bend. A sufficiently tight bend may affect the signal integrity of the signals communicated in the twinaxial cable. The bend may be sufficient to cause a failure to meet performance standards for signal integrity at the bend.

[0025] Reference Figure 1A , a twinaxial cable 104 includes two large substantially circular conductors 150a, 150b (collectively referred to as "conductors 150"), the two large substantially circular conductors 150a, 150b arranged side by side to thereby form a substantially oval cross-section having a pair of opposing flat sides 152a, 152b and a pair of opposing substantially curved sides 154a, 154b. The two conductors 150 in the twinaxial cable 104 are arranged along a longitudinal axis A. LONG Flow or arrange in a generally longitudinal direction. LAT In a lateral direction from a first conductor 150a to a second conductor 150b, as shown in FIG. Figure 1A In addition, a depth axis A D Formed on the vertical axis A LONG and horizontal axis A LAT They are all vertical and generally in a depth direction from the top flat edge 152a to the bottom flat edge 152b.

[0026] As will be described, in various embodiments in which the twinaxial cable 104 is used in a connector housing, the twinaxial cable 104 may be arranged to extend about a transverse axis A. LAT Or around the depth axis A D Bends. One type of signal integrity degradation that occurs in tight bends in twinaxial cable assemblies occurs when a twinaxial cable 104 or a bundle of twinaxial cables is bent such that a pair of conductors 150 in the cable are aligned perpendicular to an axis about which the cable 104 is bent. This occurs when the cable 104 is bent along the depth axis A. D When bending, Figure 1C shown.

[0027] In such a bend, called a bad-way bend, the first conductor 150a (i.e., the outer conductor 150) is located farther from a bend axis (A) about which the cable 104 bends than the second conductor 150b (i.e., the inner conductor 150). D ), the second conductor 150b is close to the bending axis (A D ), in which case the bending axis (A D ) is the depth axis AD Such a bend has been shown to cause the time it takes for a signal to travel along the outer conductor 150a to increase relative to the time it takes for a signal to travel along the inner conductor 150b. This increase in time between differential signals can degrade signal integrity and may compromise the ability of the cable 104 to perform within the signal integrity specifications typically specified for cable bends.

[0028] Reference Figure 1B The twin-axial cable 104 or a bundle of twin-axial cables is arranged along the horizontal axis A. LAT The cable 104 is bent and the pair of conductors 150 in the cable is aligned with the axis about which the cable 104 is bent. In such a bend, called a good-way bend, the two conductors 150a, 150b are aligned with the bend axis (A) about which the cable 104 is bent. LAT ) are equidistant from each other, in which case the bending axis (A LAT ) is the horizontal axis A LAT Such a bend is shown to minimize or eliminate any increase in the time it takes a signal to travel in conductor 150a relative to the time it takes a signal to travel along conductor 150b, which results in a better signal performance than the signal in FIG. Figure 1C A bad bend is shown with a clean signal.

[0029] Reference Figure 1D When a bundle of twin-axial cables 104 comes out of a connector housing 210, each twin-axial cable 104 is arranged horizontally, so that the horizontal axis A of the cable 104 LAT The connector housing 210 is generally parallel to the top or bottom surface 212, 214 and / or the top or bottom surface of a connector printed circuit board (not shown). The reason for this is that, typically, the cables are mounted in a horizontal configuration on a surface of a printed circuit board and the cable 104 is maintained in this configuration while in the connector housing 210.

[0030] In the horizontal configuration, a perfect bend is allowed only by bending the cable either upward or downward, for example, a perfect bend in a vertical direction D V Not in a horizontal direction D H The vertical direction is a direction from the top surface 212 of the connector housing 210 to the bottom surface 214 of the connector housing 210. The horizontal direction D H Perpendicular to the vertical direction D V This limits the possible directions in which a bundle of twinaxial cables 104 may travel when exiting the connector housing 210 to the vertical direction D V Either upward or downward but not horizontally D H Go left or right.

[0031] However, in some cases, it is desirable that a bundle of twinaxial cables 104 turn either left or right and move in a horizontal direction D when exiting the connector housing 210. H The cable 104 can travel upstream without degradation of signal integrity and without compromising the ability of the cable 104 to perform within the signal integrity specifications typically specified for cable bends.

[0032] The example embodiments of a twinaxial cable assembly 100 described herein address the potential degradation of signal integrity when the twinaxial cable assembly 100 is bent, particularly near a connection to an electrical component. As will be appreciated, the twinaxial cable 104 includes a pair of conductors 150 surrounded by an insulating material within a cable covering or jacket. The twinaxial cable 104 is an alternative to twisted pair cables and other solutions configured to conduct differential electrical signals. The twinaxial cable 104 is designed to benefit from the same structural characteristics that improve signal integrity in a coaxial cable in which a signal conductor 150 extends through the length of the cable 104. In particular, the twinaxial cable 104 may be surrounded by a selected insulating material as described above, including plastics such as polyethylene, foam materials, and other suitable dielectric materials having sufficient strength and flexibility to keep a pair of conductors separated within the cable and flex with the bending of the cable assembly.

[0033] One type of degradation in signal integrity that can occur in tight bends in a twinaxial cable 104 assembly occurs when a cable is bent so that the conductor pairs 150 in the cable 104 are aligned perpendicular to the axis about which the cable 104 is bent. In such a bend, called a bad bend, one conductor 150 (the outside conductor) is located farther from the bend axis about which the cable 104 is bent than the inside conductor, which is located closer to the bend axis, such as Figure 1C Such bends have been shown to cause the time it takes for a signal to travel along the outside conductors to increase relative to the time it takes for a signal to travel along the inside conductors. This increase in time between differential signals degrades signal integrity and can compromise the ability of the cable to perform within the signal integrity specifications typically specified for cable bends.

[0034] The cable is typically required to maintain adequate signal integrity around a bend of less than 5 times the outer diameter of the cable. The twinaxial cable assembly 100 typically includes a plurality of cables 104 formed into a bundle. The twinaxial cables 104 are terminated at connectors of electronic devices that are plugged into backplanes of servers and other computing devices. In various example embodiments described below, the plurality of twinaxial cables 104 may be arranged side by side in cables with the conductor pairs aligned along the transverse axis A. LAT The twinaxial cables 104 are typically terminated in a horizontal configuration on a printed circuit board or other structure in a connector assembly so that the conductor pairs are aligned along the same transverse axis A. LATAttach to a flat surface.

[0035] When a bundle of twin-axial cables 104 exits a connector housing, each cable 104 is arranged in a generally horizontal configuration. Thus, the transverse axis A of the twin-axial cables 104 is LAT The conductors 150 are generally parallel to the top or bottom surface of the connector housing and / or the top or bottom surface of the connector printed circuit board. This is because the twinaxial cable 104 is terminated in a horizontal configuration because the pair of conductors 150 are connected to the connector printed circuit board along the same horizontal axis A as the twinaxial cable 104. LAT However, in this horizontal configuration, a beautiful bend is only in a vertical direction D V is allowed in a horizontal direction D H It is not allowed to go up.

[0036] In order to allow the twinaxial cable 104 to be in a horizontal orientation D when exiting the connector housing H In some embodiments, each twin-axial cable is fixed in a vertical configuration in the connector housing by a vertical tie bar in the connector housing before each twin-axial cable comes out of the connector, so that each twin-axial cable comes out of the connector in a vertical configuration instead of a horizontal configuration.

[0037] In the vertical configuration, the transverse axis A of the twinaxial cable 104 LAT The flat sides of the connector housing are generally perpendicular to the top or bottom surface of the connector housing and / or the top or bottom surface of the connector printed circuit board. In the vertical configuration, the opposite flat sides of the connector housing are also generally perpendicular to the top or bottom surface of the connector housing and / or the top or bottom surface of the connector printed circuit board. Exiting the connector housing in a vertical configuration allows each twinaxial cable to be in a horizontal direction D H A perfect bend with no signal attenuation is achieved because the two conductors in each twinaxial cable are equidistant from a bend axis about which the cable bends.

[0038] Figure 2 A twin-axial cable assembly 100 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. The twin-axial cable assembly 100 is configured for each twin-axial cable to be connected in a horizontal direction D when exiting the connector 200. H A beautiful bend on the signal either to the left or to the right with no noticeable degradation of signal integrity. Figure 3 Show Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of the twinaxial cable assembly 100 , wherein the twinaxial cable 104 exits the connector 200 in a vertical configuration.

[0039] Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3The twin-axial cable assembly 100 includes a connector 200, which has: a connector housing 210, which accommodates a connector printed circuit board 134 connected to multiple rows 120, 122, 124, 126 of twin-axial cables 104; a shielding cover 140, which covers the area where the connector printed circuit board 134 is connected to the multiple rows 120, 122, 124, 126 of twin-axial cables 104; a horizontal tie bar 110, which is used to maintain the multiple rows 120, 122, 124, 126 of twin-axial cables 104 in a horizontal configuration; a vertical tie bar 112, which is used to maintain the multiple rows 120, 122, 124, 126 of twin-axial cables 104 in a vertical configuration; and a gathering cable tie bar 160, through which the multiple rows 120, 122, 124, 126 of twin-axial cables 104 pass out of the connector housing 210.

[0040] Figure 2 The illustrated twinaxial cable assembly 100 includes a plurality of twinaxial cable rows or groups 120, 122, 124, 126 each having a plurality of twinaxial cables 104, each of which includes a plurality of twinaxial cables 104 arranged along parallel lines A for each of the twinaxial cable groups 120, 122, 124, 126. LAT The horizontal axis A is shown LAT A pair of conductors 150a, 150b are spaced apart in a transverse direction. The conductor pairs 150a, 150b within each twinaxial cable 104 are surrounded by an insulating material.

[0041] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The twin-axial cable assembly 100 of the example in FIG. 1 includes a horizontal tie bar 110, a vertical tie bar 112, and a gathering cable tie bar 160. The horizontal tie bar 110 is installed in the connector housing 210, downstream of the connector printed circuit board 130, to maintain each twin-axial cable 104 in a horizontal configuration. LAT When the and / or opposing planar sides 152 a , 152 b are substantially parallel to the top or bottom surfaces 212 , 214 of the connector housing 210 and / or the top or bottom surfaces 132 , 134 of the connector PCB 130 , the twinaxial cable 104 is maintained in a horizontal configuration.

[0042] In this horizontal configuration, a beautiful bending is only upward or downward in the vertical direction DV and around the horizontal axis A LAT is allowed but around the depth axis A D The horizontal tie bars 110 maintain the twin-axial cables 104 in a horizontal configuration for accurate orientation and positioning of the twin-axial cables 104 when mounted on the connector printed circuit board 130. Figure 2As shown, because each twinaxial cable 104 is mounted on the circuit board 130 in a horizontal configuration to more easily allow each conductor 150a, 150b to be connected to the connector printed circuit board 130.

[0043] Vertical tie bars 112 are installed in the connector housing 210 downstream of the connector printed circuit board 130 to orient each twinaxial cable 104 in a vertical configuration before the cables exit the connector 200. In the current embodiment, vertical tie bars 112 are also installed in the connector housing 210 downstream of the horizontal tie bars 110 to orient each twinaxial cable 104 in a vertical configuration.

[0044] In one embodiment, the connector 200 does not have a vertical tie and relies on the gathering cable tie 160 to orient the twinaxial cable in a vertical configuration. When traveling downstream from the connector PCB 130 and the horizontal tie 110, before entering the vertical tie 112, the orientation of the twinaxial cable 104 changes from a horizontal configuration to a vertical configuration when the opposing flat sides 152a, 152b of the twinaxial cable 104 are substantially perpendicular to the top or bottom surfaces 212, 214 of the connector housing 210 and / or the top or bottom surfaces 132, 134 of the connector PCB 130.

[0045] In the vertical configuration, the transverse axis A of the twinaxial cable 104 LAT The top or bottom surface 212, 214 of the connector housing 210 and / or the top or bottom surface 132, 134 of the connector printed circuit board 130 are generally perpendicular. In this vertical configuration, a beautiful bend is now in a horizontal direction D H Up to the left or right and around the horizontal axis A LAT The vertical tie bar 112 maintains each twin-axial cable 104 in a vertical configuration for accurate orientation and positioning for guiding each twin-axial cable 104 through the cluster cable tie bar 160, such as Figure 2 shown.

[0046] The horizontal tie bars 110 and the vertical tie bars 112 are formed by an overmold layer over each of the twin-axial cable rows 120, 122, 124, 126. For example, the twin-axial cable rows 126 are routed through the connector 200 and connected to the circuit board 130. When the twin-axial cable rows 126 are routed into the connector housing 210, tooling is placed in the cavity of the connector housing 210, and the tooling maintains the cables 104 in the twin-axial cable rows 126 in a horizontal configuration. A horizontal overmold layer made of a low-pressure overmold material as part of the horizontal tie bar 110 is formed over the twin-axial cable rows 126 to affix the twin-axial cables 104 in a horizontal position. Thus, any of the aggregate cable ties described herein can be formed from a polymer material through an overmold process (e.g., an injection overmold).

[0047] When the twin-axial cable row 126 is connected to the circuit board 130, the tooling is placed in the cavity of the connector housing 210, and the tooling maintains the cables 104 in the twin-axial cable row 126 in a vertical configuration. A vertical overmold layer as part of the vertical tie bar 112 is formed on the twin-axial cable row 126 to secure the twin-axial cables 104 in a horizontal position. Each subsequent twin-axial cable row 124, 122, 120 also has subsequent horizontal overmold layers and vertical overmold layers formed thereon to secure the twin-axial cable row 124, 122, 120 in either a horizontal position or a vertical position. The plurality of horizontal overmold layers form the horizontal tie bar 110 and the plurality of vertical overmold layers form the vertical tie bar 112. Each tie bar 110 , 112 is configured to orient a plurality of twinaxial cable groups 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 such that each twinaxial cable group 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 is stacked on its respective next twinaxial cable group 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 , and the twinaxial cable groups 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 are substantially parallel to one another within the connector housing 210 .

[0048] The gathering cable tie 160 is mounted on the end of the connector housing 210 opposite the connector printed circuit board 130 and downstream of the connector printed circuit board 130 and orients each twinaxial cable 104 in a vertical configuration. The gathering cable tie 160 brings the four rows 120, 122, 124, 126 of twinaxial cables 104 together in a compact orientation so that the twinaxial cables 104 are in a vertical configuration. Figure 2A compact and adjacent layout is shown. The compact and adjacent layout allows multiple twinaxial cables 104 to be compactly placed in a cable cover or jacket 220 for routing to another location, such as another connector or a printed circuit board. A copper shield 162 preferably surrounds the bundled multiple twinaxial cables 104 that have entered the aggregate cable tie 160. The copper shield 160 is in compressive contact with the connector housing 210 to provide grounding.

[0049] Reference Figure 3 The bundled multiple twin-axial cables are arranged in a vertical configuration from the cable tie bar 160 to allow the twin-axial cables to be arranged in a horizontal direction D when they are arranged from the connector housing 210. H 2, so that each twinaxial cable 104 does not exit the connector housing 210 in a horizontal configuration but in a vertical configuration. Exiting the connector housing 210 in a vertical configuration allows a beautiful bend of each twinaxial cable in a horizontal direction DH without signal attenuation because the two conductors in each twinaxial cable are equidistant from a bend axis AV about which the cable bends.

[0050] The twinaxial cable in the twinaxial cable assembly 100 can be any suitable twinaxial cable having a pair of conductors 150. The twinaxial cable can be surrounded by a dielectric material to keep the pair of conductors separated while providing some flexibility to allow bending. The conductor pair and the insulating material can also be surrounded by a shielding material such as a metal foil or braided metal arranged in a film. In some embodiments, the twinaxial cable includes a pair of ground wires disposed on opposite sides of the pair of conductors. The pair of conductors 150 and the pair of ground wires can be spaced apart and arranged along the transverse axis A. LAT Alignment.

[0051] Figure 2 1 is a front perspective view of a twinaxial cable assembly 100 connected to a connector printed circuit board 130. The twinaxial cable assembly 100 may be any suitable length and may typically be covered by a jacket 220 or a suitable material that holds the twinaxial cables in place for ease of handling when the cables 104 exit the connector housing 210 at the rear of the housing 210. The printed circuit board 130 may be enclosed in the connector housing 210. The twinaxial cable assemblies 120, 122, 124, 126 may be as shown. Figure 2 The shown components are stacked in a first order 120 - 122 - 124 - 126 within the connector housing 210 for connection to the printed circuit board 130 .

[0052] The plurality of rows 120, 122, 124, 126 of twinaxial cables 104 are connected to the printed circuit board 130 at a first end of the cable assembly 100. At the first end, the twinaxial cables 104 may be secured to the printed circuit board 130 by a bracket 145. A first bracket 145a holds the end of the row 120 of twinaxial cables. A second bracket 145b holds the end of the row 122 of twinaxial cables. A third bracket 145c holds an end of the row 124 of twinaxial cables. A fourth bracket 145d holds the end of the row 126 of twinaxial cables, and so on. The conductor pairs 150 in each twinaxial cable 104 may be soldered, welded, or otherwise functionally secured to a surface 132, 134 of the printed circuit board 130 to electrically connect to a suitable trace etched on the printed circuit board 130. The conductor pairs 150 may be connected to the printed circuit board 130 in a row according to the stacking order of the twinaxial cable rows 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 .

[0053] Note that, refer to Figures 2 to 3 The illustrated example twin-axial cable assembly 100 includes terminal connections to a printed circuit board 130. However, it is noted that other embodiments of the example twin-axial cable assembly 100 may terminate at different configurations. A printed circuit board 130 is only one type of terminal configuration shown herein for the purpose of providing a clear illustration. Other suitable connection configurations may also be employed.

[0054] The connector 200 is at one end 102 of the twinaxial cable assembly 100. The connector 200 has a connector housing 210 covering the connector printed circuit board 130. The twinaxial cable assembly 100 is shown covered with a cable cover or jacket 220. The connector 200 may include a suitable mating structure 230 that mates with a corresponding structure on a receiving connector (not shown). The receiving connector may be part of an electronic component that is configured to receive the connector 200 and communicate signals on the twinaxial cable assembly 100.

[0055] Note that the twinaxial cable groups 120, 122, 124, 126 of the exemplary embodiments described herein each include four twinaxial cables. However, other exemplary embodiments may include any other suitable number of twinaxial cables. Additionally, four twinaxial cable groups 120, 122, 124, 126 form the exemplary twinaxial cable assembly 100 described herein, however, other exemplary embodiments may include any suitable number of twinaxial cable groups. Additionally, exemplary embodiments may include a first plurality of twinaxial cable groups having one number of twinaxial cables, and by lacing, joining at the other end with a second plurality of cable groups having a different number of twinaxial cables in each twinaxial cable group.

[0056] The above-mentioned features, structures or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner, and if possible, the features discussed in the various embodiments may be interchangeable. In the following description, many specific details are provided to fully understand the multiple embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions of the present disclosure may be practiced without one or more of the many specific details, or other methods, components, materials, etc. may be adopted. In other cases, known structures, materials or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid confusion in many aspects of the present disclosure.

[0057] Although relative terms such as "on", "below", "upper" and "lower" are used in the specification to explain the relative relationship of one component to another component, these terms are used in the specification only for convenience, for example as directions in the examples shown in the drawings. It should be understood that if the device is turned upside down, the above-mentioned "upper" component will become a "lower" component. When a structure is "on" another structure, it may be that the structure is integrally formed on the other structure, or the structure is "directly" provided on the other structure, or the structure is "indirectly" provided on the other structure through other structures.

[0058] In this specification, terms such as "a", "an", "the", and "said" are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements and components. The terms "comprise", "include", "have", "contain" and variations thereof are used to be open ended and mean that additional elements, components, etc. are included in addition to the listed elements, components, etc., unless otherwise specified in the accompanying claims.

[0059] The terms "first", "second", etc. are used only as labels and are not limitations on a number of objects. It is understood that if a plurality of components are given, these components may be referred to as "first" components, "second" components, etc., within the applicable scope.

[0060] The disclosure provided herein illustrates features by means of preferred and exemplary embodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occur to persons of ordinary skill in the art upon review of this disclosure.

[0061] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of the embodiments set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. In the case of not departing from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure in essence, many variations and modifications may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments. All such modifications and variations are included herein within the scope of the present disclosure and are protected by the following claims.

Claims

1. A dual-axis cable assembly, comprising: a plurality of twin-axial cable groups, each of which includes a plurality of twin-axial cables, each of which includes a first conductor and a second conductor spaced apart, each of which has opposite cable ends corresponding to the first and second assembly ends and a connector end, each of which is connected to a terminal component at the connector end; a connector, in which a portion of the plurality of twin-axial cable groups is received, the connector having a connector housing and a connector printed circuit board, the connector printed circuit board being connected to the plurality of rows of twin-axial cables at the connector end; as well as A cluster cable tie through which the rows of twinaxial cables pass out of the connector housing in a vertical configuration wherein the lateral direction of the twinaxial cables is generally perpendicular to a top or bottom surface of the connector printed circuit board in the vertical configuration.

2. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 1, in, The connector further includes: a horizontal tie bar downstream of the connector printed circuit board for maintaining the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables in a horizontal configuration, Wherein, the connector end of the twin-axial cable is connected to the connector printed circuit board in the horizontal configuration.

3. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The connector also includes a vertical tie bar downstream of the horizontal tie bar for maintaining the rows of twinaxial cables in a vertical position.

4. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 1, wherein: Each twinaxial cable includes a pair of ground wires disposed on opposite sides of the pair of conductors, and the pair of conductors and the pair of ground wires are spaced apart in the lateral direction.

5. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The pair of conductors at the connector end of each twinaxial cable set are connected to the connector printed circuit board in a row of connections that are generally parallel to the row of connections of the connector end of an immediately adjacent twinaxial cable set to the connector printed circuit board.

6. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The first conductor and the second conductor are spaced apart from each other in a laterally direction.

7. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The clustered cable tie and the horizontal tie are each formed from an injection molded polymer material.

8. A dual-axis cable assembly, comprising: a plurality of twin-axial cable groups, each of which includes a plurality of twin-axial cables, each of which includes a first conductor and a second conductor that are spaced apart and surrounded by an insulating material, each of which has opposite cable ends corresponding to the first and second assembly ends and a connector end, each of which is connected to a terminal component at the connector end; a connector that receives a portion of the plurality of twinaxial cable groups, the connector having a connector housing that receives a termination structure connected to the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables at the ends of the cables and a gathering cable tie through which the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables exit the connector housing in a vertical configuration, Wherein, in the vertical configuration, the lateral direction of the twin-axial cable is substantially perpendicular to a top or bottom surface of the termination structure.

9. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 8, wherein: The termination structure is a connector printed circuit board.

10. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 9, wherein: The connector also includes a horizontal tie bar downstream of the connector printed circuit board for maintaining the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables in a horizontal configuration.

11. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 10, wherein: The connector also includes a vertical tie bar downstream of the horizontal tie bar for maintaining the rows of twinaxial cables in a vertical position.

12. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 8, wherein: Each twinaxial cable includes a pair of ground wires disposed on opposite sides of the pair of conductors, and the pair of conductors and the pair of ground wires are spaced apart in the lateral direction.

13. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 9, wherein: The pair of conductors at the connector end of each twinaxial cable set are connected to the connector printed circuit board in a row of connections that are generally parallel to the row of connections of the connector end of an immediately adjacent twinaxial cable set to the connector printed circuit board.

14. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 8, wherein: The first conductor and the second conductor are spaced apart from each other in a laterally direction.

15. The twin-axial cable assembly according to claim 10, wherein: The clustered cable tie and the horizontal tie are each formed from an injection molded polymer material.

16. A dual-axis cable assembly, comprising: a plurality of twin-axial cable groups, each of which includes a plurality of twin-axial cables, each of which includes a first conductor and a second conductor that are spaced apart and surrounded by an insulating material, each of which has opposite cable ends corresponding to the first and second assembly ends and a connector end, each of which is connected to a terminal component at the connector end; a connector for receiving a portion of the plurality of twin-axial cable groups, the connector having a connector housing, the connector housing receiving a termination structure at the cable end connected to the plurality of rows of twin-axial cables; a vertical tie bar disposed in the connector housing through which the plurality of rows of twinaxial cables pass in a vertical configuration; and A horizontal tie bar is disposed in the connector housing, downstream of the vertical tie bar, and the multiple rows of twin-axial cables pass through the horizontal tie bar in a horizontal configuration, wherein the multiple twin-axial cables are connected to the termination structure in the horizontal configuration.

17. The twin-axial cable assembly of claim 16, wherein: The termination structure is a connector printed circuit board, The twin-axial cable assembly further includes: a cable gathering tie bar disposed in the connector housing, and the multiple rows of twin-axial cables pass through the cable gathering tie bar in a vertical configuration and come out of the connector housing.

18. The twin-axial cable assembly of claim 16, wherein: Each twinaxial cable includes a pair of ground wires disposed on opposite sides of the pair of conductors, and the pair of conductors and the pair of ground wires are spaced apart in the lateral direction.

19. The twin-axial cable assembly of claim 17, wherein: The pair of conductors at the connector end of each twinaxial cable set are connected to the connector printed circuit board in a row of connections that are generally parallel to the row of connections of the connector end of an immediately adjacent twinaxial cable set to the connector printed circuit board.

20. The twin-axial cable assembly of claim 16, wherein: The first conductor and the second conductor are laterally spaced apart from each other; and The vertical tie bars and the horizontal tie bars are each formed from an injection molded polymer material.

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