Method of retrofitting connector

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for transforming a connector. The method is used for transforming a connector comprising a plug end and a socket end. The method comprises the following steps of: increasing the thickness of a first part line segment of a signal terminal at a plug end, wherein the position of the first part line segment is adjacent to a hollow part of an insulating plate; and the thickness of a second part line segment of the signal terminal is increased at the socket end, and the second part line segment is provided with a slope structure. According to the method, signal terminal structures of a plug end and a matched socket end of the connector are modified, and modification is selectively carried out on a circuit board of the plug end of the connector, so that the transmission bandwidth of the connector is increased, and the data transmission rate of the connector is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for modifying a connector, in particular to a method for modifying a connector capable of improving data transmission rate. Background Art

[0002] In modern electronic devices, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) is often used to connect data transmission between computers and smartphones and their peripheral devices. USB is not only a transmission standard for a serial bus, but also a mechanical interface socket. In addition to being widely used in digital products such as computers and smartphones, it also extends to peripheral devices such as screens, photographic equipment, and game consoles. In order to enable smooth data transmission between these products and devices when the connectors are connected, it is very important to design a connector suitable for high-speed data transmission and low loss. The structural characteristics of the USB Type-C connector are reduced volume and thickness, symmetry from top to bottom, and an increase in the number of transmission lines in the connector, thereby reducing the internal space of the connector and making the spacing between the transmission lines much closer than the transmission line spacing of other USB mechanical connection interfaces. When performing high-speed data transmission, in addition to the signal to be transmitted, the transmission channel will also sense the signal transmitted by the adjacent transmission line, causing a certain degree of coupling interference. In addition, the mechanical design considerations and assembly convenience requirements of the connector due to the plug-in and pull-out between the plug end and the socket end will change the geometric structure of the transmission line. In addition, the metal transmission line in the connector connects to the transmission line on the circuit board. These changes will cause the distribution circuit parameters of the transmission line in a specific area to change, so that the differential impedance value of the area fails to reach the acceptable range, and then an unexpected resonance reaction occurs, resulting in a larger signal transmission loss in the resonant frequency area, so that the plug end of the connector and the socket end cannot achieve the ideal high-speed transmission effect when connected. In addition, in order to meet the plug-in and pull-out force during connection or to achieve the effect of supporting the transmission line, the transmission line in the connector will be assembled with plastic parts or insulators; or the connector itself has some irregular shapes in some areas due to specific uses, such as turning the transmission line vertically before connecting. The above situations form a complex structure inside the connector, which often derives unexpected parasitic effects, thus affecting the transmission effect. In order to meet the demand for higher-speed data transmission, the new generation of USB4 Gen3 specifications has a data transmission rate of up to 40Gbps. However, the transmission line of the USB Type-C connector that currently meets the USB 3.2Gen2 specification will encounter resonance problems between 8GHz and 15GHz, resulting in large transmission losses. The transmission bandwidth is therefore limited, and its transmission rate cannot be increased, making it impossible to further expand its application level to a level that meets the USB4Gen3 specification. Summary of the invention

[0003] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a connector modification method, which can use commercially available connectors as a hardware basis to make minor modifications, thereby solving the problem of unexpected resonance of the transmission line in the connector within a specific frequency range and reducing the insertion loss of the signal within the specific frequency range during transmission, thereby providing a wider signal transmission bandwidth to achieve a faster data transmission rate.

[0004] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a connector modification method, which includes: providing a connector, which includes a plug end and a socket end that can be matched with the plug end, wherein the plug end includes a plurality of first signal terminals and an insulating plate with a hollowed-out portion, the insulating plate is arranged below the plurality of first signal terminals, each of the first signal terminals has a first regular thickness and includes a first partial line segment, the first partial line segment is correspondingly located near the hollowed-out portion of the insulating plate, wherein the socket end has a plurality of second signal terminals, each of the second signal terminals has a second regular thickness and includes a second partial line segment with a slope structure; then, increasing the thickness of the first partial line segment of each of the first signal terminals so that the first partial line segment has a first thickness greater than the first regular thickness; and increasing the thickness of the second partial line segment of each of the second signal terminals so that the second partial line segment has a second thickness greater than the second regular thickness.

[0005] In one embodiment, the plurality of first signal terminals of the plug end each have one end connected to a circuit board through a solder pad, and the circuit board has a ground plane layer inside, and the method further includes:

[0006] Choose one of the following two processes for subsequent modification: modify the process of the pad; or

[0007] Modify the process of the ground plane layer.

[0008] In one embodiment, the process of modifying the bonding pad includes: reducing the area of ​​the bonding pad.

[0009] In one embodiment, the step of reducing the area of ​​the pad includes: modifying the remaining section of the pad to shorten its length; and narrowing the width of the shortened pad.

[0010] In one embodiment, the step of reducing the area of ​​the bonding pad includes: modifying the width of the bonding pad to be equal to the width of the first signal terminal connected thereto.

[0011] In one embodiment, the process of modifying the ground plane layer includes: hollowing out a portion of the ground plane layer to form a slot, and making the position of the slot correspond to the welding position.

[0012] In one embodiment, the slot has a size of 1.15 mm×1.577 mm, and the thickness of the hollowed-out ground plane layer is 0.03048 mm.

[0013] In one embodiment, the step of increasing the thickness of the first portion of the line segment of each of the first signal terminals includes: providing a conductor plate, wherein the conductor plate has an upper surface and a lower surface, and the conductor plate is defined to have a transverse direction and a longitudinal direction perpendicular to each other; forming a rectangular protrusion on the lower surface of the conductor plate, wherein the long side of the rectangular protrusion is oriented along the transverse direction of the conductor plate, and the rectangular protrusion has a width and a protrusion height, wherein the width is oriented along the longitudinal direction of the conductor plate and is equal to the length of the first portion of the line segment, and the protrusion height is equal to the thickness increase of the first portion of the line segment; and pressing the conductor plate from top to bottom and cutting along the longitudinal direction of the conductor plate to form a plurality of conductor lines for use as the plurality of first signal terminals.

[0014] In one embodiment, the first signal terminal includes a fixed end position connected to a circuit board, and the first portion of the line segment is a line segment that is 4.6 mm to 5.4 mm away from the fixed end position in the direction from the fixed end position to the intersection of the first signal terminal and the socket end, wherein the thickness increase of the first portion of the line segment is 0.275 mm.

[0015] In one embodiment, in the step of increasing the thickness of the second portion of the line segment of each of the second signal terminals of the socket end, the second portion of the line segment is located in the middle area of ​​the slope structure, and the increased thickness is 0.16 mm and the increased length is 1.0 mm.

[0016] Based on the above, the connector modification method of the present invention can solve the resonance problem encountered by commercially available connectors between 8GHz and 15GHz in a simple structural improvement and more time-saving and cost-saving manner, so that the data transmission rate of the modified connector can be increased to a level that meets the USB4 Gen3 specification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a flow chart of a connector modification method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2A It is a schematic diagram of the plug end structure of a connector of an embodiment of the present invention before modification. Figure 2B It is a schematic diagram of the socket end structure of a connector of an embodiment of the present invention before modification. Figure 3 It is along Figure 2A Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the plug end cut along the AA cutting line. Figure 4 It is a schematic top view of the structure of a plug end including an insulating plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 and Figure 5AIt is a schematic diagram of the structure of the modified plug end of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 and Fig. 6A It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the socket end after modification according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 The present invention is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing a signal terminal of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the welding pad after the transformation of the plug end of an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the size difference of the solder pad at the plug end before and after the modification according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B FIG. 4 is a comparison diagram of differential impedance performance between the modified connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention and a commercially available connector.

[0018] Fig.11A and Fig. 11B 4 is a comparison diagram of transmission loss between the modified connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention and a commercially available connector.

[0019] Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B 4 is a comparison diagram of the differential insertion loss (ILfitatNq) between the modified connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention and a commercially available connector.

[0020] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram showing that the ground plane layer of the circuit board at the plug end of an embodiment of the present invention is modified.

[0021] Fig.14 is to Fig.13 The signal terminals and pads are hidden to more clearly show the schematic diagram of the modified ground plane layer.

[0022] Fig.15 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the junction between the signal terminal of the plug end and the circuit board of one embodiment of the present invention, showing the hole position of the ground plane layer.

[0023] Fig.16A It is a layered schematic diagram of a circuit board at a plug end of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Fig. 16B yes Fig.16A Exploded diagram of each layer.

[0025] Fig.17 It is a schematic diagram of the dimensions of the hollowed-out area of ​​the ground plane layer inside the circuit board of the plug end of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Fig.18A and Fig.18B 4 is a comparison diagram of differential impedance performance between the modified connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention and a commercially available connector.

[0027] Fig.19A and Fig.19B 4 is a comparison diagram of transmission loss between the modified connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention and a commercially available connector.

[0028] Fig. 20A and Fig. 20B 4 is a comparison diagram of the differential insertion loss (ILfitatNq) between the modified connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention and a commercially available connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The above and other technical contents, features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only used to refer to the directions of the drawings. Therefore, these directional terms are only used for explanation and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0030] The present invention provides a method for modifying a connector, which is based on the hardware of a commercially available connector to solve the problem of unexpected resonance in the frequency range of 8 GHz to 15 GHz and reduce the insertion loss in the frequency range during signal transmission, thereby providing a wider signal transmission bandwidth to achieve a faster data transmission rate. In the specification of the present invention, the term "connector" refers to a kit combination formed by a plug end and a socket end matching the plug end. Figure 1 , the transformation method of the present invention comprises the following steps:

[0031] 1. Step (S11): Increase the thickness of a portion of the line segment of the signal terminal (also referred to as a "signal transmission line", "differential transmission line" or "signal pin") of the "plug end" of the connector so that the thickness of the portion of the line segment is greater than the normal thickness of the adjacent line segment.

[0032] 2. Step (S12): increasing the thickness of a portion of the line segment of the signal terminal of the “socket end” of the connector so that the thickness of the portion of the line segment is greater than the normal thickness of the adjacent line segment.

[0033] 3. Step (S13): Based on the thickness of the signal terminals of the plug end and the socket end having been increased, consider whether to further modify the circuit board connected to the "plug end". One of the following two modification methods (S21) and (S22) can be selected to achieve (S14):

[0034] 1. Modify the soldering pad (S21): reduce the soldering pad area, for example, modify the remaining section of the soldering pad connecting the circuit board and the signal terminal to shorten the length; then narrow the width of the shortened soldering pad.

[0035] 2. Modify the ground plane layer of the circuit board (S22): form a slot in the ground plane layer of the circuit board, for example: generate a slot in the ground plane layer of the circuit board so that the slot only exists in the ground plane layer but does not penetrate the substrate layer above and below the ground plane layer, and the slot is located directly below the welding point between the circuit board and the signal terminal.

[0036] Selecting any one of the above two modification methods (S21) and (S22) can achieve similar effects.

[0037] The plug end of the USB Type-C interface connector that meets the USB 3.2 Gen 2 specification is used for plugging and unplugging and supports the connection of various devices. The main function is to provide signal transmission and power supply, which is an important key in the signal transmission process. It is the most widely used connector type for high-speed data transmission today. Therefore, the following embodiment takes the existing USB Type-C interface connector that meets the USB3.2 Gen2 specification as the modification object, and more specifically describes the modification method of the connector of the present invention. The USB Type-C connector of the present invention modifies the thickness of part of the line segments of the signal terminals that are mainly responsible for high-speed data transmission inside both the plug end and the socket end, and reduces the length and width of the solder pads where the signal terminals of the plug end are connected to the circuit board, or hollows out a specific area of ​​the ground plane layer below the connection between the signal terminals of the plug end and the circuit board, so as to change the distribution circuit parameters of the signal terminals in the area, as a way to solve the resonance problem and improve the high-frequency transmission loss. The purpose of modifying the connector is to solve the resonance problem of the signal terminal in a specific frequency band, so that the transmission bandwidth of the signal terminal can be extended to the high frequency, thereby providing a wider signal transmission bandwidth to achieve a faster data transmission rate.

[0038] First embodiment: Modification of the signal terminals of both the plug and socket ends of the connector

[0039] This embodiment is based on a commercially available USB Type-C interface connector hardware that meets the USB 3.2Gen 2 specification, and uses it as a modification object. The internal structures of both the plug end and the socket end are roughly symmetrical in terms of top and bottom.

[0040] Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 3 The structure of a commercially available USB Type-C interface connector that meets the USB 3.2 Gen 2 specification (hereinafter also referred to as a "commercially available connector" or "commercially available model") before modification is shown. Figure 2A A circuit board showing the "plug end" of a commercially available connector and the signal contact structure on its top half. Figure 2B A circuit board showing the "socket end" of a commercially available connector and the signal contact structure on its top half. Figure 3 Yes Figure 2A The cross section is taken along the AA cutting line after the signal terminals in the lower half of the plug end are completed.

[0041] Figure 2A The structure inside the housing (not shown) of the plug end 100 includes a plurality of terminals, which are connected to a circuit board 120 through a plurality of pads 125 for high-speed data transmission with a computer or other device. These terminals include a plurality of signal terminals 141, 142, 143, 144, a power terminal (not numbered), and a ground terminal (not numbered).

[0042] Figure 2B The socket 200 includes a plurality of signal terminals 241, 242, 243, 244, power terminals (not labeled) and ground terminals (not labeled), all of which are connected to a circuit board 220. The circuit board 220 is a circuit board located in the socket of the target device for signal transmission.

[0043] Figure 3 The arrangement of the layers in the circuit board 120 of the plug end 100 of the commercially available connector is shown. The circuit board 120 includes a substrate 121, an upper ground plane layer 123a, a lower ground plane layer 123b and a solder pad 125. The upper ground plane layer 123a and the lower ground plane layer 123b are both embedded in the substrate 121 and are electrically isolated by the substrate 121. The solder pad 125 is disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 121 to be electrically connected to the signal terminal 142. The solder pad 125 is electrically isolated from the upper ground plane layer 123a by a partial material layer 121a of the substrate 121, and the solder pad 125 is electrically isolated from the lower ground plane layer 123b by another partial material layer 121b of the substrate 121.

[0044] Figure 4 An insulating plate 110 is provided below the upper row of terminals inside the plug end 100 of a commercially available connector. The insulating plate 110 has a hollow portion 112, and the hollow range (shown by a thick black line) corresponds to the middle section of the signal terminals 141, 142, 143, 144 and below the rear section away from the circuit board. This hollow portion 112 will cause the differential impedance value of the transmission line in this area to increase sharply. Therefore, the present invention increases the thickness of a portion of the line segments in the middle section of the signal terminals 141, 142, 143, 144 to increase the area of ​​the side of the signal terminals, thereby increasing the distributed capacitance of the transmission line in this area, achieving the effect of reducing the differential impedance value of the transmission line in this area, and making the differential impedance value of this area within an acceptable range, so as to improve the resonance problem in the above-mentioned frequency band, and achieve a wider transmission bandwidth and a faster data transmission rate. In this embodiment, the portion of the line segment with increased thickness is located at Figure 4 The planned transformation area is 1A.

[0045] Will Figure 4 After the segments of the signal terminals 141 and 142 in the middle modified area 1A are thickened, the side view structure is as follows: Figure 5 The first part is shown as line segments 141A, 142A. Figure 5A The first part of the line segments 141A and 142A is enlarged to show that the line thickness is increased from a normal thickness ST1 to a thickness T1 with an increase in thickness of TA1.

[0046] like Figure 5 and Figure 5A As shown, in a more specific embodiment, the signal terminals 141, 142 of the plug end 100 include a fixed end connected to the circuit board 120. The first part of the line segment 141A, 142A is a line segment from the fixed end position P0 of the signal terminal 141, 142 to the direction of the intersection of the signal terminal 141, 142 and the socket end 200, from the starting position P1 4.6mm away from the fixed end position P0 to the end position P2 5.4mm away, and the thickness of the line segment is modified. The length L1 of the first part of the line segment 141A, 142A of the signal terminal 141, 142 with modified thickness is 0.8mm, and the thickness increase TA1 is 0.275mm, so that the line thickness of the first part of the line segment 141A, 142A is increased from the original conventional thickness ST1 of 0.225mm to the thickness T1 of 0.5mm.

[0047] In order to achieve the purpose of the present invention, in addition to modifying the thickness of the signal terminals at the plug end 100 , the thickness of the signal terminals 241 , 242 , 243 , 244 at the socket end 200 also needs to be modified accordingly.

[0048] Figure 6 The diagram shows an enlarged schematic diagram of the modified area 1B of the socket end 200 of the connector of the present invention. Figure 6 It can be seen that the signal terminals 241, 242 responsible for high-speed data transmission each have a second line segment 241A, 242A. The second line segments 241A, 242A have a slope structure similar to a slide. The thickness of the second line segments 241A, 242A is increased to increase the area of ​​the side of the signal terminal, thereby increasing the distributed capacitance of the transmission line in this area, thereby achieving the effect of reducing the differential impedance value of the transmission line in this area, so that the differential impedance value is within an acceptable range, so as to further improve the resonance problem in the above-mentioned frequency band, and have a wider transmission bandwidth and achieve a faster data transmission rate.

[0049] like Figure 6 and Fig. 6AAs shown, at the socket end 200, the second part line segments 242A, 242A of the signal terminals 241, 242 are thickened. The second part line segments 242A, 242A are located in the middle area of ​​the slope structure of the signal terminals, so that the line thickness is increased from the conventional thickness ST2 of 0.1mm to the thickness T2 of 0.26mm, the thickening amplitude TA2 is 0.16mm, and the thickening length is 1.0mm.

[0050] In order to manufacture the signal terminals 141, 142, 143, 144 required by the present invention, this embodiment provides a method for manufacturing the signal terminals, such as Figure 7 As shown, it is a terminal manufacturing method that can increase the thickness of the signal terminal, which is used to change the area of ​​the side of the signal terminal to increase the distributed capacitance of the transmission line, thereby manufacturing the signal terminals 141, 142, 143, 144 required by the present invention, achieving the effect of reducing the differential impedance value of the transmission line, so that the differential impedance value is within an acceptable range.

[0051] like Figure 7 As shown, a conductor plate 140 with a specific shape is first provided, such as a metal plate. When making the shape of the conductor plate 140, a rectangular protrusion 140A is first formed in a specific rectangular area on the lower surface of the conductor plate 140. The long side direction of the rectangular protrusion 140A is defined as the horizontal direction D2 of the conductor plate 140, and the predetermined cutting direction of the conductor plate 140 is defined as the longitudinal direction D1 of the conductor plate 140, which is perpendicular to the horizontal direction D2. The rectangular protrusion 140A has a width W0 and a bulge height T0, wherein the direction of the width W0 is consistent with the longitudinal direction D1 of the conductor plate 140. In addition, the width W0 is equal to the length L1 of the first part line segment 142A of the signal terminal 142; and the bulge height T0 is equal to the thickness increase amplitude TA1 of the first part line segment 142A. After the conductor plate 140 is fixed by a machine, the conductor plate 140 is pressed downward and cut along the longitudinal direction D1 of the conductor plate 140 to form a plurality of conductor lines 14n to be used as the modified first signal terminals 141 and 142 .

[0052] It is understandable that according to Figure 7 The manufacturing method can save man-hours for manufacturing the conductor plate 140 because the required conductor plate 140 has a simple shape. In addition, in the process of cutting the conductor plate 140, since the conductor lines 14n are closely arranged without gaps, it is different from the known method of widening part of the line segments of the signal terminal. Figure 7 The manufacturing method does not waste extra materials and thus increase unnecessary costs. In general, the structure of partially thickened line segments of the signal terminal of the present invention can be manufactured using a method that saves time and cost.

[0053] In the second and third embodiments of the present invention, the thickness of the signal terminals at both the plug and socket ends is increased, and the pad area is selectively modified or slots are introduced into the ground plane layer inside the circuit board.

[0054] Second embodiment: increasing the signal terminal thickness and reducing the pad area

[0055] The second embodiment still refers to Figure 5 , Figure 5A and Figure 6 The method is to thicken the partial line segments 141A, 142A, 242A, 242A of the signal terminals 141, 142, 241, 242 responsible for data signal transmission in both the plug end 100 and the socket end 200 (such as the modified areas 1A and 1B) and modify the area of ​​the pad 125 (such as the modified area 2); that is, based on the premise of the first embodiment, further Figure 2A The area of ​​the soldering pad 125 where the signal terminals 141, 142 of the plug end 100 are connected to the circuit board 120 is reduced, and the remaining section of the soldering pad 125 is shortened (the soldering pad with reduced area is marked with the symbol 125A) to change the distributed capacitance parameters of the transmission line in the area, so that the problem of transmission loss in a specific frequency band caused by resonance can be further improved.

[0056] Figure 8 The modified area 2 shown is to modify the area of ​​the solder pads 125A where the signal terminals 141 , 142 , 143 , 144 of the plug end 100 are connected to the circuit board 120 . Fig. 9 The diagram shows an enlarged top view of the junction between the signal terminals 141 , 142 of the plug end 100 and the circuit board 120 , with the signal terminals 143 , 144 hidden and the solder pads 125A underneath exposed, the length L2 and width W2 of which are shorter and narrower than the original solder pads 125 .

[0057] In a more specific embodiment, the original length SL of the solder pad 125 is 1.45 mm and the original width SW is 0.35 mm, the reduced length is 0.23 mm and the reduced width is 0.15 mm, so the remaining length L2 of the solder pad 125A after modification is 1.22 mm and the remaining width W2 is 0.2 mm.

[0058] like Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B As shown, in the second embodiment, after the thickness of the signal terminal is modified and the pad area is reduced, the TDR differential impedance performance of the model of the present invention becomes smoother, making it less likely to generate signal reflection during signal transmission.

[0059] Fig.11A and Fig. 11BAs shown in the figure, in terms of transmission loss, the commercial model begins to resonate after 8GHz, while the model of the present invention moves the resonance phenomenon to a higher frequency and does not begin to show significant loss until the frequency reaches 16GHz. Compared with the commercial model, the transmission bandwidth of the model of the present invention increases by nearly 100%.

[0060] Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B As shown, the model of the second embodiment of the present invention can meet one of the USB4Gen3 specifications formulated by USB-IF: Insertion Loss Fit at Nyquist frequency (ILfitatNq) is regulated to be greater than -1.5dB at 15GHz, and the connector itself is not modified to a great extent, which is conducive to reducing the additional cost of making new molds, and the results can be improved to a considerable extent.

[0061] Will Fig. 10A , Fig.11A and Fig. 12A Respectively Fig. 10B , Fig. 11B and Fig. 12B By comparison, it can be seen that the results at the transmission end Tx and the receiving end Rx of the connector are similar.

[0062] Third embodiment: increasing the thickness of the signal terminal and forming a slot in the ground plane layer of the circuit board

[0063] The third embodiment thickens the partial line segments of the signal terminals 141, 142, 241, 242 of the plug end 100 and the socket end 200, but does not modify the area of ​​the pad 125, but removes the copper from the upper ground plane layer 123a of the circuit board 120. Specifically, based on the premise of the first embodiment, the copper is removed from a specific area of ​​the upper ground plane layer 123a or the lower ground plane layer 123b of the circuit board 120 of the plug end 100, so that a slot 123h is formed on the upper ground plane layer 123a, and the slot 123h does not penetrate the lower substrate 121 of the upper ground plane layer 123a and the partial material layer 121a of the upper substrate 121. In this way, the distributed capacitance parameters of the transmission line in the area can be changed, so that the transmission loss problem caused by the resonance problem in a specific frequency band can be further improved.

[0064] Fig.13 The figure shows an enlarged top view of the modified area 4 where the signal terminals 141, 142 of the plug end 100 meet the circuit board 120. In order to more clearly show the position of the slot 123h, Fig.13 and Fig.14 In the embodiment, a portion of the material layer 121a above the substrate 121 is omitted; and Fig.14The signal terminals 141, 142 and the pad 125 are further hidden. Fig.15 The side view of the circuit board 120 clearly shows that the upper ground plane layer 123a is copper-removed to produce a slot 123h (indicated by a dotted line), which is located directly below the solder pad 125, but is separated from the solder pad 125 by a portion of the material layer 121a of the substrate 121. Fig.16A and Fig. 16B The layered arrangement of the circuit board 120 of the plug end 100 is shown, Fig. 16B for Fig.16A The pads 125 are embedded in the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 121; the upper ground plane layer 123a and the lower ground plane layer 123b are both inside the substrate 121; another material layer 121b of the substrate 121 is between the lower pads 125 and the lower ground plane layer 123b.

[0065] In a more specific embodiment, Fig.17 As shown, the size W3 of the copper removal area of ​​the upper ground plane layer 123a (or the lower ground plane layer 123b) inside the circuit board 120 is 1.15mm×1.577mm, which is the area of ​​the slot 123h. Fig.15 The copper-removed upper ground plane layer 123a (or lower ground plane layer 123b) is located in the substrate 121, and the thickness T3 of the copper-removed upper ground plane layer 123a is 0.03048 mm, that is, the thickness of the slot 123h.

[0066] The third embodiment of the present invention also improves the performance of the commercially available USB Type-C connector by improving the line thickness of the high-speed signal terminals responsible for data signal transmission and removing copper from the ground plane layer of the circuit board. Fig.18A and Fig.18B As shown, the TDR differential impedance performance of the model of the present invention also becomes smoother, making it less likely to produce signal reflection during signal transmission.

[0067] like Fig.19A and Fig.19B As shown, in terms of transmission loss performance, the commercially available model begins to resonate after 8 GHz; while the model of the present invention moves the resonance phenomenon to a higher frequency before it begins to appear. Fig.19A and Fig.19B It is shown that a significant loss only occurs after the frequency reaches 16 GHz. Compared with the commercially available model, the transmission bandwidth of the model of the present invention is increased by nearly 100%.

[0068] like Fig. 20A and Fig. 20BAs shown, the model of the present invention has also reached one of the USB4 Gen3 specifications: Insertion Loss Fit at Nyquist frequency (ILfitatNq) is specified to be greater than -1.5dB at 15GHz, and the results can be improved to a considerable extent without making too much modification to the connector itself.

[0069] Will Fig.18A , Fig.19A and Fig. 20A Respectively Fig.18B , Fig.19B and Fig. 20B By comparison, it can be seen that the results at the transmission end Tx and the receiving end Rx of the connector are similar.

[0070] Furthermore, the second embodiment Fig. 10A , Fig.11A and Fig. 12A respectively with those of the third embodiment Fig.18A , Fig.19A and Fig. 20A For comparison, or to compare the second embodiment Fig. 10B , Fig. 11B and Fig. 12B respectively with those of the third embodiment Fig.18B , 19B By comparing 20A and 20B, it can be seen that the results of the two embodiments at the transmission end Tx and the receiving end Rx of the connector are similar. This shows that after increasing the thickness of some line segments of the signal terminals at both the plug end and the socket end, choosing to modify the design of the pad or modify the design of the ground plane layer for subsequent modification can achieve similar effects.

[0071] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention are modified based on the hardware of the existing USB Type-C connector that meets the USB3.2 Gen2 specification, thereby solving the problem of unexpected resonance within a specific frequency range and reducing the insertion loss of signal transmission within the specific frequency range, thereby providing a wider signal transmission bandwidth to achieve the data transmission rate specified by the USB 4Gen 3 specification. The thickness and length of the part of the line segment of the signal terminal responsible for transmitting data in the above embodiment can still obtain a good spectrum response within a certain range of modification, and some minor adjustments can also be made according to design requirements.

[0072] The connector model of the present invention is a partial modification of the signal terminal and the circuit board in the device structure of the existing USB Type-C connector that meets the Type-C 3.2Gen 2 specification, without changing other parts. Therefore, during the manufacturing and assembly process, there is no need to redesign the overall internal structure of the connector. It is only necessary to adjust the thickness of the signal terminal and the area of ​​the solder pad, or to remove the copper from a part of the ground plane layer inside the circuit board. In addition to not needing to spend a lot of money to produce additional molds, while reducing the residual section of the solder pad or creating slots in the ground plane layer of the circuit board to save costs, it can also improve its resonance phenomenon.

[0073] In addition, the invention concept of modifying the line thickness of a portion of the signal terminal can be applied to other commonly used high-speed transmission connectors, such as HDMI and Display Port or other high-speed connectors, in addition to being applied to USB Type-C connectors, to improve the spectrum response of signal transmission between signal terminals after the connectors are docked. For connectors with different sizes of interfaces or connectors with multiple pin structures, the values ​​in the embodiments can be adjusted to achieve optimal signal transmission.

[0074] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, any simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the scope of the present invention and the content of the invention description are still within the scope of the present invention. In addition, any embodiment or patent application of the present invention does not need to achieve all the purposes, advantages or features disclosed by the present invention. In addition, the abstract part and the title are only used to assist the patent document search, and are not used to limit the scope of rights of the present invention.

[0075] Explanation of symbols

[0076] Renovation area 1A, 1B, 2, 4

[0077] Plug end 100

[0078] Insulation plate 110

[0079] Hollow part 112

[0080] Circuit board 120 (plug end)

[0081] Substrate 121

[0082] Partial material layers (of substrate) 121a, 121b

[0083] Upper ground plane layer 123a

[0084] Lower ground plane layer 123b

[0085] Slot 123h

[0086] Solder pad 125

[0087] (Reformed) Solder pad 125A

[0088] Conductor plate 140

[0089] Rectangular protrusion 140A

[0090] Conductor wire 14n

[0091] (Plug end) Signal terminals 141, 142, 143, 144

[0092] First part line segments 141A, 142A

[0093] Socket end 200

[0094] Circuit board 220 (on the socket side)

[0095] (Socket end) Signal terminals 241, 242, 243, 244

[0096] Second part line segments 241A, 242A

[0097] Vertical D1

[0098] Horizontal D2

[0099] Length L1 (of the first line segment)

[0100] Remaining length L2 (of the modified pad)

[0101] Size of the copper-removed area W3

[0102] Fixed end position P0

[0103] Starting point position P1 (of the first line segment)

[0104] End point position P2 (of the first line segment)

[0105] Receiver Rx

[0106] Steps S11 to S14 and S21 to S22 of the connector modification method flow

[0107] Conventional thickness ST1, ST2

[0108] Original length SL (of pad)

[0109] Original width SW (of pad)

[0110] Thickening range TA1,TA2

[0111] Height T0 of the protrusion (of the rectangular protrusion)

[0112] Thickness T1 (of the first line segment)

[0113] Thickness T2 (of the second line segment)

[0114] Thickness T3 (of the upper ground plane layer)

[0115] Transmitter Tx

[0116] Width W0 (of the rectangular protrusion)

[0117] Remaining width W2 (of the modified pad)

Claims

1. A method for modifying a connector, the method comprising: A connector is provided, wherein the connector comprises a plug end and a socket end matching the plug end, wherein the plug end comprises a plurality of first signal terminals and an insulating plate having a hollow portion, the insulating plate being disposed below the plurality of first signal terminals, each of the first signal terminals having a first regular thickness and comprising a first partial line segment, the first partial line segment being correspondingly located above the hollow portion of the insulating plate, wherein the socket end comprises a plurality of second signal terminals, each of the second signal terminals having a second regular thickness and comprising a second partial line segment having a slope structure; Increasing the thickness of the first portion of the line segment of each of the first signal terminals so that the first portion of the line segment has a first thickness greater than the first regular thickness; as well as The thickness of the second portion of the line segment of each of the second signal terminals is increased so that the second portion of the line segment has a second thickness greater than the second normal thickness.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first signal terminals of the plug end has one end connected to a circuit board through a solder pad, and the circuit board has a ground plane layer inside, the method further comprising: Choose one of the following two designs for subsequent transformation: Modify the design of the pad; or Modify the design of the ground plane layer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein modifying the design of the pad comprises: Reduce the area of ​​the pad.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of reducing the area of ​​the pad comprises: shortening the remaining section of the pad to make it shorter; as well as The width of the shortened pad is narrowed.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of reducing the area of ​​the pad comprises: The width of the pad is modified to be equal to the width of the first signal terminal connected thereto.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein modifying the design of the ground plane layer comprises: A slot is formed by removing copper from a portion of the ground plane layer, and the slot is located directly below the soldering point. 7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the slot has a size of 1.15 mm×1.577 mm, and the thickness of the ground plane layer from which the copper is removed is 0.03048 mm.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of increasing the thickness of the first portion of the line segment of each of the first signal terminals comprises: Providing a conductor plate, wherein the conductor plate has an upper surface and a lower surface, and the conductor plate is defined to have a transverse direction and a longitudinal direction perpendicular to each other; Forming a rectangular protrusion on the lower surface of the conductor plate, wherein the long side of the rectangular protrusion is oriented along the transverse direction of the conductor plate, and the rectangular protrusion has a width and a protrusion height, wherein the width is oriented along the longitudinal direction of the conductor plate and is equal to the length of the first partial line segment, and the protrusion height is equal to the thickening amplitude of the first partial line segment; as well as The conductor plate is pressed downward and cut along the longitudinal direction of the conductor plate to form a plurality of conductor lines for serving as the plurality of first signal terminals.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first signal terminal includes a fixed end position connected to a circuit board, and the first portion of the line segment is a line segment that is 4.6 mm to 5.4 mm away from the fixed end position in the direction from the fixed end position to the intersection of the first signal terminal and the socket end, and the thickness increase of the first portion of the line segment is 0.275 mm.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step of increasing the thickness of the second portion of the line segment of each of the second signal terminals of the socket end, the second portion of the line segment is located in a middle area of ​​the slope structure, and the increased thickness is 0.16 mm and the increased length is 1.0 mm.

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