Input voltage connector for VPX power supply and power distribution

Abstract

A high voltage power connector has a housing with a mating end and a mounting end. The housing has contact receiving slots with walls extending between the contact receiving slots. Power contacts are disposed in the contact receiving slots. First ribs extend from the walls toward the mating end of the housing. Second ribs extend from the mounting end of the housing. The first ribs, the walls, and the second ribs provide a barrier between the power contacts to prevent arcing and provide an increased distance on the surface between adjacent contacts. When the power connector is mounted on a mating substrate, the second ribs are positioned in slots of the substrate, allowing the isolation of the power contacts to continue into the substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to input voltage connectors or modules that provide complete isolation between each conductor. In particular, this invention relates to input voltage connectors or modules that can be used in a variety of applications / voltage rails (i.e., 270V, three-phase, 28V). Background Technology

[0002] Connectors or modules with contacts for transmitting high voltages are known. Various spacers can be used to isolate the high-voltage contacts. Alternatively, coated materials or other types of insulation can be used.

[0003] To minimize space requirements and provide cost-effective isolation between high-voltage contacts and with any signal contacts, it would be beneficial to provide a housing or housing insert that fully isolates the high-voltage contacts. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following provides an overview of some illustrative embodiments of the invention. This invention is not a broad overview and is not intended to identify key or essential aspects or elements of the invention or to describe its scope.

[0005] One objective is to provide a power connector configured to support multiple voltage types, including but not limited to 270V, 3-phase, and 28V.

[0006] One objective is to provide a power connector that has isolation between each contact required to support three-phase applications (phases A / B / C and the neutral line).

[0007] One objective is to provide a power connector designed to fit standard module sizes, such as, but not limited to, standard VPX PO modules.

[0008] One embodiment relates to an electrical connector module having an input voltage connector having contacts extending therethrough, the contacts being completely isolated from each other. Ribs isolate the electrical contacts by providing a barrier between the contacts to prevent arcing and by providing an increased distance on the surfaces between adjacent contacts.

[0009] One embodiment relates to a power connector having a housing with a mating end and a mounting end. The housing has contact receiving slots with walls extending between them. Power contacts are disposed within the contact receiving slots. A first rib extends from the wall toward the mating end of the housing. A second rib extends from the mounting end of the housing. The first rib, the wall, and the second rib provide a barrier between the power contacts to prevent arcing and to provide increased distance on the surfaces between adjacent contacts. When the power connector is mounted on a mating substrate, the second rib is positioned within a slot in the substrate, allowing isolation of the power contacts to continue into the substrate.

[0010] One embodiment relates to a power connector having a housing and an inner finned housing. The housing has a mating end and a mounting end. The housing has a contact receiving groove separated by a wall. The inner finned housing has an inner finned housing groove separated by an inner finned housing wall. Power contacts are disposed in the contact receiving groove and the inner finned housing groove. A first rib extends from the wall of the housing toward the mating end of the housing. A second rib extends from the inner finned housing. The second rib extends beyond the mounting end of the housing. The first rib, the wall, and the second rib provide a barrier between the power contacts to prevent arcing and to provide increased distance on the surfaces between adjacent contacts. When the power connector is mounted on a mating substrate, the second rib is positioned in the groove of the substrate, allowing isolation of the power contacts to continue into the substrate.

[0011] One embodiment relates to an electrical connector module having a signal connector and an input voltage connector, the signal connector having signal contacts disposed therein. The input voltage connector has a housing having a mating end and a mounting end. The housing has contact receiving slots with walls extending between them. Electrical contacts are disposed in the contact receiving slots. A first rib extends from the wall toward the mating end of the housing. A second rib extends from the mounting end of the housing. The first rib, the wall, and the second rib provide a barrier between the electrical contacts to prevent arcing, to provide an increased distance on the surfaces between adjacent contacts, and to provide isolation between the electrical contacts.

[0012] Additional features and aspects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading and understanding the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, other embodiments of the invention are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the drawings and related descriptions are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive in nature. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, showing a plug-in module installed to a daughter card.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, showing a backplane module mounted to a backplane.

[0015] Figure 3 Is with Figure 2 The backplane module is compatible with Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the plug-in module.

[0016] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 An exploded view of the input voltage connector of the plug-in module.

[0017] Figure 5 yes Figure 4A cross-sectional view of the assembled plug-in module.

[0018] Figure 6 yes Figure 2 An exploded view of the input voltage connector of the backplane module.

[0019] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 The main view of the plug-in module.

[0020] Figure 8 yes Figure 1 A top view of the plug-in module.

[0021] Figure 9 It is equipped with Figure 1 A perspective view of the child card of the plug-in module.

[0022] Figure 10 yes Figure 2 Top view of the back panel module.

[0023] Figure 11 It is equipped with Figure 2 A perspective view of the back panel of the back panel module.

[0024] Figure 12 This is a perspective view of an illustrative alternative embodiment of a plug-in module installed into a daughter card.

[0025] Figure 13 This is a perspective view of an illustrative alternative backplane module installed on the backplane.

[0026] Figure 14 This is a perspective view of another illustrative alternative embodiment of a plug-in module installed on a daughter card.

[0027] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, schematically illustrate one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 7 and Figure 8The illustrative plug-in module 10 includes an alignment / bonding member 12, a first signal and output power connector 14 (e.g., but not limited to a TE Connectivity Multigig HD connector), a second signal and output power connector 16 (e.g., but not limited to a TE Connectivity Multigig HD connector), an input voltage connector 18, and a second alignment / bonding member 20. The plug-in module 10 shown is intended to be illustrative, as many different configurations of the plug-in module 10 can be used. For example, in the illustrative embodiment shown, the alignment / bonding member 12, the first signal and output power connector 14, the second signal and output power connector 16, and the second alignment / bonding member 20 are known and can be replaced by other components.

[0029] Insert module 10 is installed onto daughter card 22. For example... Figure 9 As shown, daughter card 22 has five mounting portions. The first mounting portion 24 is configured to engage the first alignment / bonding member 12. The second mounting portion 26 is configured to engage the first signal and output power connector 14. The third mounting portion 28 is configured to engage the second signal and output power connector 16. The fourth mounting portion 30 is configured to engage the input voltage connector 18. The fifth mounting portion 32 is configured to engage the second alignment / bonding member 20.

[0030] refer to Figures 3 to 5 The illustrative input voltage connector 18 has a housing 34, power contacts 36, and an inner finned housing 38. The housing 34 has slots 40 for receiving the contacts 36 therein. In the illustrated embodiment, four slots 40 are shown. The slots 40 extend from a mating end 44 of the housing 34 to a mounting end 43 of the housing 34. The slots 40 are separated by walls 45. Ribs 42 extend from the walls 45 toward the mating end 44 of the housing 34. Recesses 41 are provided in the walls 45. The recesses 41 are spaced apart from the ribs 42 and extend toward the mounting end 43 of the housing 34.

[0031] In the illustrative embodiment shown, four electrical contacts 36 are illustrated. Each contact 36 has a mating tab 46, a body portion 47, and a compliant pin or solder post 48. The mating tab 46 and the compliant pin or solder post 48 extend from the body portion 47 in different directions. In the illustrative embodiment shown, the compliant pin or solder post 48 extends from the body portion 47 substantially perpendicular to the mating tab 46. However, other numbers and configurations of contacts 36 may be used.

[0032] The inner finned housing 38 has slots 50 for receiving portions of the body portion 47 of the contact 36 therein. In the illustrative embodiment shown, four slots 50 are shown. The slots 50 are separated by walls 52. The walls 52 extend from the rear wall 53 of the inner finned housing 38. The inner finned housing 38 also has ribs 54 that extend from the walls 52 and are positioned near the compliant pins or solder posts 48 of the contact 36. Figure 3 As shown, when the inner finned housing 38, the contact 36, and the outer housing 34 are assembled, the wall 52 of the inner finned housing 38 is positioned in the recess 41 of the wall 45 of the outer housing 34 and extends into the groove 40. In the illustrative embodiment, the outer housing 34 and the inner finned housing 38 are separate components or parts. However, in other illustrative embodiments, the outer housing 34 and the inner finned housing 38 may be integrally molded as a single piece.

[0033] Figure 9 The image shows a daughter card 22 with the insert module 10 mounted on it. A fourth mounting portion 30, configured to engage the input voltage connector 16, has a slot 58 located between a plated through-hole or a receiving opening 56. The receiving opening 56 is configured to receive a compliant pin or solder post 48 of the contact 36. The slot 58 is configured to receive a rib 54 of the inner finned housing 38.

[0034] When the input voltage connector 18 of the plug-in module 10 is properly assembled, the walls 45 and ribs 42 of the housing 34 mate with the walls 52 and ribs 54 of the inner finned housing 38 to isolate the mating tabs 46, body portions 47, and conformal pins or solder posts 48 of the power contacts 36 from other power contacts 36 and from the first signal and output power connectors 14 and 16. In three-phase applications, this allows phases A / B / C and the neutral line to be isolated from each other. For other power applications, such as, but not limited to, 270V and 28V, the walls 45 and ribs 42 of the housing 34 and the walls 52 and ribs 54 of the inner finned housing 38 provide a barrier between the power contacts 36 to prevent arcing and also provide increased distance between the surfaces of adjacent contacts 36.

[0035] When the input voltage connector 18 of the plug-in module 10 is installed into the daughter card 22, the conformal pins or solder posts 48 of the contacts are positioned in the receiving opening 56 of the fourth mounting portion 30 of the daughter card 22. Additionally, the ribs 54 of the inner fin housing 38 are positioned in the slots 58 of the fourth mounting portion 30 of the daughter card 22. By positioning the ribs 54 in the slots 58, the isolation of the power contacts 36 continues into the daughter card 22, facilitating a more reliable connection.

[0036] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 10The illustrative backplane module 110 includes an alignment / bonding member 112, a first signal and output power connector 114, a second signal and output power connector 116, an input voltage connector 118, and a second alignment / bonding member 120. The backplane module 110 is configured to allow mating with a plug-in module 10. The illustrated backplane module 110 is intended to be illustrative, as many different configurations of the backplane module 110 can be used. For example, in the illustrated illustrative embodiment, the alignment / bonding member 112, the first signal and output power connector 114, the second signal and output power connector 116, and the second alignment / bonding member 120 are known and can be replaced by other components.

[0037] Backplane module 110 is installed onto backplane 122. For example... Figure 11 As shown, daughter card 122 has five mounting portions. The first mounting portion 124 is configured to engage the first alignment member 112. The second mounting portion 126 is configured to engage the first signal and output power connector 114. The third mounting portion 128 is configured to engage the second signal and output power connector 116. The fourth mounting portion 130 is configured to engage the input voltage connector 116. The fifth mounting portion 132 is configured to engage the second alignment / bonding member 118.

[0038] refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 10 The illustrative input voltage connector 118 has a housing 134 and power contacts 136. The housing 134 has slots 140 for receiving the contacts 134 therein. In the illustrative embodiment, four slots 140 are shown, corresponding to slots 40 of the input voltage connector 18. The slots 140 extend from a mating end 144 of the housing 134 to a mounting end 143 of the housing 134. The slots 140 are separated by walls 145. Ribs 142 extend from the walls 145 toward the mating end 144 of the housing 134. Recesses 141 are provided in the walls 145. The recesses 141 are spaced apart from the ribs 142 and extend toward the mounting end 143 of the housing 134. The recesses 141 are configured to receive the power contacts 136.

[0039] In the illustrative embodiment shown, four contacts 136 are illustrated. Each contact 136 has a mating portion 146 and a compliant pin or solder post 148. In the illustrative embodiment shown, the mating portion 146 and the compliant pin or solder post 148 of each contact 136 are positioned substantially in a straight line. However, other numbers and configurations of contacts 136 may be used.

[0040] The housing 134 has a rib 154 that extends from the wall 145 and is positioned near the compliant pin or solder post 148 of the contact 136. The wall 145 and the rib 154 may be integrally molded together or may be separate components.

[0041] Backplane module 110 is installed on backplane 122. Figure 11 As shown in the diagram, the fourth mounting portion 130, configured to engage the input voltage connector 116, has a groove 158 located between a plated through-hole or a receiving opening 156. The receiving opening 156 is configured to receive a compliant pin or solder post 148 of the contact 136. The groove 158 is configured to receive a rib 154 of the housing 134.

[0042] When the input voltage connector 118 of the backplane module 110 is properly assembled, walls 145, ribs 142, and ribs 154 isolate the mating portions 146 and compliant pins or solder posts 148 of the power contacts 136 from other power contacts 136, and from the first signal and output power connector 114 and the second signal and output power connector 116. In three-phase applications, this allows phases A / B / C and the neutral line to be isolated from each other. For other power applications, such as, but not limited to, 270V and 28V, walls 45 and 145, ribs 142 and 154 provide a barrier between the power contacts 136 to prevent arcing and also provide increased distance on the surfaces between adjacent contacts 136.

[0043] When the input voltage connector 118 of the backplane module 110 is mounted to the backplane 122, the compliant pin or solder post 148 of the contact 136 is positioned in the receiving opening 156 of the fourth mounting portion 130 of the backplane 122. Additionally, the rib 154 of the housing 134 is positioned in the slot 158 ​​of the fourth mounting portion 130 of the backplane 122. By positioning the rib 154 in the slot 158, the isolation of the power contact 136 continues into the backplane 122, facilitating a more reliable connection.

[0044] like Figure 3 As shown, when the plug-in connector 10 and the backplane connector 110 mate, the ribs 42 of the housing 34 and 142 of the housing 134 provide a barrier between the mating contacts 36, 136 to prevent arcing and to provide increased distance on the surfaces between adjacent contacts.

[0045] Figure 12 and Figure 13A second illustrative embodiment is shown. In this illustrative embodiment, the configuration of the alignment / bonding alignment member 212, the first signal and output power connector 214, the second signal and output power connector 216, the input voltage connector 218, and the second alignment / bonding member 220 may differ from that of the alignment / bonding alignment member 12, the first signal and output power connector 14, the second signal and output power connector 16, the input voltage connector 18, and the second alignment / bonding member 20 in the embodiments described above; however, the operation of the input voltage connector 218 remains the same as that of the input voltage connector 18. In this embodiment, the input voltage connector 218 and the second signal and output power connector 216 include power contacts 236. Each power contact 236 is surrounded by a housing and an inner finned housing, as described above with reference to the first embodiment.

[0046] Similarly, the configuration of the alignment / bonding alignment member 312, the first signal and output power connector 314, the second signal and output power connector 316, the input voltage connector 318, and the second alignment / bonding member 320 may differ from that of the alignment / bonding alignment member 112, the first signal and output power connector 114, the second signal and output power connector 116, the input voltage connector 118, and the second alignment / bonding member 120 in the above embodiments, but the operation of the input voltage connector 318 remains the same. In this embodiment, the input voltage connector 318 and the second signal and output power connector 316 include power contacts 336. Each power contact 336 is surrounded by a housing, as described above with reference to the first embodiment.

[0047] Figure 14 A third illustrative embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, voltage connector 418 is independent of the other connectors and is mounted on daughter card 422 and voltage backplane 522. The components and operation of voltage connector 418 are similar to those described above with respect to voltage connector 18.

Claims

1. A power connector, comprising: The housing has a mating end and a mounting end, and the housing has contact receiving grooves, with walls extending between the contact receiving grooves; The power contact is disposed in the contact receiving slot; The first rib extends from the wall toward the mating end of the housing; The second rib extends from the mounting end of the housing; The first rib, the wall, and the second rib provide a barrier between the electrical contacts to prevent arcing and provide an increased distance on the surfaces between adjacent contacts; and When the power connector is mounted on the mating substrate, the second rib is positioned in a groove in the substrate, allowing the isolation of the power contacts to continue into the substrate.

2. The power connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The shell has an outer shell and an inner finned shell, the wall and the first rib are disposed on the outer shell, and the second rib is disposed on the inner finned shell.

3. The power connector as described in claim 2, wherein, The inner finned housing has an inner finned housing groove for receiving electrical contacts therein, the inner finned housing groove being separated by the inner finned housing wall.

4. The power connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein, The second rib extends from the inner fin shell wall.

5. The power connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein, The power contact has a mating tab, a main body, and a mounting part. The mating tab is positioned close to the first rib, and the mounting part is positioned close to the second rib.

6. The power connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein, The wall of the outer casing has a recess spaced apart from the first rib and extending toward the mounting end of the casing.

7. The power connector as claimed in claim 6, wherein, A portion of the inner fin shell wall is positioned within a recess in the outer shell wall.

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