Connector subassembly and electrical connector

Abstract

A connector subassembly includes a plurality of conductive elements, an insulating member, and a shielding housing. The insulating member holds intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive elements. The plurality of conductive elements are arranged as a plurality of groups of conductive elements spaced apart from each other along a row direction, and a mating end of each conductive element is oriented along a mating direction perpendicular to the row direction. The shielding sleeve shell comprises a plurality of first openings and a plurality of pairs of contact arms. A shielding shell is disposed around the conductive element and the insulating member. And the matching end of each group of conductive elements is exposed through the corresponding first opening. Each pair of contact arms is disposed between the corresponding two adjacent sets of conductive elements and adjacent to the mating ends thereof, and each pair of contact arms includes a first contact arm and a second contact arm spaced apart from each other in the mating direction. The utility model further provides an electric connector comprising the connector subassembly. According to the electric connector, the integrity of signals passing through the electric connector can be improved, so that the signal transmission performance of the electric connector is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application generally relates to the field of electrical connectors, and more particularly to a connector subassembly and an electrical connector including the connector subassembly. Background Art

[0002] Electrical connectors are used in many electronic systems. It is often easier and more cost-effective to manufacture a system as separate electronic subassemblies such as printed circuit boards (PCBs) that can be connected together by electrical connectors. Having a detachable connector allows components of an electronic system manufactured by different manufacturers to be easily assembled. A detachable connector also allows components to be easily replaced after the system is assembled to replace defective components or to upgrade the system with higher performance components.

[0003] A known arrangement for connecting several printed circuit boards is to use one printed circuit board as a backplane. A known backplane is a PCB on which many connectors can be mounted. Conductive traces in the backplane can be electrically connected to signal conductors in the connectors so that signals can be routed between the connectors. Other printed circuit boards, referred to as "daughter boards," "daughter cards," or "midplanes," can be connected via the backplane. For example, a daughter card may also have connectors mounted on it. The connector mounted on the daughter card can be inserted into a connector mounted on the backplane. In this way, signals can be routed between the daughter card through the connector and the backplane. The daughter card can be inserted into the backplane at right angles. Therefore, connectors for these applications may include right-angle bends and are often referred to as "right-angle connectors."

[0004] Connectors can also be used in other configurations to interconnect printed circuit boards. Sometimes, one or more printed circuit boards can be connected to another printed circuit board called a "motherboard", which is filled with electronic components and interconnects the daughter boards. In this configuration, the printed circuit board connected to the motherboard can be called a "daughter board". The daughter board is usually smaller than the motherboard and can sometimes be arranged in parallel with the motherboard. Connectors used for this configuration are often referred to as "stacked connectors" or "sandwich connectors". In other systems, the daughter board can be perpendicular to the motherboard.

[0005] For example, this configuration is often used in computers, where a motherboard may have a processor and a bus configured to pass data between the processor and peripherals such as a graphics processor or memory. A connector may be mounted to the motherboard and connected to the bus. The peripherals may be implemented on a daughter card via a connector that mates with a connector on the bus, allowing separately manufactured peripherals to be easily integrated into a computer manufactured with the motherboard.

[0006] To increase the availability of peripherals, buses and connectors used to physically connect peripherals via the bus can be standardized. In this way, a large number of peripherals are available from a wide range of manufacturers. All of these products, as long as they comply with the standard, can be used in a computer with a bus that complies with the standard. Examples of such standards include Serial ATA (SATA), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe), or SFF-8639, which are commonly used in computers. Over time, these standards have undergone several revisions to accommodate higher performance requirements for computers.

[0007] As the performance of electronic systems improves, higher requirements are placed on the signal transmission performance of electrical connectors. Therefore, it is necessary to improve existing electrical connectors. Utility Model Content

[0008] In view of this, the present application proposes a new type of electrical connector to meet higher requirements for signal transmission performance.

[0009] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to high-speed electrical connectors.

[0010] In one aspect, the present application provides a connector subassembly. The connector subassembly may include: a plurality of conductive elements, each of which includes a mating end, a mounting end opposite to the mating end, and an intermediate portion connecting the mating end and the mounting end; an insulating member, the insulating member holding the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive elements so that the plurality of conductive elements are arranged in a row, in which the plurality of conductive elements are arranged into a plurality of groups of conductive elements spaced apart from each other along a row direction, and the mating end of each of the conductive elements is oriented along a mating direction perpendicular to the row direction; and a shielding shell, the shielding shell including a plurality of first openings and a plurality of pairs of contact arms, the shielding shell being arranged around the plurality of conductive elements and the insulating member so that the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive elements and the insulating member are located within the shielding shell, and the mating end of each group of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements is exposed through a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings, each pair of the plurality of pairs of contact arms is arranged between corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements and adjacent to the mating ends of the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements, and each pair of contact arms includes a first contact arm and a second contact arm spaced apart from each other in the mating direction.

[0011] In some embodiments, for each pair of contact arms in the multiple pairs of contact arms: the first contact arm and the second contact arm each include a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end is configured to be fixed, and the second end is configured to be unfixed; and the first contact arm and the second contact arm are arranged along the mating direction so that the second end of the first contact arm and the second end of the second contact arm are opposite to each other in the mating direction, and so that the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm are opposite to each other in the mating direction.

[0012] In some embodiments, for each pair of contact arms in the multiple pairs of contact arms, the first contact arm is disposed between the mating ends of the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements, and the second contact arm is disposed between sections of the middle portions of the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements adjacent to the mating ends.

[0013] In some embodiments, for each pair of contact arms in the multiple pairs of contact arms, the second end of the first contact arm and the mating end of the adjacent conductive element are spaced apart from each other by a first spacing from center to center in the row direction; for each group of conductive elements in the multiple groups of conductive elements, the mating ends of two adjacent conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a second spacing from center to center in the row direction, and the first spacing is equal to the second spacing.

[0014] In some embodiments, for each pair of contact arms in the multiple pairs of contact arms, the second end of the first contact arm has a first convex curved shape having a first contact top, and the first contact top of the second end of the first contact arm in the multiple pairs of contact arms is aligned along a first line parallel to the row direction and is coplanar with a first plane parallel to the row direction and the mating direction.

[0015] In some embodiments, for each pair of contact arms in the multiple pairs of contact arms, the second end of the second contact arm has a second convex curved shape having a second contact top, the second contact tops of the second ends of the second contact arms in the multiple pairs of contact arms are aligned along a second line parallel to the row direction and are coplanar with the first plane, and the second line and the first line are spaced apart from each other in the mating direction.

[0016] In some embodiments, for each of the conductive elements, the mating end has a third convex curved shape having a third contact top, and the third contact tops of the mating ends of the multiple conductive elements are aligned along the first line and are coplanar with a second plane parallel to the row direction and the mating direction.

[0017] In some embodiments, the shielding shell includes a plate-like body extending parallel to the row direction and the mating direction, the multiple first openings are opened in the plate-like body, the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm of the multiple pairs of contact arms are connected to the plate-like body, and the second end of the first contact arm and the second end of the second contact arm of the multiple pairs of contact arms protrude above the outer surface of the plate-like body, the first plane is at a first distance from the outer surface of the plate-like body in a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction, and the third contact tops of the mating ends of the multiple groups of conductive elements protrude above the outer surface of the plate-like body through the corresponding first openings, so that the second plane is at a second distance from the outer surface of the plate-like body in the vertical direction, and the second distance is greater than the first distance.

[0018] In some embodiments, the shielding shell includes a plate-like body extending parallel to the row direction and the mating direction, the multiple first openings are opened in the plate-like body, the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm of the multiple pairs of contact arms are connected to the plate-like body, and the second end of the first contact arm and the second end of the second contact arm of the multiple pairs of contact arms protrude above the outer surface of the plate-like body, for each of the conductive elements, the mating end is in the shape of a straight blade with a flat contact surface, and the flat contact surfaces of the mating ends of the multiple conductive elements are coplanar with the outer surface of the plate-like body.

[0019] In some embodiments, the shielding shell includes a plate-like body extending parallel to the row direction and the mating direction, the multiple first openings are opened in the plate-like body, and the plate-like body also includes multiple first sections, each first section of the multiple first sections is located between corresponding adjacent two first openings of the multiple first openings in the row direction, and for each pair of contact arms in the multiple pairs of contact arms, the first contact arm is an elastic arm cut out from a corresponding first section of the multiple first sections.

[0020] In some embodiments, the plate-like body further includes a second segment extending above middle portions of the plurality of conductive elements and connecting the plurality of first segments, and for each pair of contact arms in the plurality of pairs of contact arms, the second contact arm is an elastic arm cut out from the second segment.

[0021] In some embodiments, for each pair of contact arms in the multiple pairs of contact arms, the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm are connected to the plate-like body, and the plate-like body includes a continuous narrow groove extending between the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm, and the section of the narrow groove between the corresponding two adjacent first openings extends in the corresponding first section of the plate-like body without being connected to the corresponding two adjacent first openings.

[0022] In some embodiments, the plate-like body also includes a front piece that is configured to extend beyond the mating ends of the multiple conductive elements in the mating direction, the front piece connects the multiple first sections, and the front piece extends along a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction.

[0023] In some embodiments, for each of the conductive elements, the middle portion extends from the mating end along the mating direction, the multiple groups of conductive elements include multiple pairs of signal conductive elements configured to carry differential signals, the signal conductive elements in each pair of signal conductive elements are adjacent to each other in the row direction, and their mating ends are exposed through the same first opening, the mating ends of each pair of signal conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a second spacing from center to center in the row direction, and the middle portions of each pair of signal conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a third spacing from center to center in the row direction, and the second spacing is greater than the third spacing.

[0024] In some embodiments, for each of the conductive elements, the mating end is convexly curved to protrude out of the shielding shell, and for each pair of signal conductive elements, the mating end has a first width in the row direction, and the middle part has a second width in the row direction, and the first width is smaller than the second width.

[0025] In some embodiments, each of the conductive elements includes an edge and a wide side connected by the edge, and the multiple conductive elements are arranged in rows in an edge-to-edge manner. For each of the signal conductive elements, the wide side of the mating end and the wide side of the middle part are flat and have the same width, and each of the signal conductive elements includes a transition section between the mating end and the middle part, and the transition section is bent along a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction so that the wide side of the mating end and the wide side of the middle part extend along two different planes perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the transition section is bent along the row direction so that the center line of the mating end is offset relative to the center line of the middle part in the mating direction. For each pair of signal conductive elements, the transition section of each signal conductive element is bent along the row direction away from the transition section of the other signal conductive element.

[0026] In some embodiments, the shielding shell comprises: a first shell portion, the first shell portion comprising a plurality of platform portions, a plurality of valley portions, and side portions connecting adjacent platform portions and valley portions; and a second shell portion, the second shell portion comprising the plurality of first openings and the plurality of contact arms. Each valley portion of the plurality of valley portions is located between two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements, the second shell portion is attached to the first shell portion at the plurality of valley portions, and is opposite to the plurality of platform portions in a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction, so as to enclose a tubular structure with each of the platform portions and the corresponding two side portions, and the middle portion of the corresponding group of conductive elements is received in the tubular structure.

[0027] In another aspect, the present application provides a connector subassembly. The connector subassembly may include: a plurality of conductive elements, each of the conductive elements including a mating end, a mounting end opposite to the mating end, and a middle portion connecting the mating end and the mounting end;

[0028] an insulating member, wherein the insulating member holds the middle portions of the plurality of conductive elements so that the plurality of conductive elements are arranged in a row, in which the plurality of conductive elements are arranged into a plurality of groups of conductive elements spaced apart from each other along a row direction, and the mating end of each of the conductive elements is oriented along a mating direction perpendicular to the row direction, and the middle portion extends from the mating end along the mating direction; and a shielding shell, wherein the shielding shell includes a plurality of first openings, the shielding shell being arranged around the plurality of conductive elements and the insulating member so that the middle portions of the plurality of conductive elements and the insulating member are located within the shielding shell, and the mating end of each group of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements is exposed through a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings. The multiple groups of conductive elements include multiple pairs of signal conductive elements configured to carry differential signals, the signal conductive elements in each pair of signal conductive elements are adjacent to each other in the row direction, and their mating ends are exposed through the same first opening, the mating ends of each pair of signal conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a first spacing from center to center in the row direction, and the middle parts of each pair of signal conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a second spacing from center to center in the row direction, and the first spacing is greater than the second spacing.

[0029] In some embodiments, for each of the conductive elements, the mating end is convexly curved to protrude out of the shielding shell, and for each pair of signal conductive elements, the mating end has a first width in the row direction, and the middle part has a second width in the row direction, and the first width is smaller than the second width.

[0030] In some embodiments, each of the conductive elements includes an edge and a wide side connected by the edge, and the multiple conductive elements are arranged in a row in an edge-to-edge manner. For each of the signal conductive elements, the wide side of the mating end and the wide side of the middle part are flat and have the same width, and each of the signal conductive elements includes a transition section between the mating end and the middle part, and the transition section is bent along a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction so that the wide side of the mating end and the wide side of the middle part extend along two different planes perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the transition section is bent along the row direction so that the center line of the mating end is offset relative to the center line of the middle part in the mating direction. For each pair of the signal conductive elements, the transition section of each signal conductive element is bent along the row direction away from the transition section of the other signal conductive element.

[0031] In some embodiments, the shielding shell includes a plurality of shell mating ends, each of the shell mating ends being arranged between two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements in the multiple groups of conductive elements and adjacent to the mating ends of the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements, and each of the shell mating ends and the mating ends of the adjacent conductive elements being spaced apart from each other by the first spacing from center to center in the row direction.

[0032] In some embodiments, for the shielding shell, the multiple shell mating ends include mating contact surfaces that are arranged to be coplanar with the outer surface of the shielding shell, and for the multiple conductive elements, the mating ends include mating contact surfaces that are arranged to be coplanar with the outer surface of the shielding shell.

[0033] In some embodiments, for the shielding shell, the multiple shell mating ends include mating contact surfaces arranged to be coplanar on a first plane located above the outer surface of the shielding shell and parallel to the outer surface, and for the multiple conductive elements, the mating ends include mating contact surfaces arranged to be coplanar with the outer surface of the shielding shell.

[0034] In some embodiments, each of the shell mating ends includes a first elastic contact arm and a second elastic contact arm spaced apart from each other in the mating direction, the first elastic contact arm and the second elastic contact arm each include a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end is configured to be fixed, and the second end is configured to be unfixed, the first elastic contact arm and the second elastic contact arm are arranged along the mating direction so that the second end of the first elastic contact arm and the second end of the second elastic contact arm are opposite to each other in the mating direction, and the first end of the first elastic contact arm and the first end of the second elastic contact arm are opposite to each other in the mating direction.

[0035] In some embodiments, the shielding shell includes: a first shell portion, the first shell portion includes a plurality of platform portions, a plurality of valley portions, and a side portion connecting adjacent platform portions and valley portions; and a second shell portion, the second shell portion includes the plurality of first openings. Each valley portion of the plurality of valley portions is located between two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements, the second shell portion is attached to the first shell portion at the plurality of valley portions, and is opposite to the plurality of platform portions in a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction, so as to enclose a tubular structure with each of the platform portions and the corresponding two side portions, and the middle portion of the corresponding group of conductive elements is received in the tubular structure.

[0036] In some embodiments, each of the tubular structures includes a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end of the tubular structure is connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings, so that the mating end of the corresponding group of conductive elements is exposed through the corresponding one of the first openings, and the tubular structure defines a second opening at the second end, and the mounting end of the corresponding group of conductive elements is exposed through the second opening, and the first shell portion also includes a plurality of first fins, each of the first fins extending from a corresponding one of the side portions of the first shell portion at the second opening of the tubular structure to between two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements, so that the two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements are separated in the row direction by two first fins.

[0037] In some embodiments, two first tabs separating two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements in the row direction are configured to be connected to a same conductive pad or a same conductive through hole of a circuit board.

[0038] In some embodiments, the two first fins are coupled to each other to form a single mounting portion, or the two first fins are spaced apart from each other in the row direction.

[0039] In some embodiments, the mounting end of each of the conductive elements includes a first mounting contact surface, and each of the first fins includes a second mounting contact surface, the first mounting contact surface and the second mounting contact surface being coplanar.

[0040] In some embodiments, for each group of conductive elements in the multiple groups of conductive elements, the mounting ends of two adjacent conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a fourth spacing from center to center in the row direction, the two first wings as a whole and the mounting ends of adjacent conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a fifth spacing from center to center in the row direction, and the fourth spacing is equal to the fifth spacing.

[0041] In some embodiments, the first shell portion further includes a plurality of second fins, each of which extends from a corresponding platform portion and connects two first fins corresponding to the same tubular structure, and the second shell portion further includes a plurality of rear pieces, each of which forms an annular portion with two first fins and one second fin corresponding to the same tubular structure to surround the mounting end of a corresponding set of conductive elements.

[0042] In some embodiments, the first housing portion includes a plurality of sub-portions, each of the plurality of sub-portions includes at least one platform portion, at least two side portions, and at least a portion of at least one valley portion, and the plurality of sub-portions are connected to each other at the valley portions.

[0043] In another aspect, the present application provides an electrical connector. The electrical connector may include: an insulating housing including a base and a tongue, the tongue extending from the base and having a first side and a second side opposite to each other; and the aforementioned connector subassembly, the connector subassembly being disposed on the first side of the tongue.

[0044] In some embodiments, the tongue includes a platform on the second side, and the electrical connector further includes a plurality of conductive elements disposed on the second side of the tongue.

[0045] In another aspect, the present application provides an electrical connector. The electrical connector may include: an insulating housing, the insulating housing including a slot having a first side and a second side opposite to each other; and the aforementioned connector subassembly, the connector subassembly being disposed in the insulating housing such that a mating end of the connector subassembly is lined with the first side of the slot.

[0046] In some embodiments, the slot of the insulating housing includes a recess on the second side, and the electrical connector further includes a plurality of conductive elements including mating ends lining the second side of the slot.

[0047] These techniques may be used alone or in any suitable combination.The foregoing summary is provided by way of illustration and is not meant to be limiting.

[0048] According to the present application, the integrity of the signal passing through the electrical connector can be improved, thereby improving the signal transmission performance of the electrical connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] The above and other aspects of the present application will be more thoroughly understood and appreciated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic only and are not drawn to scale. In different drawings, the same components are represented by the same reference numerals. In addition, for the sake of brevity, not all components of the connector subassembly and electrical connector according to the present application are shown or labeled in the drawings. It should be understood that the size, proportional relationship and number of components of the components or parts in the drawings are not intended to limit the present application. In the drawings:

[0050] Figure 1A is a top front perspective view of a plug connector including a connector subassembly according to some embodiments of the present application, showing a top row of conductive elements;

[0051] Figure 1B yes Figure 1A A bottom front perspective view of a plug connector showing a bottom row of conductive elements;

[0052] Figure 1C yes Figure 1A A partially exploded top side perspective view of a plug connector;

[0053] Figure 1D yes Figure 1A a partially exploded bottom perspective view of a plug connector;

[0054] Figure 2A yes Figure 1A a top rear perspective view of a connector subassembly of a plug connector;

[0055] Figure 2B yes Figure 2A a bottom rear perspective view of a connector subassembly;

[0056] Figure 2C yes Figure 2A a bottom front perspective view of a connector subassembly;

[0057] Figure 2D yes Figure 2A A bottom view of a connector subassembly;

[0058] Figure 2E yes Figure 2A a partially exploded top side perspective view of a connector subassembly;

[0059] Figure 2F yes Figure 2A a partially exploded bottom perspective view of a connector subassembly;

[0060] Figure 3 yes Figure 2F An enlarged top view of the area 3 encircled by the dashed box in FIG. 1 , which shows the corresponding parts of the two groups of conductive elements and the insulating member of the connector subassembly;

[0061] Figure 4A It is along Figure 2D A perspective view of a cross section taken along the line labeled "4A-4A";

[0062] Figure 4B yes Figure 4A An enlarged top view of the area 4B circled by the dotted line frame in FIG.

[0063] Figure 4C It is along Figure 2D A perspective view of a cross section taken along the line marked "4C-4C" in FIG.

[0064] Figure 4D yes Figure 4C An enlarged top view of the area 4D circled by the dotted line frame in FIG.

[0065] Figure 5A yes Figure 2F A perspective view of the rightmost three sub-sections of the first housing section of the shield housing of the connector sub-assembly in an assembled state;

[0066] Figure 5B yes Figure 5A A perspective view of the three sub-parts of the device in an exploded state;

[0067] Fig. 6A is a top front perspective view of a receptacle connector including a connector subassembly according to some embodiments of the present application, illustrating a mating interface;

[0068] Figure 6B yes Fig. 6A A bottom rear perspective view of a socket connector showing a mounting interface;

[0069] Figure 6C yes Fig. 6A A partially exploded top side perspective view of a socket connector;

[0070] Fig.6D yes Fig. 6A Another top side perspective view of a portion of the socket connector exploded;

[0071] Fig. 7A yes Fig. 6A a top rear perspective view of a connector subassembly of a receptacle connector;

[0072] Figure 7B yes Fig. 7A A top front perspective view of a connector subassembly;

[0073] Figure 7C yes Fig. 7A a bottom front perspective view of a connector subassembly;

[0074] Fig.7D yes Fig. 7A a bottom rear perspective view of a connector subassembly;

[0075] Fig. 7E yes Fig. 7A A top view of a connector subassembly;

[0076] Figure 7F yes Fig. 7A A front view of a connector subassembly;

[0077] Figure 7G yes Fig. 7A a partially exploded top side perspective view of a connector subassembly;

[0078] Figure 7H yes Fig. 7A a partially exploded bottom perspective view of a connector subassembly;

[0079] Figure 8 It is along Figure 7C A perspective view of a cross section taken along the line marked "8-8";

[0080] Fig. 9 yes Figure 7G An enlarged top view of the area 9 encircled by the dashed box in FIG. 1 , which shows the corresponding parts of the two groups of conductive elements and the insulating member of the connector subassembly;

[0081] Fig. 10A yes Figure 7G A perspective view of the rightmost three sub-sections of the first housing section of the shield housing of the connector sub-assembly in an assembled state;

[0082] Fig. 10B yes Fig. 10A A perspective view of the three sub-parts of the device in an exploded state;

[0083] Fig.11A It shows Fig. 6A a performance graph of near-end crosstalk (NEXT) of a receptacle connector as a function of frequency; and

[0084] Fig. 11B It shows Figure 1A A graph of the plug connector's NEXT performance as a function of frequency. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0085] The inventors have recognized and appreciated connector design techniques that meet electrical and mechanical requirements to support greater bandwidth through high-frequency operation. Some of these techniques can work together to support higher frequency connector operation, meet the physical requirements set by industry standards such as PCIeSAS, and meet the requirements for large-scale manufacturing (including cost, time, and reliability). Connectors that meet the mechanical requirements of the PCIeSAS specification at the performance required for GEN 6 and higher are used as examples of connectors to which these techniques are applied.

[0086] The electrical connector may have one or more rows of conductive elements. Some of the rows of conductive elements may be used as high-speed signal conductors. Alternatively, some of the conductive elements may be used as low-speed signal conductors or power conductors. Some of the low-speed signal conductors and / or power conductors may also be designated as grounded to provide a reference for the signals carried on the signal conductors or to provide a return path for these signals. It should be understood that the ground conductor does not need to be connected to the earth, but may carry a reference potential, which may include earth ground, a DC voltage, or other suitable reference potential.

[0087] The conductive elements may each have a mating end including a mating contact surface configured to mate with a complementary mating contact surface of another electrical component such as a printed circuit board or a complementary connector. Each conductive element may also have a mounting end including a mounting contact surface configured to mount the connector to another electrical component such as a printed circuit board or a cable. Each conductive element may also have an intermediate portion connecting the mating end and the mounting end.

[0088] Conductive elements can be held in groups by insulating members and can be positioned in an edge-to-edge configuration. The insulating member can include a plurality of parts, including a holding portion and a connecting portion connecting adjacent groups, each holding a group of conductive elements. The group can have one or more signal conductors and optionally include one or more ground conductors. The holding portion can hold the signal conductors in each group so that they are spaced apart from each other by a desired distance, such as a distance specified by an industry standard. The connecting portion can keep the groups spaced apart from each other by a desired distance, such as a distance specified by an industry standard. In some embodiments, the holding portion can hold multiple portions of the middle portion of the signal conductor in the group. The multiple portions of the middle portion held by the holding portion can be along less than 50% of the length of the high-speed signal conductor, and in some embodiments, along less than 40%, 30%, 20% or 10% of the length of the signal conductor. This configuration can reduce impedance variations along the length of the signal conductor. In some embodiments, the insulating member can be molded on at least a portion of each signal conductor to hold the signal conductors together.

[0089] The shielding shell can be configured to provide multi-dimensional shielding to the signal conductors in each group of multiple groups. The shielding shell can provide shielding on at least a portion of the length of the signal conductor, and can provide shielding substantially along the length of the signal conductor. The shielding shell can surround the middle portion of the signal conductor in each group on four sides, and can extend from the mating end of the signal conductor to the mounting end, with an opening exposing the contact surface at the mating end and the mounting end. For example, the shielding shell can be formed by forming one or more metal sheets into a plurality of tubular structures connected to each other, and the grouped conductive elements extend through the hollow interior of the corresponding tubular structure. Each tubular structure can have a conductive wall that delimits the middle portion of the conductive element in a group on at least three sides. In some embodiments, each tubular structure can delimit the middle portion of the corresponding conductive element group on four sides. At the end, each tubular structure can also delimit the mating end and the mounting end of the corresponding conductive element group on at least three sides. In some embodiments, each tubular structure can delimit the mating end and the mounting end of the conductive element in the corresponding group on four sides. On at least one side, the mating end and the mounting end may be exposed through the shield housing for mating with a complementary connector or mounting to a PCB.

[0090] The shielding shell can have a contact member to cooperate with a complementary connector and / or to establish a connection with a printed circuit board. The contact member can be formed integrally with one or more sheets formed as the shielding shell, or can be formed separately and electrically and / or mechanically connected to the one or more sheets. For example, the shielding shell can have a fin with a mounting contact surface. The mounting end of the shielding shell can be aligned with the mounting end of the conductive element in the row direction, and can have a shape similar to the mounting end of the conductive element. This configuration can make the mounting end of the shielding shell be installed to the PCB simultaneously and using the same connection technology as used to install the conductive element. For example, both the conductive element and the shielding shell can be installed to the PCB using surface mounting welding. The mounting contact surface of the fin of the shielding shell can be coplanar with the mounting contact surface of the conductive element, which is conducive to installing the connector on another electrical component, such as by surface mounting welding.

[0091] Alternatively or additionally, the shielding shell can have contacts configured as shell mating ends. The shell mating ends can be integrally formed with the sheet forming the shielding shell and can extend from the main body of the shielding shell. These shell mating ends of the shielding shell can extend parallel to the mating ends of the conductive elements and can extend in a direction perpendicular to the row direction. In this configuration, the shell mating ends can be arranged between adjacent conductive element groups. Each shell mating end can have a mating contact surface that is configured to mate with a complementary mating contact surface of another electrical component such as a complementary connector.

[0092] The contact may include multiple pairs of contact arms. Each pair of contact arms is disposed between corresponding adjacent two groups of conductive elements in the multiple groups of conductive elements and adjacent to the mating ends of the corresponding adjacent two groups of conductive elements, and each pair of contact arms includes a first contact arm and a second contact arm spaced apart from each other in a mating direction. Through this configuration, a dual ground connection can be provided at the mating end of the same housing to provide reliable shielding along the signal transmission path and reduce crosstalk, thereby improving signal integrity.

[0093] The first contact arm and the second contact arm each include a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end is configured to be fixed, and the second end is configured to be unfixed. The first contact arm and the second contact arm are arranged along the mating direction so that the second end of the first contact arm and the second end of the second contact arm are opposite to each other in the mating direction, and the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm are opposite to each other in the mating direction. This configuration is conducive to establishing a reliable ground connection and reducing crosstalk.

[0094] The inventors have recognized and appreciated an efficient and repeatable process for manufacturing a connector including a shield. The shield and multiple sets of contacts can be formed into a subassembly, and one or more such subassemblies can be supported by a connector housing. In some embodiments, the subassembly can be manufactured by a first shell portion having a platform portion and a valley portion connected by a side portion. In some embodiments, the first shell portion can be formed by stamping a metal sheet into a single-piece embryo, which can be folded or otherwise formed into alternating platform portions and valley portions connected by sides. The platform portion and adjacent sides can form two lateral walls of a tubular structure of the shield. The platform portion and two adjacent sides can form three side walls of the tubular structure of the shield. The first shell portion can be formed with multiple platform portions, each of which is connected to two adjacent valley portions by a side portion, so that the metal sheet can be used to form multiple tubular structures.

[0095] Other casing portions can be combined with the first casing portion to provide additional walls to the tubular structure. For example, the second casing portion can be secured to the valley portion of the first casing portion to provide walls on four sides of each of the plurality of tubular structures. The first casing portion and the second casing portion can be combined into a structure, for example, by welding, rivet or latching features. The platform portion and two adjacent side portions of the first casing portion combined with a portion of the second casing portion can form walls on four sides of the tubular structure.

[0096] Assembly can be further facilitated by using lead assembly for the conductive elements in all or part of the row in the connector. The conductive elements can be positioned in the tubular structure of the shielding shell by positioning the lead assembly between the first shell part and the second shell part before the first shell part is connected to the second shell part. The lead assembly can have multiple groups of conductive elements, each group is aligned with one of the tubular structures. The lead assembly can have an insulating member, which forms a lead frame housing, and the conductive elements in each group of the multiple groups are maintained in a desired position relative to each other, and each group is maintained in a desired position relative to each other. The lead assembly can be molded on the conductive elements by the insulating material forming the lead assembly housing, so that the conductive elements are maintained in a row. The conductive elements in each lead assembly can be arranged in an edge-to-edge manner. The lead assembly housing can include a retaining portion overmolded on each group of conductive elements and a connecting portion that connects the overmolded portion.

[0097] The conductive elements of the lead assembly can be positioned in the tubular structure so that the conductive element group of the lead assembly is aligned with the platform portion of the first housing portion. Through this positioning, the lead frame and the housing can be aligned in the row direction.

[0098] In some embodiments, the connection portion of the lead assembly housing can be aligned with the valley. The valley of the housing can have openings, which can be aligned in a line. Each opening can divide the corresponding valley into two parts. By aligning the connection portion of the lead assembly housing with the opening through the valley of the first housing portion, the first housing portion can contact the second housing portion so that the lead assembly is located therebetween.

[0099] In this configuration, the lead assembly and the housing can also be aligned in a direction perpendicular to the row direction. This configuration can provide shielding for each group of conductive elements. The second shell portion can also be formed by stamping a metal sheet into a single-piece embryo, which can be folded or otherwise formed to form a mounting end and a mating end. The second shell portion can be assembled to the first shell portion, for example, by attaching the second shell portion to the first shell portion at a valley. After assembly, the second shell portion can enclose the three-sided tubular structure provided by the first shell portion, providing shielding on the other side. In some embodiments, the first shell portion can be attached to the second shell portion by welding. For example, welding can provide both the desired high-speed performance and efficient manufacturing.

[0100] By selecting the portion of the tubular structure formed by each housing portion, the tubular structure can have a shape that surrounds any conductive element of any of a variety of shapes. For example, the openings in the tubular structure that expose the mating end and the mounting end of the conductive element can face in a lateral direction, such as an orthogonal direction. This configuration can enable the tubular structure to surround a conductive element used in a right-angle connector or in a vertical connector where the mating interface is parallel to the mounting interface.

[0101] In some embodiments, the conductive elements in rows may include conductive elements configured for high-speed signals, low-speed signals, grounding, power supplies or any other suitable purpose. In some embodiments, the conductive elements in rows may be first row conductive elements. The electrical connector may include second row conductive elements. High-speed signal conductors and low-speed signal conductors and conductive elements configured for other purposes may be distributed in each row. One or more other rows of connectors may include shielding shells to provide shielding at least around the high-speed signal conductors in other rows. Alternatively, the high-speed signal conductors may be, for example, only in the first row, and only this row may include one or more shielding shells.

[0102] Signal conductors in rows can be retained in a connector housing to mate with complementary signal conductors in a mating connector. All or part of the rows of conductive elements are inserted into an opening of a connector housing that can be a part of a subassembly, such as the subassembly described above that includes a shielding shell and a lead assembly. The design techniques described herein can be implemented as a socket connector. In these embodiments, a first row of conductive elements and a second row of conductive elements can be separated by a slot that can be configured to receive a mating end of another electrical component such as a printed circuit board or a plug connector. Alternatively or additionally, the design techniques described herein can be implemented as a plug connector. In those embodiments, a first row of conductive elements and a second row of conductive elements can be retained on opposite sides of a housing wall that can be configured to be inserted into a slot of another electrical component such as a card edge connector or a socket connector.

[0103] The plurality of groups of conductive elements may include a plurality of pairs of signal conductive elements configured to carry differential signals. The signal conductive elements in each pair of signal conductive elements are adjacent to each other in the row direction, and their mating ends are exposed through the same first opening. The mating ends of each pair of signal conductive elements may be spaced apart from each other center to center in the row direction by a first spacing, and the middle portions of each pair of signal conductive elements may be spaced apart from each other center to center in the row direction by a second spacing. The first spacing may be greater than the second spacing. With this configuration, the impedance consistency along the signal transmission path can be improved, thereby reducing crosstalk and improving signal integrity.

[0104] Some embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these embodiments are not intended to limit the present application in any way. In addition, the features in the embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other in the absence of conflict.

[0105] Figures 1A to 1D It is an example of integrating the technology described herein into the electrical connector 100. In this example, the electrical connector 100 can be configured as a plug connector, in particular a plug connector that complies with the SSF-8639 standard, to be combined with a matching socket connector (such as the socket connector 500 to be described below) to form an electrical connector assembly. This electrical connector assembly can provide an industry standard interface such as SFF-8639 to establish an electrical connection between a storage drive such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), an optical disk drive (ODD) and a circuit board such as a backplane, a midplane, and a drive carrier. The socket connector can be mounted to the circuit board, and the plug connector 100 can connect the storage drive to the socket connector, whereby the socket connector can establish an electrical connection between the circuit board and the plug connector 100, and the plug connector 100 can establish an electrical connection between the storage drive and the socket connector. In this way, the electrical connector assembly consisting of the plug connector 100 and the socket connector can establish an electrical connection between the storage drive and the circuit board.

[0106] In this example, the plug connector 100 may include an insulating housing 102, which may include a base 114 that may be elongated in the row direction RD, a tongue (also referred to as a "front wall") 108 extending from the base 114, and guide members 116 that may extend on opposite sides of the base 114. The guide members 116 may each include an opening 121 and a slot 118, the opening 121 being configured to receive a complementary guide member of a mating electrical component, and the slot 118 may hold a fork lock 120. The fork lock 120 may be used to lock the mounting surface 102a (such as Figure 1D 1 (shown) is held to a circuit board to which the plug connector 100 is to be mounted (e.g., a circuit board of a storage drive).

[0107] Tongue 108 may include a channel 110 that is shaped and configured to receive corresponding conductive elements. Connector 100 may include a top row 104 of conductive elements and a bottom row 106 of conductive elements that are separated from each other by tongue 108 of housing 102. Tongue 108 may include a first side 108a and a second side 108b that are opposite to each other. As shown, the top row 104 of conductive elements may include conductive elements that are shaped differently for various purposes, including, for example, signals, grounding, power supplies, or any suitable purpose. For example, a ground conductor may be longer than a signal conductor. As another example, a conductor designated for carrying a power supply may be wider than a conductor designated for carrying a signal conductor. In this example, top row 104 only includes low-speed signal conductors. The top row 104 can be disposed along a first side 108a of the tongue 108, which can have a platform 124 to distinguish it from a second side 108b of the tongue 108, which can hold a bottom row 106. The bottom row 106 of conductive elements can also include conductive elements that are differently shaped for various purposes, including, for example, signal, ground, power, or any suitable purpose. The bottom row 106 contains grouped signal conductors configured for high-speed signals.

[0108] The connector 100 may include connector subassemblies configured to reduce crosstalk and achieve high-speed transmission in one or more rows. In the illustrated example, the bottom row 106 of conductive elements and its associated shielding shell 122 form a connector subassembly 200. Each connector subassembly 200 may include one or more engagement features for engaging with the connector housing 102 so that each subassembly 200 may be inserted into the housing 102 and subsequently retained in the housing 102. In this example, each subassembly 200 may be designed to fit in the channel 110 by size and shape to be retained in the housing 102. The channel 110 may be located at the second side 108b of the tongue 108.

[0109] exist FIG. 2A to FIG. 5BIn the example shown, the connector subassembly 200 may include a shielding shell 122 and a lead frame assembly 306. The lead frame assembly 306 may include a plurality of conductive elements 362. The conductive elements 362 may be configured as signal conductors. Each conductive element 362 includes a mating end 312, a mounting end 314 opposite to the mating end 312, and a middle portion 316 connecting the mating end 312 and the mounting end 314. The middle portion 316 extends between the mating end 312 and the mounting end 314. The mating end 312 has a mating contact surface 322. Each conductive element 362 includes an edge 326 and a wide side 328 connected by the edge 326. The mating end 312 may be in a straight blade shape, and the mating contact surface 322 may be flat. The wide side 328 of the mating end 712 and the wide side 328 of the middle portion 716 may be flat and may have the same width. The mating contact surface 322 of the mating end 312 is located on the broad side 328 of the mating end 312. For each conductive element 362, the middle portion 316 extends from the mating end 312 along the mating direction MD.

[0110] The lead frame assembly 306 may also include an insulating member 320 for holding a plurality of conductive elements 362. The insulating member 320 may at least hold a middle portion 316 of the plurality of conductive elements 362 so that the plurality of conductive elements 362 are arranged in a row. The row extends along a row direction RD. In the row, the plurality of conductive elements 362 may be arranged in an edge-to-edge manner, and the plurality of conductive elements 362 may be arranged into a plurality of groups of conductive elements 362 spaced apart from each other along the row direction RD. The row direction RD is perpendicular to the mating direction MD. The mating end 312 of each conductive element 362 is oriented along the mating direction MD. Each conductive element 362 may also include a transition section 318 between the mating end 312 and the middle portion 316. The transition section 318 is bent along a vertical direction VD perpendicular to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD so that the wide side of the mating end 312 and the wide side of the middle portion 316 extend along two different planes perpendicular to the vertical direction VD. In other words, the two planes are offset relative to each other in the vertical direction VD. That is, the wide side of the mating end 312 and the wide side of the middle portion 316 are offset relative to each other in the vertical direction VD.

[0111] Conductive elements 362 can be arranged in groups according to the terminal allocation of the required standard. In the illustrated example, the conductive elements 362 are arranged into three different types of groups 364A, 364B and 364C. Each group can include a different number of conductive elements 362. The insulating member 320 can include a first retaining portion 324a and a second retaining portion 324b, which retain the conductive elements 362 in an edge-to-edge configuration into a group. The insulating member 320 can also include a connecting portion 310, which connects adjacent retaining portions 324a. The retaining portion 324a of the insulating member 320 can retain multiple sections of the middle portion 316 of the conductive element 362 in a group, and the retaining portion 324b of the insulating member 320 can retain multiple sections of the mating end 312 of the conductive element 362 in a group, such as the distal end of the mating end. Specifically, the mating end 312 of each conductive element 362 can have a distal end, which is embedded in the retaining portion 324b of the insulating member 320. The section of the intermediate portion 316 held by the insulating member 320 may be along less than 50% of the length of the conductive element 362, and in some embodiments, along less than 40%, 30%, 20%, or 10% of the length of the conductive element 362. This configuration may reduce impedance variations along the length of the conductive element 362.

[0112] The shielding shell 122 can be configured to have a tubular structure 366 and a shell mating end (shown here as a contact rod) 334, the tubular structure 366 each provides multi-dimensional shielding to a set of conductive elements 362, and the shell mating end 334 enables the plug connector 100 to be compatible with the physical requirements of the corresponding industry standards. This configuration achieves high-speed transmission without the need to redesign the matching electrical components, which are, for example, peripherals designed and manufactured by different companies according to the standards for the positions of the specified matching contact surfaces and mounting contact surfaces. As shown, the shielding shell 122 can extend from the mating end 312 of the conductive element 362 to the mounting end 314. The shielding shell 122 can have a front piece 336, which is arranged to exceed the mating end 312 of the conductive element 362. The shielding shell 122 can have a plurality of first openings 204 and a plurality of second openings 206. The shield shell 122 can be disposed around the plurality of conductive elements 362 and the insulating member 320 such that the middle portions 316 of the plurality of conductive elements 362 and the insulating member 320 are located within the shield shell 122, and such that the mating ends 312 of each group of conductive elements 362 in the plurality of groups of conductive elements 362 are exposed through a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings 204, and such that the mounting ends 314 of each group of conductive elements 362 in the plurality of groups of conductive elements 362 are exposed through a corresponding one of the plurality of second openings 206. In this example, the mating ends 312 of the conductive elements 362 are exposed through the openings 204 in the shield shell 122 that are open in a direction perpendicular to the elongated dimension of the conductive elements 362 (i.e., the vertical direction VD).

[0113] The shielding shell 122 may include one or more shell parts. In the illustrated example, the shielding shell 122 includes a first shell part (also referred to as a "first shield") 302 and a second shell part (also referred to as a "second shield") 304, which is configured to be attached to the first shell part 302 to form a tubular structure 366 that substantially surrounds the conductive elements 362 in a group.

[0114] Specifically, the first housing portion 302 may include a plurality of platform portions 402, a plurality of valley portions 404, and side portions 406 connecting adjacent platform portions 402 and valley portions 404. Each platform portion 402 and the corresponding two side portions 406 may form a channel 360. Each channel 360 is configured to receive at least the middle portion 316 of a corresponding set of conductive elements 362. The platform portion 402 extends at least from the distal end of the mating end 312 of the corresponding set of conductive elements 362 to the retaining portion 324a of the insulating member 320. The second housing portion 304 includes the aforementioned plurality of first openings 204.

[0115] The second housing portion 304 can be attached to the first housing portion 302 at a plurality of valleys 404 and is opposite to the plurality of platform portions 402 in a vertical direction VD perpendicular to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD to enclose a tubular structure with each platform portion 402 and the corresponding two side portions 406. In other words, the second housing portion 304 can close the side left open by the channel 360 and provide shielding on the side. The middle portion 316 of the corresponding group of conductive elements 362 is received in the tubular structure 366. Each valley 404 in the plurality of valleys 404 is located between corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 362 in the plurality of groups of conductive elements 362.

[0116] Each tubular structure 366 includes a first end and a second end opposite to each other. The first end of the tubular structure 366 communicates with a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings 204, so that the mating ends 312 of the corresponding set of conductive elements 362 are exposed through the corresponding one of the first openings 204. The tubular structure 366 defines a second opening 206 at the second end, and the mounting ends 314 of the corresponding set of conductive elements 362 are exposed through the second opening 206.

[0117] The groups of conductive elements 362 may include pairs of signal conductive elements 362 (eg, group 364B) configured to carry differential signals. Figure 3 Two pairs of signal conductive elements 362 for carrying differential signals are shown. The signal conductive elements 362 in each pair of signal conductive elements 362 are adjacent to each other in the row direction RD, and their mating ends 312 are exposed through the same first opening 204. The mating ends 312 of each pair of signal conductive elements 362 can be spaced apart from each other by a spacing S1 from center to center in the row direction RD, and the middle portions 316 of each pair of signal conductive elements 362 can be spaced apart from each other by a spacing S2 from center to center in the row direction RD. The spacing S1 can be greater than the spacing S2. With this configuration, the impedance consistency along the signal transmission path can be improved, thereby reducing crosstalk and improving signal integrity. In addition, two adjacent groups of conductive elements can be spaced apart from each other by a spacing greater than the spacing S1 in the row direction RD.

[0118] Specifically, if Figure 3As best shown, for each pair of signal conductive elements 362 configured to carry differential signals, in addition to being bent along the vertical direction VD, the transition segment 318 can also be bent along the row direction RD so that the centerline CL1 of the mating end 312 is offset in the mating direction MD relative to the centerline CL2 of the middle portion 316. The transition segment 318 of each signal conductive element 362 in each pair of signal conductive elements 362 is bent along the row direction RD away from the transition segment 318 of the other signal conductive element 362. With this configuration, the signal conductive elements 362 in each pair can be jogged away from each other at the mating end to improve impedance consistency along the signal transmission path, thereby reducing crosstalk and improving signal integrity.

[0119] Each of the plurality of shell mating ends 334 of the shield shell 122 is disposed between corresponding adjacent two groups of conductive elements 362 in the plurality of groups of conductive elements 362 and adjacent to the mating ends 312 of the corresponding adjacent two groups of conductive elements 362. Figure 2D As best shown, each housing mating end 334 and the mating end 312 of the adjacent conductive element 362 can be spaced apart from each other center to center in the row direction RD by a spacing S3. In some examples, the spacing S3 can be equal to the spacing S1. This design enables the spacings S1 and S3 to be controlled according to applicable industry standards.

[0120] The plurality of shell mating ends 334 of the shielding shell 122 may be formed integrally with the second shell portion 304. The second shell portion 304 may include a plate-like body 304a extending parallel to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD. A plurality of first openings 204 are provided in the plate-like body 304a. The plate-like body 304a may also include a plurality of first sections 332 and a second section (also referred to as a "main section") 333. Each first section 332 is located between two corresponding adjacent first openings 204 in the row direction RD of the plurality of first openings 204. Each first section 332 is in the form of a contact rod to form the shell mating end 334 of the shielding shell 122. The shell mating end 334 has a mating contact surface 342. The mating contact surfaces 342 of the plurality of shell mating ends 334 may be coplanar with the outer surface of the second shell portion 304. In addition, the mating contact surfaces 322 of the mating ends 312 of the plurality of conductive elements 362 may be arranged to be coplanar with the mating contact surfaces 342 of the plurality of shell mating ends 334. In other words, the mating contact surfaces 322 of the mating ends 312 of the plurality of conductive elements 362 may also be arranged to be coplanar with the outer surface of the shield shell 122. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto, and the mating contact surfaces 342 of the plurality of shell mating ends 334 and the mating contact surfaces 322 of the mating ends 312 of the plurality of conductive elements 362 may also be coplanar with a plane different from the plane where the outer surface of the shield shell 122 is located. The second segment 333 may extend above the middle portion 316 of the plurality of conductive elements 362 and connect the plurality of first segments 332.

[0121] In the illustrated example, the plate-shaped body 304a may further include a front piece 336, which is disposed beyond the mating ends 312 of the plurality of conductive elements 362 in the mating direction MD. The front piece 336 may connect the plurality of first sections 332, and the front piece 336 may extend along a vertical direction VD perpendicular to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD, that is, perpendicular to the wide sides 328 of the conductive elements 362.

[0122] An ideal shielding profile for each group of conductive elements 362 may be provided by locating the middle portion 316 of the conductive elements 362 in each group at the center of the hollow interior of the corresponding tubular structure 366. Figure 4B As best shown, the first housing portion 302 extends from a first surface 408 of the platform portion 402 to a second surface 410 of the valley portion 404. A centerline CL2 of the intermediate portion 316 of the corresponding set of conductive elements 362 received in the tubular structure 366 is spaced apart from the first surface 408 by a distance d1 in a vertical direction VD perpendicular to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD, and is spaced apart from the second surface 410 by a distance d2 in the vertical direction VD. The distance d1 equals the distance d2 and can be configured to be equal. Each side portion 406 can extend perpendicular to the centerline CL2 along at least 50% of its length.

[0123] like Figure 4D As shown, the housing mating end (contact rod) 334 of the second housing portion 304 can be attached to the valley 404 of the first housing portion 302, so that the mating end 312 of the conductive element 362 can be exposed from the first opening 204 between the housing mating ends 334. Through the transition section 318, the mating contact surface 322 of the conductive element 362 can be arranged on the same plane as the mating contact surface 342 of the housing mating end 334 of the second housing portion 304.

[0124] The multi-dimensional shielding provided by the shielding shell 122 can extend to the mounting end 314 of the conductive elements in one or more groups, which can be configured for ultra-high-speed signals. In the illustrated example, this shielding extends to the mounting end 314 of the conductive elements 362 in the group 364B. Specifically, the first shell portion 302 may include a plurality of first fins 357. Each first fin 357 extends from a corresponding side 406 of the first shell portion 302 at the second opening 206 of the tubular structure 366 to between the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 362, so that the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 362 are separated by two first fins 357 in the row direction RD. The first shell portion 302 can provide two sides of multi-dimensional shielding at the mounting end through the first fins 357.

[0125] In some examples, the two first fins 357 that separate the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 362 in the row direction RD can be configured to be connected to the same conductive pad or the same conductive through-hole of the circuit board. That is, the two first fins 357 constitute a shell mounting end of the shielding shell 122. For example, the two first fins 357 can be configured to be connected to the same conductive pad of the circuit board by welding. The mounting end 314 of each conductive element 362 may include a first mounting contact surface 314a, and each first fin 357 may include a second mounting contact surface 357a. The first mounting contact surface 314a and the second mounting contact surface 357a may be coplanar. The first mounting contact surface 314a and the second mounting contact surface 357a may be perpendicular to the mating contact surface 322. For another example, the two first fins 357 may be configured to be inserted into the same conductive through-hole of the circuit board. Through this configuration, reliable shielding can be provided along the signal transmission path of the conductive element 362, thereby improving signal integrity. In one of these examples, such as Figure 5A As best shown, the two first tabs 357 can be spaced apart from each other in the row direction RD, but can still be configured to be connected to the same conductive pad or the same conductive through hole of the circuit board. In other partial examples, the two first tabs 357 are joined to each other to form a single mounting portion.

[0126] like Figure 2D As best shown, for each group of conductive elements 362 in the plurality of groups of conductive elements 362, the mounting ends 314 of two adjacent conductive elements 362 are spaced apart from each other by a spacing S4 from center to center in the row direction RD. The two first fins 357 that separate the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 362 in the row direction RD as a whole are spaced apart from each other by a spacing S5 from center to center in the row direction RD with the mounting ends 314 of the adjacent conductive elements 362. The spacing S4 and the spacing S5 can be configured to be equal. For example, in some examples, the spacing S4 can be 0.80 mm.

[0127] Conductive pads or conductive through holes on the circuit board can be located according to predetermined standards.For example, pads or through holes in a row, such as pads or through holes for installing high-speed conductive elements and related ground conductors thereof, can have uniform pitch (pitch).First fin 357 is arranged between adjacent conductive element groups, so that technology described herein can be installed on the PCB manufactured according to such standards, wherein for this standard, pads or through holes for high-speed signal pairs are separated by single ground pads or through holes.Nevertheless, the tubular structure 366 provided by shielding shell 122 around each group is grounded on both sides of corresponding groups, and this enables plug connector 100 to carry high-speed signals.

[0128] In some examples, the first housing portion 302 may include a plurality of second fins 358. Each second fin 358 extends from a corresponding platform portion 402 and connects two first fins 357 corresponding to the same tubular structure 366. The first housing portion 302 may provide three sides of multi-dimensional shielding at the mounting end through the first fins 357 and the second fins 358. Forming the fins 357 and 358 as part of the same piece as the side portion 406 and the platform portion 402 may achieve basic shielding of the conductive element 362 over substantially the entire length of the conductive element 362. The second housing portion 304 may include a plurality of rear pieces 359. The rear piece 359 may extend from the second section 333 of the plate-like body 304a opposite to the first section 332. Each rear piece 359 may form an annular portion with two first fins 357 and one second fin 358 corresponding to the same tubular structure 366 to surround the mounting end 314 of a corresponding set of conductive elements 362. The second housing portion 304 can provide shielding on a fourth side at the mounting end through the back piece 359. In this way, shielding can be provided on four sides at the mounting end.

[0129] The tabs 357 may be aligned with the corresponding side portions 406 in the mating direction or offset relative to the corresponding side portions 406. The tabs 358 may be aligned with the corresponding platform portions 402 in the mating direction MD or offset relative to the corresponding platform portions 402 in the mating direction MD.

[0130] In some examples, the first housing portion 302 may include a plurality of sub-portions (eg, Figure 5A and Figure 5B The plurality of sub-sections may be configured to include at least one platform portion 402, at least two side portions 406, and at least a portion of at least one valley portion 404, wherein the plurality of sub-sections are connected to each other at the valley portion 404. For example, the plurality of sub-sections may be combined into a structure by, for example, matching features 208. In this case, two adjacent first fins 358 of two adjacent sub-sections may be configured to be connected to the same conductive pad or the same conductive through hole of the circuit board. In other examples, the first housing portion 302 may be a single-piece integral component.

[0131] The present application also proposes a method for forming the connector subassembly 200 and the plug connector 100. The second housing portion 304 of the shield housing 122 can be formed by stamping a metal sheet into a single-piece blank. The single-piece blank can be formed into a Figure 2E and Figure 2F The first shell portion 302 may be formed by stamping a metal sheet into a single-piece blank, which may be folded into Figure 2E and Figure 2F or the first shell portion 302 can be formed by stamping one or more metal sheets into a plurality of sub-portions (such as Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown in the figure, each sub-section can be folded into at least a portion having at least one platform portion 402, at least two side portions 406, and at least one valley portion 404. Subsequently, the multiple sub-sections can be combined into a structure by, for example, matching features 208. Figure 2F and Figure 5A As shown, the valley 404 of the first housing portion 302 can have openings 352 extending therethrough and arranged in a line. The lead frame assembly 306 can be inserted into the first housing portion 302 by aligning and placing the connecting portion 310 of the insulating member 320 in line with the openings 352. Subsequently, the second housing portion 304 can be attached (e.g., by welding) to the first housing portion 302 to form the connector subassembly 200. The connector subassembly 200 can then be placed into the channel 110 of the housing 102 of the plug connector 100.

[0132] The technology described herein may also be implemented as a socket connector. Exemplarily, the socket connector 500 is shown here in a configuration in which it can be mated with the plug connector 100. In other words, in this example, the socket connector 500 may be a socket connector that complies with the SSF-8639 standard to be combined with the mating plug connector 100 to form the aforementioned electrical connector assembly. Accordingly, the mating end of the conductive element of the plug connector 100 is blade-shaped, and the mating end of the conductive element of the socket connector 500 has a complementary configuration, shown here as a beam that deflects when mated to generate a contact force.

[0133] like FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D As shown, the socket connector 500 may include an insulating housing 502, which may have a slot 508 that is elongated in the row direction RD. The housing 502 may also include a guide member 510 that may extend at opposite ends of the slot 508. The guide member 510 may be configured to engage a complementary guide member of another electrical component (e.g., the opening 121 of the guide member 116 of the plug connector 100). The housing 502 may also include a slot 512 at opposite ends, into which a locking member 514 is inserted. The locking member 514 may be configured to strengthen the connection between the socket connector 500 and another electrical component such as a circuit board (such as a backplane, a midplane, a driver carrier) to which the socket connector 500 is mounted. The housing 502 may include a channel 516 that is shaped and arranged to receive a corresponding conductive element.

[0134] Connector 500 may include a top row 504 of conductive elements and a bottom row 506 of conductive elements, which are separated from each other by a slot 508 of housing 502. Slot 508 may include a first side 508a and a second side 508b opposite to each other. As shown, the top row 504 of conductive elements may include conductive elements shaped differently for various purposes, including, for example, signal, ground, power, or any suitable purpose. The top row 504 may be arranged along a first side 508a of slot 508, and the first side 508a of slot 508 may have a recess 524 to distinguish from the second side 508b of slot 508, which may hold the bottom row 506. The bottom row 506 of conductive elements may also include conductive elements shaped differently for various purposes, including, for example, signal, ground, power, or any suitable purpose. The bottom row 506 contains grouped signal conductors configured for high-speed signals.

[0135] The connector 500 can include connector subassemblies in one or more rows that are configured to reduce crosstalk and enable high-speed transmission. In the illustrated example, the bottom row 506 of conductive elements and the associated shielding shell 522 form the connector subassembly 600. Each connector subassembly 600 can include one or more engagement features for engaging with the connector housing 502 so that each subassembly 600 can be inserted into the housing 502 and then retained in the housing 502. In this example, each subassembly 600 can be retained within the housing 502 by being sized and shaped to fit in the channel 511. As shown in FIG. Fig.6D As shown, the channel 510 may be located at the second side 508 b of the slot 508 .

[0136] Similar to the connector subassembly 200 of the plug connector 100, as shown 7A to 10B As shown, the connector subassembly 600 of the socket connector 500 can include a shield shell 522 and a lead frame assembly 706. The lead frame assembly 706 can include a plurality of conductive elements 762. The conductive elements 762 can be configured as signal conductors. Each conductive element 762 includes a mating end 712, a mounting end 714 opposite to the mating end 712, and a middle portion 716 connecting the mating end 712 and the mounting end 714. In other words, the middle portion 716 extends between the mating end 712 and the mounting end 714.

[0137] Unlike the mating end 312 of the conductive element 362 of the plug connector 100, as shown Figure 7G , Figure 7H and Fig. 9 As best shown, the mating end 712 of each conductive element 762 of the socket connector 500 is in a convex curved shape to protrude out of the shield shell 522. Specifically, for each conductive element 762, the mating end 712 is bent to have a convex curved shape with a contact top 712a. At least the contact top 712a of the mating end 712 is located outside the shield shell 522. Each conductive element 762 includes an edge 726 and a wide side 728 connected by the edge 726. The contact top 712a of the mating end 712 defines a mating contact surface of the mating end 712. For each conductive element 762, the middle portion 716 extends from the mating end 712 along the mating direction MD.

[0138] The lead frame assembly 706 may also include an insulating member 720 for holding a plurality of conductive elements 762. The insulating member 720 may hold at least a middle portion 716 of the plurality of conductive elements 762 so that the plurality of conductive elements 762 are arranged in a row. The row extends along a row direction RD. In the row, the plurality of conductive elements 762 may be arranged in an edge-to-edge manner, and the plurality of conductive elements 762 may be arranged as a plurality of groups of conductive elements 762 spaced apart from each other along the row direction RD. The row direction RD is perpendicular to the mating direction MD. The mating end 712 of each conductive element 762 is oriented along the mating direction MD.

[0139] Conductive elements 762 can be arranged in groups according to the terminal allocation of the required standard. In the illustrated example, conductive elements 762 are arranged in three different types of groups 764A, 764B and 764C. Each group can include a different number of conductive elements 762. The insulating member 720 can include a retaining portion 724, which holds the conductive elements 762 in an edge-to-edge configuration in a group. The insulating member 720 can also include a connecting portion 710, which connects adjacent retaining portions 724. The insulating member 720 can hold multiple portions of the middle portion 716 of the conductive element 762. The portion of the middle portion 716 held by the insulating member 720 can be less than 50% of the length of the conductive element 762, and in some embodiments, less than 40%, 30%, 20% or 10% of the length of the conductive element 762. This configuration can reduce the impedance imbalance along the length of the conductive element 762.

[0140] The shielding shell 522 can be configured to have a tubular structure 666 and a shell mating end (shown here as a pair of contact arms) 634, the tubular structure 666 each provides multi-dimensional shielding to a set of conductive elements 762, and the shell mating end 634 enables the socket connector 500 to be compatible with the physical requirements of the corresponding industry standards. This configuration achieves high-speed transmission without the need to redesign the mating electrical components, which are, for example, peripherals designed and manufactured by different companies according to the standards for the positions of the specified mating contact surfaces and mounting contact surfaces. As shown, the shielding shell 522 can extend from the mating end 712 of the conductive element 762 to the mounting end 714. The shielding shell 522 can have a front piece 736, which is arranged to exceed the mating end 712 of the conductive element 762. The shielding shell 522 can have a plurality of first openings 604 and a plurality of second openings 606. The shield shell 522 can be disposed around the plurality of conductive elements 762 and the insulating member 720 so that the middle portion 716 of the plurality of conductive elements 762 and the insulating member 720 are located within the shield shell 122, and so that the mating end 712 of each group of conductive elements 762 in the plurality of groups of conductive elements 762 is exposed through a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings 604, and so that the mounting end 714 of each group of conductive elements 762 in the plurality of groups of conductive elements 762 is exposed through a corresponding one of the plurality of second openings 606. In this example, the mating end 712 of the conductive element 762 is exposed through an opening 604 in the shield shell 522 that is open in a direction perpendicular to the elongated dimension of the conductive element 762 (i.e., the vertical direction VD).

[0141] Similar to the shield shell 122 of the plug connector 100, the shield shell 522 of the socket connector 500 may include one or more shell parts. In the illustrated example, the shield shell 522 includes a first shell part (also referred to as a "first shield") 702 and a second shell part (also referred to as a "second shield") 704, which is configured to be attached to the first shell part 702 to form a tubular structure 666 that substantially surrounds the conductive elements 762 in a group. Specifically, the first shell part 702 includes a plurality of platform parts 802, a plurality of valley parts 804, and a side part 806 connecting adjacent platform parts 802 and valley parts 804. Each platform part 802 and the corresponding two side parts 806 can form a channel 660. Each channel 660 is configured to receive the middle part 716 of the corresponding group of conductive elements 762. The platform portion 802 extends at least from the distal end of the mating end 712 of the corresponding group of conductive elements 762 to the retaining portion 724 of the insulating member 720. The second housing portion 704 includes the aforementioned plurality of first openings 604. The second housing portion 704 is attached to the first housing portion 702 at the plurality of valleys 804, and is opposite to the plurality of platform portions 802 in a vertical direction VD perpendicular to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD, so as to enclose a tubular structure 666 with each platform portion 802 and the corresponding two side portions 806. In other words, the second housing portion 704 can close the side left open by the channel 660 and provide shielding on the side. The middle portion 716 of the corresponding group of conductive elements 762 is received in the tubular structure 666. Each of the plurality of valleys 804 is located between two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements 762 in the plurality of groups of conductive elements 762.

[0142] Each tubular structure 666 includes a first end and a second end opposite to each other. The first end of the tubular structure 666 communicates with a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings 604, so that the mating end 712 of the corresponding set of conductive elements 762 is exposed through the corresponding one of the first openings 604. The tubular structure 666 defines a second opening 606 at the second end, and the mounting end 714 of the corresponding set of conductive elements 762 is exposed through the second opening 606.

[0143] Different from the shielding shell 122 of the plug connector 100, the shielding shell 522 of the socket connector 500 may also include multiple pairs of contact arms, each pair of contact arms forming a shell mating end 634. In the illustrated example, the second shell portion 704 may include multiple pairs of contact arms 650. Each pair of contact arms 650 in the multiple pairs of contact arms 650 may be disposed between corresponding adjacent two groups of conductive elements 762 in the multiple groups of conductive elements 762, and adjacent to the mating ends 712 of the corresponding adjacent two groups of conductive elements 762. Each pair of contact arms 650 may include a first contact arm 651 and a second contact arm 652 spaced apart from each other in the mating direction MD. The first contact arm 651 and the second contact arm 652 may together form a shell mating end 634 of the shielding shell 522 for mating with a corresponding conductive structure of the mating plug connector 100. In the illustrated example, the first contact arm 651 and the second contact arm 652 are configured to contact the same contact bar 334 of the shielding shell 122 of the plug connector 100 to establish a connection. Through the first contact arm 651 and the second contact arm 652 , dual ground connections can be provided at the same housing mating end 634 to provide reliable shielding along the signal transmission path and reduce crosstalk, thereby improving signal integrity.

[0144] For each pair of contact arms 650, the first contact arm 651 may include a first end 651a and a second end 651b opposite to each other, and the second contact arm 652 may include a first end 652a and a second end 652b opposite to each other. For the first contact arm 651, the first end 651a may be configured to be fixed, and the second end 651b may be configured to be unfixed. In other words, the first contact arm 651 may be a cantilever beam. For the second contact arm 652, the first end 652a may be configured to be fixed, and the second end 652b may be configured to be unfixed. In other words, the second contact arm 652 may be a cantilever beam. The first contact arm 651 and the second contact arm 652 may be arranged along the mating direction MD so that the second end 651b of the first contact arm 651 and the second end 652b of the second contact arm 652 are opposite to each other in the mating direction MD, and the first end 651a of the first contact arm 651 and the first end 651a of the second contact arm 652 are opposite to each other in the mating direction MD. That is, the first contact arm 651 and the second contact arm 652 can be aligned with each other along the mating direction MD, so that the second end 651b of the first contact arm 651 and the second end 652b of the second contact arm 652 are close to each other in the mating direction MD, and the first end 651a of the first contact arm 651 and the first end 651a of the second contact arm 652 are away from each other in the mating direction MD. This configuration is conducive to establishing a reliable ground connection and reducing crosstalk.

[0145] In some examples, such as 7A to 7FAs shown, for each pair of contact arms 650, the first contact arm 651 may be disposed between the mating ends 712 of the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 762, and the second contact arm 652 may be disposed between the sections of the middle portions 716 of the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 762 that are adjacent to the mating ends 712. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto, and in other examples, the second contact arm 652 may also be disposed between the mating ends 712 of the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 762.

[0146] like Fig. 7E As shown, for each pair of contact arms 650, the second end 651b of the first contact arm 651 and the mating end 712 of the adjacent conductive element 762 may be spaced apart from each other from center to center in the row direction RD by a spacing S6. Fig. 7E and Fig. 9 As shown, for each group of conductive elements 762 in the plurality of groups of conductive elements 762, the mating ends 712 of two adjacent conductive elements 762 can be spaced apart from each other by a spacing S7 from center to center in the row direction RD. The spacing S6 and the spacing S7 can be configured to be equal. This design enables the spacings S6 and S7 to be controlled according to applicable industry standards.

[0147] In some examples, such as Figure 7B As best shown, the second end 651b of the first contact arm 651 can have a convex curved shape with a first contact top 651c. The first contact top 651c can define a mating contact surface of the first contact arm 651. Fig. 7E As shown, the first contact top 651c of the second end 651b of the first contact arm 651 in the plurality of pairs of contact arms may be aligned along a first line L1 parallel to the row direction RD. Figure 7F As shown, the first contact top 651c of the second end 651b of the first contact arm 651 in the plurality of pairs of contact arms may be coplanar with a first plane P1 parallel to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD. Figure 7B As best shown, the second end 652b of the second contact arm 652 can have a convex curved shape with a second contact top 652c. The second contact top 652c can define a mating contact surface of the second contact arm 652. Fig. 7E As shown, the second contact top 652c of the second end 652b of the second contact arm 652 in the plurality of pairs of contact arms may be aligned along a second line L2 parallel to the row direction RD. The second line L2 may be spaced apart from the first line L1 in the mating direction MD. Figure 7FAs shown, the second contact top 652c of the second end 652b of the second contact arm 652 in the plurality of pairs of contact arms may be coplanar with the first plane P1. That is, the first contact top 651c of the first contact arm 651 may be coplanar with the second contact top 652c of the second contact arm 652. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto. In other partial examples, the first contact top 651c of the first contact arm 651 may not be coplanar with the second contact top 652c of the second contact arm 652.

[0148] As described above, for each conductive element 762, the mating end 712 can be bent to have a convex curved shape with a contact top 712a. The contact top 712a can define the mating contact surface of the mating end 712. Fig. 7E As shown, the contact tops 712a of the mating ends 712 of the plurality of conductive elements 762 can be aligned along the first line L1. That is, the first contact tops 651c of the second ends 651b of the first contact arms 651 in the plurality of pairs of contact arms and the contact tops 712a of the mating ends 712 of the plurality of conductive elements 762 can be aligned along the row direction RD. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto. In other partial examples, the first contact tops 651c of the second ends 651b of the first contact arms 651 in the plurality of pairs of contact arms and the contact tops 712a of the mating ends 712 of the plurality of conductive elements 762 can be offset relative to each other in the row direction RD.

[0149] like Figure 7F As shown, the contact tops 712a of the mating ends 712 of the plurality of conductive elements 762 may be coplanar with a second plane P2 parallel to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD. The second plane P2 may be the same as or different from the first plane P1.

[0150] The multiple pairs of contact arms 650 of the shielding shell 722 can be formed integrally with the second shell portion 704. The second shell portion 704 may include a plate-like body 704a extending parallel to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD. Multiple first openings 604 are opened in the plate-like body 704a. The first end 651a of the first contact arm 651 and the first end 652a of the second contact arm 652 in the multiple pairs of contact arms are connected to the plate-like body 704a, and the second end 651b of the first contact arm 651 and the second end 652b of the second contact arm 652 in the multiple pairs of contact arms protrude above the outer surface 704b of the plate-like body 704a. Figure 7F As shown, the first plane P1 may be perpendicular to the outer surface 704b of the plate-like body 704a in a vertical direction VD perpendicular to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD (e.g., Figure 7FThe contact tops 712a of the mating ends 712 of the plurality of conductive elements 762 can protrude above the outer surface of the plate-like body 704a through the corresponding first openings 204, so that the second plane P2 is in contact with the outer surface 704b of the plate-like body 704a (e.g., in the vertical direction VD). Figure 7F The distance d3 may be greater than the distance d4. This configuration facilitates reliable signal and ground connections between the socket connector 500 and a mating plug connector (e.g., the plug connector 100). In other examples, the distance d3 may be equal to the distance d4. In this case, the second plane P2 is the same as the first plane P1.

[0151] The plate-like body 704a may further include a plurality of first segments 772 and a second segment (also referred to as a "body segment") 773. Each first segment 772 may be located between corresponding adjacent two first openings 604 in the row direction RD of the plurality of first openings 604. The second segment 773 may extend above the middle portion 716 of the plurality of conductive elements 762 and connect the plurality of first segments 772. For each pair of contact arms in the plurality of pairs of contact arms, the first contact arm 651 is an elastic arm cut out (e.g., by stamping) from a corresponding first segment 772. Alternatively or additionally, the second contact arm 652 is an elastic arm cut out (e.g., by stamping) from the second segment 773. The first contact arm 651 and the second contact arm 652 each extend in the manner of a cantilever beam.

[0152] like Figure 7G and Figure 7H As shown, for each pair of contact arms 650, the first end 651a of the first contact arm 651 and the first end 652a of the second contact arm 652 are connected to the plate-like body 704a. The plate-like body 704a may include a continuous slot 770 extending between the first end 651a of the first contact arm 651 and the first end 652a of the second contact arm 652. The slot 770 may be formed, for example, when the first contact arm 651 and the second contact arm 652 are cut out from the plate-like body 704a. The section of the slot 770 between the corresponding two adjacent first openings 204 extends in the corresponding first section 772 of the plate-like body 704a without being connected to the corresponding two adjacent first openings 204. That is, the corresponding two adjacent first openings 204 are spaced apart by multiple portions of the first section 772 and the slot 770 in the row direction RD. Through this configuration, crosstalk can be further reduced, thereby improving signal integrity. In some other embodiments, the slot 770 may not be continuous in the mating direction MD, but may be interrupted by a portion of the corresponding first segment 772 .

[0153] In addition, the front piece 736 of the shielding shell 722 can connect multiple first sections 772. Through the front piece 736, a shorter conductive path can be provided between each first contact arm 651. In addition, through the second section 773, a shorter conductive path can be provided between each second contact arm 652. This configuration is conducive to reducing crosstalk. The front piece 736 can extend along a vertical direction VD perpendicular to the row direction RD and the mating direction MD.

[0154] The groups of conductive elements 762 may include pairs of signal conductive elements 762 (eg, group 764B) configured to carry differential signals. Fig. 9 Two pairs of signal conductive elements 762 for carrying differential signals are shown. The signal conductive elements 762 in each pair of signal conductive elements 762 are adjacent to each other in the row direction RD, and their mating ends 712 are exposed through the same first opening 604. Fig. 9 As shown, for each pair of signal conductive elements, the mating end 712 may have a first width W1 in the row direction RD, and the middle portion 716 may have a second width W2 in the row direction RD. The first width W1 may be smaller than the second width W2. As described above, the mating ends 712 of each pair of signal conductive elements may be spaced apart from each other by a spacing S7 from center to center in the row direction RD. In addition, the middle portions 716 of each pair of signal conductive elements may be spaced apart from each other by a spacing S8 from center to center in the row direction RD. The spacing S7 may be greater than the spacing S8. With this configuration, the impedance consistency along the signal transmission path can be improved, thereby reducing crosstalk and improving signal integrity.

[0155] Specifically, if Fig. 9 As best shown, the centerline CL3 of the mating end 712 of each signal conductive element 762 in each pair of signal conductive elements 762 can be offset along the row direction RD away from the other signal conductive element 762 relative to the centerline CL4 of the middle portion 716 of the conductive element 762. With this configuration, the signal conductive elements 762 in each pair can be jogged away from each other at the mating ends, thereby improving impedance consistency along the signal transmission path, thereby reducing crosstalk and improving signal integrity.

[0156] An ideal shielding profile for each group of conductive elements 762 may be provided by locating the middle portion 716 of the conductive elements 762 in each group at the center of the hollow interior of the corresponding tubular structure 666. Figure 8As best shown, the first housing portion 702 extends from a first surface 808 of the platform portion 802 to a second surface 810 of the valley portion 804. Similar to the plug connector 100, for the receptacle connector 500, the intermediate portions 716 of the corresponding set of conductive elements 762 received in the tubular structure 666 may be spaced apart from the first surface 808 in the vertical direction VD by a distance equal to the distance spaced apart from the second surface 810 in the vertical direction VD. Each side portion 806 may extend perpendicular to the centerline CL2 along at least 50% of its length.

[0157] The first segments 772 of the second housing portion 704 may be attached to the valleys 804 of the first housing portion 702 such that the mating ends 712 of the conductive elements 762 may be exposed from the first openings 604 between the first segments 772 .

[0158] The multi-dimensional shielding provided by the shielding shell 722 can extend to the mounting end 714 of the conductive elements in one or more groups, which can be configured for ultra-high-speed signals. In the illustrated example, this shielding extends to the mounting end 714 of the conductive elements 762 in the group 764B. Specifically, the first shell portion 702 may include a plurality of first fins 757. Each first fin 757 may extend from a corresponding side 806 of the first shell portion 702 at the second opening 606 of the tubular structure 666 to between the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 762, so that the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 762 are separated by two first fins 757 in the row direction RD. The first shell portion 702 can provide two sides of multi-dimensional shielding at the mounting end through the first fins 757.

[0159] In some examples, the two first fins 757 that separate the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 762 in the row direction RD can be configured to be connected to the same conductive pad or the same conductive through-hole of the circuit board. That is, the two first fins 757 constitute a shell mounting end of the shielding shell 522. In this way, a reliable connection can be provided. For example, the two first fins 757 can be configured to be connected to the same conductive pad of the circuit board by welding. The mounting end 614 of each conductive element 662 may include a first mounting contact surface 614a, and each first fin 757 may include a second mounting contact surface 757a. The first mounting contact surface 614a and the second mounting contact surface 757a may be coplanar. The first mounting contact surface 614a and the second mounting contact surface 757a may be perpendicular to the mating contact surface 722. For another example, the two first fins 757 can be configured to be inserted into the same conductive through-hole of the circuit board. Through this configuration, reliable shielding can be provided along the signal transmission path of the conductive element 762, thereby improving signal integrity. In one of these examples, such as Fig. 10AAs best shown, the two first tabs 757 can be joined to each other to form a single mounting portion. In other partial examples, the two first tabs 757 can be spaced apart from each other in the row direction RD, but can still be connected to the same conductive pad or the same conductive through hole of the circuit board.

[0160] like Fig. 7E As best shown, for each group of conductive elements 762 in the plurality of groups of conductive elements 762, the mounting ends 714 of two adjacent conductive elements 762 can be spaced apart from each other by a spacing S9 from center to center in the row direction RD. The two first fins 357 that separate the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements 762 in the row direction RD can be spaced apart from each other by a spacing S10 from center to center in the row direction RD as a whole with the mounting ends 714 of the adjacent conductive elements 762. The spacing S9 and the spacing S10 can be configured to be equal. For example, in some examples, the spacing S9 can be 0.80 mm.

[0161] Conductive pads or conductive vias on the circuit board can be located according to predetermined standards.For example, pads or through holes in a row, such as pads or through holes for installing high-speed conductive elements and related ground conductors thereof, can have uniform pitch (pitch).The first fin 757 is arranged between adjacent conductive element groups so that technology described herein can be installed on the PCB manufactured according to such standards, wherein for this standard, pads or through holes for high-speed signal pairs are separated by single ground pads or through holes.Nevertheless, the tubular structure 666 provided by shielding shell 722 around each group is grounded on both sides of the corresponding group, and this enables socket connector 500 to carry high-speed signals.

[0162] Although not shown, it should be understood that in some examples, the first housing portion 702 can have a second fin similar to the second fin 358 described above to connect the two first fins 757 corresponding to the same tubular structure 666. In this way, the first housing portion 702 can provide three sides of multi-dimensional shielding at the mounting end. In addition, it should be understood that the second housing portion 704 can include a back piece similar to the back piece 359 described above. Each back piece forms an annular portion with the two first fins 757 and the second fin corresponding to the same tubular structure 666 to surround the mounting end 714 of the corresponding set of conductive elements 762. In this way, shielding can be provided on four sides at the mounting end.

[0163] The tabs 757 may be aligned with the corresponding side portions 806 in the mating direction MD, or may be offset relative to the corresponding side portions 806 in the mating direction MD.

[0164] In some examples, the first housing portion 702 may include a plurality of sub-portions (eg, Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B Each of the plurality of subsections includes at least one platform portion 802, at least two side portions 806, and at least a portion of at least one valley portion 804, and the plurality of subsections are connected to each other at the valley portion 804. For example, the plurality of subsections can be combined into a structure by, for example, matching features 708. In this case, two adjacent first fins 757 of two adjacent subsections can be configured to be connected to the same conductive pad or the same conductive through hole of the circuit board. In other partial examples, the first housing portion 702 can be a single-piece integral component.

[0165] The present application also proposes a method for forming the connector subassembly 600 and the socket connector 500. The second housing portion 704 of the shield housing 722 can be formed by stamping a metal sheet into a single-piece blank. The single-piece blank can be formed into a Figure 7G and Figure 7H The first housing portion 702 may be formed by stamping a metal sheet into a single-piece blank, which may be folded into Figure 7G and Figure 7H or the first shell portion 702 can be formed by stamping one or more metal sheets into a plurality of sub-portions (such as Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B As shown in the figure, each sub-section can be folded into at least a portion having at least one platform portion 802, at least two side portions 806, and at least one valley portion 804. Subsequently, the multiple sub-sections can be combined into a structure by, for example, matching features 708. Figure 7G and Fig. 10A As shown, the valley 804 of the first housing portion 702 can have openings 852 extending therethrough and arranged in a line. The lead frame assembly 706 can be inserted into the first housing portion 702 by aligning and placing the connecting portion 710 of the insulating member 760 on the line of the openings 852. Subsequently, the second housing portion 704 can be attached (e.g., by welding) to the first housing portion 702 to form the connector subassembly 600. The connector subassembly 600 can then be placed into the channel 610 of the housing 502 of the socket connector 500.

[0166] In some embodiments, housing components such as housing 102 and housing 502 and insulating members 320 and 720 may be dielectric members molded from dielectric materials such as plastic or nylon. Examples of suitable materials include, but are not limited to, liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), high temperature nylon or polyphenylene oxide (PPO), or polypropylene (PP). Other suitable materials may also be used, as aspects of the present disclosure are not limited in this regard.

[0167] In some embodiments, conductive elements such as conductive elements 362 and 762 can be made of metal or any other material that has electrical conductivity and provides suitable mechanical properties to conductive elements in an electrical connector. Phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, and other copper alloys are non-limiting examples of materials that can be used. The conductive elements can be formed from these materials in any suitable manner, including by stamping and / or forming.

[0168] The connector construction techniques described herein can be used to improve the performance of electrical connectors, particularly miniaturized connectors whose space is limited by standards such as SFF-8639. The structures described herein that result in reproducible manufacture of connectors in mass production can also affect the performance of the connectors. For example, as a result of reproducible manufacture, the connectors in practice have little variation in impedance or other electrical characteristics. Limiting this variation in turn enhances the signal integrity through the connector, which can be reflected, for example, by low crosstalk for the frequency range of interest.

[0169] Fig.11A and Fig. 11B The near-end crosstalk (NEXT) of the socket connector 500 and the plug connector 100 as a function of frequency compared to previous designs and industry standards are shown, respectively. As shown, in the range of 0-15 GHz, the curve 1101a of the socket connector 500 and the curve 1101b of the plug connector 100 are lower than the requirements of the industry standard as shown by curves 1111 and 1112, respectively, and are lower than the curve 1113 of the previous socket connector and the curve 1114 of the previous plug connector (for example, the previous connector has only a single grounding structure between adjacent groups of conductive elements). This shows that the connector construction technology described herein enables the connector to meet industry standards and can perform better than previous connectors.

[0170] Although the details of the specific configuration of the conductive elements and the housing are described above, it should be understood that such details are provided for illustrative purposes only, as the concepts disclosed herein can be implemented in other ways. In this regard, the various connector designs described herein can be used in any suitable combination, as the aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the specific combinations shown in the drawings.

[0171] Having thus described several embodiments, it will be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

[0172] For example, the techniques described herein may be implemented in a card edge connector or a connector configured only for high speed signals.

[0173] For another example, although the configuration of the dual grounding elastic arms (spring arms) is described in conjunction with the example of the socket connector, it should be understood that, alternatively, the shielding shell of the plug connector can be configured to have a configuration of the dual grounding elastic arms. In this case, the shielding shell or grounding terminal of the socket connector mating with this plug connector can have a blade-type mating contact portion.

[0174] As another example, high-speed signal conductors and low-speed signal conductors can be configured to be identical, with the signal conductors in the same row having the same shape. However, the high-speed signal conductors and the low-speed signal conductors can differ in terms of the grounding structure and insulation surrounding them. Alternatively, some or all of the high-speed signal conductors can be configured to be different from the low-speed signal conductors, even in the same row. For example, the edge-to-edge spacing of the high-speed signal conductors can be closer.

[0175] An embodiment is shown in which the shielding shell includes a first shell portion and a second shell portion attached to the first shell portion. The second shell portion may have a mounting portion. However, in other examples, the first shell portion may include a mounting portion.

[0176] As another example, the connector is shown with a mating position and a mounting position compatible with the PCIeSAS standard.Techniques as described herein can be used to increase the operating speed of connectors designed according to other standards.

[0177] As yet another example, the plug connector is shown as having a first configuration of mating contact portions, and the socket connector is shown as having a second complementary structure of mating contact portions. In other examples, the plug connector and the socket connector may have opposite or mixed configurations of mating contact portions.

[0178] Additionally, the exemplary connector is also shown with the entire row formed as a subassembly with shield housings and lead assemblies. Other examples may have multiple subassemblies in each row.

[0179] As another example, the exemplary connector is shown as each subassembly formed with a first housing portion and a second housing portion. In other examples, other numbers of housing portions may be used. For example, a single first housing portion may be used on one side of a subassembly, but multiple second housing portions may be connected to the first housing portion. Each of the multiple second housing portions may complete one or more of the tubular structures of the subassembly.

[0180] Such changes, modifications and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present application.Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

[0181] In addition, while techniques for increasing the operating speed of connectors are shown and described with reference to plug connectors and socket connectors having parallel plate configurations, even when limited by dimensions specified in industry standards, it should be understood that the aspects of the present disclosure are not limited in this regard, as any inventive concept, whether alone or in combination with one or more other inventive concepts, can be used in other types of electrical connectors, such as card edge connectors, backplane connectors, right-angle connectors, stacking connectors, mezzanine connectors, I / O connectors, chip sockets, etc.

[0182] In some embodiments, the mounting end is shown as a surface mount component designed to fit within a pad on a circuit board. However, other configurations may also be used, such as press-fit "eye of the needle" compliant sections, spring contacts, solderable pins, etc.

[0183] All definitions, as defined and used, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0184] Numerical values ​​and ranges may be described in the specification and claims as approximate or exact numerical values ​​or ranges. For example, in some cases, the terms "about," "approximately," and "substantially" may be used to refer to a value. Such references are intended to include the value referenced and plus or minus reasonable variations of that value.

[0185] In the claims and the above description, all transitional phrases such as "comprising", "including", "carrying", "having", "containing", "involving", "holding", "consisting of" and the like shall be understood as open-ended, i.e., meaning including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively.

[0186] Unless explicitly stated, the claims should not be construed as limited to the described order or elements. It should be understood that various changes in form and details may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents are claimed for protection.

[0187] It should also be understood that the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and "fifth" are only used to distinguish one element, component or part from another element, component or part, but these elements, components and parts should not be limited by such terms. The present application is described in detail above in conjunction with specific embodiments. Obviously, the above description and the embodiments shown in the drawings should be understood as exemplary and do not constitute a limitation to the present application.

[0188] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made to the present application without departing from the spirit of the present application, and these changes or modifications do not depart from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A connector subassembly, characterized in that: The connector subassembly comprises: A plurality of conductive elements, each of the conductive elements comprising a mating end, a mounting end opposite to the mating end, and a middle portion connecting the mating end and the mounting end; an insulating member that holds the middle portions of the plurality of conductive elements so that the plurality of conductive elements are arranged in a row in which the plurality of conductive elements are arranged in a plurality of groups of conductive elements spaced apart from each other along a row direction and a mating end of each of the conductive elements is oriented along a mating direction perpendicular to the row direction; and A shielding shell, the shielding shell includes a plurality of first openings and a plurality of pairs of contact arms, the shielding shell is arranged around the plurality of conductive elements and the insulating member so that the middle parts of the plurality of conductive elements and the insulating member are located within the shielding shell, and the mating ends of each group of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements are exposed through a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings, each pair of contact arms in the plurality of pairs of contact arms is arranged between corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements and adjacent to the mating ends of the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements, and each pair of contact arms includes a first contact arm and a second contact arm spaced apart from each other in the mating direction.

2. The connector subassembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: For each pair of contact arms in the plurality of pairs of contact arms: The first contact arm and the second contact arm each include a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end being configured to be fixed and the second end being configured to be unfixed; as well as The first contact arm and the second contact arm are arranged along the mating direction such that the second end of the first contact arm and the second end of the second contact arm are opposite to each other in the mating direction, and such that the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm are opposite to each other in the mating direction.

3. The connector subassembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: For each pair of contact arms in the plurality of pairs of contact arms, the first contact arm is disposed between the mating ends of the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements, and the second contact arm is disposed between sections of the middle portions of the corresponding two adjacent groups of conductive elements adjacent to the mating ends.

4. The connector subassembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: For each pair of contact arms in the plurality of pairs of contact arms, the second end of the first contact arm and the mating end of the adjacent conductive element are spaced apart from each other center to center in the row direction by a first spacing; For each group of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements, the mating ends of two adjacent conductive elements are spaced apart from each other center to center in the row direction by a second spacing; and The first interval is equal to the second interval.

5. The connector subassembly according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: For each pair of contact arms in the plurality of pairs of contact arms, the second end of the first contact arm has a first convex curved shape having a first contact top; as well as The first contact tips of the second ends of the first contact arms of the plurality of pairs of contact arms are aligned along a first line parallel to the row direction and are coplanar with a first plane parallel to the row direction and the mating direction.

6. The connector subassembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: For each pair of contact arms in the plurality of pairs of contact arms, the second end of the second contact arm has a second convex curved shape having a second contact top; as well as The second contact tips of the second ends of the second contact arms of the plurality of pairs of contact arms are aligned along a second line parallel to the row direction and coplanar with the first plane, and the second line is spaced apart from the first line in the mating direction.

7. The connector subassembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: For each of the conductive elements, the mating end has a third convex curved shape having a third contact top; and The third contact tips of the mating ends of the plurality of conductive elements are aligned along the first line and are coplanar with a second plane parallel to the row direction and the mating direction.

8. The connector subassembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The shielding shell comprises a plate-like body extending parallel to the row direction and the mating direction, the plurality of first openings are opened in the plate-like body, the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm in the plurality of pairs of contact arms are connected to the plate-like body, and the second end of the first contact arm and the second end of the second contact arm in the plurality of pairs of contact arms protrude above the outer surface of the plate-like body; The first plane is at a first distance from the outer surface of the plate-like body in a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction; as well as The third contact tops of the mating ends of the multiple groups of conductive elements protrude above the outer surface of the plate-like body through the corresponding first openings, so that the second plane is at a second distance from the outer surface of the plate-like body in the vertical direction, and the second distance is greater than the first distance.

9. The connector subassembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: The shielding shell comprises a plate-like body extending parallel to the row direction and the mating direction, the plurality of first openings are opened in the plate-like body, the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm in the plurality of pairs of contact arms are connected to the plate-like body, and the second end of the first contact arm and the second end of the second contact arm in the plurality of pairs of contact arms protrude above the outer surface of the plate-like body; as well as For each of the conductive elements, the mating end is in the shape of a straight blade having a flat contact surface, and the flat contact surfaces of the mating ends of the plurality of conductive elements are coplanar with the outer surface of the plate-like body.

10. The connector subassembly according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The shielding shell comprises a plate-shaped body extending parallel to the row direction and the mating direction, the plurality of first openings are opened in the plate-shaped body, the plate-shaped body further comprises a plurality of first sections, each of the plurality of first sections is located between corresponding adjacent two first openings of the plurality of first openings in the row direction; as well as For each pair of contact arms in the plurality of pairs of contact arms, the first contact arm is an elastic arm cut out from a corresponding one of the plurality of first sections.

11. The connector subassembly according to claim 10, characterized in that: The plate-shaped body further includes a second section extending above the middle portions of the plurality of conductive elements and connecting the plurality of first sections; and For each pair of contact arms in the plurality of pairs of contact arms, the second contact arm is a resilient arm cut out from the second section.

12. The connector subassembly according to claim 11, characterized in that: For each pair of contact arms in the multiple pairs of contact arms, the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm are connected to the plate-like body, and the plate-like body includes a continuous narrow slot extending between the first end of the first contact arm and the first end of the second contact arm, and the section of the narrow slot between the corresponding two adjacent first openings extends in the corresponding first section of the plate-like body without being connected to the corresponding two adjacent first openings.

13. The connector subassembly according to claim 11, characterized in that: The plate-shaped body further includes a front piece disposed beyond the mating ends of the plurality of conductive elements in the mating direction, the front piece connects the plurality of first sections, and the front piece extends in a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction.

14. The connector subassembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: For each of the conductive elements, the intermediate portion extends from the mating end along the mating direction; The plurality of groups of conductive elements include a plurality of pairs of signal conductive elements configured to carry differential signals, the signal conductive elements in each pair of signal conductive elements being adjacent to each other in the row direction, and the mating ends thereof being exposed through the same first opening; as well as The mating ends of each pair of signal conductive elements are spaced apart from each other center-to-center by a second spacing in the row direction, and the middle portions of each pair of signal conductive elements are spaced apart from each other center-to-center by a third spacing in the row direction, the second spacing being greater than the third spacing.

15. The connector subassembly according to claim 14, characterized in that: For each of the conductive elements, the mating end is convexly curved to protrude out of the shielding shell; as well as For each pair of signal conductive elements, the mating end has a first width in the row direction, and the middle portion has a second width in the row direction, the first width being smaller than the second width.

16. The connector subassembly according to claim 14, characterized in that: Each of the conductive elements comprises an edge and a broad side connected by the edge, and the plurality of conductive elements are arranged in a row in an edge-to-edge manner; For each of the signal conductive elements, the wide side of the mating end and the wide side of the middle portion are flat and have the same width, and each of the signal conductive elements includes a transition section between the mating end and the middle portion, the transition section is bent along a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction so that the wide side of the mating end and the wide side of the middle portion extend along two different planes perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the transition section is bent along the row direction so that the center line of the mating end is offset relative to the center line of the middle portion in the mating direction; as well as For each pair of signal conducting elements, the transition section of each signal conducting element is bent away from the transition section of the other signal conducting element along the row direction.

17. The connector subassembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The shielding shell comprises: a first casing portion, the first casing portion comprising a plurality of platform portions, a plurality of valley portions, and side portions connecting adjacent platform portions and valley portions; and a second housing portion, the second housing portion comprising the plurality of first openings and the plurality of pairs of contact arms; Wherein, each of the multiple valleys is located between two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements among the multiple groups of conductive elements, the second shell portion is attached to the first shell portion at the multiple valleys, and is opposite to the multiple platform portions in a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction, so as to enclose a tubular structure with each of the platform portions and the corresponding two side portions, and the middle portion of the corresponding group of conductive elements is received in the tubular structure.

18. The connector subassembly according to claim 17, characterized in that: Each of the tubular structures comprises a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end of the tubular structure being in communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings so that the mating ends of the corresponding set of conductive elements are exposed through the corresponding one of the first openings, and the tubular structure defining a second opening at the second end through which the mounting ends of the corresponding set of conductive elements are exposed; as well as The first casing portion further comprises a plurality of first fins, each of the first fins extending from a corresponding side portion of the first casing portion at the second opening of the tubular structure to between two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements, so that the two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements are separated in the row direction by two first fins.

19. The connector subassembly according to claim 18, characterized in that: The two first wings separating two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements in the row direction are configured to be connected to the same conductive pad or the same conductive through hole of the circuit board.

20. The connector subassembly according to claim 19, characterized in that: The two first fins are joined to each other to form a single mounting portion, or the two first fins are spaced apart from each other in the row direction; and / or The mounting end of each of the conductive elements comprises a first mounting contact surface, and each of the first fins comprises a second mounting contact surface, the first mounting contact surface and the second mounting contact surface being coplanar; and / or For each group of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements, the mounting ends of two adjacent conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a fourth spacing from center to center in the row direction, the two first fins as a whole and the mounting ends of adjacent conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a fifth spacing from center to center in the row direction, and the fourth spacing is equal to the fifth spacing; and / or The first housing portion further comprises a plurality of second fins, each of which extends from a corresponding platform portion and connects two first fins corresponding to the same tubular structure, and the second housing portion further comprises a plurality of rear pieces, each of which forms an annular portion with two first fins and one second fin corresponding to the same tubular structure to surround a mounting end of a corresponding set of conductive elements; and / or The first casing portion includes a plurality of sub-portions, each of the plurality of sub-portions includes at least one platform portion, at least two side portions, and at least a portion of at least one valley portion, and the plurality of sub-portions are connected to each other at the valley portion.

21. A connector subassembly, characterized in that: The connector subassembly comprises: A plurality of conductive elements, each of the conductive elements comprising a mating end, a mounting end opposite to the mating end, and a middle portion connecting the mating end and the mounting end; an insulating member that holds the middle portions of the plurality of conductive elements so that the plurality of conductive elements are arranged in a row in which the plurality of conductive elements are arranged in a plurality of groups of conductive elements spaced apart from each other along a row direction, and a mating end of each of the conductive elements is oriented along a mating direction perpendicular to the row direction, and the middle portion extends from the mating end along the mating direction; and a shielding shell, the shielding shell comprising a plurality of first openings, the shielding shell being arranged around the plurality of conductive elements and the insulating member so that the middle portions of the plurality of conductive elements and the insulating member are located within the shielding shell, and the mating ends of each group of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements are exposed through a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings; The multiple groups of conductive elements include multiple pairs of signal conductive elements configured to carry differential signals, the signal conductive elements in each pair of signal conductive elements are adjacent to each other in the row direction, and their mating ends are exposed through the same first opening, the mating ends of each pair of signal conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a first spacing from center to center in the row direction, and the middle parts of each pair of signal conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a second spacing from center to center in the row direction, and the first spacing is greater than the second spacing.

22. The connector subassembly according to claim 21, characterized in that: For each of the conductive elements, the mating end is convexly curved to protrude out of the shielding shell; as well as For each pair of signal conductive elements, the mating end has a first width in the row direction, and the middle portion has a second width in the row direction, the first width being smaller than the second width.

23. The connector subassembly of claim 21, wherein: Each of the conductive elements comprises an edge and a broad side connected by the edge, and the plurality of conductive elements are arranged in a row in an edge-to-edge manner; For each of the signal conductive elements, the wide side of the mating end and the wide side of the middle portion are flat and have the same width, and each of the signal conductive elements includes a transition section between the mating end and the middle portion, the transition section is bent along a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction so that the wide side of the mating end and the wide side of the middle portion extend along two different planes perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the transition section is bent along the row direction so that the center line of the mating end is offset relative to the center line of the middle portion in the mating direction; as well as For each pair of the signal conducting elements, the transition section of each signal conducting element is bent away from the transition section of the other signal conducting element along the row direction.

24. The connector subassembly of claim 21, wherein: The shielding shell includes a plurality of shell mating ends, each of the shell mating ends being arranged between two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements among the multiple groups of conductive elements and adjacent to the mating ends of the two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements, and each of the shell mating ends and the mating ends of the adjacent conductive elements being spaced apart from each other by the first spacing from center to center in the row direction.

25. The connector subassembly of claim 24, wherein: For the shielding shell, the plurality of shell mating ends include mating contact surfaces that are arranged to be coplanar with the outer surface of the shielding shell, and for the plurality of conductive elements, the mating ends include mating contact surfaces that are arranged to be coplanar with the outer surface of the shielding shell; or For the shielding shell, the multiple shell mating ends include mating contact surfaces arranged to be coplanar on a first plane located above the outer surface of the shielding shell and parallel to the outer surface, and for the multiple conductive elements, the mating ends include mating contact surfaces arranged to be coplanar with the outer surface of the shielding shell.

26. The connector subassembly of claim 24, wherein: Each of the shell mating ends includes a first elastic contact arm and a second elastic contact arm spaced apart from each other in the mating direction, the first elastic contact arm and the second elastic contact arm each include a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end is configured to be fixed, and the second end is configured to be unfixed, the first elastic contact arm and the second elastic contact arm are arranged along the mating direction so that the second end of the first elastic contact arm and the second end of the second elastic contact arm are opposite to each other in the mating direction, and the first end of the first elastic contact arm and the first end of the second elastic contact arm are opposite to each other in the mating direction.

27. The connector subassembly according to any one of claims 21 to 26, characterized in that: The shielding shell comprises: a first casing portion, the first casing portion comprising a plurality of platform portions, a plurality of valley portions, and side portions connecting adjacent platform portions and valley portions; and a second housing portion, the second housing portion comprising the plurality of first openings; Wherein, each of the multiple valleys is located between two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements among the multiple groups of conductive elements, the second shell portion is attached to the first shell portion at the multiple valleys, and is opposite to the multiple platform portions in a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the mating direction, so as to enclose a tubular structure with each of the platform portions and the corresponding two side portions, and the middle portion of the corresponding group of conductive elements is received in the tubular structure.

28. The connector subassembly of claim 27, wherein: Each of the tubular structures comprises a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end of the tubular structure being in communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of first openings so that the mating ends of the corresponding set of conductive elements are exposed through the corresponding one of the first openings, and the tubular structure defining a second opening at the second end through which the mounting ends of the corresponding set of conductive elements are exposed; as well as The first casing portion further comprises a plurality of first fins, each of the first fins extending from a corresponding side portion of the first casing portion at the second opening of the tubular structure to between two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements, so that the two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements are separated in the row direction by two first fins.

29. The connector subassembly of claim 28, wherein: The two first wings separating two corresponding adjacent groups of conductive elements in the row direction are configured to be connected to the same conductive pad or the same conductive through hole of the circuit board.

30. The connector subassembly of claim 29, wherein: The two first fins are joined to each other to form a single mounting portion, or the two first fins are spaced apart from each other in the row direction; and / or The mounting end of each of the conductive elements comprises a first mounting contact surface, and each of the first fins comprises a second mounting contact surface, the first mounting contact surface and the second mounting contact surface being coplanar; and / or For each group of conductive elements in the plurality of groups of conductive elements, the mounting ends of two adjacent conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a fourth spacing from center to center in the row direction, the two first fins as a whole and the mounting ends of adjacent conductive elements are spaced apart from each other by a fifth spacing from center to center in the row direction, and the fourth spacing is equal to the fifth spacing; and / or The first housing portion further comprises a plurality of second fins, each of which extends from a corresponding platform portion and connects two first fins corresponding to the same tubular structure, and the second housing portion further comprises a plurality of rear pieces, each of which forms an annular portion with two first fins and one second fin corresponding to the same tubular structure to surround a mounting end of a corresponding set of conductive elements; and / or The first casing portion includes a plurality of sub-portions, each of the plurality of sub-portions includes at least one platform portion, at least two side portions, and at least a portion of at least one valley portion, and the plurality of sub-portions are connected to each other at the valley portion.

31. An electrical connector, characterized in that: The electrical connector comprises: an insulating housing including a base and a tongue extending from the base and having a first side and a second side opposite to each other; and The connector subassembly according to any one of claims 1 to 30, wherein the connector subassembly is arranged on the first side of the tongue.

32. The electrical connector according to claim 31, characterized in that: the tongue comprising a platform on the second side; and The electrical connector also includes a plurality of conductive elements disposed on the second side of the tongue.

33. An electrical connector, characterized in that: The electrical connector comprises: an insulating housing including a slot having a first side and a second side opposite to each other; and The connector subassembly according to any one of claims 1 to 30, wherein the connector subassembly is disposed within the insulating housing such that the mating end of the connector subassembly lines the first side of the slot.

34. The electrical connector according to claim 33, characterized in that: The slot of the insulating housing includes a recess on the second side; and The electrical connector also includes a plurality of conductive elements including mating ends lining the second side of the socket.

Images