Connector Assembly with U-Shield and Ground Plate

Abstract

An electrical connector that can be employed for mezzanine applications is described. In one embodiment, the wafer within the electrical connector includes a ground shield, terminals extending within the ground shield, an insulating frame, and a cover plate. The ground shield includes sidewalls that define a channel. A first ground shield terminal lead and a second ground shield lead terminal together form a ground shield terminal pair positioned at a first end of the wafer. A first signal terminal and a second signal terminal together form a terminal pair nested within the channel. The insulating frame holds the ground shield and the terminal pair, and the cover plate is electrically coupled to the ground shield and extends across the channel.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 371,210, entitled "CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY", filed on August 11, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] As an example, in high - data - rate applications where physical space is constrained, designing an interconnect system connector can be difficult due to several competing concerns. High - data - rate interconnect systems often rely on differential - coupled signal pairs in which two conductors are arranged in pairs to transmit differential signals. The signal being transmitted is embodied by the electrical difference measured between the conductor pairs. Differential signal transmission can help avoid spurious signals and crosstalk and avoid inadvertent signal - transmission modes between adjacent signal pairs. At a connector interface, ground terminals can be relied upon to create a return path to electrical ground, to provide shielding between differential pairs, and for other purposes.

[0003] Connectors used in high - data - rate applications are typically designed to meet a range of mechanical and electrical requirements. High - data - rate connectors are often used, for example, in backplane applications that require very high conductor density and data rate. To achieve the desired mechanical and electrical requirements, connectors used in such applications often incorporate one or more wafer assemblies. A wafer assembly can include an insulating web that supports terminal conductors within the wafer assembly. The use of wafer assemblies can help manufacture connectors that can achieve high data rates using several different assembly processes. In any case, it remains difficult to design wafers with the conductor density and small footprint required for high - data - rate applications in new systems while maintaining the desired electrical characteristics for error - free data transmission.

Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates to the field of connectors suitable for use in high data rate applications.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to various aspects, an electrical connector is described. In a first aspect, an electrical connector is described that includes a wafer assembly including a plurality of wafers, at least one of the plurality of wafers being a ground shield having sidewalls defining a channel, the first ground shield terminal lead and the second ground shield lead terminal forming together a ground shield terminal pair positioned at a first end of at least one of the wafers, a ground shield tail positioned at a second end of at least one of the wafers, a first signal terminal and a second signal terminal forming together a terminal pair nested within the channel, the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal each having a terminal lead at a first end disposed between the ground shield terminal pairs and a terminal tail positioned at a second end, an insulating frame holding the ground shield and the terminal pairs, and a cover plate electrically coupled to the ground shield and extending across the channel.

[0006] The channel is a U-shaped channel, the cover plate is positioned laterally with respect to the midpoint of one of the plurality of wafers, and the insulating frame and the U-shaped channel together define a plurality of openings. The cover plate covers at least one of the plurality of openings. At least one of the plurality of openings covered by the plurality of openings is each opening closest to the terminal lead of the terminal pair.

[0007] The ground shield tail is a single ground shield tail that corresponds one-to-two to the tail of the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal. The terminal pair is one of a plurality of terminal pairs, the ground shield is one of a plurality of ground shields, and in the first part of the terminal pair, the ground shield tails of the plurality of ground shields are a single ground shield tail that corresponds one-to-two to the tails of the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal. In the second part of the terminal pair, the ground shield tails of the plurality of ground shields are one of two ground shield tails that correspond two-to-two to the tails of the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal.

[0008] The insulating frame includes a plurality of protrusions that form an interference fit or a friction fit with a plurality of openings positioned on the bottom surface of the ground shield. At least one of the plurality of wafers further includes a connecting member positioned parallel to and separated from the terminal pair, and the connecting member includes a plurality of teeth configured to engage corresponding teeth of the insulating frame. The connecting member is one of a plurality of connecting members.

[0009] The terminal pair is one of a plurality of terminal pairs, the first part of the plurality of connecting members is positioned outside and parallel to the first distal one of the terminal pairs, and the second part of the plurality of connecting members is positioned outside and parallel to the second distal one of the terminal pairs. The connector is a hermaphroditic connector configured to removably attach to another identical connector separate from the connector.

[0010] The insulating frame extends into the channel such that each signal terminal is enclosed by the insulating frame, and the insulating frame maintains the signal terminals at a predetermined distance above the bottom surface of the ground shield and at a predetermined distance from the sidewall of the ground shield. The insulating frame maintains each of the signal terminals at a predetermined distance from each other. The insulating frame further includes a separating member that extends downward relative to the body of the insulating frame, and the separating member is positioned between another ground shield adjacent to the ground shield. The separating member extends downward below the bottom surface of the ground shield.

[0011] In a second aspect, an electrical connector is described, the electrical connector comprising at least one wafer forming together a terminal pair of a first signal terminal and a second signal terminal, the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal each having a terminal lead at a first end of the at least one wafer and a terminal tail positioned at a second end of the at least one wafer on the side opposite the first end, and a ground shield having side walls defining a U-shaped channel in which the terminal pairs are nested, the ground shield forming together a first ground shield terminal lead and a second ground shield lead terminal forming a ground shield terminal pair positioned at at least one first end of the wafers, and a ground shield tail positioned at at least one second end of the wafers. The ground shield includes side walls having a plurality of notches facing each other symmetrically, the notches being cutouts provided in the side walls, the notches being configured to engage and hold an insulating frame and a cover plate to the at least one wafer.

[0012] The cover plate is positioned laterally with respect to the midpoint of the at least one wafer, the insulating frame and the U-shaped channel together define a plurality of openings, and the cover plate covers at least one of the plurality of openings. At least one of the plurality of openings covered by the plurality of openings is the respective opening closest to the terminal leads of the terminal pair.

[0013] The terminal pair is one of a plurality of terminal pairs, the ground shield is one of a plurality of ground shields, and in a first portion of the terminal pair, the ground shield tails of the plurality of ground shields are a single ground shield tail in a one-to-two correspondence with the terminal tails of the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal, and in a second portion of the terminal pair, the ground shield tails of the plurality of ground shields are one of two ground shield tails in a two-to-two correspondence with the terminal tails of the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal.

[0014] At least one wafer further includes a connection member positioned parallel to and separated from the terminal pair, the connection member including a plurality of teeth configured to engage corresponding teeth of the insulating frame, the terminal pair being one of a plurality of terminal pairs, a first portion of the plurality of connection members being positioned outside and parallel to a first distal one of the terminal pairs, and a second portion of the plurality of connection members being positioned outside and parallel to a second distal one of the terminal pairs.

[0015] In other aspects, methods are disclosed for providing or using any combination of the aforementioned electrical connectors or portions thereof.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and instead emphasis is placed on clearly showing the principles of the present disclosure. Further, in the drawings, like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout several views.

[0017]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The present disclosure relates to the field of connectors suitable for use in high data rate applications. Computers, networking, and communication devices often have designs that require routing of complex printed circuit boards (PCBs) and integrated circuits (ICs), along with expensive multilayer substrates that increase the cost of various applications. The connectors described herein enable personnel to simplify the routing of ICs and PCBs without sacrificing performance, and further enable personnel to avoid the cost of large and complex multilayer substrates.

[0019] According to various embodiments, for example, an electrical connector is described that includes a wafer assembly having a plurality of wafers stacked relative to each other in a stacked arrangement. One or more of the wafers include a ground shield having sidewalls that define a channel. The ground shield includes a first ground shield terminal lead and a second ground shield lead terminal that together form a ground shield terminal pair positioned at a first end of at least one of the wafers. The ground shield further includes a ground shield tail positioned at a second end of at least one of the wafers.

[0020] The electrical connector further includes a first signal terminal and a second signal terminal that together form a terminal pair that can be nested within the channel. The first signal terminal and the second signal terminal each have a terminal lead on a first end disposed between the ground shield terminal pair and a terminal tail positioned on a second end. Additionally, the connector includes an insulating frame that holds the ground shield and the terminal pair, and a cover plate coupled to the insulating frame. The cover plate can be electrically coupled to the ground shield.

[0021] Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 - 4 are perspective views showing one example of a connector 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIGS. 1 and 2 show opposing top perspective views of the connector 100, and FIG. 3 shows a bottom perspective view of the connector 100. Additionally, for purposes of illustration, an exploded view of the connector 100 is shown in FIG. 4.

[0022] Referring collectively to FIGS. 1-4, connector 100 as illustrated is a representative embodiment and, accordingly, is not drawn to any particular scale or size. The shape, size, ratios, and other characteristics of connector 100 may vary compared to what is shown. For example, connector 100 can accommodate larger or smaller (e.g., wider or narrower) rows of terminals, and other variations are within the scope of the embodiments described herein. Additionally, one or more of the parts or components of connector 100, as shown in the drawings and described herein, may optionally be omitted. Connector 100 may also include other parts or components not shown, as will be appreciated.

[0023] Generally, connector 100 includes, among other components, a housing 103, a wafer assembly 106, and a ground tail aligner 109. In various embodiments, connector 100 may further include retaining clips 112a, 112b adapted to be positioned on both sides of housing 103 as shown in FIG. 4. Retaining clips 112a, 112b can further hold wafer assembly 106 with respect to housing 103 and / or ground tail aligner 109. For example, retaining clip 112 may include a number of protrusions 113 positioned within corresponding openings 114 positioned on housing 103, which, when protruding through openings 114, engage wafer assembly 106 with respect to housing 103 and hold wafer assembly 106.

[0024] Referring collectively to FIGS. 1 - 4, the housing 103 can be configured to support the wafer assembly 106 and can be formed from an insulating material such as plastic or other suitable materials. Thus, the housing 103 can, in some contexts, be referred to as an insulating housing. The ground tail aligner 109 can similarly be formed from an insulating material such as plated plastic or other polymeric materials and can have features that serve to hold together the many wafers 115a... 115n (collectively “wafers 115”) within the wafer assembly 106. For example, the ground tail aligner 109 can include comb-like protrusions 118 (FIG. 4) adapted to hold the wafer assembly 106 and / or its wafers 115 in a desired alignment and configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1 - 3.

[0025] The housing 103 can further include a bottom mounting surface 121 adapted to be coupled and placed on the surface of a circuit board or other hardware. As can be understood, the connector 100 enables mechanical and electrical connections between circuit boards (e.g., ICs, PCBs, etc.) via the wafer assembly 106, or more specifically, its wafers 115. It can be understood that the circuit boards can be aligned in a stacked arrangement using the mezzanine-type connector 100. However, relay connectors can be employed that enable other arrangements such as an orthogonal arrangement between circuit boards. In any case, when coupled to the circuit board, the terminal rows within the housing 103, including in particular the terminal conductors, seat on the contacts of the circuit board and make electrical connection with the contacts, which are generally positioned on the circuit board.

[0026] The housing 103 may further include a housing clip 119 positioned on a first side surface of the housing 103 and a housing clip receptacle 122 positioned on a second opposite side surface of the housing 103. It is understood that the housing clip 119 can engage with a corresponding housing clip receptacle (not shown) of another connector (e.g., a free end connector, a circuit board connector, or other desired connector) to maintain the connection therebetween. Similarly, the housing clip receptacle 122 can engage with a corresponding housing clip of another connector to maintain the connection therebetween. The housing clip receptacle 122 may be defined by two protruding side surfaces 123a, 123b and an edge 125. The two protruding side surfaces 123 may have an L-shaped configuration as shown in FIGS. 1-4. However, it is understood that other configurations may be adopted. The housing clip of another connector (not shown) can engage and slide with the edge 125 via a lip or protrusion of the other connector, and the protruding side surfaces 123 can further hold the housing clip or a portion thereof therebetween.

[0027] Referring now to FIGS. 5-9, various views of a representative wafer 115 of a wafer assembly 106 according to various embodiments are shown. It is understood that the wafer assembly may include a plurality of wafers including the wafer 115 shown in FIGS. 5-9. For example, as shown in the exploded view of the connector 100 seen in FIG. 4, a plurality of wafers including the wafer 115 shown in FIGS. 5-9 can be stacked together in a vertical arrangement. Specifically, according to various embodiments, FIG. 5 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view of the wafer 115, FIG. 6 shows a top plan view of the wafer 115, FIGS. 7 and 8 show enlarged front perspective views of the wafer 115, and FIGS. 9 and 10 show enlarged rear perspective views of the wafer 115.

[0028] Referring collectively to FIGS. 5-10, wafer 115 may include signal terminals 124a, 124b that together form terminal pair 126. Each of signal terminals 124a, 124b may be formed from a conductive material, such as copper or other suitable conductive material. Thus, terminal pair 126 can be punched or sheared from a metallic conductive lead frame. In some embodiments, retaining clip 112 can be punched from the lead frame simultaneously with terminal pair 126.

[0029] Each terminal pair 126 can be supported by an insulating frame 127, which in this case can also be formed of plastic or other insulating material. Further, each terminal pair 126 can be nested within a ground shield 130 or otherwise positioned relative to ground shield 130, and ground shield 130 is supported by insulating frame 127 or otherwise held. As can be appreciated, insulating frame 127 can be formed by injection molding or a similar process. Ground shield 130 can similarly be formed from a conductive material.

[0030] Briefly stated, an enlarged perspective view of the ground shield 130 is shown in FIG. 11. The ground shield 130 includes a longitudinally extending body having ground contact leads 133a, 133b that together form a ground terminal pair 134. Further, the ground shield 130 includes a ground shield tail 136 and a body 139 extending between the contact lead 133 and the ground shield tail 136. When the signal terminals 124a, 124b are incorporated within the U-shaped channel 142 of the ground shield 130, the ground contact terminals 133a, 133b can be positioned outside the signal terminals 124a, 124b such that the signal terminals 124a, 124b are incorporated therebetween. The ground shield 130 shown in FIG. 11 shows a single ground shield tail 136, but in some embodiments, the ground shield 130 may include two ground shield tails 136a, 136b as seen in the leftmost ground shield 130 shown in FIG. 9. Although the embodiments described herein relate to the U-shaped channel 142, it is understood that other shaped channels, such as a V-shaped channel, may be employed as well.

[0031] Referring back to FIGS. 5 to 10 and referring to them collectively, the signal terminals 124a, 124b each include a terminal lead 145, a terminal tail 148, and a body 151 extending therebetween. For example, in FIG. 9, the terminal tails 148a, 148b of the leftmost terminal pair 126 are shown. As can be understood, in some embodiments, the bodies 151 of the signal terminals 124a, 124b can be coupled to each other to form a differential pair for differential signal transmission. Alternatively, the insulating frame 127 can hold the bodies 151 of the signal terminals 124a, 124b in a parallel but separate arrangement to form a differential pair. In any case, the insulating frame 127 is configured to support a plurality of terminal pairs 126, for example, eight or more such pairs. However, it is understood that other numbers of terminal pairs 126 can be employed depending on the desired specifications. As described above, each terminal pair 126 has the bodies 151 of two terminals aligned in an edge-to-edge configuration, so that when the terminals 124 are punched, formed, or otherwise formed within the wafer 115, the spacing between the terminals can be carefully controlled.

[0032] As shown in the top plan view of FIG. 6, the wafer 115 may further include a cover plate 154. The cover plate 154 may be formed from a conductive material in various embodiments and can add stability and rigidity to the overall structure of the wafer 115. Additionally, since the cover plate 154 is conductive, the cover plate 154 can provide electrical insulation, thereby improving the signal quality presented by the terminal pair 126. The cover plate 154 may be positioned between the ends of the terminal pair 126 and may have a width smaller than the width of the terminal pair 126 in some embodiments. To reduce the amount of material required to provide the cover plate 154 and since a cover plate body larger than that shown in FIG. 6 does not provide a significant improvement in signal insulation, the cover plate 154 may be positioned laterally or offset with respect to the midpoint M such that the cover plate 154 is closer to the terminal leads 145 of each terminal pair 126 as compared to the rear end of the wafer 115. In some embodiments, the cover plate 154 can at least partially cover the openings 157a... 157c (collectively "openings 157") collectively defined by the shape of the body of the ground shield 130 and the insulating frame 127, thereby preventing signal degradation that may occur due to one or more of the openings 157.

[0033] The ground shield 130 can be attached to the insulating frame 127. Additionally, the ground shield 130 can provide a U-shaped channel 142. Referring back to FIG. 11, the U-shaped channel 142 can be defined by side walls 160a, 160b, and the terminal pair 126 is positioned between the side walls 160a, 160b. As can be understood, the ground shield 130 provides a broadside coupling to the terminal pair 126 and provides a return path, while also serving to shield the terminal pair 126 from adjacent terminal pairs 126 within the same wafer 115 and adjacent wafers 115. When positioned within the insulating frame 127, the side walls 160a, 160b can project slightly above the upper surface of the insulating frame 127, extend to a region slightly below the upper surface of the insulating frame 127, or be substantially flush with the upper surface of the insulating frame 127.

[0034] The ground shield 130 may further include a plurality of notches 163a...163e (collectively "notches 163") that face each other symmetrically, and the notches 163 include cutout portions provided in the side walls 160 of the ground shield 130. The notches 163 can include regions that, in some embodiments, hold portions of the cover plate 154, such as the laterally extending protrusions 165 of the cover plate 154, and form a physical and electrical connection therebetween. Similarly, the notches 163 can hold portions of the insulating frame 127 and form a physical connection therebetween. Further, the cover plate 154 can be positioned above the first of the notches 163a (or a portion of the notches 163 positioned laterally with respect to the midpoint M) to account for potential interference resulting from the large U-shaped cutout of the first of the notches 163a in the two side walls 160. As can be understood, the U-shaped channel 142 thus provides a three-sided shield for the terminal pair 126 in a substantially continuous manner from the tail to the contact.

[0035] Furthermore, the ground shield 130 may include one or more openings 166 positioned on the bottom surface 169 of the ground shield 130. To couple the ground shield 130 to the insulating frame 127, the insulating frame 127 may include a number of protrusions 172 that form an interference fit or similar fitting with a corresponding one of the openings 166. The openings 166 and / or the protrusions 172 may be shaped similarly and accordingly, such as circular, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 13. Alternatively, the openings 166 and / or the protrusions 172 may be oval, square, triangular, star-shaped, rectangular, or the like.

[0036] The ground shield 130 may further include sidewall protrusions 175. The sidewall protrusions 175 may be positioned on the upper surface of a vertically extending member 178, and the vertically extending member 178 includes ground plane regions on both sides of the notch 163, as shown in FIG. 11. The sidewall protrusions 175 can protrude through corresponding openings 181 in the cover plate 154, as shown in FIG. 7, facilitating the coupling and electrical connection (and thus the grounding effect) between the ground shield 130 and the cover plate 154.

[0037] As best seen in the rear perspective view of the wafer 115 shown in FIG. 9, the signal terminals 124a, 124b are not positioned directly on the bottom surface 169 of the U-shaped channel 142. However, they are slightly floating from the bottom surface 169 while maintaining a close distance. The compact arrangement of the signal terminals 124a, 124b relative to the ground shield 130 allows additional wafers 115 to be added to the connector 100 and / or additional terminal pairs 126 to be mounted to the connector 100 without substantially increasing the size of the connector 100.

[0038] In various embodiments, the connector 100 may be a hermaphroditic connector such that separate identical connectors can be aligned and connected with the connector 100 shown in FIG. 1. For example, as described above, the housing 103 may include a housing clip 119 positioned on a first side of the housing 103 and a housing clip receptacle 122 positioned on a second opposite side of the housing 103. It is understood that the housing clip 119 can engage with a housing clip receptacle (not shown) of another hermaphroditic connector to maintain the connection therebetween. Similarly, the housing clip receptacle 122 can engage with a corresponding housing clip of another hermaphroditic connector to maintain the connection therebetween. In various embodiments, the connector 100 is still low-cost and relatively easy to manufacture while being able to handle 112 Gb of transmission.

[0039] Referring again to FIG. 9, in the first portion of the terminal pair 126 (e.g., the rightmost seven terminal pairs 126), it can be seen that the ground shield tail 136 is a single ground shield tail corresponding to the signal terminals 124a, 124b, or more specifically, the terminal tails 148a, 148b. In other words, the ground shield tail 136 is in a one-to-two correspondence with the terminal tails 148 of the first signal terminal 124a and the second signal terminal 124b. Further, FIG. 9 shows that in the second portion of the terminal pair 126 (e.g., the leftmost terminal pair 126), the ground shield tail 136a is one of the two ground shield tails 136a, 136b. Thus, in the second portion of the terminal pair 126, the ground shield tail 136 is in a two-to-two correspondence with the terminal tails 148 of the first signal terminal 124a and the second signal terminal 124b. The ground shield tail 136 extends rearwardly protruding from a platform 184 that extends laterally with respect to the rear portion of the ground shield 130. Thus, each of the ground shield tail 136, the terminal tail 148a, and the terminal tail 148b are in a straight line with each other.

[0040] Referring back to FIG. 12, wafer 115 may include one or more connection members 187a... 187d (collectively "connection member 187" or "conductive connection member"). To facilitate the manufacture of wafer 115, connection member 187 may be formed from the same lead frame as terminal pair 126, retaining clip 112, and / or other components formed from the lead frame. Thus, as can be appreciated, connection member 187 can be conductive and can be formed from copper or other conductive material.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 12, connection member 187 may be separated from terminal pair 126, or there may be a connection between connection member 187 and the outermost signal terminal 124. In any case, connection member 187 is positioned parallel to terminal pair 126. Connection member 187 includes one or more corrugated sides having a plurality of teeth or protrusions configured to engage corresponding teeth of insulating frame 127, for example, during an injection molding process of insulating frame 127. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an interference connection between the teeth of insulating frame 127 and the teeth of connection member 187. A first portion of the plurality of connection members 187 (e.g., connection members 187a, 187b) is positioned outside and parallel to the first distal one of terminal pair 126, and a second portion of the plurality of connection members 187 (e.g., connection members 187c, 187d) is positioned outside and parallel to the second distal one of terminal pair 126.

[0042] Moving on to FIG. 15, an enlarged cross-section of the rear portion of the wafer 115 is shown. In FIG. 15, an insulating frame 127 is shown extending into a U-shaped channel 142 such that signal terminals 124a, 124b are each encapsulated by the insulating frame 127. Thus, the insulating frame 127 maintains the signal terminals 124a, 124b at a predetermined distance above the bottom surface 169 of the ground shield 130 and at a predetermined distance from each side wall 160 of the ground shield 130. Also, the insulating frame 127 maintains each of the signal terminals 124a, 124b at a predetermined distance from each other. The insulating frame 127 further includes a separating member 190 that extends downwardly with respect to the body of the insulating frame 127, and the separating member 190 is positioned between adjacent ground shields 130. The separating member 190 can provide additional electrical and signal insulation, as can be appreciated. The separating member 190 can extend below the bottom surface 169 of the ground shield 130.

[0043] The connector 100 can incorporate additional features that provide additional support, rigidity, and other benefits to maintain the integrity of the electrical connection and data communication between the terminal conductors within the connector 100 and, for example, the contacts within a connector that mates with the connector 100. The connector 100 can be designed for use with a mezzanine interconnect system, but the concepts of the connector support structures described herein are not limited to use with any particular type or style of interconnect system.

[0044] The features, structures, or characteristics described above may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments, and the features discussed in the various embodiments are interchangeable if possible. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to fully understand the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the technical solution of the present disclosure can be implemented without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, materials, etc. may be used. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown in detail or described in order to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure.

[0045] Relative terms such as "on," "below," "upper," and "lower" are used herein to describe the relative relationship between one component and another component. However, these terms are used herein for convenience only, for example, as the directions in the examples shown in the drawings. It should be understood that when the device is turned upside down, the above-mentioned "upper" component becomes the "lower" component. When a certain structure is "above" another structure, the structure may be integrally formed on top of the other structure, or the structure may be "directly" disposed on top of the other structure, or the structure may be "indirectly" disposed on top of the other structure via other structures.

[0046] In this specification, terms such as "a," "an," "the," and "said" are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements and components. The terms "comprise," "include," "have," "contain" and their variants are used in an open-ended manner and, unless otherwise specified in the appended claims, mean including additional elements, components, etc. in addition to the recited elements, components, etc.

[0047] Terms such as "first," "second," etc. are used only as labels and do not limit the number of objects. It is understood that when multiple components are shown, they may be referred to as the "first" component, the "second" component, etc. within the applicable scope.

[0048] The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of the embodiments described for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many changes and modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and changes are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure and protected by the following claims.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, comprising a wafer assembly having a plurality of wafers, at least one of the plurality of wafers being a ground shield having sidewalls defining a channel, a first ground shield terminal lead and a second ground shield lead terminal forming together a ground shield terminal pair positioned at a first end of at least one of the wafers, and a ground shield tail positioned at a second end of at least one of the wafers; a first signal terminal and a second signal terminal forming together a terminal pair incorporated in the channel, the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal each having a terminal lead at a first end disposed between the ground shield terminal pair and a terminal tail positioned at a second end; an insulating frame holding the ground shield and the terminal pair; and a cover plate electrically coupled to the ground shield and extending above the channel.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the channel is a U-shaped channel, the cover plate is positioned laterally with respect to a midpoint of one of the plurality of wafers, and the insulating frame and the U-shaped channel together define a plurality of openings.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the cover plate covers at least one of the plurality of openings.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of openings covered by the plurality of openings is the respective opening closest to the terminal lead of the terminal pair.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the ground shield tail is a single ground shield tail that corresponds one-to-two to the terminal tails of the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal.

6. The terminal pair is one of a plurality of terminal pairs, the ground shield is one of a plurality of ground shields, and at a first portion of the terminal pair, the ground shield tails of the plurality of ground shields are a single ground shield tail that corresponds one-to-two to the terminal tails of the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal. In the second portion of the terminal pair, one of the two ground shield tails of the plurality of ground shields is in a two-to-two correspondence with the terminal tails of the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal. The electrical connector according to claim 1.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the insulating frame includes a plurality of protrusions that form an interference fit or a friction fit with a plurality of openings positioned on the bottom surface of the ground shield.

8. At least one of the plurality of wafers The electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a connection member positioned parallel to and separated from the terminal pair, the connection member comprising a plurality of teeth configured to engage corresponding teeth of the insulating frame.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 8, wherein the connection member is one of a plurality of connection members.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 9, wherein the terminal pair is one of a plurality of terminal pairs, a first portion of the plurality of connection members is positioned outside and parallel to the first distal one of the terminal pairs, and a second portion of the plurality of connection members is positioned outside and parallel to the second distal one of the terminal pairs.

11. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is a hermaphroditic connector configured to be detachably attached to another identical connector separate from the connector.

12. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the insulating frame extends into the channel such that each of the signal terminals is enclosed by the insulating frame, and the insulating frame maintains the signal terminals at a predetermined distance above the bottom surface of the ground shield and at a predetermined distance from the side wall of the ground shield.

13. The electrical connector according to claim 12, wherein the insulating frame maintains each of the signal terminals at a predetermined distance from each other.

14. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the insulating frame further comprises a separating member extending downward with respect to the body of the insulating frame, the separating member being positioned between the ground shield and another adjacent ground shield.

15. The electrical connector according to claim 14, wherein the separating member extends downward below the bottom surface of the ground shield.

16. An electrical connector, At least one wafer, comprising a first signal terminal and a second signal terminal that together form a terminal pair, having a terminal lead at a first end of the at least one wafer and a terminal tail positioned at a second end of the at least one wafer on a side opposite to the first end, respectively, the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal. A ground shield having side walls that define a U-shaped channel in which the terminal pair is incorporated, comprising a first ground shield terminal lead and a second ground shield lead terminal that together form a ground shield terminal pair positioned at a first end of at least one of the wafers, and a ground shield tail positioned at a second end of at least one of the wafers. The ground shield comprises side walls having a plurality of notches that are symmetrically opposed to each other, the notches being cutouts provided in the side walls, and the notches being configured to engage and hold an insulating frame and a cover plate to at least one wafer, an electrical connector.

17. The cover plate is positioned laterally with respect to the midpoint of at least one wafer, the insulating frame and the U-shaped channel together define a plurality of openings, and the cover plate covers at least one of the plurality of openings, the electrical connector according to claim 16.

18. At least one of the plurality of openings covered by the plurality of openings is the respective opening closest to the terminal lead of the terminal pair, the electrical connector according to claim 17.

19. The terminal pair is one of a plurality of terminal pairs. The ground shield is one of a plurality of ground shields. In a first portion of the terminal pair, the ground shield tails of the plurality of ground shields are a single ground shield tail that corresponds one-to-two to the terminal tails of the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal. In a second portion of the terminal pair, the ground shield tails of the plurality of ground shields are one of two ground shield tails that correspond two-to-two to the terminal tails of the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal, the electrical connector according to claim 16.

20. The at least one wafer further comprises a connection member positioned parallel to and separated from the terminal pair, the connection member comprising a plurality of teeth configured to engage corresponding teeth of the insulating frame. The terminal pair is one of a plurality of terminal pairs. The electrical connector according to claim 16, wherein a first portion of the plurality of connection members is positioned outside and parallel to a first distal one of the terminal pairs.

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