High Speed ​​High Reliability Receptacle Electrical Connector

Abstract

A high speed, highly reliable receptacle connector is provided that reduces both manufacturing complexity and cost. The receptacle connector includes a shell and a terminal subassembly disposed within the shell with terminal mating ends extending to an opening in the shell and tail ends extending from the shell. A component at least partially adjacent the top of the shell engages an exterior of the chassis of the electronic device when the connector is placed in the chassis with the opening in the shell aligned with a port in the chassis. A location member is attached to the bottom wall of the shell. The location member has a downwardly extending post and a protrusion extending upwardly into the shell for latching to the subassembly housing. The terminal subassembly has a shielding member disposed between the two rows of terminals and with apertures positioned to reduce crosstalk, balance impedance, and facilitate manufacturing of the subassembly housing.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202322442098.3, filed on September 8, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] (Field of Ideas) TECHNICAL FIELD This application relates to interconnection systems, such as those that include electrical connectors configured to interconnect electronic assemblies. [Background technology]

[0003] Electrical connectors are used in many electronic systems. It is generally easier and more cost effective to manufacture systems as separate electronic subassemblies, such as Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), which can be joined together with electrical connectors. Having separable connectors allows components of an electronic system made by different manufacturers to be easily assembled. Separable connectors also allow components to be easily swapped out after the system is assembled, either to replace defective components or to upgrade the system with higher performance components.

[0004] A well-known configuration for joining several electronic subassemblies is to have one printed circuit board act as a backplane. A well-known backplane is a PCB to which many connectors may be attached. Conductive traces in the backplane may be electrically connected to signal conductors in the connectors, thereby allowing signals to be routed between the connectors. Other printed circuit boards, called "daughterboards," "daughtercards," or "midboards," may be connected through the backplane. For example, connectors may also be attached on the daughtercards. The connectors mounted on the daughtercards may plug into connectors mounted on the backplane. In this way, signals may be routed between the daughtercards through the connectors and the backplane. The daughtercards may be plugged into the backplane at a right angle. Thus, connectors used in these applications may include right-angle bends and are often referred to as "right-angle connectors."

[0005] Connectors may also be used in other configurations for interconnecting electronic assemblies. In some cases, one or more printed circuit boards are connected to another printed circuit board, called a "motherboard," which carries electronic components and interconnects the daughterboards. In such configurations, the printed circuit boards connected to the motherboard may be called daughterboards. Daughterboards are often smaller than the motherboard and may be aligned parallel to the motherboard. Connectors used in this configuration are often called "stacking connectors" or "mezzanine connectors." In other systems, the daughterboards may be perpendicular to the motherboard.

[0006] Connectors may also be used in computers where the motherboard may have a processor and a bus configured to pass data between the processor and peripheral devices such as a printer or memory device. The connectors may be mounted to the motherboard and connected to the bus. The mating interfaces of these connectors may often be exposed through openings in the housing for the computer such that a connector attached to the peripheral device via a cable may be inserted into the connector on the motherboard. This configuration allows the peripheral device to be easily connected to the computer.

[0007] To increase the availability of peripheral devices, buses and connectors used to physically connect peripheral devices through the buses may be standardized. Thus, there may be a large number of peripheral devices available from a large number of manufacturers. Any of these products may be used in a computer having a bus that complies with the standard as long as it complies with the standard. Examples of such standards include Universal Serial Bus (USB) and / or Display Communication Port (DisplayPort), which are widely used in computers. The standards have undergone multiple revisions to adapt over time to the higher performance expected of computers. For example, portable electronic devices often include receptacle connectors for various purposes, such as charging and / or exchanging data with other electronic devices by connecting a receptacle connector to a plug connector. Summary of the Invention

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Aspects of the present application relate to a high speed, high reliability receptacle electrical connector.

[0009] Some embodiments relate to a receptacle connector configured for use with an electronic device. The receptacle connector may include a shell including a top wall, a bottom wall, first and second side walls bounding a cavity, an opening disposed at a front portion connecting to the cavity, and a plurality of legs extending beyond the bottom wall, a terminal subassembly at least partially disposed within the cavity, the terminal subassembly including a subassembly housing and a plurality of conductive elements carried by the subassembly housing, each of the plurality of conductive elements including a mating end extending toward a front portion of the shell, a tail end extending from the bottom wall of the shell, and an intermediate portion between the mating end and the tail end, a location member including a post extending parallel to the plurality of legs of the shell, and a component at least partially adjacent the top wall of the shell and configured to engage an exterior of a chassis of an electronic device.

[0010] Optionally, said component is a flange extending from a top wall of the shell, said flange including a screw hole so that the flange can be secured to the exterior of a chassis of an electronic device.

[0011] Optionally, the component is a frame including a top bar, a bottom bar, and an extension extending from the bottom bar and fixedly attached to a bottom wall of the shell, the frame including a resilient portion extending from the top bar and configured to engage an exterior of a chassis of an electronic device.

[0012] Optionally, the frame includes an opening that aligns with the opening in the shell, and first and second side bars that include curved segments connecting the top and bottom bars, respectively, from respective sides and adjacent the bottom bar.

[0013] Optionally, the resilient portion includes a semi-cylindrical connection portion extending from the top bar and an overhanging arm extending from the semi-cylindrical connection portion.

[0014] Optionally, the plurality of conductive elements of the terminal subassembly includes a first plurality of conductive elements arranged in a first row and a second plurality of conductive elements arranged in a second row, the terminal subassembly including a shielding member disposed between the first plurality of conductive elements and the second plurality of conductive elements and including a plurality of apertures, and the subassembly housing extends through the apertures of the plurality of apertures.

[0015] Optionally, the mounting surfaces of the tail ends of the first plurality of conductive elements and the mounting surfaces of the tail ends of the second plurality of conductive elements are aligned in the same row.

[0016] Optionally, the first plurality of conductive elements includes a plurality of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals, mating ends of the plurality of ground terminals extending beyond the mating ends of the plurality of signal terminals, intermediate portions of the plurality of signal terminals each including a narrow portion that is narrower than the respective mating ends, and intermediate portions of the plurality of ground terminals each including a wide portion that is wider than the respective mating ends.

[0017] Optionally, the plurality of apertures of the shielding member include a first row of apertures adjacent a front end of the shielding member and disposed below mating ends of the plurality of signal terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements, a second row of apertures adjacent a rear end of the shielding member and disposed below at least a portion of the wide portions of the plurality of ground terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements, and a third row of apertures between the first and second row of apertures and disposed below at least a portion of the narrow portions of the plurality of signal terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements.

[0018] Optionally, the positioning member includes a body attached to a bottom wall of the shell, with the post extending downwardly from the body.

[0019] Optionally, the positioning member includes an upwardly extending protrusion, the protrusion of the positioning member including a latch configured to engage a projection of the subassembly housing.

[0020] Some embodiments relate to an electronic system that may include a chassis including a port, a circuit board disposed within the chassis, and a receptacle connector disposed within the chassis and mounted on the circuit board. The receptacle connector may include a shell including an opening that aligns with the port of the chassis and a number of legs that connect to a ground plane of the circuit board, and a location member with a post that is at least partially inserted into the circuit board.

[0021] Optionally, the receptacle connector includes a component that extends from a port in the chassis and engages an exterior of the chassis.

[0022] Optionally, the shell of the receptacle connector includes a top wall and a bottom wall, and the component is a flange extending from the top wall of the shell.

[0023] Optionally, the shell of the receptacle connector includes a top wall and a bottom wall, and the component is a frame including a top bar disposed outside the chassis, a bottom bar, an extension extending from the bottom bar and fixedly attached to the bottom wall of the shell of the receptacle connector, and an elastic portion extending from the top bar.

[0024] Optionally, the resilient portion includes a semi-cylindrical connection portion extending from the top bar and an overhanging arm extending from the semi-cylindrical connection portion and engaging an exterior of the chassis.

[0025] Optionally, the shell of the receptacle connector includes a top wall and a bottom wall, and the positioning member includes a body attached to the bottom wall of the shell and a protrusion extending into the shell of the receptacle connector and including a latch configured to engage with the connector housing.

[0026] Some embodiments relate to a method of manufacturing a receptacle connector that may include providing a terminal subassembly including a plurality of conductive elements carried by a subassembly housing, disposing the terminal subassembly within a shell having tail ends of the plurality of conductive elements extending from the shell, the shell having a bottom wall and a plurality of legs extending beyond the bottom wall, and attaching a location member to the bottom wall of the shell, the location member including a post extending parallel to the plurality of legs of the shell.

[0027] Optionally, providing the terminal subassembly includes molding over a first row of conductive elements and a shielding member, disposing a second row of conductive elements over the molded first row and shielding member, and molding over the first and second rows of conductive elements and the shielding member to form a subassembly housing.

[0028] Optionally, attaching the locating member to the bottom wall of the shell includes inserting a protrusion of the locating member into the shell to engage a subassembly housing of the terminal subassembly.

[0029] Some embodiments relate to an electrical connector. The electrical connector may include a terminal subassembly including a plurality of conductive elements and a subassembly housing for holding the plurality of conductive elements, each of the plurality of conductive elements having a mating end, a tail end opposite the mating end, and an intermediate portion disposed between the mating end and the tail end and connecting the mating end to the tail end; a shell surrounding a cavity and having a sleeve attached to at least a portion of an exterior of the terminal subassembly; and a positioning member disposed on at least a portion of an exterior of the shell and including a post, the plurality of conductive elements including a first plurality of conductive elements and a second plurality of conductive elements, the first plurality of conductive elements and the second plurality of conductive elements being respectively arranged in a row in a width direction of the electrical connector, the mating ends of the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements and the mating ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements being spaced apart from each other in a thickness direction of the electrical connector perpendicular to the width direction, and the terminal subassembly may further include a shielding member disposed between the first plurality of conductive elements and the second plurality of conductive elements in the thickness direction.

[0030] Optionally, the mating ends of the conductive elements in the first plurality of conductive elements and the mating ends of the conductive elements in the second plurality of conductive elements are arranged in a staggered manner along the width direction, and the tail ends of the conductive elements in the first plurality of conductive elements and the tail ends of the conductive elements in the second plurality of conductive elements are arranged in the same plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the electrical connector and are arranged in a staggered manner in a row along the width direction.

[0031] Optionally, each conductive element in the first plurality of conductive elements may include a first bend configured such that a tail end of the conductive element in the first plurality extends in the thickness direction toward the conductive elements of the second plurality, the first bends being arranged in a row spaced apart from one another in the width direction of the electrical connector, and each conductive element of the second plurality of conductive elements includes a first bend and a second bend, the first bends and the second bends of the conductive elements in the second plurality of conductive elements being arranged in rows parallel to one another in the width direction of the electrical connector, and each conductive element of the second plurality of conductive elements is configured such that the presence of the bends causes a tail end of the conductive element of the second plurality to extend in a staggered manner between the tail ends of adjacent conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements.

[0032] Optionally, the shielding member may be plate-shaped, and the shielding member is disposed in a thickness direction between the mating ends of the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements and the mating ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements, and a rear end of the shielding member is disposed in a length direction perpendicular to the width direction so as to extend beyond the first bent portion of the second plurality of conductive elements and to be further spaced apart from the first bent portion of the first plurality of conductive elements.

[0033] Optionally, the conductive elements in the first plurality of conductive elements and the conductive elements in the second plurality of conductive elements may each include a plurality of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals, arranged such that along a mating direction in which the electrical connector engages with a mating electrical connector, the mating ends of the ground terminals extend beyond the mating ends of the signal terminals.

[0034] Optionally, the plurality of signal terminals may include at least one signal terminal, an intermediate portion of the signal terminal including a narrow portion having a first width in a width direction of the electrical connector, and a mating end of the signal terminal having a second width in a width direction of the electrical connector, the first width being narrower than the second width.

[0035] Optionally, the plurality of ground terminals may include at least one ground terminal, an intermediate portion of the ground terminal including a wide portion having a third width in a width direction of the electrical connector, and a mating end of the ground terminal having a fourth width in a width direction of the electrical connector, the third width being wider than the fourth width.

[0036] Optionally, the widened portions of the ground terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements include a first bent portion, and the widened portions of the ground terminals of the second plurality of conductive elements include first and second bent portions.

[0037] Optionally, the shielding member may include a plurality of apertures each having a substantially rectangular shape, including at least three rows of apertures arranged parallel to one another in a width direction, the three rows of apertures including a first row of apertures positioned adjacent a front end of the shielding member in a length direction of the electrical connector, a second row of apertures positioned adjacent a rear end of the shielding member in a length direction of the electrical connector, and a third row of apertures positioned between the first and second rows of apertures.

[0038] Optionally, the apertures in the first row may be disposed in the thickness direction directly beneath mating ends of the plurality of signal terminals in the first plurality of conductive elements, at least some of the apertures in the second row are disposed in the thickness direction directly beneath at least a portion of the wide portions of the ground terminals in the first plurality of conductive elements, and further, at least some of the apertures in the second row are disposed in the thickness direction directly beneath at least a portion of the narrow portions of the signal terminals in the first plurality of conductive elements, and at least a portion of the subassembly housing is disposed in a cavity formed between the first plurality of conductive elements, the plurality of apertures in the shielding member, and the second plurality of conductive elements.

[0039] Optionally, each aperture of the first row of apertures is formed to have a substantially rectangular shape, each aperture of the first row of apertures has a width greater than a width of a mating end of the plurality of signal terminals, and further, an inner mating edge of each aperture of the first row of apertures is positioned longitudinally closer to a mating periphery of the shell than the mating ends of the plurality of signal terminals.

[0040] Optionally, the shell may include a top wall, a bottom wall opposite the top wall in a thickness direction, a first side wall, and a second side wall opposite the first side wall in a width direction. The top wall may include a flange extending in the thickness direction from a mating edge of the top wall toward an outside of the electrical connector, the flange including a screw hole.

[0041] Optionally, the bottom wall may include an opening therethrough exposing at least a portion of the subassembly housing and the tail ends of the conductive elements, and the positioning member may include a board-shaped body arranged to extend across at least a portion of an outer surface of the bottom wall of the shell and the portion of the subassembly housing exposed by the opening, and the board-shaped body may include a first side facing toward the bottom wall and a second side opposite the first side and carrying a post, the post extending from the second side of the positioning member toward an exterior of the electrical connector and further formed integrally with the positioning member. The positioning member further includes a plurality of protrusions extending from the first side toward an interior of the shell, the protrusions extending within the subassembly housing through the opening in the bottom wall to be fixed in position within the subassembly housing.

[0042] Optionally, the multiple protrusions may include a first protrusion and a second protrusion extending parallel to each other in a thickness direction toward the subassembly housing and provided on opposite sides of the width of the positioning member, and the post is located at a substantially central position of the width of the positioning member.

[0043] Optionally, the first protrusion and the second protrusion are each formed as an elongated cantilever beam having a latch at a free end, the subassembly housing including a protrusion that mates with the latch in a snap-fit ​​manner.

[0044] Optionally, the latch includes a protrusion projecting from the free end of the elongated cantilever beam toward the first side wall or the second side wall, the protrusion including a recessed receiving portion that mates with the protrusion.

[0045] Optionally, the plurality of beams may be provided on at least one of the top wall, the bottom wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall.

[0046] Optionally, the beam can extend along a length of the shell perpendicular to both the width and thickness directions, and the beam can include a first angled portion, a second angled portion, and a curved portion disposed between and connecting the first and second angled portions, each of the first and second angled portions being inclined inwardly relative to an outer surface of the shell, and the curved portion protruding toward the inside of the shell.

[0047] Optionally, the plurality of beams may include a first row of beams disposed on the top wall and a second row of beams disposed on the bottom wall, the first row of beams and the second row of beams being symmetrical with respect to a plane passing through a horizontal central axis along the width direction.

[0048] Optionally, the electrical connector may include a spring shell having an opening, an inner periphery of the opening being disposed outside the shell of the electrical connector in a projection plane of the electrical connector perpendicular to the length direction, the spring shell including an extension portion fixedly connected to and extending parallel to a bottom wall of the shell, and an elastic portion disposed adjacent to a top of a top wall of the electrical connector.

[0049] Optionally, the spring shell may include a frame having opposing top and bottom bars and opposing first and second side bars, the top and bottom bars being disposed on opposite sides of the thickness of the shell, the first and second side bars each including a curved segment and disposed on opposite sides of the width of the shell, the elastic portion being provided on the top bar and the extension portion being provided on the bottom bar.

[0050] These techniques may be used alone or in any suitable combination. The foregoing summary is provided by way of example and is not intended to be limiting. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0051] The accompanying drawings may not be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each of the same or nearly identical components illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. The drawings are as follows: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a top front perspective view of an electrical connector according to some embodiments. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a perspective view of a terminal subassembly of the electrical connector of FIG. 1 with the subassembly housing hidden and showing the first plurality of conductive elements, the second plurality of conductive elements, and the shielding member. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective exploded view of the terminal subassembly of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 4 is a perspective view of a first plurality of conductive elements of the terminal subassembly of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 4 is a perspective view of a first plurality of conductive elements of the terminal subassembly of FIG. 3. [Figure 7] 4 is a perspective view of a second plurality of conductive elements of the terminal subassembly of FIG. 3. [Figure 8] 4 is a perspective view of a second plurality of conductive elements of the terminal subassembly of FIG. 3. [Figure 9] 4 is a perspective view of a shielding member of the terminal subassembly of FIG. 3. [Figure 10] 4 is a perspective view of the terminal subassembly of FIG. 3 showing the shielding member and the first plurality of conductive elements with the second plurality of conductive elements obscured. [Figure 11] 2 is a bottom rear perspective view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1 showing the shell with the location member hidden. [Figure 12] 2 is a bottom rear perspective view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1 showing the location member attached to the shell. [Figure 13] 2 is a bottom view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1 , hiding the shell and showing the terminal subassembly and the location member. [Figure 14] 14 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1 taken along the line marked "AA" in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] 1. A perspective view of a second plurality of conductive elements of the terminal subassembly of FIG. 3 and a shielding member held by a first insulating member formed by a first injection molding according to an exemplary method of manufacturing the electrical connector of FIG. [Figure 16] 1. A perspective view of the first and second conductive elements and shielding member of the terminal subassembly of FIG. 3 held by a second insulating member formed by a second injection molding according to an exemplary method of manufacturing the electrical connector of FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 illustrates a top side perspective view of an electrical connector according to some embodiments. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a partially exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of FIG. 17. [Figure 19] FIG. 18 is a rear bottom perspective view of the electrical connector of FIG. 17. [Figure 20] FIG. 18 is a side view of the electronic system showing the electrical connector, chassis, and printed circuit board of FIG. 17 according to some embodiments. [Figure 21] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a spring shell of the electrical connector of FIG. 17. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0052] The inventors recognize and understand the techniques for manufacturing high speed, high reliability receptacle electrical connectors. The receptacle connector may be integrated into the chassis of an electronic device and may be configured to receive a mating component, such as a plug connector, to allow the electronic device to connect with other devices. Conventional designs are complex in structure and may complicate the manufacturing process. For example, conventional designs may include locating posts integrally formed with the connector housing. However, this approach may pose challenges to the molding process. Additionally, conventional designs may not be able to meet the increasing demand for higher transmission speeds.

[0053] The techniques described herein enable high speed, reliable receptacle connectors while reducing both manufacturing complexity and cost, and are illustrated herein as applied to a DisplayPort right angle receptacle connector.

[0054] According to aspects of the disclosure, a connector may include a shell and a terminal subassembly disposed within the shell, with terminal mating ends extending to an opening in the shell and tail ends extending from the shell. A component partially adjacent the top of the shell may be configured to engage an exterior of a chassis of an electronic device when the connector is placed within the chassis with the opening in the shell aligned with a port in the chassis. A location member may be attached to a bottom wall of the shell. The location member may have a downwardly extending post for insertion into a circuit board to which the connector is mountable. The shell may have legs extending downwardly and configured to connect to a ground plane of the circuit board. The location member may have a protrusion extending upwardly into the shell for latching to a subassembly housing.

[0055] In some embodiments, the terminal subassembly can have first and second pluralities of conductive elements arranged in first and second rows, respectively. The terminal subassembly can include a shielding member disposed between the two rows of conductive elements and having apertures arranged to reduce crosstalk, balance impedance, and facilitate manufacturing of the subassembly housing. By providing a shielding member between the first and second pluralities of conductive elements, the overall structural strength of the terminal subassembly can be improved and electromagnetic interference signals radiated by one of the first and second pluralities of conductive elements can be effectively shielded from the other of the first and second pluralities of conductive elements.

[0056] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the relative position and arrangement of the first plurality of conductive elements and the second plurality of conductive elements can be compliant with the DisplayPort standard, achieving structural miniaturization while meeting the requirements for multimedia signal transmission.

[0057] In some embodiments, the conductive elements of the first and second rows can have corresponding bends, which allows the tail ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements to be arranged in a staggered arrangement in line with the tail ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements, thereby allowing the tail ends of the conductive elements to be arranged in a more compact manner and reducing the space occupied by the tail ends, which can improve the structural compactness and stability of the terminal subassembly.

[0058] In some embodiments, the mating ends of the ground terminals of the electrical connector may be positioned to extend beyond the mating ends of the signal terminals along a mating direction in which the electrical connector engages with the mating electrical connector, for example, the ground terminals may be longer than the signal terminals, and when the electrical connector mates with the mating electrical connector, the ground terminals of the electrical connector first contact / engage with the ground terminals of the mating electrical connector, thereby ensuring hot plug / unplug capability (hot swap capability) of the electrical connector.

[0059] In some embodiments, the middle portion of the signal terminal may be narrowed to change the impedance of the signal terminal, e.g., the signal terminal may vary in width along its length. Typically, the impedance of a terminal is inversely proportional to the width of the terminal itself, and the impedance of the terminal is higher in the narrower section. Thus, by providing the signal terminal with a narrower section, the impedance of the signal terminal itself can be easily adjusted to meet impedance requirements.

[0060] In some embodiments, the ground terminal may include a widened portion, which may improve the mechanical strength of the ground terminal while improving the shielding performance of the ground terminal. Additionally, the ground terminal may have a variable width along its length, which may affect the impedance of adjacent signal terminals due to their close distance to ground.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first row of apertures may be disposed in a thickness direction directly beneath mating ends of the plurality of signal terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements, and during injection molding, the first row of apertures may be filled with dielectric material, encapsulating the mating ends of the signal terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements and the mating ends of the signal terminals of the second plurality of conductive elements.

[0062] In some embodiments, the apertures in the first row may be located in the thickness direction immediately below the mating ends of the signal terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements, and at least some of the apertures in the second row may be located in the thickness direction immediately below at least some of the narrow portions of the signal terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements, and further, during the injection molding process, the dielectric material can fill voids formed between the first plurality of conductive elements, the apertures of the shielding member, and the second plurality of conductive elements, and support the first plurality of conductive elements and individual conductive elements within the second plurality of conductive elements.

[0063] In some embodiments, the top wall of the shell is provided with a flange having a threaded hole, which allows the flange to be securely connected to the exterior of the chassis via a threaded connection, facilitating quick assembly and disassembly of the electrical connector and the printed circuit board.

[0064] In some embodiments, a location member having a post may be attached to a subassembly housing of the electrical connector and secured in place by, for example, a protrusion. The location member may have features that form a snap-fit ​​engagement with other components of the connector.

[0065] In some embodiments, when the electrical connector is attached to the chassis of the electronic device, the elastic part of the spring shell can be compressed to abut against the outside of the chassis of the electronic device and elastically deformed, so that the spring shell is electrically connected to the chassis of the electronic device. If the chassis of the electronic device is made of metal, static electricity generated in the chassis of the electronic device can be conducted through the spring shell, through the shell of the electrical connector, and then to the ground part of the printed circuit board connected to the leg of the shell, so that the static electricity generated in the chassis of the electronic device can be quickly and efficiently conducted to the ground part of the printed circuit board, preventing the risk of electrostatic discharge and ensuring the safety of operation.

[0066] As seen in FIGS. 1-4 , the electrical connector 1 may include a terminal subassembly 10. The terminal subassembly 10 may include a plurality of conductive elements 110 and a subassembly housing 120 that holds the plurality of conductive elements 110. Each of the plurality of conductive elements 110 may have the shape of an elongated strip. Each of the plurality of conductive elements 110 may include a mating end 111, a tail end 113 opposite the mating end 111, and an intermediate portion 112 disposed between and connecting the mating end 111 and the tail end 113. The shell 20 may surround the cavity and may be sleeved on at least a portion of the exterior of the terminal subassembly 10. The positioning member 30 may be provided on at least a portion of the exterior of the shell 20 and may include a post 301.

[0067] 3 and 4, the plurality of conductive elements 110 includes a first plurality of conductive elements 110A and a second plurality of conductive elements 110B. The first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the second plurality of conductive elements 110B are arranged in a row in a width direction X of the electrical connector 1. The mating ends of the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the mating ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B are spaced apart from each other in a thickness direction Z of the electrical connector 1 perpendicular to the width direction X. The terminal subassembly 10 further includes a shielding member 130 disposed between the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the second plurality of conductive elements 110B in the thickness direction Z.

[0068] In the electrical connector 1 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, by providing a shielding member 130 between the first and second conductive elements 110A and 110B, it is possible to efficiently shield signal crosstalk between the first and second conductive elements 110A and 110B, thereby achieving a higher data transmission speed. In some embodiments, the electrical connector 1 can support data transfer speeds of up to 40 Gbps and 80 Gbps.

[0069] The shell 20 can be made of a conductive material (e.g., iron, aluminum, and alloys thereof). Optionally, the shell 20 can be made of cast iron. In some embodiments, the shielding member 130 can be made of a conductive material, such as an iron-carbon alloy. In some embodiments, the shielding member 130 can be formed by stamping a metal plate.

[0070] 3 and 4, the mating ends of the conductive elements in the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the mating ends of the conductive elements in the second plurality of conductive elements 110B are spaced apart from one another in the thickness direction Z of the electrical connector 1 and are staggered in the width direction X. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the tail ends of the conductive elements in the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the tail ends of the conductive elements in the second plurality of conductive elements 110B are disposed in the same plane perpendicular to the thickness direction Z of the electrical connector 1 and are staggered in line with one another in the width direction X.

[0071] According to one embodiment of the present application, the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B can each be bent, so that the mating ends of the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the mating ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B are spaced apart from each other in the thickness direction Z of the electrical connector 1, and further, the tail ends of the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the tail ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B are arranged in the same plane perpendicular to the thickness direction Z of the electrical connector 1.

[0072] 3 and 4, each conductive element in the first plurality of conductive elements 110A may include one first bent portion 115 configured such that a tail end of the conductive element in the first plurality of conductive elements 110A extends toward the second plurality of conductive elements 110B in the thickness direction Z. The first bent portions 115 are spaced apart from one another and arranged in a row in the width direction X of the electrical connector 1.

[0073] In some embodiments, each conductive element of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B may include a first bent portion 117 and a second bent portion 119. The first bent portions 117 and the second bent portions 119 of the conductive elements in the second plurality of conductive elements 110B are arranged in a row parallel to each other in the width direction X of the electrical connector 1, and each conductive element of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B is configured such that the tail ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B extend in a staggered manner between the tail ends of adjacent conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A due to the presence of the second bent portions 119.

[0074] In some embodiments, each conductive element of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A may be configured to include one or more first bends, and each conductive element of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B may be configured to include one or more second bends. The corresponding bend angles of the first bends and second bends may not be limited to the angles of the illustrated embodiment.

[0075] 3 and 4, the shielding member 130 may be plate-shaped. The shielding member 130 may be provided in a thickness direction Z between the mating ends of the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the mating ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B. A rear end of the shielding member 130 may be provided in a length direction Y of the electrical connector 1 perpendicular to the width direction X so as to extend beyond the first bent portion 117 of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B and to be spaced apart from the first bent portion 115 of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A.

[0076] 5-8, the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B each include a plurality of signal terminals S1-S11 and a plurality of ground terminals G1-G9. The mating ends of the ground terminals G1-G9 are positioned to extend beyond the mating ends of the signal terminals S1-S11 along a mating direction in which the electrical connector engages with a mating electrical connector.

[0077] In the case of the electrical connector according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, in a mating direction of the electrical connector 1 engaging with the mating electrical connector (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5, in the length direction Y of the electrical connector 1), mating ends of the ground terminals G1-G9 of the conductive elements included in the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the conductive elements included in the second plurality of conductive elements 110B are arranged to extend beyond mating ends of the signal terminals S1-S11. For example, the ground terminals G1-G9 are longer than the signal terminals S1-S11, and when the electrical connector 1 is mated with the mating electrical connector, the ground terminals G1-G9 of the electrical connector 1 first come into contact / engage with the ground terminals of the mating electrical connector, thereby ensuring hot plug / unplug capability (hot swap capability) of the electrical connector.

[0078] 5 and 7, the plurality of signal terminals S1-S11 includes at least one signal terminal 1101, an intermediate portion of the signal terminal 1101 including a narrow portion 1101A. The narrow portion 1101A has a first width in a width direction X of the electrical connector, and a mating end of the signal terminal 1101 has a second width in the width direction X of the electrical connector, the first width being narrower than the second width. In some embodiments, each individual signal terminal of the signal terminals 1101 can include a narrow portion having a varying width along its length.

[0079] 6 and 8, the plurality of ground terminals G1-G9 includes at least one ground terminal 1103, an intermediate portion of the ground terminal 1103 includes a wide portion 1103A. The wide portion 1103A has a third width in the width direction X of the electrical connector, and a mating end of the ground terminal 1103 has a fourth width in the width direction X of the electrical connector, the third width being wider than the fourth width. In some embodiments, each ground terminal of the at least one ground terminal 1103 can include a wide portion having a varying width along its length.

[0080] In some embodiments, as seen in Figures 5-8, the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the second plurality of conductive elements 110B each include 10 conductive elements. As seen in Figures 5 and 6, the first plurality of conductive elements 110A includes six signal terminals S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, and S6 and four ground terminals G1, G2, G3, and G4. The signal terminals S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, and S6 are all configured as signal terminals 1101 having narrow portions 1101A. The ground terminals G3 and G4 are each configured as ground terminals 1103 having wide portions 1103A.

[0081] 7 and 8, the second plurality of conductive elements 110B includes five signal terminals S7, S8, S9, S10, and S11 and five ground terminals G5, G6, G7, G8, and G9. The signal terminals S7, S8, S9, S10, and S11 are all configured as signal terminals 1101 having narrow portions 1101A. The ground terminals G7, G8, and G9 are all configured as ground terminals 1103 having wide portions 1103A.

[0082] In some embodiments, a pair of signal terminals arranged between two adjacent ground terminals may be configured to transmit a pair of differential signals. For example, a pair of signal terminals S1, S2 arranged between two adjacent ground terminals G1 and G2 may be configured to transmit a pair of differential signals. One signal terminal arranged between two adjacent ground terminals may be configured to transmit a single-ended signal. For example, one signal terminal S7 arranged between two adjacent ground terminals G5 and G6 may be configured to transmit a single-ended signal.

[0083] In some embodiments, the first width of the narrow portion 1101A of the signal terminal 1101 may be in the range of 0.10 mm to 0.60 mm, and the second width of the mating end of the signal terminal 1101 may be in the range of 0.20 mm to 0.70 mm. Furthermore, the wide portion 1103A of the ground terminal 1103 may be in the range of 0.30 mm to 0.80 mm, and the fourth width of the mating end of the ground terminal 1103 may be in the range of 0.20 mm to 0.70 mm. In some embodiments, the size, shape, and arrangement of the mating end of the signal terminal and the mating end of the ground terminal are not limited to the above exemplary description, and may be appropriately set to comply with industry standards for display communication ports (abbreviated as DP). In some embodiments, the widths of the mating end of the signal terminal and the mating end of the ground terminal may be set to be the same.

[0084] In the electrical connector according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, the signal terminals 1101 of the signal terminals S1-S11 include narrow sections 1101A, and the signal terminals 1101 are provided to vary in width along their length so that the impedance of the signal terminals 1101 themselves can be varied. Typically, the impedance of a terminal is inversely proportional to the width of the terminal itself, and therefore the impedance of the terminal in the narrow section 1101A is high. By providing the narrow sections, it is easy to adjust the impedance of the signal terminals themselves, and impedance requirements can be met.

[0085] The ground terminal 1103 includes a wide portion 1103A that improves the shielding performance of the ground terminal 1103 while improving the mechanical strength of the ground terminal 1103. The ground terminal 1103 is provided with a variable width along its length, which may affect the impedance of adjacent signal terminals due to their close distance to ground.

[0086] In some embodiments, the location along the length of the narrow portion 1101A of the signal terminal 1101 is positioned to correspond at least in part to the location of the wide portion 1103A of the ground terminal 1103.

[0087] In some embodiments, the wide portion 1103A of the ground terminal 1103 of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A may include a first bent portion 115, and the wide portion 1103A of the ground terminal 1103 of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B may include first and second bent portions 117, 119. This configuration ensures the mechanical strength and structural stability of the ground terminal 1103.

[0088] In some embodiments, as seen in FIG. 9, the shielding member 130 may include a plurality of apertures, each having a substantially rectangular shape. The shielding member 130 may include at least three rows of apertures arranged parallel to each other in a width direction X. The three rows of apertures may include a first row of apertures 131 arranged in a length direction Y of the electrical connector 1 adjacent to a front end of the shielding member 130, a second row of apertures 132 arranged in a length direction Y of the electrical connector 1 adjacent to a rear end of the shielding member, and a third row of apertures 133 arranged between the first row of apertures 131 and the second row of apertures 132. In some embodiments, the number, size, and arrangement of the plurality of apertures of the shielding member 130 are not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein and may be modified as necessary to meet specific requirements.

[0089] In some embodiments, as seen in FIG. 10, the first row of apertures 131 are provided in the thickness direction Z directly beneath the mating ends of the signal terminals S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A.

[0090] In the illustrated embodiment, at least a portion of the apertures of the second row of apertures 132 are located in the thickness direction Z directly below at least a portion of the wide portion 1103A of the ground terminal 1103 of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A, and at least another portion of the apertures of the second row of apertures 132 are located in the thickness direction Z directly below at least a portion of the narrow portion 1101A of the signal terminal 1101 of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A.

[0091] According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the subassembly housing 120 of the terminal subassembly 10 is disposed in a cavity formed between the first plurality of conductive elements 110A, the plurality of apertures of the shielding member 130, and the second plurality of conductive elements 110B.

[0092] According to one exemplary method of manufacturing an electrical connector, during injection molding, the apertures 131 of the first row are filled with a dielectric material and the mating ends of the signal terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the mating ends of the signal terminals of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B are sealed.

[0093] 10, each aperture in the first row of apertures 131 may be formed to have a substantially rectangular shape. Each aperture in the first row of apertures 131 has a width greater than a width of the mating ends of the plurality of signal terminals, and further, an inner mating edge of each aperture in the first row of apertures 131 is positioned closer to the mating periphery of shell 20 in the length direction Y than the mating ends of the plurality of signal terminals.

[0094] 1, in some embodiments, the shell 20 includes a top wall 201 and a bottom wall 203 opposite the top wall 201 in a thickness direction Z. The top wall 201 may include a flange 24 extending from a mating edge of the top wall 201 toward an exterior of the electrical connector in the thickness direction Z. The flange 24 may include a screw hole. The flange may be securely connected to an exterior of a chassis of the electronic device by a screw connection, which facilitates quick assembly and disassembly of the electrical connector and the electronic device.

[0095] In some embodiments, as seen in Figures 11 and 12, Figure 11 illustrates an oblique view of the electrical connector 1 with the positioning member 30 hidden, and Figure 12 illustrates an oblique view of the electrical connector 1 with the positioning member 30 shown.

[0096] In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom wall 203 includes an opening therethrough exposing at least a portion of the subassembly housing 120 and the tail ends of the plurality of conductive elements 110. The positioning member 30 includes a board shape 31 disposed to extend across at least a portion of the outer surface of the bottom wall 203 of the shell 20 and the portion of the subassembly housing 120 exposed by the opening. As seen in Figures 2, 13, and 14, the board shape 31 includes a first side 311 facing toward the bottom wall 203 and a second side 313 opposite the first side 311 and including a post 301. The post 301 extends from the second side 313 of the positioning member 30 toward the outside of the electrical connector and is integrally formed with the positioning member 30. The positioning member 30 further includes a plurality of protrusions extending from the first side 311 toward the inside of the shell 20, which protrusions extend into the subassembly housing 120 through openings in the bottom wall 203 so as to be fixed in a predetermined position within the subassembly housing 120.

[0097] In some embodiments, the multiple protrusions of the positioning member 30 may include a first protrusion 303 and a second protrusion 305 extending parallel to each other in a thickness direction Z toward the subassembly housing 120 and provided on both sides in a width direction X of the positioning member 30, and the post 301 is positioned at a substantially central position in the width direction X of the positioning member 30.

[0098] 13 and 14, first protrusion 303 and second protrusion 305 are each formed as an elongated cantilever beam having a free end with a latch 309. Subassembly housing 120 includes a protrusion 122 configured to matingly engage latch 309 to provide latching.

[0099] A location member 30 having posts 301 can be attached to the subassembly housing of the electrical connector and secured in place with the aid of protrusions. The location member 30 is manufactured separately and then attached to the subassembly housing 120 of the terminal subassembly 10, simplifying the manufacturing process of the electrical connector and reducing molding complexity.

[0100] 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the shell 20 can be configured to include a first sidewall 205 and a second sidewall 207 opposing the first sidewall 205 in the width direction X. In some embodiments according to the present application, the latch 309 can include a protrusion that protrudes from a free end of the elongated cantilever beam of the positioning member 30 toward the first sidewall 205 or the second sidewall 207, and the protrusion 122 of the subassembly housing 120 can include a recessed receiving portion that mates with the protrusion in a snap-fit ​​manner.

[0101] 13 and 14, the positioning member 30 further includes a plurality of locating protrusions 302, 304 on the first side 311, and the outer surface of the subassembly housing 120 includes corresponding recesses that mate with the plurality of locating protrusions 302, 304. In some embodiments, the locating protrusions 302, 304 are formed to have a rectangular shape. The locating protrusions 302, 304 and the corresponding mating recesses on the positioning member and the subassembly housing can ensure accurate positioning of the positioning member 30 relative to the subassembly housing 120, and thus accurate positioning of the positioning member 30 relative to the terminal subassembly 10.

[0102] In some embodiments, as seen in Figures 1, 11 and 12, a plurality of beams 220 are provided on at least one of the top wall 201, the bottom wall 203, the first side wall 205, and the second side wall 207.

[0103] In some embodiments, the beam 220 extends along a length direction Y of the shell 20 perpendicular to both the width direction X and the thickness direction Z. The beam 220 includes a first angled portion 221, a second angled portion 222, and a curved portion 223 (shown in FIG. 12 ) disposed between and connecting the first angled portion 221 and the second angled portion 222. The first angled portion 221 and the second angled portion 222 are each inclined inwardly with respect to the outer surface of the shell 20, and the curved portion 223 protrudes toward the inside of the shell 20.

[0104] In some embodiments, the plurality of beams 220 includes a first row of beams disposed on the top wall 201 and a second row of beams disposed on the bottom wall 203. The first row of beams and the second row of beams may be symmetrical with respect to a plane passing through a horizontal central axis along the width direction. In some embodiments, the number, size, and arrangement of the beams 220 may not be limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein and may be modified as necessary to meet specific requirements.

[0105] The beam can increase the insertion and extraction forces during mating when the electrical connector is mated with the mating electrical connector, which can provide a more stable assembly and reduce the risk of beam breakage. When the electrical connector is mated with the mating electrical connector, the beam can elastically deform to provide the appropriate insertion and extraction forces, ensuring reliability and stability of the electrical connector after mating.

[0106] The present application further provides an exemplary method for manufacturing the electrical connector described herein. In some embodiments, the method for manufacturing the electrical connector may include providing a terminal subassembly 10 configured to include a plurality of conductive elements 110 and a subassembly housing 120 for holding the conductive elements 110, each of the plurality of conductive elements 110 having an elongated strip shape. Each of the plurality of conductive elements 110 may include a mating end 111, a tail end 113 disposed opposite the mating end 111, and an intermediate portion 112 disposed between and connecting the mating end 111 and the tail end 113, providing a shell 20 having a cavity and formed to be sleeved on at least a portion of an exterior of the terminal subassembly 10, and providing a positioning member 30 disposed on at least a portion of the exterior of the shell 20 and including a post 301.

[0107] In some embodiments, the conductive element 110 can be made of a metal or other material that is conductive and provides suitable mechanical properties for a conductive element of an electrical connector. Phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, and other copper alloys are non-limiting examples of materials that may be used. The conductive element can be formed in any suitable manner, including by stamping and / or molding.

[0108] In some embodiments, providing the terminal subassembly 30 may include providing a plurality of conductive elements 110; forming the plurality of conductive elements 110 into a first plurality of conductive elements 110A and a second plurality of conductive elements 110B; arranging the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the second plurality of conductive elements 110B, respectively, as a row in a width direction X of the electrical connector 1; arranging mating ends of the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and mating ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B spaced apart from each other in a thickness direction Z of the electrical connector 1 perpendicular to the width direction X; providing a shielding member 130; and disposing the shielding member 130 between the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the second plurality of conductive elements 110B such that the shielding member 130 is parallel to and spaced apart from the mating ends of the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the mating ends of the second plurality of conductive elements 110B, respectively.

[0109] In some embodiments, providing the terminal subassembly 30 may further include placing the second plurality of conductive elements 110B and the shielding member 130 in a first injection mold and performing a first injection molding to form a first molded member M1 (shown in FIG. 15), placing the first molded member M1 in a second injection mold, positioning the first plurality of conductive elements 110A at a predetermined position in the first molded member M1, and performing a second injection molding on the first plurality of conductive elements 110A and the first molded member M1 to form a second molded member M2 (shown in FIG. 16).

[0110] In some embodiments, providing the plurality of conductive elements 110 can include stamping a metal sheet to form a first plurality of conductive elements 110A and a second plurality of conductive elements 110B, and providing the shielding member includes stamping a metal sheet to form the shielding member 130.

[0111] In some embodiments, providing the shielding member may include forming a plurality of apertures on the shielding member 130, each having a substantially rectangular shape and including at least three rows of apertures arranged parallel to one another in a width direction X, the three rows of apertures including a first row of apertures 131 arranged in a length direction Y of the electrical connector 1 adjacent a front end of the shielding member 130, a second row of apertures 132 arranged in a length direction Y of the electrical connector 1 adjacent a rear end of the shielding member, and a third row of apertures 133 arranged between the first row of apertures 131 and the second row of apertures 132.

[0112] In some embodiments, forming the first molded member M1 may include forming a plurality of channels 127 in the first molded member M1, the channels 127 extending in the thickness direction Z and formed by at least a portion of the first row of apertures 131, the second row of apertures 132, and the third row of apertures 133 and a dielectric material. Forming the second molded member M2 includes filling the channels 127 formed in the first molded member M1 with a dielectric material. In some embodiments, the terminal subassembly 10 of the electrical connector 1 is formed by the second molded member M2.

[0113] As seen in FIG. 15, a plurality of through slots are provided on the insulator portion of the first molded member M1, and some of the plurality of through slots are connected to the apertures of the shielding member 130 to form the channels 127. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the channels 127 provide a flow path for the molten dielectric material substantially in the thickness direction Z during the second injection molding. The two injection molding steps simplify the manufacturing, leading to time and cost savings. In addition, this can reduce voids in the terminal subassembly 10 of the electrical connector 1, thus preventing contamination such as water ingress and improving product reliability.

[0114] In some embodiments, the dielectric material used in the first and second injection molding steps can be an insulating material, 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 be employed, as aspects of the present disclosure are not limited in this respect.

[0115] In some embodiments, providing the shell may include configuring the shell 20 to include a top wall 201 and a bottom wall 203 opposite the top wall 201 in a thickness direction Z. The top wall 201 is provided with a flange 24 extending from a mating edge of the top wall 201 toward an exterior of the electrical connector in the thickness direction Z, the flange 24 being provided with a threaded hole.

[0116] In some embodiments, providing the positioning member 30 may include configuring the positioning member 30 to include a board shape 31, the board shape 31 including a first side 311 facing toward the bottom wall 203 and a second side 313 opposite the first side 311 and carrying a post 301, the post 301 extending from the second side 313 of the positioning member 30 toward an exterior of the electrical connector and being integrally formed with the positioning member 30; The positioning member 30 further includes a plurality of protrusions extending from the first side 311 toward the inside of the shell 20, which protrusions extend within the subassembly housing 120 so as to be fixed in a predetermined position within the subassembly housing 120.

[0117] In some embodiments, providing the shell may include configuring the shell 20 to have a first sidewall 205 and a second sidewall 207 opposite the first sidewall 205 in a width direction X, wherein a plurality of beams 220 are provided on at least one of the top wall 201, the bottom wall 203, the first sidewall 205, and the second sidewall 207.

[0118] In some embodiments, providing the shell may include extending a beam 220 along a length direction Y of the shell 20 perpendicular to both the width direction X and the thickness direction Z, and configuring the beam 220 to include a first angled portion 221, a second angled portion 222, and a curved portion 223 disposed between and connecting the first angled portion 221 and the second angled portion 222, wherein the first angled portion and the second angled portion are each inclined inwardly with respect to an outer surface of the shell 20, and the curved portion 223 protrudes toward the inside of the shell 20.

[0119] An electrical connector 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to Figures 17 to 21. As illustrated, the electrical connector 100 may share some features of the electrical connector 1 described herein, and the shared features will not be described repeatedly.

[0120] 17 and 18, the shell 20 of the electrical connector 100 includes a top wall 201, a bottom wall 203 opposite the top wall 201 in a thickness direction Z, a first side wall 205, and a second side wall 207 opposite the first side wall 205 in a width direction X. The shell 20 includes a number of legs 29 extending downwardly in the thickness direction Z from the first side wall 205 and the second side wall 207. The legs 29 may be connected to a ground plane of a printed circuit board.

[0121] The electrical connector 100 includes a spring shell 60 that includes an opening 603, with an inner periphery of the opening 603 disposed outside the shell 20 of the electrical connector 100 in a projection plane of the electrical connector 100 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction Y. For example, at least a portion of the spring shell 60 can be sleeved on the outer wall of the shell 20 to avoid hiding a mating portion of the electrical connector 100 that mates with a mating electrical connector. In the illustrated embodiment, the open end of the shell 20 is not hidden by the spring shell 60.

[0122] The spring shell 60 includes an extension 601 that is fixedly connected to the bottom wall 203 of the shell 20, and the extension 601 extends parallel to the bottom wall 203 of the shell 20. By fixedly connecting the extension 601 to the bottom wall 203, the spring shell 60 can be fixed to the shell 20 of the electrical connector 100 to ensure reliable contact between the spring shell 60 and the shell 20. In some embodiments, the extension 601 of the spring shell 60 is connected to the shell 20 of the electrical connector 100 by laser welding.

[0123] The spring shell 60 includes a resilient portion 605 configured to engage with the chassis 300 of the electronic device to be connected. When the spring shell 60 is assembled with the electrical connector 100, the resilient portion 605 is disposed adjacent to the top of the top wall 201 of the electrical connector 100. When the electrical connector 100 is mounted on the chassis 300 of the electronic device, the resilient portion 605 of the spring shell 60 can abut and resiliently deform against the exterior of the chassis 300 of the electronic device, such that the spring shell 60 is in electrical communication with the chassis 300 of the electronic device.

[0124] The shell 20 can be made of conductive materials (e.g., iron, aluminum, and alloys thereof). The spring shell 60 can also be made of conductive materials. Therefore, when the chassis 300 of the electronic device is made of metal, static electricity generated in the chassis 300 of the electronic device can be conducted through the spring shell 60, through the bottom wall 203 of the shell 20 of the electrical connector 100 and the legs 29 of the shell 20, and then to the ground of the printed circuit board (PCB) 400 connected to the legs 29 of the shell 20, thereby grounding the chassis 300 of the electronic device (as shown in FIG. 20). For example, a static electricity conduction path is formed between the chassis 300 of the electronic device, the shell 20 of the electrical connector 100, and the ground of the printed circuit board 400, thereby quickly and efficiently conducting the static electricity generated in the chassis 300 of the electronic device to the ground of the printed circuit board 400, thereby preventing the risk of electrostatic discharge and ensuring the safety of operation.

[0125] In some embodiments, the spring shell 60 can be formed by bending a plate preform having an opening 603. For example, the plate preform can have a substantially rectangular shape, and the spring shell 60 can be formed by bending the plate preform having the opening 603 twice.

[0126] In some embodiments, the spring shell 60 includes a frame attached to the bottom wall 203 of the shell 20, the frame including opposing top and bottom bars 602, 604 and opposing first and second side bars 606, 608. The top and bottom bars 602, 604 are disposed on opposite sides of the thickness direction Z of the shell 20. The first and second side bars 606, 608 each include a curved segment 620 and are disposed on opposite sides of the width direction X of the shell 20. The top bar 602 includes a resilient portion 605. The bottom bar 604 includes an extension portion 601 that is connected to the shell 20 of the electrical connector 100.

[0127] Optionally, as seen in Figure 21, the first side bar 606 and the second side bar 608 can each include two curved segments 620. The curved segments can improve the tensile and compressive strength of the spring shell 60, making it more durable and reliable.

[0128] 21, the top bar 602 may be provided with two resilient portions 605, each including a semi-cylindrical connection portion 605A connected to an edge of the top bar 602 and extending from the edge of the top bar 602 toward the rear of the electrical connector 100, and a protruding arm 605B connected to the semi-cylindrical connection portion 605A and extending from the semi-cylindrical connection portion 605A along the width direction X toward the central axis of the top bar 602 in the width direction X. When the spring shell 60 is assembled to the electrical connector 100, the semi-cylindrical connection portion 605A of the resilient portion 605 is arranged such that the open side of the semi-cylindrical connection portion 605A faces the electrical connector 100. The free end of the protruding arm 605B of the resilient portion 605 is aligned to engage with the chassis 300 of the electronic device and further configured to apply a biasing force to the chassis 300 toward the rear of the electrical connector 100.

[0129] Thus, in some embodiments, a method of manufacturing an electrical connector can include providing a spring shell 60 having an opening 603 and sleeved the spring shell 60 onto the outside of the electrical connector housing 20. Providing the spring shell 60 can include configuring the spring shell 60 to include an extension portion 601 and a resilient portion 605, the extension portion 601 extending parallel to and configured to be fixedly connected to the bottom wall 203 of the shell 20, and the resilient portion 605 disposed adjacent the top of the top wall 201 of the electrical connector 100.

[0130] This disclosure describes various embodiments, including, but not limited to, the following embodiments.

[0131] 1. An electrical connector (e.g., 1), comprising a terminal subassembly (e.g., 10), comprising a plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110), a subassembly housing (e.g., 120) configured to hold the plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110), each of the plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110) having a mating end (e.g., 111), a tail end (e.g., 113) opposite the mating end, and an intermediate portion (e.g., 112) between the mating end (e.g., 111) and the tail end (e.g., 113) and connecting the mating end (e.g., 111) to the tail end (e.g., 113); a shell (e.g., 20) surrounding a cavity and sleeved on at least a portion of an exterior of the terminal subassembly (e.g., 10); and a post (e.g., 30) provided on at least a portion of an exterior of the shell (e.g., 20). and a placement member (e.g., 30) including a plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110) each including a first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) and a second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B), each of the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) and the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) being arranged in a row in a width direction (e.g., X) of the electrical connector (e.g., 1), and the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) are arranged in a row in a width direction (e.g., X) of the electrical connector (e.g., 1). An electrical connector in which the mating ends of the elements and the mating ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) are spaced apart from each other in a thickness direction (e.g., Z) of the electrical connector (e.g., 1) perpendicular to the width direction (e.g., X), and the terminal subassembly (e.g., 10) further includes a shielding member (e.g., 130) disposed between the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) and the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) in the thickness direction (e.g., Z).

[0132] 2. An electrical connector according to embodiment 1 or other embodiments, wherein the mating ends of the conductive elements in the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) and the mating ends of the conductive elements in the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) are arranged in a staggered manner in the width direction (e.g., X), and the tail ends of the conductive elements in the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) and the tail ends of the conductive elements in the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) are arranged in the same plane perpendicular to the thickness direction (e.g., Z) of the electrical connector (e.g., 1) and are arranged in a staggered row along the width direction (e.g., X).

[0133] 3. Each conductive element in the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) includes one first bend (e.g., 115) configured such that a tail end of the conductive element in the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) extends toward the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) in a thickness direction (e.g., Z), and the first bends (e.g., 115) are spaced apart from each other and arranged in a row in a width direction (e.g., X) of the electrical connector (e.g., 1), and each conductive element in the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) includes a first bend (e.g., 117) and a second bend (e.g., 11 9), wherein the first bends (e.g., 117) and the second bends (e.g., 119) of the conductive elements in the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) are arranged in rows parallel to each other in the width direction (e.g., X) of the electrical connector (e.g., 1), and each conductive element of the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) is configured such that, due to the presence of the second bends (e.g., 119), a tail end of the conductive element of the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) extends in a staggered manner between the tail ends of adjacent conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A).

[0134] 4. An electrical connector according to embodiment 3 or other embodiments, wherein the shielding member (e.g., 130) is plate-shaped, and the shielding member (e.g., 130) is arranged in a thickness direction (e.g., Z) between the mating ends of the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) and the mating ends of the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B), and the rear end of the shielding member (e.g., 130) extends beyond the first bent portion (e.g., 117) of the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) in a length direction (e.g., Y) perpendicular to the width direction (e.g., X) and is further arranged so as to be spaced apart from the first bent portion (e.g., 115) of the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A).

[0135] 5. An electrical connector according to embodiment 4 or other embodiments, wherein the conductive elements of the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) and the conductive elements of the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) each include a plurality of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals, and the mating ends of the ground terminals are positioned to extend beyond the mating ends of the signal terminals along a mating direction in which the electrical connector engages with a mating electrical connector.

[0136] 6. An electrical connector according to embodiment 5 or other embodiments, wherein the plurality of signal terminals includes at least one signal terminal (e.g., 1101), an intermediate portion of the signal terminal (e.g., 1101) includes a narrow portion (e.g., 1101A), the narrow portion having a first width in the width direction (e.g., X) of the electrical connector, and a mating end of the signal terminal has a second width in the width direction (e.g., X) of the electrical connector, the first width being narrower than the second width.

[0137] 7. An electrical connector according to embodiment 6 or other embodiments, wherein the plurality of ground terminals includes at least one ground terminal (e.g., 1103), an intermediate portion of the ground terminal (e.g., 1103) includes a wide portion (e.g., 1103A) having a third width in the width direction (e.g., X) of the electrical connector, and a mating end of the ground terminal (e.g., 1103) has a fourth width in the width direction (e.g., X) of the electrical connector, the third width being wider than the fourth width.

[0138] 8. An electrical connector according to embodiment 7 or other embodiments, wherein the wide portion of the ground terminal of the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A) includes a first bent portion (e.g., 115) and the wide portion of the ground terminal of the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B) includes first and second bent portions (e.g., 117, 119).

[0139] 9. An electrical connector according to embodiment 7 or other embodiments, wherein the shielding member (e.g., 130) includes a plurality of apertures each having a substantially rectangular shape, and includes at least three rows of apertures arranged parallel to one another in a width direction (e.g., X), the three rows of apertures including a first row of apertures (e.g., 131) arranged adjacent to a front end of the shielding member (e.g., 130) in a length direction (e.g., Y) of the electrical connector, a second row of apertures (e.g., 132) arranged adjacent to a rear end of the shielding member in the length direction (e.g., Y) of the electrical connector, and a third row of apertures (e.g., 133) arranged between the first row of apertures (e.g., 131) and the second row of apertures (e.g., 132).

[0140] 10. The apertures of the first row (e.g., 131) are disposed in a thickness direction (e.g., Z) directly beneath mating ends of a plurality of signal terminals in the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A), and at least a portion of the apertures of the second row (e.g., 132) are disposed in a thickness direction (e.g., Z) directly beneath at least a portion of a wide portion (e.g., 1103A) of a ground terminal (e.g., 1103) ...). An electrical connector according to embodiment 9 or other embodiments, wherein at least a portion of the subassembly housing (e.g., 120) is provided in a void formed between the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A), the plurality of apertures of the shielding member (e.g., 130), and the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B), and wherein at least a portion of the subassembly housing (e.g., 120) is provided in a void formed between the first plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110A), the plurality of apertures of the shielding member (e.g., 130), and the second plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110B).

[0141] 11. An electrical connector according to embodiment 10 or other embodiments, wherein each aperture of the first row of apertures (e.g., 131) is formed to have a substantially rectangular shape, each aperture of the first row of apertures (e.g., 131) has a width greater than the width of the mating ends of the plurality of signal terminals, and further wherein the mating inner edge of each aperture of the first row of apertures (e.g., 131) is positioned in the length direction (e.g., Y) closer to the mating periphery of the shell (e.g., 20) than the mating ends of the plurality of signal terminals.

[0142] 12. An electrical connector according to any one of embodiments 1 to 11 or other embodiments, wherein the shell (e.g., 20) includes a top wall (e.g., 201), a bottom wall (e.g., 203) opposite the top wall (e.g., 201) in a thickness direction (e.g., Z), a first side wall (e.g., 205), and a second side wall (e.g., 207) opposite the first side wall (e.g., 205) in a width direction (e.g., X).

[0143] 13. An electrical connector according to embodiment 12 or other embodiments, wherein the top wall (e.g., 201) has a flange (e.g., 24) extending in the thickness direction (e.g., Z) from the mating edge of the top wall (e.g., 201) toward the outside of the electrical connector, and the flange (e.g., 24) has a screw hole.

[0144] 14. The bottom wall (e.g., 203) includes an opening through which at least a portion of the subassembly housing (e.g., 120) and the tail ends of the plurality of conductive elements (e.g., 110) are exposed, and the placement member (e.g., 30) includes a board shape (e.g., 31) arranged to extend across at least a portion of the outer surface of the bottom wall (e.g., 203) of the shell (e.g., 20) and the portion of the subassembly housing (e.g., 120) exposed by the opening, and the board shape (e.g., 31) has a first side (e.g., 311) facing the bottom wall (e.g., 203) and a post (e.g., 30) facing the first side (e.g., 311). and a second side (e.g., 313) having a first side (e.g., 311) and a second side (e.g., 313) having a second side (e.g., 301) that extends from the second side (e.g., 313) of the positioning member (e.g., 30) toward the outside of the electrical connector and is further formed integrally with the positioning member (e.g., 30), the positioning member (e.g., 30) further including a plurality of protrusions extending from the first side (e.g., 311) toward the inside of the shell (e.g., 20), the protrusions extending into the subassembly housing (e.g., 120) through openings in the bottom wall (e.g., 203) to be fixed in a predetermined position within the subassembly housing (e.g., 120).

[0145] 15. An electrical connector according to embodiment 14 or other embodiments, wherein the plurality of protrusions extend parallel to each other in a thickness direction (e.g., Z) toward the subassembly housing (e.g., 120) and include a first protrusion (e.g., 303) and a second protrusion (e.g., 305) on both sides of the width direction (e.g., X) of the positioning member (e.g., 30), and the post (e.g., 301) is positioned at a substantially central position in the width direction (e.g., X) of the positioning member (e.g., 30).

[0146] 16. An electrical connector according to embodiment 15 or other embodiments, wherein the first protrusion (e.g., 303) and the second protrusion (e.g., 305) are each formed as an elongated cantilever beam having a free end with a latch (e.g., 309) attached thereto, and the subassembly housing (e.g., 120) includes a protrusion (e.g., 122) that mates with the latch (e.g., 309) in a snap-fit ​​manner.

[0147] 17. An electrical connector according to embodiment 16 or any other embodiment, wherein the latch (e.g., 309) includes a protrusion that protrudes from the free end of the elongated cantilever beam toward the first side wall (e.g., 205) or the second side wall (e.g., 207), and the protrusion (e.g., 122) includes a recessed receiving portion that mates with the protrusion.

[0148] 18. An electrical connector according to embodiment 12 or any other embodiment, wherein a plurality of beams are provided on at least one of the top wall (e.g., 201), the bottom wall (e.g., 203), the first side wall (e.g., 205), and the second side wall (e.g., 207).

[0149] 19. An electrical connector according to embodiment 18 or other embodiments, wherein the beam (e.g., 220) extends along a length direction (e.g., Y) of the shell (e.g., 20) perpendicular to both the width direction (e.g., X) and the thickness direction (e.g., Z), the beam (e.g., 220) includes a first angled portion (e.g., 221), a second angled portion (e.g., 222), and a curved portion (e.g., 223) disposed between and connecting the first angled portion and the second angled portion, the first angled portion and the second angled portion each being inclined inwardly with respect to the outer surface of the shell (e.g., 20), and the curved portion protruding toward the inside of the shell (e.g., 20).

[0150] 20. An electrical connector according to embodiment 19 or other embodiments, wherein the plurality of beams includes a first row of beams on a top wall (e.g., 201) and a second row of beams on a bottom wall (e.g., 203), and the first row of beams and the second row of beams are symmetrical with respect to a plane passing through a horizontal central axis along the width direction (e.g., X).

[0151] 21. An electrical connector according to embodiment 12 or other embodiments, wherein the electrical connector includes a spring shell (e.g., 60) having an opening (e.g., 603), in a projection plane of the electrical connector perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (e.g., Y), an inner peripheral edge of the opening (e.g., 603) is disposed outside the shell (e.g., 20) of the electrical connector, the spring shell (e.g., 60) being fixedly connected to the bottom wall (e.g., 203) of the shell (e.g., 20) and including an extension portion (e.g., 601) extending parallel to the bottom wall (e.g., 203) of the shell (e.g., 20), and an elastic portion (e.g., 605) disposed adjacent to the top of the top wall (e.g., 201) of the electrical connector.

[0152] 22. An electrical connector according to embodiment 21 or other embodiments, wherein the spring shell (e.g., 60) includes a frame having opposing top bars (e.g., 602) and bottom bars (e.g., 604) and opposing first and second side bars (e.g., 606) and (608), the top bars (e.g., 602) and bottom bars (e.g., 604) being disposed on opposite sides of the thickness direction (e.g., Z) of the shell (e.g., 20), the first side bars (e.g., 606) and second side bars (e.g., 608) each including a curved segment and being disposed on opposite sides of the width direction (e.g., X) of the shell (e.g., 20), an elastic portion (e.g., 605) being provided on the top bar (e.g., 602), and an extension portion (e.g., 601) being provided on the bottom bar (e.g., 604).

[0153] Although several aspects of several embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that various changes, modifications, and improvements will be readily suggested to those skilled in the art. Such changes, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Although the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

[0154] As an example, although many of the inventive aspects have been described above with reference to right-angle connectors, in some embodiments, aspects of the present disclosure may not be limited to right-angle connectors. Any of the inventive features, whether alone or in combination with one or more other inventive features, may also be used with other types of electrical connectors, such as vertical connectors.

[0155] Moreover, although several advantages of the invention may be noted, it should be understood that not all embodiments of the invention include all described advantages. Some embodiments may not implement any feature described as advantageous. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

[0156] Also, the described techniques may be embodied as a method, at least one example of which is provided. The operations performed as part of a method may be ordered in any suitable manner. Thus, while shown as sequential operations in the illustrative embodiments, embodiments may be constructed in which operations are performed in an order different from that illustrated, which may include performing some operations simultaneously.

[0157] All definitions, as defined and used, should be understood to take precedence over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0158] In describing the present disclosure, the orientations and positional relationships indicated by orientation terms such as "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "transverse direction", "vertical direction", "perpendicular", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", etc., should be understood to be shown based on the accompanying drawings in order to facilitate and simplify the description of the present disclosure. Unless stated to the contrary, these orientation terms do not indicate or imply that a particular device or element must be specifically located, constructed, and operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as limitations on the present disclosure. The orientation terms "inside" and "outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contour of each component itself.

[0159] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "on," "above," "on an upper surface of," and "upper" may be used to describe the spatial relationship between one or more components or features and other components or features illustrated in the accompanying figures. In some embodiments, spatially relative terms include not only the orientation of the components illustrated in the accompanying figures, but also different orientations in use or operation.

[0160] It should be noted that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, the singular term includes the plural term unless otherwise indicated. In addition, when the terms "including" and / or "comprising" are used herein, they should also be understood to indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, parts, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0161] The indefinite articles "a" and "an," as used in this specification and the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean "at least one."

[0162] The phrase "and / or" as used herein and in the claims should be understood to mean "either or both" of the elements so conjoined, e.g., elements that may be present conjunctively or disjunctively. Multiple elements listed with "and / or" should be interpreted in the same manner, e.g., "one or more" of the elements so conjoined. Other elements other than the elements specifically identified by the "and / or" clause may optionally be present, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to "A and / or B," when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as "comprising," may include, in one embodiment, only A (optionally including elements other than B), in another embodiment, only B (optionally including elements other than A), in yet another embodiment, both A and B (optionally including other elements), etc.

[0163] When used in this specification and in the claims, "or" should be understood to have the same meaning as "and / or" defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, "or" or "and / or" shall be interpreted as being inclusive, e.g., including at least one of, but also including more than one, and optionally including additional unlisted items, of an element or list of elements. Only terms clearly indicating the opposite, such as "only one of" or "exactly one of," or, when used in the claims, "consisting of," refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of an element or list of elements. In general, the term "or" shall be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives only when preceded by terms indicating exclusivity, such as "either," "one of," "only one of," or "exactly one of" (e.g., "one or other but not both"). When used in a utility claim, "consisting essentially of" shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of utility law.

[0164] As used herein and in the claims, the phrase "at least one" in reference to a list of one or more elements should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed in the list of elements, and not excluding any combination of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows for elements other than those specifically identified in the list of elements to which the phrase "at least one" refers, whether related or unrelated to those specifically identified elements, may optionally be present. Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or, equivalently, "at least one of A or B," or, equivalently, "at least one of A and / or B") can include, in one embodiment, at least one, optionally including more than one, i.e., A without the presence of B (and optionally including elements other than B), in another embodiment, at least one, optionally including more than one, i.e., B without the presence of A (and optionally including elements other than A), in yet another embodiment, at least one, optionally including more than one, i.e., A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, i.e., B (and optionally including other elements), etc.

[0165] In the utility claims, as well as in the above specification, all transitional phrases such as "comprising," "including," "carrying," "having," "containing," "involving," "holding," "composed of," and the like, are to be understood to be open-ended, e.g., meant to include but not be limited to. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units need not be limited to the explicitly recited steps or units, but may instead include other steps or units that are not explicitly recited or that are inherent to those processes, methods, products, or devices. Only the transitional phrases "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively.

[0166] The claims should not be read as limited to the described order or elements unless so stated. In some embodiments, 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 appended claims. All embodiments that come within the spirit and scope of the following claims and equivalents are claimed.

[0167] As in the above specification, in the claims, the use of sequence terms such as "first," "second," "third," etc. does not, in and of itself, imply any priority, precedence, or ordering of one element relative to another, or the chronological order in which method operations are performed, but is merely used as a label to distinguish one element having a particular name from another element having the same name (in the absence of the use of sequence terms) in order to distinguish the elements.

Claims

1. 1. A receptacle connector configured for use in an electronic device, comprising: a shell including a top wall, a bottom wall, first and second side walls bounding a cavity, an opening disposed at a front portion thereof connecting to the cavity, and a plurality of legs extending beyond the bottom wall; a terminal subassembly at least partially disposed within the cavity, the terminal subassembly including a subassembly housing and a plurality of conductive elements carried by the subassembly housing, each of the plurality of conductive elements including a mating end extending toward the front portion of the shell, a tail end extending from the bottom wall of the shell, and an intermediate portion between the mating end and the tail end; a positioning member including a post extending parallel to the legs of the shell; a component at least partially adjacent the top wall of the shell and configured to engage an exterior of a chassis of the electronic device; A receptacle connector comprising:

2. the component being a flange extending from the top wall of the shell; The receptacle connector of claim 1 , wherein the flange includes a screw hole so that the flange can be secured to the exterior of the chassis of the electronic device.

3. the component is a frame including a top bar, a bottom bar, and an extension extending from the bottom bar and fixedly attached to the bottom wall of the shell; The receptacle connector of claim 1 , wherein the frame includes a resilient portion extending from the top bar and configured to engage the exterior of the chassis of the electronic device.

4. The frame is an opening aligned with the opening in the shell; 4. The receptacle connector of claim 3, including first and second side bars each connecting said top bar and said bottom bar from a respective side and including a curved segment adjacent to the bottom bar.

5. The elastic portion is a semi-cylindrical connector extending from the top bar; 4. The receptacle connector of claim 3, further comprising an overhanging arm extending from said semi-cylindrical connecting portion.

6. the plurality of conductive elements of the terminal subassembly includes a first plurality of conductive elements arranged in a first row and a second plurality of conductive elements arranged in a second row; the terminal subassembly includes a shielding member disposed between the first plurality of conductive elements and the second plurality of conductive elements, the shielding member including a plurality of apertures; The receptacle connector of claim 1 , wherein the subassembly housing extends through an aperture of the plurality of apertures.

7. 7. The receptacle connector of claim 6, wherein the mounting surfaces of the tail ends of the first plurality of conductive elements and the mounting surfaces of the tail ends of the second plurality of conductive elements are aligned in the same row.

8. the first plurality of conductive elements includes a plurality of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals; the mating ends of the ground terminals extend beyond the mating ends of the signal terminals; the intermediate portions of the signal terminals each include a narrow portion that is narrower than the mating end of the signal terminal; The receptacle connector of claim 6 , wherein the intermediate portions of the plurality of ground terminals each include a wide portion that is wider than the respective mating end.

9. The plurality of apertures of the shielding member include a first row of apertures disposed adjacent a front end of the shielding member and below the mating ends of the signal terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements; a second row of apertures disposed adjacent a rear end of the shielding member and below at least a portion of the wide portions of the ground terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements; 9. The receptacle connector of claim 8, further comprising: a third row of apertures disposed between the first row of apertures and the second row of apertures and below at least a portion of the narrow portions of the plurality of signal terminals of the first plurality of conductive elements.

10. the positioning member includes a body attached to the bottom wall of the shell; The receptacle connector of claim 1 , wherein the post extends downwardly from the body.

11. The positioning member includes an upwardly extending protrusion, The receptacle connector of claim 10 , wherein the projection of the alignment member includes a latch configured to engage a protrusion of the subassembly housing.

12. 1. An electronic system comprising: a chassis including a port; a circuit board disposed within the chassis; a receptacle connector disposed within the chassis and mounted on the circuit board; The receptacle connector includes: a shell including an opening aligned with the port of the chassis and a plurality of legs for connecting to a ground plane of the circuit board; and a placement member having a post at least partially inserted into the circuit board.

13. The receptacle connector The electronic system of claim 12 including a component extending from the port of the chassis to engage an exterior of the chassis.

14. The shell of the receptacle connector includes a top wall and a bottom wall; The electronic system of claim 13 , wherein the component is a flange extending from the top wall of the shell.

15. The shell of the receptacle connector includes a top wall and a bottom wall; 14. The electronic system of claim 13, wherein the component is a frame including a top bar disposed on an exterior side of the chassis, a bottom bar, an extension extending from the bottom bar and fixedly attached to the bottom wall of the shell of the receptacle connector, and an elastic portion extending from the top bar.

16. The elastic portion is a semi-cylindrical connector extending from the top bar; 16. The electronic system of claim 15, further comprising a flare arm extending from said semi-cylindrical connection and engaging said exterior of said chassis.

17. The shell of the receptacle connector includes a top wall and a bottom wall; The arrangement member is a body attached to the bottom wall of the shell; 14. The electronic system of claim 13, further comprising a protrusion extending into the shell of the receptacle connector and comprising a latch configured to engage a connector housing.

18. 1. A method for manufacturing a receptacle connector, comprising: providing a terminal subassembly including a plurality of conductive elements carried by a subassembly housing; disposing the terminal subassembly within a shell, the tail ends of the plurality of conductive elements extending from the shell, the shell having a bottom wall and a plurality of legs extending beyond the bottom wall; and attaching a positioning member to the bottom wall of the shell, the positioning member including a post extending parallel to the plurality of legs of the shell.

19. Providing the terminal subassembly includes: molding over the first row of the plurality of conductive elements and a shielding member; disposing a second row of the plurality of conductive elements over the molded first row and a shielding member; and molding over the first and second rows of conductive elements and the shielding member to form the subassembly housing.

20. Attaching the positioning member to the bottom wall of the shell includes:

20. The method of claim 18, including inserting a projection of the alignment member into the shell to engage the subassembly housing of the terminal subassembly.

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