Staggered paddle card connector

Abstract

To provide a connector assembly that includes a receptacle and a pluggable module.SOLUTION: A pluggable module includes a housing, a first paddle card, and a second paddle card. The first paddle card and the second paddle card are oriented vertically with respect to one another at least partially in the housing. The first paddle card has a front end positioned at a first insertion depth, and the second paddle card has a front end positioned at a second insertion depth. Due to varying insertion depths, when the pluggable module is inserted into a housing of the receptacle, the first paddle card comes into contact with terminals of the receptacle first before the second paddle card comes into contact with other terminals of the receptacle, provides various stages of insertion, and reduces overall force required to mate the receptacle and the pluggable module.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Background Art

[0003]

[0001] An input / output (I / O) connector is designed to have a pluggable module connector that engages with a receptacle connector. The pluggable module connector generally includes a paddle card in the form of a printed circuit board (PCB) that must be inserted into the receptacle connector. Some pluggable modules include multiple paddle cards, and the multiple paddle cards increase the amount of force required to translate the pluggable module within the ports of the receptacle connector.

Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of connectors, and more particularly to the field of connectors suitable for supporting high data rates.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect, a connector assembly is described that includes a receptacle and a pluggable module. The pluggable module includes a housing and a first paddle card and a second paddle card that are at least partially oriented perpendicular to each other within the housing. The first paddle card has a front end disposed at a first insertion depth, and the second paddle card has a front end disposed at a second insertion depth. The first insertion depth and the second insertion depth are different from each other.

[0004] The first paddle card includes a plurality of upper conductive pads and a plurality of lower conductive pads, and the second paddle card includes a plurality of upper conductive pads and a plurality of lower conductive pads. The receptacle further includes a first plurality of terminals oriented to receive the first paddle card and form electrical connections with the upper and lower conductive pads of the first paddle card. The receptacle further includes a second plurality of terminals oriented to receive the second paddle card and form electrical connections with the upper and lower conductive pads of the second paddle card.

[0005] The upper and lower conductive pads of the first paddle card have different conductive pad lengths than the upper and lower conductive pads of the second paddle card. The front end of the first interface (connector) or the front end of the second interface includes a triangular projection. At least one of the first plurality of terminals and the second plurality of terminals has a straight 50-degree chamfer. The receptacle includes a plurality of insertion fingers defining the port.

[0006] In a second aspect, a connector assembly is described that includes a pluggable module comprising a housing and a first interface and a second interface oriented at least partially perpendicular to each other within the housing, wherein the first interface has a front end positioned at a first insertion depth and the second interface has a front end positioned at a second insertion depth, and the first and second insertion depths are different from each other.

[0007] The first interface is a first paddle card, and the second interface is a second paddle card. The first paddle card includes a plurality of upper conductive pads and a plurality of lower conductive pads, and the second paddle card includes a plurality of upper conductive pads and a plurality of lower conductive pads.

[0008] The connector assembly further includes a receptacle having a first plurality of terminals oriented to receive a first paddle card and to form an electrical connection with the upper and lower conductive pads of the first paddle card. The receptacle further includes a second plurality of terminals oriented to receive a second paddle card and to form an electrical connection with the upper and lower conductive pads of the second paddle card. The upper and lower conductive pads of the first paddle card have different conductive pad lengths than the upper and lower conductive pads of the second paddle card. The front end of the first interface or the front end of the second interface includes a triangular projection. At least one of the first plurality of terminals and the second plurality of terminals has a straight 50-degree chamfer. The receptacle includes a plurality of insertion fingers defining a port.

[0009] The first paddle card is positioned above the second paddle card relative to the bottom surface of the pluggable module. Similarly, the first plurality of terminals are positioned above the second plurality of terminals relative to the bottom surface of the receptacle. The first insertion depth is smaller than the second insertion depth such that, when the pluggable module is placed within the housing of the receptacle, the first paddle card contacts the first plurality of terminals before the second paddle card contacts the second plurality of terminals. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] Many aspects of this disclosure can be better understood by referring to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and instead the focus is on clearly illustrating the principles of this disclosure. Furthermore, in the drawings, similar reference numbers indicate corresponding parts across several figures.

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a top perspective view of a connector assembly according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a bottom perspective view of a connector assembly according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] This is a front perspective view of a pluggable module of a connector assembly according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a front perspective view of a receptacle of a connector assembly according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view of a connector assembly according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] This is a top perspective view of the paddle card of a pluggable module according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] This is a top perspective view of the paddle card of a pluggable module according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional perspective view of a connector assembly according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9A] This is a cross-sectional view of a connector assembly according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9B] This is a cross-sectional view of a connector assembly according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9C] This is a cross-sectional view of a connector assembly according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10A] This is a side view of a receptacle terminal according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10B] This is a side view of a receptacle terminal according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] This graph shows displacement (mm) plotted against force (N). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] This disclosure relates to staggered paddle card connectors, as well as related connectors, assemblies, systems, etc. Connector assemblies often include a pluggable module and a receptacle. In connectors such as CDFPs, the pluggable module includes one or more paddle cards, which, when inserted, couple to terminals in the receptacle, forming an electrical connection with the terminals for data communication. Currently, there remain challenges in controlling the proper insertion of the pluggable module. For example, if the pluggable module is not sufficiently translated within the housing of the receptacle, the electrical connection may not be properly established for high data rates. On the other hand, if the pluggable module is excessively translated using excessive force, the pluggable module and / or receptacle may be damaged.

[0013] In particular, in configurations where the pluggable module includes multiple paddle cards, sufficient force is required to push the pluggable connector so that the receptacle terminals make contact with the conductive pads of the paddle cards. The required force can be further increased by the presence of spring fingers positioned on the receptacle housing and other characteristics of the receptacle or pluggable module. Often, the force required to fully push the pluggable module into the receptacle housing is so great that excessive force is applied, damaging the pluggable module and / or the receptacle.

[0014] Accordingly, various embodiments for a connector assembly that reduce or provide a more desirable and consistent amount of force required for proper translation or insertion of the receptacle into the housing are described. The connector assembly includes a pluggable module and a receptacle. The pluggable module includes a housing and a first paddle card and a second paddle card. The first and second paddle cards are positioned at least partially above or below each other within the housing. The first paddle card has a front end positioned at a first insertion depth, and the second paddle card has a front end positioned at a second insertion depth. Due to the various insertion depths, when the pluggable module is inserted into the housing of the receptacle, the first paddle card makes contact with the terminals of the receptacle before the second paddle card makes contact with the other terminals of the receptacle, providing various insertion stages and reducing the overall force required to mate the receptacle and the pluggable module. Further force reduction techniques are described herein.

[0015] Referring to the drawings herein, FIGS. 1 and 2 are, respectively, a top perspective view and a bottom perspective view of a connector assembly 10 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The connector assembly 10 may include an input / output (I / O) connector assembly such as those that can be used for small form factor (SMALL) pluggable applications or dual density SMALL pluggable applications (e.g., QSFP, SFP, QSFP-DD, SFP-DD, OSFP, CDFP applications).

[0016] The connector assembly 10 generally includes a pluggable module 100 and a receptacle 200. The pluggable module 100 may include a free-end connector, and the receptacle 200 may be coupled to a printed circuit board or a similar device. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the pluggable module 100 with the receptacle 200 omitted, and FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the receptacle 200 of the connector assembly 10 with the pluggable module 100 omitted.

[0017] Referring collectively to FIGS. 1-4, the pluggable module includes a cable 103 and a housing 106. The housing 106 includes a first paddle card 109a and a second paddle card 109b (collectively "paddle card 109") disposed therein. The first paddle card 109a is shown as the uppermost of the paddle cards 109, and the second paddle card 109b is shown as the lowermost of the paddle cards 109. The cable 103 may be, for example, one of a number of cables terminated to the paddle card 109.

[0018] The housing 106 has a front end or mating end 112 and a rear end 115 opposite the mating end 112. The housing 106 may include at the mating end a cantilever shell 118 that surrounds or partially surrounds the paddle card 109 for protection. The housing 106 can be formed in any desired manner and from any desired material. By way of example, the housing 106 can be die-cast, machined, or molded. The housing 106 may be formed from metal, plastic, or any other desired material. If desired, the housing 106 may be conductive, such as by forming metal components or forming plastic components and plating them if desired.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the first paddle card 109a and the second paddle card 109b are positioned such that they are directly above or below each other and are nested, either entirely or at least partially, within the housing 106. With respect to the bottom surface 124 of the housing 106, the first paddle card 109a is disposed above the second paddle card 109b and the second paddle card 109b is disposed below the first paddle card 109a. Although two paddle cards 109 are shown by way of example, the embodiments described herein may relate to a connector assembly 10 having two or more paddle cards 109.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the receptacle 200 of the connector assembly 10. FIG. 4 shows the spring fingers 203 disposed at the front end of the housing 206 of the receptacle 200, with the top surface of the housing 206 omitted so that the interior of the housing 206 can be seen. The spring fingers 203 are disposed over the ports 209 into which the pluggable module 百100 can be inserted. The receptacle connector 212 can be disposed at a predetermined distance within the ports 209 into which the paddle cards 109 of the pluggable module 100 can be inserted, as will be described later. It will be understood that the paddle cards 109 are coupled to the receptacle connector 212 by the act of translating the pluggable module 115 axially through the ports 209 until sufficient translation is established.

[0021] Referring now to Figure 5, a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly 10 is shown. It is understood that sufficient force is required to push the pluggable module 100 so that the terminals of the receptacle 200 make contact with the conductive pads of the paddle card 109. For example, generally, the paddle card 109 simultaneously contacts the terminals of the receptacle 200 and requires a spike of force to fully insert the paddle card 109 into the terminals. The presence of spring fingers 203 located on the housing 206 of the receptacle 200 and spring fingers 121 located on the housing 106 of the pluggable module 100 can further increase the required force. Often, the force required to fully push the pluggable module 100 into the housing 206 of the receptacle 200 is so great that excessive force is applied, damaging the pluggable module 100 and / or the receptacle 200.

[0022] However, as shown in Figure 5, the first paddle card 109a has a front end positioned at a first insertion depth D1, and the second paddle card 109b has a front end positioned at a second insertion depth D2. As can be seen in Figure 5, the first insertion depth D1 and the second insertion depth D2 are different from each other. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the first insertion depth D1 may be greater than the second insertion depth D2. Alternatively, the first insertion depth D1 may be less than the second insertion depth D2.

[0023] The receptacle 200, or more specifically, the receptacle connector 212, may include a first set of terminals 215 oriented to receive a first paddle card 109a and to form an electrical connection with the upper and lower conductive pads of the first paddle card 109a. Similarly, the receptacle connector 212 may include a second set of terminals 215 oriented to receive a second paddle card 109b and to form an electrical connection with the upper and lower conductive pads of the second paddle card 109b. When the pluggable module 155 is placed in the housing 206 of the receptacle 200 via the port 209, the first paddle card 109a first contacts the first set of terminals 215 in the upper row before the second paddle card 109b contacts the second set of terminals 215 in the lower row.

[0024] The terminals 215 may include opposing terminals that clamp the paddle card 109 together with the conductive pads of the paddle card 109. In addition, as shown in Figure 5, the front end of at least one of the first paddle card 109a and the second paddle card 109b may include a triangular projection 130. This further reduces the amount of force required to position the paddle card 109 within the terminals 215 of the receptacle connector 212. Furthermore, at least one of the terminals 215 may have a straight chamfer of 30 to 50 degrees, further reducing the amount of force required to position the paddle card 109 within the terminals 215 of the receptacle connector 212.

[0025] Referring now to Figures 6 and 7, top perspective views of the paddle card 109 of the pluggable module 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. As described above, the paddle card 109 may include conductive pads 133a, 133b (collectively, "conductive pads 133") disposed on the bottom and / or top surfaces of each conductive pad 133. In various embodiments, the upper and lower conductive pads 133a of the first paddle card 109a have different conductive pad lengths than the upper and lower conductive pads 133b of the second paddle card 109b. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the length of the conductive pad 133a of the first paddle card 109a is longer than the length of the conductive pad 133b of the second paddle card 109b.

[0026] Figure 8 is another perspective cross-sectional view of the connector assembly 10 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Similar to the diagram in Figure 5, the first paddle card 109a has a front end positioned at a first insertion depth D1, and the second paddle card 109b has a front end positioned at a second insertion depth D2, where the first insertion depth D1 and the second insertion depth D2 are different from each other. For example, the first insertion depth D1 may be greater than the second insertion depth D2.

[0027] The insertion depth of each paddle card 109 can be adjusted based on the length of the paddle card 109, meaning that the paddle cards 109 can have various lengths. For example, the first paddle card 109a may be 0.6 mm longer than the second paddle card 109b, or have other suitable dimensions. In addition, in some embodiments, the grounding pads of the first paddle card 109a and / or the second paddle card 109b may be shortened compared to conventional paddle cards.

[0028] The receptacle 200, or more specifically, the receptacle connector 212, may include a first set of terminals 215 oriented to receive a first paddle card 109a and to form an electrical connection with the upper and lower conductive pads of the first paddle card 109a. Similarly, the receptacle connector 212 may include a second set of terminals 215 oriented to receive a second paddle card 109b and to form an electrical connection with the upper and lower conductive pads of the second paddle card 109b. When the pluggable module 155 is placed into the housing 206 of the receptacle 200 via the port 209, the first paddle card 109a first contacts the first set of terminals 215 in the upper row before the second paddle card 109b contacts the second set of terminals 215 in the lower row. Figure 8 shows the upper set of terminals 215 that are in contact with the first paddle card 109a, while the lower set of terminals is not yet in contact with the second paddle card 109b.

[0029] As best shown in Figure 8, terminal 215 may include opposing terminals that clamp the paddle card 109 together while engaging with the conductive pads of the paddle card 109. In addition, the front end of at least one of the first paddle card 109a and the second paddle card 109b may include a triangular projection 130. This further reduces the amount of force required to position the paddle card 109 within terminal 215 of the receptacle connector 212. Furthermore, at least one of terminal 215 may have a straight 50-degree chamfer, further reducing the amount of force required to position the paddle card 109 within terminal 215 of the receptacle connector 212.

[0030] Figures 9A to 9C are cross-sectional views of the connector assembly 10 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 9A shows a paddle card 109 without a triangular projection 130 at its front end, in place of a conventional paddle card 109. The generally square or rectangular shape of the front end of the paddle card 109 requires an additional force spike for insertion or translation of the receptacle 200 into the port 209, whereas the triangular projection 130 shown in Figure 9B requires less force for placement. Figure 9C again shows the upper set of terminals 215 in contact with the first paddle card 109a, while the lower set of terminals is not yet in contact with the second paddle card 109b.

[0031] Figures 10A and 10B are side views of receptacle terminals according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 10A shows a terminal with an existing rounded design, and Figure 10B shows a terminal with a linear 50-degree chamfer. The linear 50-degree chamfer reduces the amount of force for translation of the pluggable module 100 relative to the receptacle 200 or receptacle connector 212.

[0032] Figure 11 is a graph showing displacement (mm) plotted against force (N). The graph shows a predetermined limit of 40N, and if a force exceeding 40N is applied, the connector assembly 10 or its subcomponents are likely to be damaged. As can be seen with conventional modules, as the displacement exceeds 16mm and approaches the 40N limit, a large amount of force is required for translation. However, in the improved cage design consistent with that described herein, the staggering of the paddle card 109 and other force reduction means described herein significantly reduce the force spikes, as can be seen in Figure 11.

[0033] The features, structures, or properties described above may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments, and the features discussed in various embodiments may be interchangeable if possible. Numerous specific details are provided in the following description to fully understand the embodiments of the disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the technical solutions of the disclosure may be implemented without one or more of the specific details, or that other methods, components, materials, etc., may be used. In other examples, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not illustrated or described in detail to avoid obscuring the aspects of the disclosure.

[0034] Relative terms such as "on," "below," "upper," and "lower" are used herein to describe the relative relationship between one component and another, but these terms are used herein for convenience only, for example, as directions in the examples shown in the drawings. It should be understood that if the device is inverted, the aforementioned "upper" component becomes the "lower" component. When one structure is "on" another structure, that structure can be formed integrally on the other structure, or it can be disposed "directly" on the other structure, or it can be disposed "indirectly" on the other structure via the other structure.

[0035] In this specification, terms such as “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements and components. The terms “comprise,” “include,” “have,” and “contain,” and their variations, are used in an open-ended manner and, unless otherwise specified in the attached “Claims,” mean to include additional elements, components, etc., in addition to the enumerated elements, components, etc.

[0036] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used solely as indicators and not to limit the number of items. When multiple components are shown, it is understood that these components may be referred to as the "first" component, the "second" component, and so on, to the extent applicable.

[0037] The embodiments described herein are merely possible examples of embodiments described for the sake of a clear understanding of the principles of this disclosure. Many changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments(s) described herein without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of this disclosure. All such changes and modifications are incorporated herein by reference within the scope of this disclosure and are intended to be protected by the following Claims.

Claims

1. A connector assembly, Receptacle and, It is a pluggable module, Housing and A pluggable module comprising: a first paddle card and a second paddle card positioned within the housing at least partially directly above or below each other, wherein the first paddle card has a front end positioned at a first insertion depth, and the second paddle card has a front end positioned at a second insertion depth, and the first and second insertion depths differ from each other based on the difference in length between the first and second paddle cards; A connector assembly wherein the first paddle card includes a plurality of upper conductive pads and a plurality of lower conductive pads, the second paddle card includes a plurality of upper conductive pads and a plurality of lower conductive pads, and the upper and lower conductive pads of the first paddle card have different conductive pad lengths than the upper and lower conductive pads of the second paddle card.

2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the upper conductive pad and lower conductive pad of the first paddle card, and the upper conductive pad and lower conductive pad of the second paddle card, each include at least one grounding pad.

3. The connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein the receptacle further includes a plurality of first terminals oriented to receive the first paddle card and to form an electrical connection with the upper conductive pad and lower conductive pad of the first paddle card.

4. The connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein the receptacle further includes a plurality of second terminals oriented to receive the second paddle card and to form an electrical connection with the upper conductive pad and lower conductive pad of the second paddle card.

5. The connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein at least one grounding pad of the second paddle card is shortened compared to at least one grounding pad of the first paddle card.

6. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the front end of the first paddle card or the front end of the second paddle card includes a triangular projection.

7. The connector assembly according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the first plurality of terminals and the second plurality of terminals has a straight 50-degree chamfered portion.

8. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle comprises a plurality of insertion fingers defining a port.

9. A connector assembly, It is a pluggable module, Housing and A pluggable module comprising: a first interface and a second interface positioned within the housing at least partially directly above or below each other, wherein the first interface has a front end positioned at a first insertion depth, and the second interface has a front end positioned at a second insertion depth, the first and second insertion depths being different from each other, the first insertion depth relating to the length of the first interface, the second insertion depth relating to the length of the second interface, and the lengths of the first and second interfaces being different, A connector assembly wherein the first interface includes a plurality of upper conductive pads and a plurality of lower conductive pads, and the second interface includes a plurality of upper conductive pads and a plurality of lower conductive pads, and the upper and lower conductive pads of the first interface have different conductive pad lengths from those of the upper and lower conductive pads of the second interface.

10. The connector assembly according to claim 9, wherein the first interface is a first paddle card and the second interface is a second paddle card.

11. The connector assembly according to claim 10, wherein the upper conductive pad and lower conductive pad of the first paddle card, and the upper conductive pad and lower conductive pad of the second paddle card, each include at least one grounding pad.

12. The connector assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a receptacle having a plurality of first terminals oriented to receive the first paddle card and to form an electrical connection with the upper conductive pad and lower conductive pad of the first paddle card.

13. The connector assembly according to claim 12, wherein the receptacle further comprises a plurality of second terminals oriented to receive the second paddle card and to form an electrical connection with the upper conductive pad and lower conductive pad of the second paddle card.

14. The connector assembly according to claim 11, wherein at least one grounding pad of the second paddle card is shortened compared to at least one grounding pad of the first paddle card.

15. The connector assembly according to claim 9, wherein the front end of the first interface or the front end of the second interface includes a triangular projection.

16. The connector assembly according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the first plurality of terminals and the second plurality of terminals has a straight 50-degree chamfered portion.

17. The connector assembly according to claim 9, further comprising a receptacle having a plurality of insertion fingers defining a port.

18. The connector assembly according to claim 13, wherein the first paddle card is positioned above the second paddle card with respect to the bottom surface of the pluggable module.

19. The connector assembly according to claim 18, wherein the first plurality of terminals are arranged above the second plurality of terminals with respect to the bottom surface of the receptacle.

20. The connector assembly according to claim 19, wherein, when the pluggable module is placed in the housing of the receptacle, the first insertion depth is smaller than the second insertion depth such that the first paddle card contacts the first plurality of terminals before the second paddle card contacts the second plurality of terminals.

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