Card edge electrical connector

Abstract

An electrical connector includes a connector body and at least one row of electrical contacts included within the connector body. The at least one row of electrical contacts includes at least one power contact and a plurality of signal contacts, and the plurality of signal contacts includes a first signal contact and a second signal contact that are separated from one another by the at least one power contact.

Description

CARD EDGE ELECTRICAL CONNECTORCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 636,150 filed on April 19, 2024. The entire contents of this application are hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention generally relates to electrical connectors, in particular, a card edge connector.2. Description of the Related Art

[0003] Known card edge connectors have limited durability, and a normal force between known card edge connectors and a mating edge card can weaken over time. Furthermore, known card edge connectors have been limited in their data transmission rates while maintaining sufficient signal integrity.

[0004] The following are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety: U.S. 4,076,362, U.S. 6,416,335, U.S. 5,564,931, U.S. 2007 / 0232141, U.S. 8,864,521, U.S. 6,464,537, U.S. 8,834,181, and U.S. 7,179,091.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] An electrical connector according to example embodiments of the present invention is able to significantly increase a normal force between electrical contacts of the electrical connector and a mating edge card.

[0006] According to an example embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector includes a connector body and at least one row of electrical contacts included within the connector body. The at least one row of electrical contacts includes at least one power contact and a plurality of signal contacts, and the plurality of signal contacts includes a first signal contact and a second signal contact that are separated from one another by the at least one power contact.

[0007] The first signal contact and the second signal contact can each be arranged along a material thickness edge of the at least one power contact. The plurality of signal contacts can be arranged to not extend beyond the at least one power contact in profile view. The plurality of signal contacts can be structured to move or deflect about at least one pivot or cantilever point. The at least one power contact can physically and electrically isolate the first signal contact from the second signal contact. Adjacent electrical contacts in the at least one row of electrical contacts can be separated by a pitch of about 0.6 mm.

[0008] The at least one power contact can include two power contacts provided on a single stamping. The at least one power contact can include four power contacts provided on two stampings.

[0009] The electrical connector can further include a stiffening ring that surrounds a portion of the connector body.

[0010] The least one row of electrical contacts can include at least one differential signal pair. The at least one differential signal pair can be connected to a twinaxial cable.

[0011] The least one row of electrical contacts can include a repeating arrangement of two signal contacts and one ground contact. The least one row of electrical contacts can include a repeating arrangement of two signal contacts and two ground contacts.

[0012] The electrical connector can further include at least one cable. The at least one row of electrical contacts can includes a ground contact, and a shield layer of the at least one cable can be electrically connected to the ground contact. The ground contact can include a gull wing structure to receive a shield layer of the cable. The shield layer of the cable can be soldered to the gull wing structure of the ground contact.

[0013] The power contact can extend along at least an entire length of each of the first signal contact and the second signal contact. A signal conductor of the cable can be soldered to one of the first signal contact and the second signal contact.

[0014] The ground contacts can be structured to move or deflect about at least one pivot or cantilever point.

[0015] The at least one row of electrical contacts can include a first row of electrical contacts and a second row of electrical contacts. The first row of electrical contacts can beoffset from the second row of electrical contacts. The first row of electrical contacts can be offset from the second row of electrical contacts by about 0.3 mm.

[0016] The connector body can include a molding structure that receives each of the electrical contacts of the at least one row of electrical contacts. The molding structure can include a plurality of slots that respectively receive ground contacts of the at least one row of electrical contacts. Each of the ground contacts can be configured to be movable within a corresponding one of the slots.

[0017] The electrical connector can further include an overmold material provided in at least one recess of the molding structure. The electrical connector can further include a ground base located within the connector body, and the overmold material can be received by at least one cavity in the ground base.

[0018] The electrical connector can further include a wafer pressure contact located within the connector body. The wafer pressure contact can be configured to provide a spring force against at least one contact of the at least one row of electrical contacts. The electrical connector can further include a stiffening ring that surrounds a portion of the connector body, and the wafer pressure contact can be at least partially received by the stiffening ring.

[0019] Each of the at least one row of electrical contacts can be configured to move about a hinge or a pivot point when a mating connector is inserted into the electrical connector.

[0020] The at least one row of electrical contacts can define at least one signal pair, at least one power connection, and at least one ground connection. The at least one row of electrical contacts can define eight signal pairs.

[0021] The electrical connector can be a card edge connector. The electrical connector can be an OSFP-compatible connector.

[0022] The electrical connector can include an elastomeric material that is located within a portion of the connector body. The elastomeric material can cover air gaps between each of the contacts of the at least one row of electrical contacts. The elastomeric material can be electrically conductive and can be an electrically conductive foam.

[0023] The electrical connector can further include a conductive pressure plate. The elastomeric material can be located between the conductive pressure plate and at least onecontact of the at least one row of electrical contacts. The elastomeric material can be only located between the conductive pressure plate and ground contacts of the at least one row of electrical contacts. The elastomeric material can provide a spring force against the at least one row of electrical contacts.

[0024] The electrical connector can further include a ground base located within the connector body. The electrical connector can further include at least one cable, and a shield layer of the at least one cable can be electrically connected to the ground contact.

[0025] The electrical connector can further include a compressible material located between the ground base and at least one contact of the at least one row of electrical contacts. The compressible material can be received by a cavity in the ground base. The compressible material can be only located between the ground base and ground contacts of the at least one row of electrical contacts.

[0026] According to an example embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector includes a housing; at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts each carried by the housing, each respective row of the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows including signal contacts, ground contacts, and power contacts; and a card slot defined between the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows. Respective first mating ends of a first pair of power contacts of a first one of the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts are positioned opposite to respective second mating ends of a pair of power contacts of a second one of the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts.

[0027] The respective first mating ends can each have a broadside power contact width that is at least three times larger than a broadside signal conductor width of a signal contact positioned immediately adjacent to one of the respective first mating ends. The broadside power contact width can be oriented perpendicular to the card slot and the broadside signal conductor width can be oriented parallel to the card slot.

[0028] An equal number of signal contacts can be positioned on opposite sides of the first pair of power contacts of the first one of the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts. An equal number of signal contacts can be positioned on opposite side ofthe second pair of power contacts of the second one of the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts.

[0029] According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a wafer for an electrical connector includes a ground base defining a plane, a ground contact connected to the ground base such that the ground contact can pivot with respect to the plane defined by the ground base, a molding including a first slot in a first surface of the molding in which the ground contact is located and moves, and first and second electrical contacts embedded in the molding such that the first and the second electrical contacts are cantilevered from the first surface of the molding.

[0030] The wafer can further include an overmold material connecting the ground base and the molding.

[0031] An electrical connector can include the wafer and a center ground support plate. The wafer can be connected to the center ground support plate such that the wafer pivots with respect to the center ground support plate.

[0032] The electrical connector can be configured to provide first and second normal forces on the ground contact. The electrical connector can further include an elastomeric material that provides the first normal force on the ground contact. The electrical connector can further include a wafer pressure contact that provides the second normal force on the ground contact. A fin of the ground contact can extend through a second slot in a second surface of the molding that is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the first surface such that the fin is in contact with the wafer pressure contact.

[0033] The electrical connector can further include a compressible material in a cavity in the ground base and in contact with the ground contact and the center ground support plate that provides a third normal force on the ground contact in a direction opposite of the first and the second normal forces. The electrical connector can further include a twinaxial cable connected to the first and the second electrical contacts. The electrical connector can further include an additional wafer. An entire structure of the wafer can move or deflect when a mating connector is inserted into the electrical connector.

[0034] The above and other features, elements, characteristics, steps, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the example embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Fig. 1 shows a top perspective view of an electrical connector with a mating edge card.

[0036] Figs. 2A and 2B are bottom perspective views of the electrical connector and the mating edge card shown in Fig. 1.

[0037] Fig. 3 shows a front view of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1.

[0038] Fig. 4 shows a rear view of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1.

[0039] Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector and the mating edge card shown in Fig. 1.

[0040] Fig. 6 shows an enlarged portion of the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 5.

[0041] Figs. 7 and 8 show perspective and top views of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1 with a housing body, a ring, an upper molding, and upper electrical contacts removed for clarity.

[0042] Fig. 9 shows a side view of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1 with the housing body, a housing cover, the ring, and the upper molding removed for clarity.

[0043] Fig. 10 shows an enlarged side view of the electrical connector with the housing body and the ring removed for clarity.

[0044] Fig. 11 shows a side view of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1 with the housing body removed for clarity.

[0045] Figs. 12 and 13 show perspective views of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1 with the housing body, the housing cover, the ring, and some of the upper components removed for clarity.

[0046] Figs. 14 and 15 are top and bottom perspective views of upper contacts and the upper molding of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1.

[0047] Fig. 16 shows an enlarged perspective view of a contacts portion of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1.

[0048] Figs. 17 and 18 are a top perspective view and a side view of the upper contacts and an upper ground base of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1.

[0049] Fig. 19 is a top perspective view of ground bases and a center ground support plate of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1.

[0050] Fig. 20 shows a perspective view of a modification to the electrical connector shown in Fig. 1 with the housing body and the ring removed for clarity.

[0051] Fig. 21 shows a top view of the modification to the electrical connector shown in Fig. 20.

[0052] Fig. 22 shows an enlarged portion of the top view shown in Fig. 21 with the upper molding additionally removed for clarity.

[0053] Fig. 23 shows a side view of the modification to the electrical connector shown in Fig. 20.

[0054] Fig. 24 shows a perspective view of power contacts of the electrical connector shown in Fig. 20.

[0055] Fig. 25 shows an enlarged perspective view of the modification to the electrical connector shown in Figs. 20 and 21 with the upper molding additionally removed for clarity.

[0056] Fig. 26 shows the enlarged perspective view of Fig. 24 with cables additionally removed for clarity.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] Figs. 1, 2A, and 2B show perspective views of an electrical connector 100 with a mating card 300. Fig. 3 shows a front view of the electrical connector 100 with the mating card 300 hidden for clarity, and Fig. 4 shows a rear view of the electrical connector 100. Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector 100 and the mating edge card 300 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 shows an enlarged portion of the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 5.

[0058] As shown in Figs. 1, 2A, and 2B, the electrical connector 100 includes a housing body 101, a housing cover 102, and a ring 103 that surrounds a portion of the housing body 101. Thering 103 can be a stiffening ring that provides rigidity for the electrical connector 100. The ring 103 can be made by a die cast process or the like, and the ring 103 can include an elastomeric material or any suitable lossy material. The elastomeric material of the ring 103 can be one or more of electrically conductive, electrically lossy, or magnetic absorbing.

[0059] As shown in Figs. 1-4, the electrical connector 100 can include ground terminals 111 and power terminals 112 that extend beyond the housing cover 102. The ground terminals 111 and the power terminals 112 can mate the electrical connector 100 with a substrate, a PCB (printed circuit board), or any other suitable component to provide electrical power and grounding for the electrical connector 100. The ground terminals 111 and the power terminals 112 can be press-fit terminals (as shown in Figs. 1-4), can be surface mount terminals, or can have any other suitable connection type.

[0060] As shown in Fig. 3, the electrical connector 100 includes at least one row of electrical contacts 121 that are provided within the housing body 101. The at least one row of electrical contacts 121 is accessible through an opening 104 in the housing body 101, as shown in Figs. 1, 2A, and 3. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the electrical connector 100 can include an upper row of electrical contacts 121A and a lower row of electrical contacts 121B that are configured to mate with respective lands located on upper and lower surfaces of the mating card 300. The upper row of electrical contacts 121A and the lower row of electrical contacts 121B can be offset from one another, for example, in a width direction of the electrical connector 100.

[0061] The electrical contacts 121 can be connected to cables 130, to the power terminals 112, or to the ground terminals 111. The electrical contacts 121 that are connected to the cables 130 can be connected to a cable shield layer 131 or a cable conductor 132 (as shown in Fig. 13).

[0062] The electrical contacts 121 can include one or more differential signal pairs. The cables 130 can be twinaxial cables that are connected to respective differential signal pairs of the electrical contacts 121. The electrical contacts 121 can include ground contacts 121G, and the ground contacts 121G can be respectively connected to a shield layer 131 of a respective one of the cables 130 (as shown in Fig. 13). Furthermore, the shield layer 131 of one of thecables 130 can be provided with at least two ground connections within the electrical connector 100.

[0063] As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the electrical connector 100 can include a center ground support plate 141 with adjacent lower and upper ground bases 142. The center ground support plate 141 can be electrically conductive. The center ground support plate 141 can be static and can be rigidly fixed within the electrical connector 100.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 6, the electrical connector 100 can include upper and lower conductive pressure plates 143 and upper and lower elastomeric material 144. The upper and lower conductive pressure plates 143 can be fixedly located within the housing body 101. The upper and lower conductive pressure plates 143 can be made of an electrically conductive material or an electrically non-conductive material. For example, the upper and lower conductive pressure plates 143 can be defined by flat metal plates. A thin foil layer can be used in addition to, or in place of, one or both of the upper and lower conductive pressure plates 143.

[0065] The elastomeric material 144 is compressible, and provides a normal force between the ground contacts 121G and the mating card 300 when mating card 300 is inserted into the electrical connector 100. The elastomeric material 144 can be one or more of electrically conductive, electrically lossy, or magnetic absorbing. For example, the elastomeric material 144 can be an electrically conductive foam. The upper and lower conductive pressure plates 143 and the upper and lower elastomeric material 144 can be respectively joined to one another by an adhesive, double-sided tape, or the like.

[0066] By providing the electrical connector 100 with the upper and lower conductive pressure plates 143 and the upper and lower elastomeric material 144, upper and lower sides of the electrical contacts 121 can be covered by a substantially solid material with no significant air gaps. Accordingly, electromagnetic interference on the electrical contacts 121 can be significantly reduced, as air gaps around electrical contacts can lead to cross-talk issues resulting in problems with signal integrity.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 6, the electrical connector 100 can include upper and lower moldings 105 to help secure and locate the upper row of electrical contacts 121A and the lowerrow of electrical contacts 121B within the housing body 101. The moldings 105 can be made of plastic or any other suitable material that is electrically non-conductive.

[0068] Figs. 7 and 8 show perspective and top views of the electrical connector 100 with the housing body 101, the ring 103, the upper molding 105, and the upper electrical contacts 121A removed for clarity.

[0069] As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the least one row of the electrical contacts 121 can include a repeating arrangement of two signal contacts 121S and one ground contact 121G (i.e., a S-S-G configuration). That is, two signal contacts 121S can be provided as a pair of adjacent signal contacts 121S that are located between respective ground contacts 121G. The two signal contacts 121S can define a differential signal pair connected to one of the cables, and one or both of the ground contacts 121G can be connected to the shield layer of one of the cables 130. However, other arrangements of signal contacts 121S and ground contacts 121G can be implemented. For example, the least one row of the electrical contacts 121 can include a repeating arrangement of two signal contacts 1215 and two ground contacts 121G (i.e., a S-S-G- G configuration). Furthermore, the electrical connector 100 can provide four pairs, eight pairs, sixteen pairs, or any suitable number of pairs of high-speed signal lanes.

[0070] As further shown in Fig. 8, the least one row of the electrical contacts 121 can include one or more power contacts 121P. The power contacts 121P can be electrically connected with the power terminals 112. The electrical connector 100 can include two rows of electrical contacts 121 that each includes four power contacts 121P, and the electrical connector 100 can include eight power terminals 112 corresponding to the eight total power contacts 121P. One or more of the power contacts 121P can carry low-speed signals or control signals.

[0071] As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the electrical connector 100 can include wafer pressure contacts 145. The wafer pressure contacts 145 can be formed to have a clip or spring shape. Accordingly, the wafer pressure contacts 145 can provide a spring force that causes a normal force between the ground contacts 121G and the mating card 300 when the mating card 300 is inserted into the electrical connector 100. That is, the wafer pressure contacts 145 help ensure strong electrical and physical contact between the ground contacts 121G and correspondingpads of the mating card 300. The wafer pressure contacts 145 can be made of an electrically conductive material or an electrically non-conductive material.

[0072] Fig. 9 shows a side view of the electrical connector 100 with the housing body 101, the housing cover 102, the ring 103, and the upper molding 105 removed for clarity. As shown in Fig. 9, the wafer pressure contacts 145 can physically and electrically contact the ground contacts 121G of the upper row of electrical contacts 121A and the lower row of electrical contacts 121B. That is, the wafer pressure contacts 145 can be configured to provide a normal force to only the ground contacts 121G and not to the signal contacts 1215.

[0073] As further shown in Fig. 9, the electrical connector 100 can include a connector ground contact 113 that is physically and electrically connected with the ground terminals 111. The ground terminals 111 and the connector ground contact 113 can be formed of a continuous conductive material. The connector ground contact 113 can also be physically and electrically connected to the center ground support plate 141.

[0074] Similar to the connector ground contact 113, the electrical connector 100 can also include connector power contacts 114, as shown in Figs. 8 and 12. The connector power contacts 114 can be physically and electrically connected with the power terminals 112, and the connector power contacts 114 and the power terminals 112 can be formed of a continuous conductive material.

[0075] Fig. 10 shows an enlarged view of the electrical connector 100 with the housing body 101 and the ring 103 removed for clarity. As shown in Fig. 10, the lower and upper ground bases 142 can be pivotable about a pivot point 141P of the center ground support plate 141 when the mating card 300 is inserted into or removed from the electrical connector 100. In Fig. 10, the pivot point 141P in on the upper surface of the center ground support plate 141 and is for the upper ground base 142. The lower ground base 142 can pivot with respect to corresponding pivot point (not labeled) on the lower surface of the center ground support plate 141. However, when the mating card 300 is not mated with the electrical connector 100, the lower and upper ground bases 142 can be parallel or substantially parallel with the center ground support plate 141, for example, such that major planar surfaces of the lower and upper ground bases 142 and of the center ground support plate 141 are in contact with one another.

[0076] Accordingly, a normal force between the electrical contacts 121 and the mating card 300 is able to be significantly increased by providing the electrical connector 100 with the wafer pressure contacts 145. The normal force between the electrical contacts 121 and the mating card 300 can also be increased by providing the electrical connector 100 with the elastomeric material 144. However, the normal force provided by the wafer pressure contacts 145 is greater than the normal force provided by the elastomeric material 144. Furthermore, the ring 103, which can be a stiffening ring as explained above, can provide a rigid structure of the electrical connector 100 that counteracts the normal forces provided by both the wafer pressure contacts 145 and the elastomeric material 144.

[0077] Fig. 11 shows a side view of the electrical connector 100 with the housing body 101 removed for clarity. As shown in Fig. 11, the wafer pressure contacts 145 can extend through the housing body 101 to mate with the ring 103. For example, the ring 103 can include slots that respectively receive one of the wafer pressure contacts 145.

[0078] Figs. 12 and 13 show perspective views of the electrical connector 100 with the housing body 101, the housing cover 102, the ring 103, and some of the upper components of the electrical connector removed for clarity. As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, each of the cables 130 can include a cable shield layer 131, a pair of cable conductors 132, a cable insulator 133, and an outer layer 135. The cable shield layer 131 is a conductive layer that provides a ground path and protects the signal integrity of the cable conductors 132. The cable conductors 132 can be signal conductors and can define a differential pair. The cable insulator 133 can be a dielectric material or the like that separates the cable shield layer 131 from the cable conductors 132. The outer layer 135 can be an electrically non-conductive sheath that covers the cable shield layer 131.

[0079] The cable shield layer 131 can be electrically connected to one or more of the ground contacts 121G and can be electrically connected to one of the ground bases 142. Furthermore, the cable shield layer 131 can be physically connected to at least one ground contact 121G, physically connected to one of the ground bases 142, or physically connected to both at least one ground contact 121G and to one of the ground bases 142.

[0080] As shown in Fig. 13, the pair of cable conductors 132 of each of the cables 130 can be physically and electrically connected to a respective pair of the signal contacts 121S. The cable conductors 132 and the signal contacts 121S can be connected by, for example, a soldered connection 122.

[0081] Figs. 14 and 15 are top and bottom perspective views of a wafer 110 that includes the upper contacts 121A and the upper molding 105 of the electrical connector 100. The upper signal contacts 121S are embedded in upper molding 105 such that the upper signal contacts 121S are cantilevered from a surface of the upper molding 105, and the upper ground contacts 121G are located in slots in the upper molding 105 such that the upper ground contacts 121G can move or pivot within the slots. The lower contacts 121B and the lower molding 105 are included in a similar wafer. The ground contacts 121G can move or pivot within respective slots in the molding 105 independently of the wafer 100 moving or pivoting about the pivot point 141P. As shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the upper molding 105 can include an overmold material 106. The overmold material 106 can be provided within at least one recess formed in the upper molding 105. The overmold material 106 can be received by a corresponding at least one cavity in the upper ground base 142 to secure the upper molding 105 to the upper ground base 142.

[0082] Similarly, the lower molding 105 can include an overmold material 106 that is provided within at least one recess formed in the lower molding 105, and the overmold material 106 of the lower molding 105 can be received by at least one cavity in the lower ground base 142 to secure the lower molding 105 to the lower ground base 142.

[0083] The ground contacts 121G can extend through two slots in the molding 105 of the wafer 110 that are on perpendicular surfaces of the molding 105. As shown in Fig. 14, the ground contacts 121G can extend through first slots 107 in a first surface of molding 105 from which the signal contacts 121S are cantilevered and can extend through second slots 117 on a second surface of the molding 105 that is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular, within manufacturing and / or measurement tolerances, to the first surface of the molding 105. Each ground contacts 121G can include a fin 124 that extends through a corresponding second slot 117 to be in contact with a corresponding wafer pressure contact 145.

[0084] Fig. 16 shows an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the electrical connector100 that includes the contacts 121.

[0085] As shown in Fig. 16, the upper and lower moldings 105 can include the first slots 107 for each of the ground contacts 121G, and each of the first slots 107 can be configured to facilitate hinged movement of the ground contact 121G provided therein. Furthermore, a compressible material 108 can be provided in the first slots 107 with the ground contacts 121G. The compressible material 108 can be located in cavities of the ground base 142 between each of the ground contacts 121G and the center ground support plate 141. Accordingly, the first slots 107 and the compressible material 108 can facilitate movement and deflection of the ground contacts 121G, for example, when the above-described normal forces provided by the elastomeric material 144 and the wafer pressure contacts 145 are applied. The normal forces provided by the elastomeric material 144 and the wafer pressure contacts 145 on a single one of the ground contacts 121G can be sufficient to cause movement of all of the contacts 121 in the same wafer 110.

[0086] As shown in Fig. 16, a web and button structure 123 can be provided between two adjacent signal contacts 1215, and the web and button structure 123 can be located near the tips of the signal contacts 121S. The web of the web and button structure 123 can maintain a predetermined and constant distance between the two adjacent signal contacts 1215. The button of the web and button structure 123 can anchor the web to the two adjacent signal contacts 1215 and enable the web to move with the contact beams when the signal contacts 121S are deflected due to the mating card 300. The web and button structure 123 can be formed of an electrically non-conductive material.

[0087] Figs. 17 and 18 show top perspective and side views of the upper row of electrical contacts 121A and the upper ground base 142 of the electrical connector 100.

[0088] As shown in Figs. 17 and 18, the compressible material 108 can extend along a portion of each of the ground contacts 121G. The compressible material 108 can enable movement and deflection of the ground contacts 121G about a pivot or cantilever point 128. Furthermore, the ground contacts 121G can be directly physically connected to the ground base 142 at a connection portion 129. A connection between the ground contacts 121G andthe ground base 142 can be, for example, a spot weld or the like. The compressible material 108 can be printed onto the ground base 142, and the compressible material 108 can be one or more of electrically conductive, electrically lossy, or magnetic absorbing.

[0089] Alternatively or in addition, the compressible material 108 can be under tension along the ground base 142. That is, the compressible material 108 can be stretched along the ground base 142, for example.

[0090] The pivot or cantilever point 128 is located between the connection portion 129 and a connection point between the ground contacts 121G and the mating card 300. The pivot or cantilever point 128 can be defined by a soldered connection between each of the ground contacts 121G and the corresponding ground base 142. As an example, the pivot or cantilever point 128 shown in Figs. 17 and 18 can be defined by a solder slug or the like. The soldered connection defined by the pivot or cantilever point 128 can also provide an electrical and physical connection to the shield layer of one or more of the cables 130.

[0091] As explained above, the ground contacts 121G can be connected to the ground base 142 at both the cantilever point 128 and the connection portion 129, and each of these connections between the ground contacts 121G and the ground base 142 can be direct physical connections provided by a spot weld, a solder slug, or the like. However, the ground contacts 121G can be connected to the ground base 142 at only one of the cantilever point 128 and the connection portion 129.

[0092] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 15, the compressible material 108 of each of the ground contacts 121G can be received by a cavity in the ground base 142. Accordingly, the compressible material 108 can at least partially extend into or though the upper ground base 142 to secure the compressible material 108 to the upper ground base 142.

[0093] Fig. 19 is a top perspective view of the ground bases 142 and the center ground support plate 141. As shown in Fig. 19, the center ground support plate 141 can include abutments 146, and the abutments 146 can be provided by stamping, cutting, and / or machining a portion of the center ground support plate 141 to define a C-shaped portion. Fig. 19 shows four abutments 146: two abutments 146 extend above the center ground support plate 141 and two abutments 146 extend below the center ground support plate 141. But anynumber and any arrangement of abutments 146 can be used. The abutments 146 can provide support points for rear edges 147 of each of the ground bases 142 that allow the ground bases 142 to pivot with respect to the corresponding pivot point 141P. The entire structure of the wafer 110 can move or deflect when a mating connector is inserted into the electrical connector 100. That is, the entire wafer 110 can rotate or pivot about the pivot point 141P when a mating connector is inserted into the electrical connector 100.

[0094] A connector described herein can be an OSFP (Octal Small Form Factor Pluggable) compatible connector. A connector can provide, for example, four, eight, sixteen, or any suitable number of high speed electrical lanes.

[0095] Each of Figs. 1-17 show the electrical connector 100 in a state of being mated with the mating card 300. Accordingly, the specific structural configuration of the elements shown in Figs. 1-17 should be understood to encompass movements and slight variations if the mating card 300 is not mated with the electrical connector. For example, although Figs. 1-17 show a slight canter or pivot in the upper and lower ground bases 142, the upper and lower ground bases 142 can be configured to be parallel or substantially parallel with the center ground support plate 141 if the mating card 300 is not mated with the electrical connector 100. As another example, a gap between the upper and lower ground contacts 121G will be smaller when the mating card 300 is not mated with the electrical connector 100. Accordingly, although drawings show that the signal contacts 121S, the ground contacts 121G, and the power contacts 121P are aligned or substantially aligned with one another when the mating card 300 is mated with the electrical connector 100, the ground contacts 121G may be offset from the signal contacts 121S and the power contacts 121P when the mating card 300 is not mated with the electrical connector 100. Thus, the ground contacts 121G can be structured to make contact before the signal contacts 121S and the power contacts 121P when mating with the mating card 300.

[0096] Figs. 20-26 show a modification 200 to the electrical connector 100 shown in Figs. 1- 17.

[0097] Figs. 20 and 21 show, respectively, perspective and top views of the modification200 to the electrical connector 100 (referred to below as modified electrical connector 200)with the housing body 101 and the ring 103 removed for clarity. The modified electrical connector 200 can include the housing body 101, the housing cover 102, and the ring 103 of the electrical connector 100 shown in Figs. 1-17. The modified electrical connector 200 can include the ground terminals 111 and the power terminals 112 of the electrical connector 100 shown in Figs. 1-17 to mate with a substrate, a PCB (printed circuit board), or any other suitable component to provide electrical power and grounding for the modified electrical connector 200.

[0098] As shown in Figs. 20 and 21, the modified electrical connector 200 includes at least one row of electrical contacts 221, which can be connected to cables 130, to the power terminals 112, or to the ground terminals 111. The electrical contacts 221 can include signal contacts 221S, and the signal contacts 221S can include one or more differential signal pairs. The electrical contacts 221 can also include ground contacts 221G, and the ground contacts 221G can be connected to a shield layer 131 of a respective one of the cables 130 (as shown in Fig. 25 and discussed further below). The electrical contacts 221 can further include one or more power contacts 221P, and the power contacts 221P can be electrically connected with the power terminals 112.

[0099] In contrast to the electrical connector 100 shown in Figs. 1-17, the modified electrical connector 200 can be provided without center ground plate(s) and without any elastomeric material. That is, the center ground support plate 141, the ground bases 142, and the lower elastomeric material 144 of the electrical connector 100 can be omitted from the modified electrical connector 200. Accordingly, the conductive pressure plates 143 of the electrical connector 100 can also be omitted from the modified electrical connector 200.

[0100] By removing the above-described elements from the modified electrical connector 200, a reduced manufacturing cost is able to be provided by a more streamlined structure within the housing body 101. Although signal noise may increase with the modified electrical connector 200 due to the removal of the ground plate(s) and elastomeric material as compared to the electrical connector 100, the increase in signal noise can be compensated by modifications to the electrical contacts (as explained below with respect to the electricalcontacts 221) and / or by external signal processing. In particular, the modified electrical connector 200 is able to comply with standards for of 224 Gigabits per second data rates.

[0101] The electrical contacts 221 are made of an electrically conductive material, for example, beryllium copper. The electrical contacts 221 can be structured by a stamping process, and heat treating can be applied to the electrical contacts after stamping. That is, the electrical contacts 221 can be defined by heat-treated beryllium copper stampings, which provide a sufficiently high young's modulus and yield strength and minimum and maximum deflection of the electrical contacts 221.

[0102] As shown in Figs. 20 and 21, the electrical contacts 221 can be embedded in at least one molding 205. The molding 205 can be provided by insert molding over the electrical contacts 211. The molding 205 can be provided by, for example, a two-step molding process. For example, a first molding process can be applied to locate the electrical contacts 211 within the molding 205, and a second molding process can be applied to secure the electrical contacts 211 within the molding 205.

[0103] Similar to the electrical connector 100 shown in Figs. 1-17, the modified electrical connector 200 can include separate upper and lower moldings 205 for respective upper and lower rows of the electrical contacts 211.

[0104] Fig. 22 shows an enlarged portion of the top view of the modified electrical connector 200 shown in Fig. 21 with the upper molding 205 additionally removed for clarity.

[0105] As shown in Figs. 21 and 22, the least one row of the electrical contacts 221 can include a repeating arrangement of two signal contacts 221S and one ground contact 221G (i.e., a S-S-G configuration). That is, two signal contacts 221S can be provided as a pair of adjacent signal contacts 221S that are located between respective ground contacts 221G. The two signal contacts 221S can define a differential signal pair connected to one of the cables, and one or both of the ground contacts 221G can be connected to the shield layer of one of the cables 130. However, other arrangements of signal contacts 221S and ground contacts 221G can be implemented. For example, the least one row of the electrical contacts 221 can include a repeating arrangement of two signal contacts 221S and two ground contacts 221G (i.e., a S-S-G-G configuration). Furthermore, the modified electrical connector 200 can provide four pairs, eight pairs, sixteen pairs, or any suitable number of pairs of high-speed signal lanes.

[0106] As shown in Fig. 22, a pitch P is provided between adjacent electrical contacts 221 within one row of the electrical contacts 221, and an offset O is provided between adjacent electrical contacts of the upper and lower rows of the electrical contacts 221. The pitch P for one row of the electrical contacts 221 can be approximately twice, within manufacturing tolerances, the offset O between two rows of electrical contacts 221. As an example, the pitch P can be about 0.6 mm and the offset O can be about 0.3 mm.

[0107] As further shown in Figs. 21 and 22, the least one row of the electrical contacts 221 can include one or more power contacts 221P. The modified electrical connector 200 can include two rows of electrical contacts 221 that each includes two power contacts 221P.Respective first mating ends of a first pair of power contacts 221P of a first one of the two rows of electrical contacts 221 can be positioned opposite to respective second mating ends of a pair of power contacts 221P of a second one of the two rows of electrical contacts 221. However, the modified electrical connector 200 is not limited to two power contacts 221P in each row of electrical contacts 221, and any number of power contacts 221P can be included in each row of electrical contacts 221, such as one power contact 221P, four power contacts 221P, or eight power contacts 221P. One or more of the power contacts 221P can carry low-speed signals or control signals.

[0108] The power contacts 221P can be structured to extend along an entire length of the signal contacts 221S. As shown in Fig. 21, the power contacts 221P can extend through the moldings 205 to, or beyond, a connection point 222 between the signal contacts 221S and a mating cable 130 (see also Fig. 24, discussed further below).

[0109] Fig. 23 shows a side view of the modified electrical connector 200.

[0110] As shown in Fig. 23, the power contacts 221P can be structured so that the signal contacts 221S and the ground contacts 221G do not extend beyond the power contacts 221P in profile view. Furthermore, the power contacts 221P can be structured so that signal contacts 221S and the ground contacts 221G do not extend beyond the power contacts 221P even whenthe that signal contacts 221S and the ground contacts 221G are at a maximum deflection while mated to corresponding contacts of a mating connector.

[0111] According to the structure of the power contacts 221P described above, the power contacts 221P are able to function as a buffer or shield between the signal contacts 221S located on opposing sides of a centerline CL of the modified electrical connector 200. In particular, the power contacts 221P can improve near-end crosstalk (NEXT) by providing shielding between a portion of the signal contacts 221S.

[0112] Each of the electrical contacts 221, including the signal contacts 221S and the power contacts 221P, can extend in a first direction parallel to the centerline CL of the modified electrical connector 200. The electrical contacts 221 can be separated from one another in a second direction parallel to the pitch P between the electrical contacts 221, which is perpendicular to the first direction. Accordingly, by extending the power contacts 221P in the first direction and arranging the signal contacts 221S on opposing sides of a material thickness edge of the power contacts 221P in the second direction, isolation between the signal contacts 221S located on opposing sides of power contacts 221P is able to be improved.

[0113] Each of the power contacts 221P can have a broadside power contact width that is at least three times larger than a broadside signal conductor width of some or all of the signal contacts 221S. The broadside power contact width of the power contacts 221P can extend in a third direction that is perpendicular to the first and second directions. That is, the third direction can be a height direction of the modified electrical connector 200. The broadside signal conductor width of the signal contacts 221S can extend in the second direction.

[0114] As explained above, the modified electrical connector 200 can include two rows of electrical contacts 221. A card slot can be defined between the two rows of electrical contacts 221, and the card slot can be structured to receive, for example, the mating card 300 discussed above with respect to Figs. 1-17. The broadside power contact width of the power contacts 221P can oriented perpendicular to the card slot, and the broadside signal conductor width of the signal contacts 221S can be oriented parallel to the card slot.

[0115] In one or more of the rows of the least one row of the electrical contacts 221, an equal number of signal contacts 221S can be positioned on opposite sides of the power contacts 221P.

[0116] The electrical contacts 221 that are located closest to the power contacts 221P can be configured as low-speed contacts or ground contacts. For example, Fig. 22 shows that, within one row of the electrical contacts 221, a low-speed contact 221L can be located adjacent to the power contacts 221P, and the low-speed contact 221L can be located between the power contacts 221P and a ground contact 221G. The low-speed contact 221L can be configured to transmit low-speed signals, for example, control signals, or alternatively the low- speed contact 221L can simply be a ground contact.

[0117] Similar to the electrical connector 100 shown in Figs. 1-17, the modified electrical connector 200 can include a web and button structure 223 between two adjacent signal contacts 221S, and the web and button structure 223 can be located near the tips of the signal contacts 221S.

[0118] Fig. 24 shows a perspective view of a structure of two of the power contacts 221P.

[0119] As shown in Fig. 24, two power contacts 221P can be provided on a single stamping, such that the two power contacts 221P are physically and electrically connected to one another. For example, the modified electrical connector 200 shown in Fig. 20 can include two upper power contacts 221P provided on a first single stamping and two lower power contacts 221P provided on a separate second single stamping.

[0120] Figs. 25 and 26 show enlarged perspective views of the modified electrical connector 200 with the upper molding 205 additionally removed for clarity. In Fig. 26, the cables 130 are also removed for clarity.

[0121] Similar to the electrical connector 100 shown in Figs. 1-17, the cable shield layer 131 of the cables 130 can be electrically connected, physically connected, or both electrically and physically connected to one or more of the ground contacts 221G. The connections 225 between the cable shield layer 131 of the cables 130 and the ground contacts 221G can be, for example, a soldered connection. Although a soldered connection is preferred between thecable shield layer 131 of the cables 130 and the ground contacts 221G, other types of connections can be used, for example, laser termination.

[0122] However, since the modified electrical connector 200 does not include any center ground plate(s) as explained above, no electrical or physical connection is provided between the cable shield layer 131 and any center ground plate(s) in the modified electrical connector 200.

[0123] As shown in Fig. 25, the pair of cable conductors 132 of each of the cables 130 can be physically and electrically connected to a respective pair of the signal contacts 221S. A connection 222 between the cable conductors 132 and the signal contacts 221S can be, for example, a soldered connection 222. Although a soldered connection is preferred between the cable conductors 132 and the signal contacts 221S, other types of connections can be used, for example, laser termination.

[0124] As shown in Fig. 26, the modified electrical connector 200 can include gull wings 226 at or near the connections 225 between the cable shield layer 131 of the cables 130 and the ground contacts 221G connections 225 between the cable shield layer 131 of the cables 130 and the ground contacts 221G. The gull wings 226 can help locate the cables 130 within the modified electrical connector 200, in particular, by providing a cradle in which the cable shield layer 131 of the cables 130 can be connected to the ground contacts 221G.

[0125] While the disclosure has been described with reference to example embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular system, device, or component thereof to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular example embodiments disclosed for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all example embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

[0126] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless thecontext clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0127] The description of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The described example embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for various example embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An electrical connector comprising: a connector body; at least one row of electrical contacts included within the connector body, wherein the at least one row of electrical contacts includes at least one power contact and a plurality of signal contacts, the plurality of signal contacts includes a first signal contact and a second signal contact that are separated from one another by the at least one power contact.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first signal contact and the second signal contact are each arranged along a material thickness edge of the at least one power contact.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the plurality of signal contacts do not extend beyond the at least one power contact in profile view.

4. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-3, wherein the plurality of signal contacts are structured to move or deflect about at least one pivot or cantilever point .

5. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-4, wherein the at least one power contact physically and electrically isolates the first signal contact from the second signal contact.

6. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-5, wherein adjacent electrical contacts in the at least one row of electrical contacts are separated by a pitch of about 0.6 mm.

7. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-6, wherein the at least one power contact includes two power contacts provided on a single stamping.

8. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-7, wherein the at least one power contact includes four power contacts provided on two stampings.

9. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-8, further comprising a stiffening ring that surrounds a portion of the connector body.

10. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-9, wherein the least one row of electrical contacts includes at least one differential signal pair.

11. The electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein the at least one differential signal pair is connected to a twinaxial cable.

12. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-11, wherein the least one row of electrical contacts includes a repeating arrangement of two signal contacts and one ground contact.

13. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-11, wherein the least one row of electrical contacts includes a repeating arrangement of two signal contacts and two ground contacts.

14. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-13, wherein the power contact extends along at least an entire length of each of the first signal contact and the second signal contact.

15. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-14, further comprising: at least one cable, wherein the at least one row of electrical contacts includes a ground contact, and a shield layer of the at least one cable is electrically connected to the ground contact.

16. The electrical connector according to claim 15, wherein the ground contact includes a gull wing structure to receive a shield layer of the cable.

17. The electrical connector according to claim 16, wherein the shield layer of the cable is soldered to the gull wing structure of the ground contact.

18. The electrical connector according to one of claims 15-17, wherein a signal conductor of the cable is soldered to one of the first signal contact and the second signal contact.

19. The electrical connector according to one of claims 15-18, wherein the ground contact is structured to move or deflect about at least one pivot or cantilever point.

20. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-19, wherein the at least one row of electrical contacts includes a first row of electrical contacts and a second row of electrical contacts.

21. The electrical connector according to claim 20, wherein the first row of electrical contacts is offset from the second row of electrical contacts.

22. The electrical connector according to claim 21, wherein the first row of electrical contacts is offset from the second row of electrical contacts by about 0.3 mm.

23. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-22, wherein the connector body includes a molding structure that receives each of the electrical contacts of the at least one row of electrical contacts.

24. The electrical connector according to claim 23, wherein the molding structure includes a plurality of slots that respectively receive ground contacts of the at least one row of electrical contacts.

25. The electrical connector according to claim 24, wherein each of the ground contacts is configured to be movable within a corresponding one of the slots.

26. The electrical connector according to one of claims 23-25, further comprising an overmold material provided in at least one recess of the molding structure.

27. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-26, wherein each of the at least one row of electrical contacts is configured to move about a hinge or a pivot point when a mating connector is inserted into the electrical connector.

28. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-27, wherein the at least one row of electrical contacts defines at least one signal pair, at least one power connection, and at least one ground connection.

29. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-28, wherein the at least one row of electrical contacts defines eight signal pairs.

30. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-29, wherein the electrical connector is a card edge connector.

31. The electrical connector according to one of claims 1-30, wherein the electrical connector is an OSFP-compatible connector.

32. An electrical connector comprising: a housing;at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts each carried by the housing, each respective row of the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts including signal contacts, ground contacts, and power contacts; and a card slot defined between the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows, wherein respective first mating ends of a first pair of power contacts of a first one of the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts are positioned opposite to respective second mating ends of a pair of power contacts of a second one of the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts.

33. The electrical connector of claim 32, wherein the respective first mating ends each have a broadside power contact width that is at least three times larger than a broadside signal conductor width of a signal contact positioned immediately adjacent to one of the respective first mating ends.

34. The electrical connector of claim 33, wherein the broadside power contact width is oriented perpendicular to the card slot, and the broadside signal conductor width is oriented parallel to the card slot.

35. The electrical connector of any one of claims 32 through 34, wherein an equal number of signal contacts are positioned on opposite sides of the first pair of power contacts of the first one of the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts.

36. The electrical connector of any one of claims 32 through 35, wherein an equal number of signal contacts are positioned on opposite side of the second pair of power contacts of the second one of the at least two parallel, spaced apart rows of electrical contacts.

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