Broadside-Coupling Electrical Connector Reducing Crosstalk
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical connectors in telecommunication systems face challenges with near-end crosstalk (NEXT) loss and return loss, with existing techniques having limited capabilities for crosstalk compensation and improving return loss.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector design incorporates a printed circuit with broadside-coupling regions and NEXT stages, where signal traces are stacked and spaced to reduce crosstalk, and discrete components like resistors, capacitors, and inductors are used along interconnection paths to compensate for offending signals, allowing for dynamic tuning of crosstalk magnitude and phase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional conductor arrangement techniques are used to compensate for NEXT loss, then some crosstalk compensation is achieved, but the capability is limited and return loss improvement is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connector is divided into multiple functional segments: a first segment with conductors arranged for initial signal transmission, and a second segment with conductors arranged to generate compensating crosstalk signals. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each segment's function, enabling both NEXT compensation and return loss improvement that cannot be achieved with a single uniform arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The compensating crosstalk signals are generated in advance within the connector structure itself, before signals reach the mating interface. By pre-generating these compensating signals through the second segment's conductor arrangement, the system proactively counteracts harmful crosstalk and improves return loss at their source, rather than attempting correction after the fact.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If conductors are crossed to reverse coupling polarity and create compensating signals, then NEXT loss is partially compensated, but the technique has limited capability for both crosstalk compensation and return loss improvement
Solution Approach 1:
The second segment of conductors acts as an intermediary element that generates compensating crosstalk signals. These intermediary signals mediate between the harmful crosstalk from the first segment and the desired clean signal transmission, actively counteracting the harmful effects while maintaining signal integrity and improving overall electrical performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the arrangement parameters of conductors between the first and second segments. By modifying conductor positions, orientations, and spacing in the second segment, the coupling polarity and crosstalk characteristics are altered to generate compensating signals that reduce NEXT loss and improve return loss simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively reduces crosstalk and improves the overall electrical performance of the connector by compensating for NEXT loss and enhancing return loss, providing a more robust interface for telecommunication systems.
Implementation Method 1
broadside-coupling regions and NEXT stages, where signal traces are stacked and spaced to reduce crosstalk
Implementation Method 2
capacitively coupling digital fingers to one another
Data Source
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AI summary
An electrical connector (100) comprising mating conductors (116) configured to engage plug contacts and a circuit board (124) having associated pairs of input and output terminals (220, 222) and signal traces (231-238) that electrically connect the associated pairs of input and output terminals (220, 222). The input terminals (220) are communicatively coupled to the mating conductors (116, 130) and the output terminals (222) are configured to communicatively couple to cable conductors of a communication cable. Each associated pair of input and output terminals (220, 222) is electrically connected through a corresponding signal trace (231-238), and at least two signal traces (233, 235) form a broadside-coupling region (250) in which the at least two signal traces are spaced apart from one another along an orientation axis (192), and the at least two signal traces (233, 235) extend parallel to each other through the broadside-coupling region (250) for a crosstalk-reducing distance (DCRT1).