Cable Connector Grounding Bar Structure for Lower-Profile Mating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors have a higher profile due to the use of paddle cards, which increases the length and height, necessitating a lower profile configuration.
Innovation Solution
A cable connector design featuring a contact module with a pair of subunits sandwiching a metallic shielding plate, including differential-pair contacts and grounding contacts alternately arranged, with unified tail sections connected to a transverse bar and mechanically and electrically connected to a braiding layer, and grounding bars with front tabs to enhance electrical grounding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If paddle card is used for connecting plug connector to receptacle connector, then mechanical connectivity is achieved, but length and height of the connector increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the paddle card component from the connector assembly. By directly connecting the contact module to the cable wires without the intermediate paddle card, the length and height of the connector are reduced while maintaining mechanical connectivity between the plug and receptacle connectors.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the functions of the paddle card, contact module, and cable wires into a more integrated structure. The contact module is directly linked with the cable wires, combining what were previously separate components into a unified assembly that achieves the same mechanical connectivity with a lower profile.
2Shape
If paddle card is used for connecting plug connector to receptacle connector, then mechanical connectivity is achieved, but height of the connector increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the paddle card component from the connector assembly. By directly connecting the contact module to the cable wires without the intermediate paddle card, the length and height of the connector are reduced while maintaining mechanical connectivity between the plug and receptacle connectors.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention reconfigures the connector architecture to achieve connectivity in a more space-efficient manner. By eliminating the extended paddle card structure and using a direct connection approach, the connector achieves the required mechanical linkage with a reduced profile in both length and height dimensions.
3Reliability
If grounding contacts are separated, then individual grounding connections are provided, but electrical connectivity and grounding efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the grounding contacts into a unified structure where multiple grounding contacts are integrated and work together as a single grounding system. This unified grounding structure improves electrical connectivity and grounding efficiency by providing multiple parallel grounding paths while maintaining a compact design.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified grounding structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides grounding for multiple differential pairs, establishes electrical connectivity between the contact module and cable shielding, and maintains mechanical stability. This multi-functional design improves grounding efficiency without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A cable connector includes a contact module, wires and grounding bars. The contact module includes a pair of subunits commonly sandwiching a metallic shielding plate. Each subunit includes contacts integrally formed within an insulator, the contacts includes a plurality of differential-pair contacts and grounding contacts alternately arranged with each other. Each contact includes a front contacting section and a rear tail section, the tail sections of the grounding contacts being unified with a transverse bar. Each wire has a pair of inner conductors respectively soldered to the tail sections of the corresponding differential-pair contacts, and an outer braiding layer surrounding the pair of inner conductors and mechanically and electrically connected to the transverse bar. Each grounding bar includes a plurality of rear tabs respectively connected to the braiding layers, and a plurality of front tabs respectively connected to the tail sections of the corresponding grounding contacts.