Card Edge Connector Tail Layout for Higher PCB Contact Density
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional card edge connectors occupy a larger area on printed circuit boards, limiting the integration of functional components and increasing costs, especially in systems requiring multiple high-density interconnects.
Innovation Solution
A compact connector design with multiple rows of tails arranged in parallel but offset from the mating contact portions, allowing for a smaller footprint that integrates more interconnects without extending the connector's length from the PCB edge, using wafers with different configurations to accommodate various connector lengths and reduce manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If conventional card edge connectors with two columns of mating contacts are used, then the connector can support standard card configurations, but the connector occupies a larger area on the printed circuit board
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional two-column arrangement to a multi-row arrangement where contact tails are organized in multiple rows (e.g., 4 rows) instead of just two columns. This dimensional reorganization allows the same number of contacts to be packed more efficiently, reducing the overall footprint area on the PCB while maintaining the required number of interconnects.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector is divided into multiple separate rows of contact tails, each row being independently arranged and connected to the PCB. This segmentation allows for more flexible space utilization and enables the connector to occupy a smaller overall area by distributing contacts across multiple compact rows rather than requiring large continuous columns.
2Area of stationary object
If the connector is designed to occupy smaller PCB area, then more functional components can be integrated, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal connector structure where the multi-row contact tail arrangement can accommodate different numbers of contacts and configurations by simply adjusting the number of rows and columns. This universal design approach maintains manufacturing simplicity while enabling compact footprints, as the same basic structure can be scaled to different sizes without requiring entirely different manufacturing processes.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple rows of contact tails are used to increase contact density, then the connector becomes more complex, but the PCB space utilization improves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple rows of contact tails into a single integrated connector body, where all rows share common structural elements such as the housing, mounting features, and electrical pathways. This merging approach increases contact density while minimizing the addition of separate components, thereby reducing overall structural complexity compared to having multiple independent connector assemblies.
Data Source
AI summary
A card edge connector for providing high-speed interconnections between different printed circuit boards. The card edge connector may include a plurality of wafers, each having a plurality of conductors. The conductors may include tails at one end and mating contact portions at an opposing end. The connector may have more rows of tails than columns of mating contact portions, so that the tails extend less distance from an edge of a PCB toward its center. The connector may be formed from multiple wafers of different sizes. Shorter wafers may have mating contact portions in columns and tails in rows. Taller wafers may have mating contact portions in the same column as a respective shorter wafer and tails in a row parallel to and offset from the row of tails of the respective shorter wafer.