Electrical Connector Shielding Between Contacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors face challenges in balancing differential impedance without increasing the number of pins, as the placement of shield GND around contacts on one side often results in imbalanced impedance and larger connector sizes.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a contact batch with multiple groups of contacts, an inner shield that electrically separates these groups, and a shell that covers the assembly, allowing for improved impedance balance without additional pins by positioning GND equally around all differential signal contacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If shield GND is provided only on one side of the signal line, then the connector structure is simplified, but differential impedance becomes imbalanced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by providing shield GND contacts on both sides of the signal line contact, creating a symmetric shielding structure that balances the differential impedance. This resolves the impedance imbalance caused by one-sided shielding while maintaining structural simplicity through the regular alternating pattern of GND and signal contacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves equipotentiality by positioning GND contacts adjacent to signal line contacts on both sides, creating balanced reference potentials. This ensures that the electromagnetic fields around differential signal pairs are symmetrically controlled, stabilizing the differential impedance without requiring additional pins beyond the standard GND-Signal-GND arrangement.
2Manufacturing precision
If GND contact of the same size as signal line is disposed next to the signal line, then differential impedance balance is improved, but the number of pins increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by using the same GND contact design for both sides of the signal line, where each GND contact serves dual purposes: providing reference potential for impedance control and forming part of the shielding structure. This multi-functional approach achieves impedance balance without requiring additional specialized pins.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the contact batch into alternating groups of GND contacts and signal line contacts, creating a modular structure where each GND-Signal-GND unit independently contributes to impedance balance. This segmentation allows standard pin counts to be maintained while achieving balanced impedance through the repeated pattern.
3Manufacturing precision
If more pins are added to balance differential impedance, then impedance balance improves, but connector size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the shielding function and impedance reference function into the same GND contacts that are already required for basic connector operation. By combining these functions into existing pin positions rather than adding separate shielding elements, the connector achieves balanced differential impedance without increasing overall size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the spatial arrangement of contacts within the existing connector footprint by arranging GND and signal contacts in alternating sequences across multiple rows. This dimensional optimization allows balanced impedance to be achieved through better utilization of the available contact array space rather than expanding the connector dimensions.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector includes: a contact batch that is composed of two or more groups of contacts; an inner shield that electrically separates the two or more groups of contacts from each other; a body in which the contact batch and the inner shield are press-fitted and fixed; and a shell that covers the contact batch, the inner shield, and the body.