Connector Shielding Segmentation for Impedance Matching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional connectors fail to provide effective impedance matching when connecting shielded and non-shielded cables, leading to deterioration of transmission characteristics, especially when high-speed signals are transmitted.

Innovation Solution

A connector assembly that includes a board connector and a cable connector, where the cable connector shields contacts connected to the core wires of the shielded cable, and the board connector shields contacts connected to the cable connector, ensuring impedance matching and excellent transmission characteristics.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a conventional connector is used to connect both shielded and non-shielded cables, then both cable types can be connected as an integrated unit, but impedance matching cannot be achieved and transmission characteristics deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveability to connect both shielded and non-shielded cablesVSAvoidtransmission characteristics
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The connector is segmented into distinct shielded and non-shielded terminal sections. The shielded terminal (3) separately houses the core-wire terminal (3a) and external conductor terminal (3c), while the non-shielded terminal (5) is separately positioned. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized for its specific cable type, enabling proper impedance matching for shielded cables while maintaining connectivity for non-shielded cables, thus resolving the contradiction between versatility and transmission quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the connector are assigned different shielding properties according to the local requirements. The shielded terminal region provides electromagnetic shielding for the core-wire terminal and external conductor terminal, while the non-shielded terminal region remains open. This local differentiation allows the connector to simultaneously support both shielded and non-shielded cable connections with appropriate impedance characteristics for each.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Device complexity

If the lead-out terminal is not fully shielded, then the connector structure remains simple, but impedance mismatching occurs causing signal transmission deterioration

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnector structureVSAvoidimpedance matching
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The shielding structure is applied locally only where required - specifically around the core-wire terminal and external conductor terminal in the shielded terminal region. The non-shielded terminal region deliberately lacks shielding. This localized application of shielding achieves proper impedance matching for shielded cable connections without unnecessarily complicating the overall connector structure, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and impedance matching quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2840668B1Connector
Publication Date: 2016.05.25 JAPAN AVIATION ELECTRONICS IND LTD
  • EP2840668B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP2840668B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2E
  • EP2840668B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In a connector that includes a board connector mounted on a board and a cable connector attached to ends of both a shielded cable and a non-shielded cable and connected to the board connector, the cable connector includes contacts connected respectively to the core wires of the shielded cable and the non-shielded cable and a shield shell that surrounds only the contacts connected to the core wires of the shielded cable, and the board connector includes board contacts connected respectively to the contacts of the cable connector and a shield shell that surrounds only the board contacts connected to the contacts surrounded by the shield shell of the cable connector. The connector properly shields the contacts connected to the core wires of the shielded cable in both of the mutually connected connectors and makes it easy to perform impedance matching.