Folded High-Speed Terminals Reduce Crosstalk in USB Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-speed USB connectors face issues with crosstalk between high-speed differential signal terminals and between high-speed and low-speed terminals, as well as signal transfer delays due to mutual inductance and capacitive coupling, which are not adequately addressed in current designs.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector design includes a shield, an insulator body, and terminals with a folded connection portion of high-speed differential signal terminals to increase spacing and reduce capacitive coupling, and a wider ground terminal to minimize inductive coupling, along with an exposed terminal configuration to decrease dielectric constant and enhance signal transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the connection portion of high-speed differential signal terminals extends in a straight line parallel to low-speed terminals, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but capacitive coupling crosstalk occurs between high-speed and low-speed terminals due to small spacing
Solution Approach 1:
The connection portion of the high-speed differential signal terminal includes a folded section that deviates from a straight line, creating a non-linear path. This folded configuration increases the spacing between high-speed and low-speed terminals, thereby reducing capacitive coupling crosstalk while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The connection portion is folded in a direction away from the low-speed terminal row, utilizing the third dimension (vertical or lateral folding) to increase spacing without increasing the horizontal footprint, thus reducing capacitive coupling while maintaining compact connector design
2Ease of manufacture
If the ground terminal has the same width as high-speed differential signal terminals, then the terminal structure is uniform and easy to manufacture, but large mutual inductance is generated causing inductive coupling crosstalk between high-speed differential signal terminals
Solution Approach 1:
The ground terminal is designed with a width that is greater than the width of the high-speed differential signal terminals, creating a local variation in terminal dimensions. This wider ground terminal configuration reduces the mutual inductance between adjacent high-speed differential signal terminals, thereby minimizing inductive coupling crosstalk
3Reliability
If high-speed differential signal terminals are enclosed in plastic insulation body, then the connector structure is complete and protected, but the high dielectric constant of plastic causes signal transfer delay
Solution Approach 1:
The connector structure is divided into two distinct regions: an exposed region where high-speed differential signal terminals are not enclosed by plastic insulation body, and an enclosed region where other terminals are protected. This segmentation allows high-speed signals to propagate through air (lower dielectric constant) reducing signal transfer delay, while other terminals maintain protection from the plastic insulation body
Solution Approach 2:
The high-speed differential signal terminals are extracted from the plastic insulation body enclosure, creating an exposed terminal configuration. This removal of plastic insulation around high-speed terminals eliminates the high dielectric constant effect, thereby reducing signal transfer delay while the rest of the connector maintains its protective enclosure
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 design effectively reduces crosstalk and signal transfer delays by minimizing mutual inductance and capacitive coupling, ensuring reliable high-speed signal transmission compliant with USB 3.0 standards while maintaining compatibility with USB 2.0 for low-speed signals.
Implementation Method 1
causing capacitive coupling crosstalk between the high speed circuit terminals 220 and the low speed circuit terminals 210
Implementation Method 2
there is a relative large mutual inductance generated in the high speed circuit, causing inductive coupling crosstalk between the two pairs of high speed differential signal terminals
Implementation Method 3
each of high speed differential signal terminals has a relative high dielectric constant, causing a signal transfer delay of the high speed differential signal terminal during transmitting signals
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector including an insulator body, a shield, and an upper and lower rows of terminals held in the insulator body. One of the two rows of terminals is a row of low speed circuit terminals, and the other one is a row of high speed circuit terminals. The row of high speed circuit terminals includes two pairs of high speed differential signal terminals, and each of the high speed differential signal terminals has a contact portion, an insertion portion and a connection portion between the contact portion and the insertion portion. A part of the connection portion of the high speed differential signal terminal is folded away from the low speed circuit terminal to form a folding section. It increases the space between the high speed differential signal terminal and the low speed circuit terminal and effectively reduces the capacitive coupling crosstalk therebetween.