FPC Connector Pin Arrangement Impedance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
High operation frequencies in electronic devices, such as USB 3.0, SATA, HDMI, and PCIE, lead to significant impedance mismatch issues in flexible printed circuit (FPC) connectors, causing performance malfunctions and compatibility problems due to capacitive coupling effects between differential and ground pins.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating middle not-connected (NC) pins between differential and ground pins in the FPC connector pin arrangement to increase the distance between these pins, thereby enhancing the differential characteristic impedance and reducing impedance mismatch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the FPC connector uses a universal design without impedance control, then the device cost is reduced and device appearance is miniaturized, but impedance mismatch occurs at high operation frequencies causing performance malfunction and compatibility issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by introducing NC pins specifically in the pin lane containing differential pairs, while other pin lanes maintain conventional designs. This localized modification targets the impedance control issue in high-speed signal transmission without redesigning the entire connector, thus balancing complexity reduction with reliability improvement for critical signal paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of pin arrangement by inserting NC pins between differential pins and ground pins, which alters the capacitive coupling parameters and increases differential characteristic impedance. This parameter change enables impedance control in the connector to match the FPC impedance, resolving the impedance mismatch issue at high frequencies while maintaining universal connector design.
2Volume of moving object
If the distance between differential pins and ground pins is reduced, then the device appearance is miniaturized, but capacitive coupling effect increases causing impedance mismatch
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses NC pins as intermediary elements inserted between differential pins and ground pins. These NC pins act as spacers that increase the distance between differential pins and ground pins, thereby reducing capacitive coupling effects. The NC pins serve as a mediating structure that enables miniaturization while mitigating the harmful capacitive coupling at high frequencies.
3Manufacturing precision
If NC pins are added between differential pins and ground pins, then differential characteristic impedance is improved and impedance mismatch is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the pin lane into distinct sections with NC pins inserted at specific locations between differential pins and ground pins. This segmented approach allows precise control of impedance in critical areas while maintaining conventional designs in other areas, thus achieving manufacturing precision for impedance control without unnecessarily increasing overall device complexity.
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
The addition of NC pins improves the differential characteristic impedance, leading to better signal transmission quality with reduced return loss and insertion loss, enhancing the overall performance and compatibility of high-speed signal transmission.
Implementation Method 1
impedance mismatch issues in flexible printed circuit (FPC) connectors, causing performance malfunctions and compatibility problems due to capacitive coupling effects between differential and ground pins
Data Source
AI summary
A pin arrangement adapted to a FPC connector is provided. The pin arrangement includes a pin lane (110). The pin lane (110) includes a pair of ground pins (112), a pair of differential pins (114) and at least one not-connected (NC) pin (116). The differential pins (114) are located between the pair of ground pins (112). The at least one NC pin (116) is located between the pair of differential pins (114) and optionally there is a pair of NC pins (118) respectively located between one of the pair of ground pins (112) and one of the pair of differential pins (114) adjacent thereto. By adding the at least one NC pin (116) between the pair of differential pins (114), and optionally between the differential pin (114) and the ground pin (112) adjacent thereto, a distance between each of the pair of the differential pins (114), and optionally between the differential pin (114) and the ground pin (112) is increased, and thus a differential characteristic impedance of the pair of differential pins (114) is raised to reduce the impact of impedance mismatch.