Mezzanine Connector Terminal Brick Modular Design
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mezzanine-style connectors face challenges in achieving high-density pin configurations while maintaining performance at higher frequencies, as design variations for different applications require extensive and costly tooling to accommodate diverse spacing and terminal requirements.
Innovation Solution
A modular housing design with adjustable sections and terminal bricks that include a pod and ground terminal, allowing for customizable orientation and spacing, along with signal and ground terminals with specific structural features to maintain consistent impedance and reduce stress during mating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If mezzanine connectors are designed with increased pin density, then the number of pins per square inch increases, but performance at higher frequencies deteriorates due to significant impedance control challenges and signal integrity issues
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into modular terminal bricks that can be independently designed and assembled. Each terminal brick contains a specific number of terminals arranged in a controlled manner, allowing the overall connector to achieve high density while maintaining proper spacing and impedance control within each module. This segmentation enables scalable density without compromising signal integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal bricks incorporate locally optimized structures including ground terminals positioned adjacent to signal terminals, U-shaped ground terminals for enhanced shielding, and carefully controlled trace geometries. These local quality improvements ensure consistent impedance control and reduced crosstalk even as overall pin density increases across the connector.
2Adaptability or versatility
If mezzanine connectors are designed for different spacing and terminal requirements, then adaptability to various applications improves, but manufacturing complexity and tooling costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal brick design serves multiple functions: it provides a standardized modular unit that can be repeated to achieve different densities, incorporates both signal and ground terminals in a unified structure, and enables various spacing configurations through simple repetition of the basic module. This universality allows a single tooling design to produce connectors for multiple applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector design allows dynamic adjustment of overall density and spacing by varying the number of terminal bricks used rather than requiring different tooling for each configuration. The modular nature enables flexible adaptation to different application requirements while maintaining consistent manufacturing processes and tooling.
3Quantity of substance
If terminal spacing is reduced to achieve higher density, then pin count per area increases, but impedance control becomes more difficult and signal integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal brick structure nests ground terminals around signal terminals in a U-shaped configuration, creating a shielded environment for each signal path. This nested arrangement maintains controlled impedance by providing consistent reference planes and ground return paths even when terminals are densely packed, effectively isolating each signal from adjacent interference.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector is provided that includes a first housing that supports first terminal bricks. The first housing can mate with a second housing that supports second terminal bricks that are configured to mate with the first terminal bricks. The first housing and first terminal bricks can be adjusted so that a variety of spacing requirements can be meet by the combination of the first and second housings while allowing for reduced tooling investment.