Oblique Cable Connector Layout for Low-Profile PCB Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connectors often have a high profile and large footprint due to their right-angle orientation, which can limit their integration density and increase the height when mounted on substrates like printed circuit boards, making them less suitable for high-density data communication systems.
Innovation Solution
The design features a connector housing with a mounting interface oriented perpendicular to a cable interface, where electrical contacts extend in oblique paths from mounting ends to cable attachment ends, allowing for a lower profile and higher density configuration by routing cables and contacts in a way that reduces the overall height and footprint on the substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If right-angle orientation is used for electrical contacts, then ease of manufacture is improved, but height and footprint increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional right-angle orientation (two-dimensional layout) to an oblique three-dimensional path for electrical contacts. The contacts extend at angles between 0-45 degrees relative to the substrate plane, utilizing the vertical dimension to reduce footprint while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized oblique routing patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the orientation parameter of electrical contacts from fixed right-angle (90 degrees) to variable oblique angles (0-45 degrees relative to substrate). This parameter modification allows optimization of both height and footprint dimensions while preserving the fundamental right-angle connector housing structure for ease of manufacture.
2Ease of manufacture
If right-angle orientation is used for electrical contacts, then ease of manufacture is improved, but integration density decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By routing electrical contacts along oblique three-dimensional paths instead of conventional two-dimensional right-angle layouts, the patent increases the number of signal pairs that can be packed into the same footprint. The oblique orientation allows more efficient spatial arrangement, achieving up to 64 differential signal pairs in a compact configuration.
3Length of stationary object
If oblique paths are used for electrical contacts, then height and footprint are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the electrical contact path into distinct functional zones: mounting ends on substrate, oblique extension paths through connector housing, and cable attachment ends. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently while maintaining overall simplicity through modular assembly procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetric oblique routing where electrical contacts extend at specific angles (0-45 degrees) rather than symmetric right-angles. This asymmetric configuration reduces height and footprint while the angles are chosen to maintain manufacturing simplicity and assembly compatibility with standard connector housings.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes a connector housing and a plurality of electrical contacts supported by the connector housing. The electrical contacts are oriented oblique to a mounting interface of the connector housing that mounts to an underlying substrate. The electrical connector can further include a plurality of electrical cables mounted to the electrical contacts. The electrical cables can extend from the electrical contacts along a direction oblique to the mounting interface.