Shielded Connector Vertical Wall Finger Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shielded connectors face challenges in maintaining effective electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance as signaling frequencies increase, due to increased power requirements and sensitivity to external noise, with existing designs often inhibiting signal trace routing and emitting EMI.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a vertical wall that engages a shield on three sides of the housing, coupled to a ground plane, with a plurality of fingers spaced to minimize EMI radiation, allowing for reliable grounding and flexible signal routing while maintaining high EMI performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If signaling frequency is increased to achieve higher data rates, then productivity is improved, but electromagnetic interference performance deteriorates due to increased EMI radiation and sensitivity to external noise
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is segmented into multiple sections with gaps between them, allowing signal traces to pass through while maintaining EMI shielding effectiveness. The vertical wall is divided into multiple fingers spaced apart, creating a segmented structure that reduces EMI radiation while preserving grounding functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the connector are assigned different functions: the vertical wall provides localized grounding and shielding where EMI is most critical, while gaps and openings are positioned specifically to allow signal trace routing. The shield structure is optimized locally to balance EMI protection with signal transmission requirements.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a continuous shield structure is used to improve EMI performance, then EMI shielding is improved, but signal trace routing becomes difficult and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous shield is replaced with a segmented structure featuring gaps and spaced fingers. This segmentation allows signal traces to route through the shield structure without requiring complex bypass designs, while the segmented shield maintains EMI shielding effectiveness through distributed grounding points.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield structure transitions from a two-dimensional planar shield to a three-dimensional vertical wall with fingers extending in multiple directions. This dimensional change allows signal traces to pass through gaps in the vertical wall while the fingers provide distributed EMI shielding along the signal path.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If fingers are spaced closer together to improve EMI performance, then EMI shielding is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase and signal routing flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than requiring uniformly close spacing of all fingers, the design uses a moderate spacing that is sufficient for the intended frequency range. This partial action approach achieves adequate EMI shielding without the excessive manufacturing precision requirements that would result from uniformly tight spacing throughout the entire structure.
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 solution provides improved EMI performance and flexible signal routing by ensuring a consistent shield connection to the ground plane, reducing EMI radiation and allowing for closer finger spacing to manage higher signaling frequencies effectively.
Implementation Method 1
A connector with a housing positioned in a shield includes a vertical wall that engages the shield on three sides of housing
Implementation Method 2
The vertical wall may include a lip that can be surface mounted directly on a circuit board and coupled to a ground plane thereof
Data Source
AI summary
A connector includes a housing positioned in a cage. A vertical wall is positioned around the housing and is soldered to a printed circuit board that is supporting the connector. The vertical wall includes a plurality of fingers that are configured to engage the cage. The fingers are positioned at intervals such that the distance between the fingers acts to control the frequencies of EMI that emit from the connector.