JP3987493B2 - Impedance adjusted connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates generally to connectors, and more particularly to connectors having improved impedance characteristics used to connect signal cables to printed circuit boards.

  Many electronic devices rely on transmission lines to transmit signals between related devices or between computer peripherals and circuit boards. These transmission lines include signal cables capable of high-speed data transmission.

  These signal cables use one or more pairs of wires twisted along the length of the cable, known as twisted pair wires, and each twisted pair is surrounded by an associated ground shield Yes. These twisted pairs typically receive complementary signal voltages. That is, one wire of the pair receives a signal of +1.0 [volt], and the other wire of the pair receives a signal of -1.0 [volt]. Thus, these wires are sometimes referred to as “differential” pairs, which are words that describe the different signals they carry. When the signal cable is extended along the path to the electronic device, it may pass by or near other electronic devices that emit an electric field. These other devices have the potential to cause electromagnetic interference to transmission lines such as the aforementioned signal cables. However, this twisted pair structure minimizes or reduces the induced electric field, thereby eliminating electromagnetic interference.

In order to maintain such a transmission line, i.e., from the cable to the circuitry of the associated electronic device, without loss of electrical performance, the entire transmission line (i.e., the cable, its connector, It is desirable to avoid a large discontinuity in the impedance of the transmission path by obtaining a substantially constant impedance (until the circuit is reached). As is well known, it is difficult to control the impedance of the connector at the connector fitting surface. This is because the impedance of a conventional connector usually varies through the connector or across the interface of two mating connector components. In electrical transmission lines such as cables, it is possible to maintain the desired impedance over the entire transmission line relatively easily by maintaining the specific structure of the signal conductor and ground shield, that is, the physical arrangement. Typically, impedance changes occur in the region where the connector with which the cable engages meets the printed circuit board. Accordingly, it is desirable to maintain the desired impedance throughout the connector and the connector connection to the cable.
In the differential signal connector disclosed in WIPO publication WO 01/06602 A1, differential signal terminal pairs are arranged at a height of the connector, and the associated ground for each differential signal pair is at a different height of the connector. Is positioned. Although this arrangement may control the impedance at the contact portion of the connector, the width of the differential signal terminal is the same as the width of the contact portion and the attachment portion in the main body portion of the connector. Therefore, the impedance in these areas of the connector must be adjusted by the spacing.
The connector described in US Pat. No. 6,059,581 is not used for differential signal applications and does not have a separate set of terminals with a ground terminal associated with a pair of differential signal terminals. . At first glance, the terminals used in this connector appear to be asymmetrical, but their width does not change asymmetrically around the central axis of the terminal, and after becoming wide, a uniform tail It is only gradually reduced to the width of. The width of the tail portion continues to the terminal body and the connector housing. Clearly, there is a need to further “tune” the impedance of the connector in this particular connector area by changing the structure of the signal terminals in the body in an I / O connector application.
The present invention relates to a connector structure in which the shape of a main body of a terminal is changed in order to adjust the impedance of the connector.

  Accordingly, the present invention relates to a connector structure that provides high performance and maintains the electrical characteristics of a transmission path until reaching a circuit board via the connector.

  It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved connector for high speed data transfer connections that minimizes impedance discontinuities at the connector to better match the impedance of the transmission line. That is.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved connector for making a high-performance connection between a mating connector connected to the end of a transmission line and a circuit board. Differential signal lines and associated ground, and the mating connector has at least two signal terminals and one ground terminal, and the connector has a pair of signal terminals and an associated ground terminal. The connector signal and ground terminals are arranged to reduce impedance discontinuities that occur when the connector is mated to the mating connector.

  A further object of the present invention is to “tune” the impedance of the connector by changing the size of the ground terminal and its position relative to the two signal lines, resulting in a preselected impedance throughout the connector. It is to provide such a connector.

  Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a connector for connecting a cable, such as an IEEE 1394 type, to a circuit board of an electronic device, the connector comprising a number of separate differentials equal to the number in the cable. The size of the connector's ground terminal and its position relative to the signal terminal of the connector are determined so as to have a signal line and an associated ground and to minimize impedance degradation at the connector.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide a connector that provides a connection between a connector coupled to a signal cable and a circuit board, the connector comprising a pair of differential signal terminals and the pair of signals. A ground terminal associated with the terminal, and the dimensions of the ground terminal are determined to control impedance at the connector. The ground terminal of the connector extends from the pair of signal terminals over the entire body of the connector. In addition to being spaced apart, a terminal contact portion and a body portion are provided to establish and maintain a desired electrical relationship between the three terminals.

  Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved performance connector for mating with a mating connector, the connector being positioned within the connector housing and two A ground terminal spaced from the associated signal terminal, the body portion of the ground terminal being larger than the corresponding body portion of the two signal terminals, when the connector is fitted to the mating cable connector In order to reduce the fluctuation level of the impedance generated in the connector, the ground terminal and the two signal terminals are arranged and maintained in a triangular shape in the contact of the connector and in the main body.

  To achieve the above objective, one main aspect of the present invention, illustrated by one embodiment, includes a connector for a circuit board, for each twisted pair wire in the signal cable to be coupled, It has a housing that supports three conductive terminals in a unique pattern of triplets, two of which transmit differential signals and the remaining terminals are differential signal line pairs. Is a ground terminal that serves as a ground plane or ground return. The arrangement of two differential signal terminals and their associated ground terminals within the board connector leads from the cable connector mating area through the connector body to the connector terminal tail attached to the circuit board. Until then, the impedance of the connector can be controlled more effectively.

  In this way, each triplet has a pair of signal terminals that are aligned side by side and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. The ground terminal for each differential signal terminal pair is separated from the two signal terminals, and there are two rows of terminal rows in the fitting region of the connector. The ground terminal includes a contact portion spaced from the contact portion of the signal terminal, and the main body portion of the ground terminal is spaced from the corresponding main body portion of the signal terminal. In this connection, the ground terminal is spaced from the two signal terminals in a vertical plane in which the body of the terminal extends, and the ground terminal is at least partially uncoupled from the differential signal terminal. And the impedance in the mating area is increased for correction.

  The width of the ground terminal and its spacing from the signal terminal are selected to obtain specific electrical characteristics such as capacitance, inductance, etc. that affect the impedance of the connector. The width of the ground terminal is increased in a fitting region along the contact portion of the terminal, and is increased in a transition portion between the contact portion of the terminal and the tail portion, that is, in a part of the main body portion. The main body portion of the ground terminal is separated from the main body portion of the signal terminal and lies in a different plane from the main body portion of the signal terminal, so that even if the width of the ground terminal is increased in the main body portion, Does not adversely affect the juxtaposition interval of the tail part of the terminal.

  This impedance adjustment terminal structure increases the possibility of reducing impedance discontinuities that occur in the connector without changing the pitch or fitting position of the differential signal terminals. Thus, this aspect of the invention is characterized as providing an “adjustable” terminal arrangement for each differential signal line pair and associated ground line arrangement found in cables and other circuits. Is appropriate. The width of the ground terminal decreases from the first width to the second width in the main body of the ground terminal. The body portion of the ground terminal is spaced from a pair of associated differential signal terminals, and the width of these differential signal terminals decreases from a first width to a second width along the body portion. The ground terminals preferably have a symmetrical shape and are aligned between the body portions of the differential signal terminals. The main body of the signal terminal is asymmetric along its extending direction, but when the connector is viewed from the back, the signal terminal is located on both sides of the ground terminal, and the ground terminal is lifted out of the plane from the differential signal terminal pair As shown, the signal terminals are disposed symmetrically.

  In another major aspect of the present invention, the connector has ground and signal terminals that maintain a predetermined spatial relationship that occurs between the three terminals in the mating area of the board connector. In order to do so, it is arranged in a three-seki shape. By using asymmetric signal terminals, the differential signal terminals are mainly coupled between them in the lower region where the width of the ground terminal is reduced. By increasing the width of the signal terminal along the main body, the width of the ground terminal in the same area, that is, the width of the ground terminal along the main body, is reduced in the area closest to the main body of the differential signal terminal. Can do. In this way, coupling occurs between the ground terminal and the signal terminal at their contact portions and along the body portion until the width of the ground terminal is reduced. In this regard, the signal terminals are further “uncoupled” with respect to the ground terminal, and the signal terminals are primarily connected to them in order to maintain the electrical relationship of the three terminals resulting in the correct overall impedance. Must be joined together. All three terminals eventually recombine at the tails of the ground and signal terminals, where the tails of the ground terminals lie between the tails of the two associated signal terminals.

  The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood in view of the following detailed description.

  In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like parts.

  The present invention relates to an improved connector particularly useful for enhancing the performance of high speed cables utilized in input / output (I / O) applications and other applications. The present invention attempts to improve the performance of the connector alone and in combination with the mating connector by taking measures to make the terminal end region of the connector mechanically and electrically uniform. Is.

  Many peripheral devices connected to video cameras, ie electronic devices such as camcorders, transmit digital signals and other signals at various frequencies. Other devices connected to the computer (for example, devices connected to the CPU portion in the computer) operate at high speed for data transmission. High speed cables are used to connect these peripheral devices to the CPU. Some applications may be used to connect two or more CPUs. Certain cables are sufficiently configured to carry these high-speed signals and typically include differential signal line pairs in the form of twisted pair wires or independent pair wires.

  One of the points to be considered in high-speed data transmission is signal degradation. This involves crosstalk and signal reflection that are affected by the impedance of the cable or connector. Crosstalk and signal reflection in the cable can be easily controlled by providing a shield (shield) or using a differential pair of signal lines. This is made more difficult by the wide variety of materials used in the company. The physical dimensions of connectors used in high-speed applications limit the extent to which connectors and terminal structures can be modified to obtain specific electrical performance.

  Impedance mismatch in the transmission path causes signal reflection that often causes signal loss or loss. Therefore, in order to maintain the integrity of the transmitted signal, it is required to keep the impedance constant over the entire signal path. The connector is the end of the cable and provides a means of transmitting the transmitted signal to the circuit on the printed circuit board of the device, but such a connector is usually not very well controlled for impedance. It changes significantly from the impedance of the cable. Impedance mismatch between the connector and the cable results in transmission errors, bandwidth limitations, and the like.

  FIG. 17 illustrates the impedance discontinuity that occurs in a conventional plug and receptacle connector assembly used in signal cables. The impedance of the signal cable is close to a constant value, that is, a reference value as indicated by 51 in FIG. The deviation from the reference value is indicated by a thick solid line 50. The impedance of the cable substantially matches the impedance of the circuit board 52 shown on the left side of FIG. 17 and on the left side of the axis indicating “printed circuit board termination”. The vertical axis “M” represents a socket, that is, a termination point between the receptacle connector and the printed circuit board. The vertical axis “N” represents a boundary surface between two fitting connectors, that is, a plug connector and a socket connector. The vertical axis “P” represents the point where the plug connector is terminated on the cable.

  Curve 50 in FIG. 17 shows a typical impedance “discontinuity” for a conventional connector, with three peaks and valleys occurring, as shown, these peaks or valleys being the distance from the baseline ( Or values) H1, H2, H3. These distances are measured in ohms, with the origin of the vertical axis intersecting the horizontal “distance” axis being zero (0) [ohms]. In these conventional connector assemblies, the high impedance, denoted H1, typically reaches about 150 [Ohm]. The low impedance indicated by H2 is usually reduced to about 60 [Ohm]. This large discontinuity of about 90 ohms between H1 and H2 affects the electrical performance of the connector with respect to the printed circuit board or cable.

  The present invention relates to a board connector particularly useful for I / O (input / output) applications. The connector has an improved structure so that the impedance of the connector can be set by imitating the cable to which the connector is connected, thereby reducing the discontinuity. The connector of the present invention can be “tuned” by a design to improve the electrical performance of the connector.

  Referring to FIG. 16A, an example of an “internal” environment in which the present invention is particularly useful is depicted. In this environment, the connector of the present invention is disposed inside the outer wall 108 of an electronic device such as the computer 101. Therefore, it is called “inside”. The connector of the present invention can also be used for “external” applications as shown in FIG. 16B. In this “external” application, one connector 110 is attached to the circuit board 102, but a portion of it extends through the outer wall 108 of the device 101, so that the user can A connector 110 can be used. The connector assembly 100 includes a pair of first and second interengaging connectors, which are described herein as a receptacle (or socket) connector 110 and a plug connector 104. One of these two connectors 110 is attached to the printed circuit board 102 of the device 101, and the other connector 104 is usually connected to the end of a cable 105 extending to the peripheral device.

  FIG. 1 is a receptacle of the type described in US Pat. No. 6,280,209 issued on August 28, 2001 and owned by the assignee of the present invention, ie, the rear end of a socket connector 200. FIG. In order to make the figure easier to see, the insulating material that normally forms the connector housing has been removed. This type of socket, or receptacle connector, typically has a plurality of terminals 204 supported by an insulating housing (not shown), a portion of the housing being surrounded by a conductive metal shield 203. Terminals and leads from the metal shield extend downward at the back of the connector and terminate at the tail 205. The tail portion 205 is attached to conductive traces, ie, pads 207, disposed on the printed circuit board 208.

  In this type of configuration, the terminals are arranged in two groups, and the lower terminal group supported at the lower part of the connector housing is a differential signal terminal (one side of one or more channels) Means that the first line carries a positive voltage signal and the other line carries a negative voltage signal. The upper portion of the connector housing has and supports ground terminals associated with each signal channel, and auxiliary and status terminals as well as other terminals such as power output and power return. In this configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the terminal 204 is supported on the circuit board by the surface mounting or through-hole mounting, and the contact portion 206a that is supported by the connector housing and fits with the contact portion of the mating connector 104. And a main body portion 206b for connecting the contact portion and the tail portion to each other.

  As can be seen from FIG. 1, the body portions 206b of the terminals 204 of the upper and lower terminal groups are maintained in the same substantially vertical plane within a range reaching the circuit board. Conventionally, the main body has been maintained in the same plane by maintaining a desired dimensional relationship between each ground terminal and two differential signal terminals related thereto. However, in some cases, it becomes difficult to mold the terminal in this way and maintain the terminal in a single plane. Also, if the terminal body is maintained in a single plane as shown, the total width W of the connector 100 increases if an attempt is made to increase the size, ie width and surface area, of each signal channel ground terminal. Result.

  The present invention provides a solution to such problems. FIG. 3 illustrates a receptacle connector 300 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The best use of this connector is in a circuit board application, where the connector provides a means to connect a cable to a circuit 301 on the circuit board 302. This connector has two separate groups of terminals 305, 306, which are arranged in two separate rows, typically in the upper and lower rows of the connector 300. It is supported on two separate cantilever leaves of the housing. The connector housing is preferably surrounded by a conductive metal shield 310 that extends around the contact in the mating region of the connector 300 and provides an electrical shield. Providing a conductive surface electrically engageable with the shield of the mating connector.

  In the connector 300 of FIGS. 3-5, two signal channels are shown. Each signal channel has a pair of signal terminals. These signal terminals are connected to the differential signal circuit traces on the circuit board 302 and also to the terminals of the mating connector 104 by their tail portions. The terminal of the mating connector 104 is terminated at the cable 105 (the differential signal line in FIG. 16B. One signal channel “A” has two signal terminals SA1 and SA2 and an associated ground terminal GA. The other signal channel “B” includes two signal terminals SB1 and SB2 and an associated ground terminal GB, the signal terminals of the connector being as shown in the lower leaf of the connector housing. The ground terminal is preferably disposed on the upper leaf of the connector housing, and other terminals such as power output and return terminals 310, 312 and status or additional terminals 314 are also disposed on the upper leaf of the connector housing. It is preferable to install.

  7-12 show how the connector of the present invention is assembled. FIG. 7 shows a first terminal module, that is, an upper terminal module 320 including a main body portion 321 and a leaf portion 322 protruding forward from the main body portion. The leaf portion 322 includes a plurality of channels, that is, grooves 323, and a ground terminal, a power supply terminal, and an additional terminal are accommodated in the groove 323. The grooves 323 are typically separated from each other by an intermediate wall 324 made of the same material as the body and leaf, ie, typically an insulating dielectric material. FIG. 9 shows a second terminal module, that is, a lower terminal module 330 that similarly includes a main body portion 331 and a leaf portion 332 protruding from the main body portion. The leaf portion 332 supports the second separate terminal group, that is, the signal terminals SA1-2 and SB1-2, in a plane separated from the first terminal group, that is, the plane where the ground terminal exists. .

  The second terminal module 330 includes a second terminal group, that is, a series of grooves 333 that accommodate the signal terminals, and the leaf portion 332 includes a series of standing walls 334 that separate the grooves 333 from each other. . In addition, the leaf 332 may include a standing key portion 335 that separates the signal terminals of the respective channels and makes the connector have directionality.

  The two terminal modules 320 and 330 are assembled as shown in FIG. In this regard, the lower terminal module 330 may include a cavity 336 that receives a corresponding aligned protrusion 326 of the upper terminal module 320. When assembly is complete, the two terminal modules are assembled together to form the connector subassembly 340 shown in FIG. The conductive shield 310 may be attached to the subassembly 340 so as to extend around the terminal support leaf portions 332 and 322 of the two terminal modules 320 and 330. In order to hold the shield 310 in place on the subassembly 340, an insulating body 380 covers the two terminal modules 320, 330 and a portion of the shield 310 (eg, the shield holding tab 311). You may shape | mold. The main body 380 is indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. The main body 380 is preferably made of an insulating material, which fills the space between the ground and the signal terminal. If necessary, the main body 380 may be extended to cover a part of the tails 351 and 361 of the terminal.

  As described above, both terminal groups include defined contact portions 350 and 360 accommodated by the respective terminal modules 320 and 330, surface mounting as shown in FIG. 3, or through holes as shown in FIG. 16A. Tail portions 351 and 361 attached to the circuit trace by attachment, and terminal main body portions 352 and 362 for connecting the contact portions and the tail portions of the terminals to each other are provided. The tail portions 351 and 361 of the two terminal groups are alternately arranged. This means that the tail portions 361 of the signal terminals are spaced apart from each other to define a series of intervening spaces S (FIG. 9) that receive the tail portions 351 of the upper terminal group, and thus all of the tail portions 351, 361 are defined. However, in the case where the tail portions 351 and 361 are through-hole mounting tail portions, the mounting surfaces are vertical surfaces.

  In an important aspect of the present invention, the signal terminal and the ground terminal of the signal channel are maintained in a triangular relationship at both the contact portion and the main body portion, and therefore, each terminal group constituting one signal channel. Is called "triad" or "triplet". This relationship is shown in FIG. 12, where the ground terminal GB is located at the upper vertex of the virtual triangle T, and the signal terminals SB1 and SB2 of this channel are located at the two lower vertices of the triangle. This triangular relationship is important because the dimensions between the signal and ground terminals can change with the dimensions of the signal channel ground terminals to increase capacitive and inductive coupling between the terminals. is there. As the capacitance increases, the impedance of the signal channel decreases. Similarly, manipulations between terminals and their relative dimensions affect the signal channel inductance, which in turn affects the signal channel impedance.

  Increasing the size of the ground terminal, especially its width, increases the surface area of the ground terminal and may increase the capacity of the signal channel due to the capacitive coupling that occurs between the two differential signal terminals and the ground terminal. I understand. In the conventional connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the increased width cannot be maintained by the vertical main body 352 of the ground terminal. In the connector of the present invention, the ground terminal body 206b is offset, or moved rearward, from its associated signal terminal body 362, preferably in its own plane. Accordingly, in the main body region, the surface area can be increased by making the width WG of the ground terminal wider than the width WS of the signal terminal. This increased surface area increases the capacity of the signal channel and reduces the overall impedance in that region of the connector.

  Further, by separating the ground terminal from the plane of the signal terminal (ie, positioning the ground terminal in a vertical plane spaced from the plane in which the signal terminal is located), as indicated by the virtual triangle T in FIG. The triangle relationship is maintained, and the signal terminal and the ground terminal are the vertices of the triangle. In this way, when the connector is viewed from the back as shown in FIG. 4, it can be considered that the ground terminal GB extends between the two signal terminals SB1 and SB2, but the outside of the ground terminal GB. The edge OE preferably overlaps the inner edge IE of its associated signal terminal. This dimensional difference maintains the same element arrangement as seen in the mating area, i.e. in the area of the connector contact. With this physical relationship, the increase in impedance along line M in FIG. 18 can be reduced from H1 to H11.

  Further, the position of the ground terminal in the out-of-plane arrangement makes it easier to manufacture the connector of the present invention than expected. The two terminal groups are insert molded into the corresponding support terminal modules 320, 330, followed by molding, and the process of bending the first terminal group, ie, ground and power terminals, to their second plane is higher. Done with reliability. In order to facilitate this molding process, the first terminal may have a support member 370 molded on the terminal, as shown in FIG. The support member 370 maintains the terminals in a spaced apart arrangement and provides a contact point for the molded member. The molded member is brought into contact with the first terminal group as a whole assembly and molded at a final position offset from the first terminal group. Further, in order to define the capacity of the signal channel, the intervening space “X” between adjacent terminals in the upper terminal group, that is, the second terminal group, contains an insulating material, typically the first terminal module 320. It may be filled with the same material as that used for molding. The dielectric constant of this material is selected to provide a specific capacitance between each of the three terminals of each triplet. The connector body 380 is molded over these terminals and the material fills the vertical space between the ground and signal terminals 352,362. The insulating material used to form the body 380 is selected based on the dielectric constant required in this region (the portion “F” in FIG. 15 is best seen).

  In addition, the signal and ground terminal tails of the connector are maintained in a single plane, especially for surface mount applications (in a through-hole mount application, the terminal tail and body sections are aligned. You will see that they are in the same plane). This plane is substantially parallel to the plane of their corresponding contact blade portions 350, 360. Thus, the present invention maintains the signal channel terminal body and tail in two different planes, and all of the terminal bodies are maintained in the same plane as shown in FIGS. A means for improving the density of the connector as compared to the connector is provided.

  With this structure, each differential signal terminal pair of a cable or circuit has an independent ground terminal associated with it, and the ground terminal extends through the connector, so that in terms of electrical performance, the cable And a plug connector coupled thereto. With such a structure, the position of the ground viewed from the signal line of the cable is the same over the entire length of the cable, and is substantially the same up to the circuit board through the boundary surface of the receptacle connector. This connector interface is shown schematically in FIG. 18 and is considered to be divided into four different regions I-IV in terms of impedance and electrical performance of the connection assembly or the entire system. A region I shows the cable 105 and its structure, and a region II shows a termination region between the cable connector 104 and the cable 105 when the cable is terminated by the connector. A region III indicates a fitting region that exists between the cable connector and the board connector 110, and the fitting region includes the fitting main body portions of the connectors 104 and 110. A region IV indicates a region including a terminal end between the board connector 110 and the circuit board 103. Lines “P”, “N” and “M” in FIG. 17 are superimposed on FIG. 18 so that both figures can be easily associated.

  It is important that capacitive coupling be provided between the three terminals by the presence of ground associated with the signal terminals. This coupling is a factor that affects the final total impedance of the connector terminals. When the terminal is a triple, resistance, terminal material, and self-inductance are factors that affect the overall characteristic impedance of the connector. As discussed above and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the width of the ground terminal body 352 is sufficiently large so that the ground terminal body covers a portion of the signal terminal body 362. , Extending at least partially overlapping. It is preferred that a portion of the ground terminal always expands, i.e. overlaps, over a portion of at least one of the signal terminals associated with that particular signal channel. In another example, the ground terminal may lie or touch between virtual lines drawn upward from the side edge of the signal terminal. Since the main body of the ground terminal is wide, it has a larger surface area than the surface area of the corresponding signal terminal main body, and the ground terminal main body is larger in the region above the signal terminal main body, In addition, an overlapping contact fitting region is provided. Furthermore, since the width of the ground terminal is increased in the main body, the ground terminal can be made more robust, and the additional advantage that they can be easily formed is also provided.

  In the region of ground and signal terminal contacts 350, 360 located at the mating boundary of region III in FIG. 18, the overall plate size of the ground terminal is increased compared to the plate size of the associated signal terminal. Thereby, the impedance of the connector is preferably reduced. Similarly, in the second plane where the spaced signal and ground terminal body portions 352, 362 exist, the spacing between the ground terminal and the signal terminal is increased, but the size of the ground terminal is increased. As compared with the type of connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrical influence of the connector, that is, the capacity of the connector is increased and the influence of the reduced impedance is maintained.

  This tunability effect is illustrated in FIG. 17, which shows that the overall impedance discontinuity that occurs in the connector assembly is reduced. The impedance discontinuity expected to occur in the connector of the present invention is shown by the dashed line 60 in FIG. The solid line in FIG. 17 represents a typical impedance discontinuity expected to occur in the connector system of FIG. When the broken line and the solid line are compared, the discontinuity peaks and valley sizes H11, H22, and H33 are greatly reduced. The present invention is believed to be able to significantly reduce the overall discontinuity that has occurred with conventional connector assemblies. In some applications, the maximum level of discontinuity would be about 135 [Ohm] (H11) and the minimum level of discontinuity would be about 85 [Ohm] (H22). The target reference impedance of the connector of the present invention will be about 110 [Ohm] and the tolerance will be about +/− 25 [Ohm]. Accordingly, the connector of the present invention has a discontinuity of about 50 [Ohms] as a whole (difference between H11 and H22), and 50 [Omega] compared to the conventional discontinuity described above (about 90 [Ohms]). %] Nearly decreases.

  FIG. 19 shows another embodiment 400 of a terminal structure that can be utilized in the connector of the present invention. This embodiment 400 differs from the previously described embodiment in that it uses an asymmetric signal terminal arrangement. In the connectors of FIGS. 3 to 16, the width of the signal terminal is substantially constant over the entire length in both the contact portion 360 and the main body portion 362. It has been found that the impedance of the connector can be further controlled by making the signal terminal asymmetric along its length. This asymmetry is illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20, where the signal terminal 405 comprises a contact portion 406, a tail portion 407, and a body portion or transition portion 408 that interconnects the contact portion 406 and the tail portion 407. I can see that The signal terminal contact portion 406 and the main body portion 408 are spaced apart from each other and from the contact portion and the main body portion of the associated ground terminal 420. Asymmetry is imparted by making the width of the signal terminal 405 the first predetermined width Q over substantially the entire length of the contact portion 406 of the signal terminal 405. As best shown in FIG. 19, this width is reduced or tapered or narrowed to another width. In its body 408, the width Q has been reduced to another narrower width G, the second width, which is typically used from the width G to the tail 407 of the signal terminal. The width may be further reduced to a narrower width Y.

  FIG. 20 shows the asymmetry seen from the back side of the terminal structure, where the first width change (Q to G) occurs in the contact region 406 and the second width change (G to Y) is the terminal. It can be seen that this occurs in the vertical main body 408. As used herein, the usual definitions apply to the terms “asymmetric” or “asymmetric”. That is, when the virtual center line is drawn in the longitudinal direction of the terminal, the terminal portions located on both sides of the virtual center line are different from each other and do not have a mirror image relationship. These signal terminals have more material in the signal terminal body 408 and, in contrast to the impedance between the signal terminals (in common mode) and their ground terminals (in differential impedance mode). (Ii) It differs from the signal terminals of the other embodiments in that it affects the impedance of the connector structure between the signal terminals.

  The use of asymmetric signal terminals in the connector of the present invention has yielded advantageous and unexpected results. The differential signal terminals are coupled to each other along a portion of the main body portion, mainly in a region disposed directly below the position where the width of the ground terminal decreases. This is illustrated in FIG. The ground terminal is wide at the contact and lifted from the plane of the signal terminal, thereby reducing the capacitive coupling that occurs between the contact of the ground terminal and the contact of the two differential signal terminals And controlled. This is shown in the upper area of FIG. 20 labeled “Join”. The width of the ground terminals is reduced at their body, and up to this point, there is mainly a coupling between the ground terminals and their associated differential signal terminals.

  However, the width of the main body portion of the ground terminal is reduced to the second width at a certain position in the main body portion. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the position is above the contact portion of the signal terminal and the position where the width of the signal terminal is reduced from Q to G, typically the contact portion of the terminal is the main body portion. It is the upper side of the position to change to. By increasing the width of the signal terminals along their body parts, the width of the ground terminals in the same area, i.e., the ground terminals along the body parts, is reduced in the area closest to the body part of the differential signal terminals. be able to. In this way, coupling occurs between the ground terminal and the signal terminal at their contact portions and along the body portion until the width of the ground terminal is reduced. In this regard, the signal terminals are “uncoupled” with respect to the ground terminal and are primarily coupled between each other. This is displayed as “non-bonded” in FIG. All three terminals eventually recombine at the tails of the ground and signal terminals, and the tails of the ground terminals lie between the tails of the two associated signal terminals, this region being shown in FIG. Is displayed as “join”.

  By returning the ground terminal to the same mounting plane as the signal terminal, i.e., the tail region, the ground terminal "recombines" with its two associated differential signal terminals in the tail region where inductance typically increases. Is done. This increases the coupling in the signal channel and can reduce the increase in impedance normally caused by inductance.

  While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Will.

It is a perspective view which shows the known terminal arrangement | positioning for controlling the impedance of a board | substrate connector. It is a rear view which shows terminal arrangement | positioning of the board | substrate connector of FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of a terminal and shield structure intended for use with a board connector constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. It is a rear view of the terminal and shield structure of FIG. It is a top view of the terminal and shield structure of FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, where the rear body portion of the connector is shown in phantom lines for ease of viewing. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first terminal housing element that supports a first terminal group of a connector including a ground terminal of the connector. FIG. 8 is a front view of the terminal housing element of FIG. 7. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a second terminal housing element that supports a second terminal group including a differential signal terminal of the connector and is engageable with the first terminal housing element of FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a front view of the second terminal housing element of FIG. 9. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connector assembly with the first and second terminal housing elements engaged with each other and the terminals molded into a final shape. It is a front view of the connector assembly of FIG. It is a perspective view of the connector assembly of Drawing 11, and shows the state where the 1st conductive shield was provided in a part of the assembly. It is the perspective view seen from the back side of the connector of FIG. 13, and shows the state by which the main-body part was shape | molded so that a part of the terminal module and connector internal shield might be covered. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 14 taken along line 15-15. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electronic device showing an “internal” application of a connector of the present invention. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electronic device showing an “external” application of a connector of the present invention. 6 is a table showing typical impedance discontinuities that occur in a cable board connector and impedance discontinuities in a system using the connector of the present invention. In the cable board connector assembly diagram, the various regions of the assembly are shown in association with the table of FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative terminal structure used in the connector of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a plan view of the back surface of the terminal structure of FIG. 19, showing a state in which the terminal is taken out from the terminal module for easy viewing of the drawing and positioned at a predetermined position so that the shield surrounds the terminal.

Claims (12)

A connector assembly for making a connection between a first electronic component and a second electronic component, each comprising at least a pair of differential signal circuits and an associated ground circuit, the connector assembly comprising:
A first connector and a second connector, wherein the first connector and the second connector are connected to each other so as to connect between the first electronic component and the second electronic component. Engageable,
The first and second connectors include respective first conductive differential signal terminal pairs (405) that engage each other when the first and second connectors are engaged, and The first and second connectors include respective ground terminals (420) associated with each of the first differential signal terminal pairs (405), the respective ground terminals (420) being the first and second connectors. When the second connectors are engaged with each other,
Each of the ground and differential signal terminals (420, 405) of the first connector includes a contact portion (406), an attachment portion (407), and the contact portion (406) and the attachment portion (407). A connector assembly comprising a connecting body (408), wherein the ground and signal terminal contacts (406) are spaced apart from each other and extend in first and second separate planes;
The grounding and signal terminal body portions are spaced apart from each other, and the first and second planes are arranged such that the grounding and differential signal terminal contact portions and the body portion extend at an angle to each other. The differential signal terminals extend in third and fourth separate planes intersecting each other, and each of the differential signal terminals has an asymmetric shape throughout the entire body of the signal terminals. Assembly body.   Each of the contact portions (406) of the differential signal terminal has a first width (Q), each of the body portions (408) of the differential signal terminal has a second width (G), and the difference The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the moving signal terminal attachment portions (407) comprises a third width (Y).   The connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein the first width (Q) is greater than the second width (G), and the second width (G) is greater than the third width (Y). body.   The first width (Q) gradually decreases to the second width (G) in each of the contact portions (406), and the second width (G) is decreased in each of the main body portions (Y). The connector assembly according to claim 3, which gradually decreases to a width (Y) of three.   The contact portion (406) of the ground terminal has a first width (G), and the first width is the height of the main body portion (408) of the ground terminal at a height position above the second plane. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the connector assembly is reduced to a width (Q) of two.   The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second planes are parallel and the third and fourth planes are parallel.   The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion of the ground terminal is continuous. The first width (Q) of the contact portion of the differential signal terminal gradually decreases to the second width (G) in the second plane, and the second width ( The connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein G) gradually decreases to the third width (Y) in the third plane. An electronic component connector (300) including at least a pair of differential signal circuits and an associated ground circuit, wherein the connector (300) includes at least a pair (A) of conductive differential signal terminals (SA1, SA2). And at least one ground terminal (GA),
Each of the differential signal terminals (SA1, SA2) includes a contact portion (360), an attachment portion (361), and a main body portion (362) interconnecting the contact portion (360) and the attachment portion (361). The contact portion (360) of the differential signal terminal extends in a first plane, and the main body portion (362) of the differential signal terminal is substantially orthogonal to the first plane. Extending in the second plane,
The ground terminal (GA) is associated with the pair of differential signal terminals (SA1, SA2), and the ground terminal (GA) includes a contact portion (350), an attachment portion (351), and the contact portion and the attachment portion. A main body portion (352) interconnecting with the main body (351), the contact portion (350) of the ground terminal extending in a third plane, and the main body portion (352) of the ground terminal is Extending in a fourth plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of
The first plane is substantially parallel to the third plane and spaced from the third plane; the second plane is substantially parallel to the fourth plane; and , Spaced apart from the fourth plane, and the contact portion (350) of the ground terminal has a first width, the first width being at a height above the first plane of the ground terminal. Each of the contact portions (360) of the differential signal terminal is gradually reduced to a second width in the body portion (352), and each of the contact portions (360) of the differential signal terminal has a width larger than each width of the body portion (362) of the signal terminal. The width of the main body is larger than the width of each of the differential signal terminal mounting portions (361).   The connector according to claim 9, wherein the body portions (362) of the differential signal terminals maintain an asymmetric relationship with each other.   10. The connector according to claim 9, wherein the width of the contact portion is gradually reduced to the width of the main body in each of the contact portions (360) of the differential signal terminal.   The connector according to claim 9, wherein the width of the main body portion is gradually reduced to the width of the attachment portion in each of the main body portions (360) of the differential signal terminals.

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