MXPA99007323A - High speed, high density electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A high speed, high density electrical connector for use with printed circuit boards. The connector is in two pieces with one piece having pins and shield plates and the other having socket type signal contacts and shield plates. The shields have a grounding arrangement which is adapted to control the electromagnetic fields, for various system architectures, simultaneous switching configurations and signal speeds, allowing all of the socket type signal contacts to be used for signal transmission. Additionally, at least one piece of the connector is manufactured from wafers, with each ground plane and signal column injection molded into components which, when combined, form a wafer. This construction allows very close spacing between adjacent columns of signal contacts as well as tightly controlled spacing between the signal contacts and the shields. It also allows for easy and flexible manufacture, such as a connector that has wafers intermixed in a configuration to accommodate single ended, point to point and differential applications.

Description

HIGH SPEED AND HIGH DENSITY ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to electrical connectors that are used to interconnect printed circuit boards and, more specifically with a method to simplify the manufacture of these connectors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Electrical connectors are used in many electronic systems. In general, it is easier and more economical to build a system on several printed circuit boards that are to be joined together with electrical connectors. A traditional arrangement for several printed circuit boards is that a printed circuit board serves as a back plane. Other printed circuit boards, called secondary boards, are connected through the back plane. A traditional back plane is a printed circuit board that has many connectors. The conductive traces on the printed circuit board are connected to the signal pins on the connectors, so that the signals can be routed between the connectors. Other printed circuit boards called "secondary boards" also contain connectors that connect to the rear plane connectors. In this way, the signals are routed between the secondary boards through the back plane. Secondary cards are normally plugged into the backplane - at a right angle. The connectors that are used for these applications contain a right angle bend and are usually called "right angle connectors". The connectors are also used in other configurations to interconnect printed circuit boards and even to connect cables to printed circuit boards. Sometimes, one or more small printed circuit boards are connected to another larger printed circuit board. The large printed circuit board is called the "mother board" and the printed circuit board that is plugged into it is called the secondary board. Also, boards of the same size are sometimes aligned in parallel. The connectors used in these applications are sometimes referred to as "stacking connectors" or "mezzanine connectors". Regardless of the exact application, the designs of electrical connectors in general have been needed to reflect the trends of the electronics industry. Electronic systems in general have become smaller and faster. They also handle much more data than the systems built just a few years ago. To meet the changing needs of these electronic systems, some electrical connectors include shielding members. Depending on their configuration, the shields could control the impedance or reduce the interference so that the signal contacts can be placed closer together. An early use of the shielding is shown in Japanese Patent Specification 49-6543 of Fujitsu, Ltd. dated February 15, 1974. U.S. Patent Nos. 4,632,476 and 4,806,107, both assigned to AT &T Bell Laboratories, show connector designs in which the shields are used between the columns of the signal contacts. These patents describe connectors in which the shields run parallel to the signal contacts through both the subboard and the backplane connectors. Cantilevered beams are used to make the electrical contacts between the shield and the rear plane connectors. Patents 5,433,617; 5,429,521; 5,429,520 and 5,433,618, all assigned to Framatome Connectors International, show a similar arrangement. The electrical connection between the rear plane and the shield is made, however, with a spring-type contact. Other connectors have the shield plate only inside the connector of the secondary card. Examples of these connector designs can be found in the patents 4,846,727; 4,975,084; 5,496,183; 5, 066,236, all of which are assigned to AMP, Inc. Another shield-only connector within the secondary board connector is shown in U.S. Patent 5,484,310, assigned to Teradyne, Inc. Another modification made to the connectors to accommodate changing requirements is that the connectors must be larger. In general, by increasing the size of a connector necessarily the manufacturing tolerances must be much more rigid. The uncoupling allowed between the pins in one half of the connector and the receptacles in the other is constant regardless of the size of the connector. However, this lack of constant coupling, or tolerance, becomes an increasingly smaller percentage of the overall length of the connector as the connector becomes larger. Therefore, manufacturing tolerances must be stiffer for larger connectors, which can increase manufacturing costs. One way to avoid this problem is to use modular connectors. Teradyne Connection Systems of Nashua, New Hampshire, United States of America, is a pioneer in a modular connector system called HD + ®, where the modules are organized in a stiffener. Each module has multiple columns of signal contacts, for example 15 or 20 columns. The modules are held together on a metal stiffener. Another modular connector system is shown in U.S. Patent 5,066,236 and 5,496,183. These patents describe "module terminals" with a single column of signal contacts. The module terminals are held in place in a plastic housing module. The plastic housing modules are held together with a one-piece metal shielding member. The shields can be placed between the module terminals as well. It would be highly desirable that a modular connector with an improved shielding configuration could be developed. It would also be desirable if the manufacturing operation were simpler. It would also be desirable if a design allowing easy intermixing of the differential and single-ended contacts could be developed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Taking into account the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide a high speed and high density connector. Another object of the present is to provide a modular connector that is easy to manufacture. Another object of the present is to provide a connector with low insertion force. Another object is to provide a connector that can be easily assembled to include signal contacts configured for differential signals or single-ended signals. The above objects and others are achieved with an electrical connector manufactured from a plurality of inserts. Each insert is made with a ground plane inserted during molding to form the housing. The housing has cavities into which the signal contacts are inserted. In a preferred embodiment, the signal contacts are also inserted by molding inside. of a second piece of accommodation. The two housing pieces are press fit to form a plate. The plates are held together on a metallic stiffener.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood in relation to the following more detailed description and to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a connector made according to the invention; Figure 2 is a shield plate model used in the connector of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view of the shield plate model of Figure 2 after it is inserted by molding into a housing member; Figure 4 is a signal contact pattern used in the connector of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a view of the signal contact pattern of Figure 4 after it has been molded into a housing member; Figure 6 is an alternative embodiment of the signal contact model of Figure 4, suitable for use in the elaboration of a differential module; Figures 7A-7C are operational views of a prior art connector; Figures 8A-8C are similar operational views of the connector of Figure 1; Figures 9A and 9B are signal backplane and backplane hole patterns for the single-ended and differential modes of the invention, respectively; and Figure 10 is a view of an alternative embodiment of the invention; Figure HA is an alternative embodiment of the plate 128 of Figure 1; Figure 11B is a cross-sectional view taken through line B-B of Figure HA; Figure 12 is an isometric view of a connector according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODE Figure 1 shows an exploded view of the rear plane unit 100. The rear plane 110 has a pin head 114 attached thereto. The secondary card 112 has a secondary card connector 116 attached thereto. The secondary card connector 116 can be coupled with the head 114 of the pin to form a connector. The rear plane unit also has many other pinheads attached thereto so that several secondary cards can be connected thereto. In addition, many pinheads can be aligned end to end, so that many pinheads can be used to connect to a secondary card. However, for clarity, only a portion of the rear plane unit and a single sub-card 112 are shown. The pin head 114 is formed from the skirt 120. The skirt 120 preferably is injection molded from a plastic, polyester or other suitable insulating material. The skirt 120 serves as the base for the leg head 114. The floor (which does not have a number) of the gluedge 120 contains orifice columns 126. The lugs 122 are inserted into the holes 126 with their tails 124 extending through the lower surface of the gingival 120. The tails 124 are placed at pressure inside the signal holes 136. The holes 136 are through holes plated in the rear plate 110 and serve to electrically connect the pins 122 to the strokes (not shown) in the back plane 110. For clarity of illustration, only one pin 122 is shown. However, the pin head 114 contains many parallel columns of pins. In a preferred embodiment, there are eight rows of pins in each column. The separation between each column of pins is not critical. However, an object of the invention is to allow the pins to be placed closely close to each other, so that a high density connector can be formed. As an example, the pins inside each column can be separated by 2.25 mm and the columns of the pins can be separated by 2 mm. The temples 122 could be made by stamping copper alloy with 0.4 mm thickness. The skirt 120 contains a groove 132 formed in its floor running parallel to the orifice column 126. The skirt 120 also has grooves 134 formed in its side walls. The glue plate 128 fits within the slots 132 and 134. The tails 130 project through the holes (not visible) in the bottom of the slot 132. The tails 130 are coupled to the ground holes 138 in the back plane 110. The ground holes 138 are plated through holes that connect to the ground traces in the back plane 110. In the embodiment illustrated, the plate 128 has seven tails 130. Each tail 130 falls between two adjacent pins 122. It would be desirable for the shield 128 to have a tail 130 as close as possible to each pin 122. However, the centering of the tails 130 between the adjacent signal pins 122 allows the separation between the shield 128 and a column of pins to be reduced. signal 122. The shield plate 128 has several torsion beam contacts 142 formed therein. Each contact 142 is formed by stamping arms 144 and 146 on the plate 128. The arms 144 and 146 are then bent outwardly from the plate 128 of the plane. The arms 144 and 146 are long enough to flex when pressed back into the plane of the plate 128. The arms 144 and 148 are sufficiently resilient to provide a spring force when pressed to the plane of the plate 128. The spring force generated by arms 144 and 146 creates a point of contact between each arm 144 or 146 and plate 150. The spring force generated must be sufficient to ensure this contact, even after the connector 116 of the secondary card has been repeatedly engaged and disengaged from the pin header 114. During manufacture, the arms 144 and 146 are wedged. The wedging reduces the thickness of the material and increases the flexibility of the beams without weakening the plate 128. For better electrical performance it is desired that the arms 144 and 146 be as short and straight as possible. Therefore, they are made only in the length required to provide the required spring force. In addition, for electrical performance, it is desired that there be an arm 144 or 146 as close as possible to each signal pin 122. Ideally, there should be an arm 144 and 146 for each signal pin 122. For the embodiment illustrated with the eight signal pins 122 per column, there would ideally be eight arms 144 or 146, making a total of four balanced beam contracts 142. However, only three balanced beam contacts 142 are shown. This configuration represents a compromise between the required spring force and the desired electrical properties. The slots 140 on the shield 120 have the function of aligning the secondary card connector 116 with the X-leg head 114. The tabs 152 fit within the slot 140 for alignment and to prevent lateral movement of the connector 116 of the secondary card relative to the head 114 of the pin. The connector 116 of the secondary card is made of plates 154. Only one insert 154 is clearly shown, but the connector 116 of the secondary card has, in a preferred embodiment, several plates stacked side by side. Each insert 154 contains a receptacle column 158. Each receptacle 158 engages a pin 122 when the pin head 114 and the connector 116 of the secondary card engage. In this way, the connector 116 of the secondary card is made of as many inserts as there are pin columns in the pin head 114. The inserts 154 are supported on a stiffener 156. The preferential stiffener 156 is formed by stamping a metal strip. It is stamped with features to hold the insert 154 in a required position without rotation and therefore preferably includes three attachment points. The stiffener 156 has the groove 160A formed along its front edge. The tongue 160B engages within the slot 160A. The stiffener 156 also includes holes 162A and 164A. The terminals 162B and 164B fit within the holes 162A and 164A. The edges 162B and 164B are sized to provide an interface fit in the holes 162A and 164A. Figure 1 shows only a few of the slots 160A and the orifices 162A and 164A, for clarity. The pattern of slots and holes is repeated along the length of stiffener 156 at each point where an insert 156 is to be joined. In the illustrated embodiment, insert 154 is made in two pieces, shielding part 166 and a signal piece 168. The shielding part 166 is formed by inserting the molding housing 170 around the front portion of the shield 150. The signal piece 168 is made by inserting the molding housing 172 around the contacts 410A ... 41QH ( Figure 4). The signal piece 168 and the shield piece 166 have features that keep the two pieces together. Signal part 168 has terminals 512 (Figure 5) formed on a surface. The terminals are aligned with the clips 174 and inserted into them, these being cut into the shields 150. The clips 174 attach to the terminals 512 and hold the plate 150 firmly against the signal piece 168. The housing 170 it has cavities 176 formed therein. Each cavity 176 is shaped to receive one of the receptacles 158. Each cavity 176 has the platform 178 at its bottom. The platform 178 has a hole 180 formed therethrough. The hole 180 receives a pin 122 when the secondary card connector 116 engages the pin head 114. Therefore, the pins 122 engage the receptacles 158, providing a signal path through the connector. The receptacles 158 are formed with two legs 182. The legs 182 are fitted on opposite sides of the platform 178 when the receptacles 158 are inserted into the cavities 176. The receptacles 158 are formed so that the spacing between the legs 182 is more small that the width of the platform 178. To insert the receptacles 158 into the cavity 176 it is therefore necessary to use a tool to separate the legs 182. The receptacles form what is known as a preloaded contact. The preloaded contacts that are traditionally formed by pressing the receptacle against a pyramid-shaped platform. The apex of the platform opens the legs as the receptacle is pushed down on them. This contact has a lower insertion force and is less likely to produce anchoring on the pin when the two connectors are engaged. The receptacles of the invention provide the same advantages but these are achieved by inserting the receptacles from the side and not by pressing them against a pyramid. The housing 172 has the slots 184 formed therein. As described above, the terminals 512 (Figure 5) project through the plate 150. When the two plates are stacked side by side, the terminals 512 of a plate 154 will project into the slots 184 of an adjacent plate. The terminals 512 and the slots 184 help to hold the adjacent plates together and prevent the rotation of the insert with respect to the next insert. These characteristics, together with the stiffener 156 eliminate the need for a separate housing or housing to hold the inserts, thus simplifying the connector. The housings 170 and 172 are shown with several holes (which have no number). These holes are not critical to the invention. They are "tightening holes" used to hold plates 150 or receptacle contacts 410 during injection molding. It is desired to hold these parts during injection molding to preserve a uniform separation between the plates and the receptacle contacts in the finished product. Figure 2 shows in more detail the model or blank used to make the plate 150. In a preferred embodiment, the plates 150 are stamped from a roll of metal. The plates are retained on the carrier strip 210 to facilitate handling. After the plate 150 is injection molded to form a shielding part 166, the carrier strip can be cut. The plates 150 include holes 212. The holes 212 are filled with plastic from the housing 170, thereby locking the plate 150 into the housing 170. The plate 150 also includes slots 214. The slots 214 are positioned so that they are between the lobes. receptacles 158. The slots 214 serve to control the capacitance of the plate 150, which can raise or decrease overall the impedance of the connector. They can also channel the current flow in the plate near the receptacles 158, which are signal paths. The higher the return current flow near the signal paths, the more interference is reduced. The slot 216 is similar to the slots 214 but is larger to allow a finger 316 (Figure 3) to pass through the plate 150 when it is molded to provide a housing 170. The finger 316 is a small finger of insulating material which could help to hold a plate 128 against the plate 150. The finger 316 is optional and could be omitted. Note in Figure 1 that the two central cavities 176 have their intermediate wall partially removed. The finger 316 of an adjacent insert 154 (not shown) would fit within this space to complete the wall between the two central cavities. The finger 316 would extend beyond the housing 170 and fit within a slot 184B of an adjacent plate (not shown). The slot 218 allows the tail region 222 to be bent out of the plane of the plate 150, if desired. Figure 9A shows traces 910 and 912 on a printed circuit board directed between the holes used to mount a connector according to the invention. Figure 9A shows portions of a column of signal orifices 186 and portions of a column of ground contacts 188. When the connector is used to carry single-ended signals, it is desired that the traces 910 and 912 be separated by ground in the highest possible degree. Therefore, it is desired that the ground holes 188 be centered between the column of signal holes 186 so that the signal lines 910 and 912 can be directed between the signal holes 186 and the ground holes 188. On the other hand , Figure 9B shows the preferred routing for differential pair signals. For the signals of differential pair it is desired that the strokes are directed as close as possible. To allow the traces 914 and 916 to close together, the ground holes 188 are not centered between the columns of the signal holes 186. On the contrary, they are displaced to be as close as possible to the row of signal contacts 186. This positioning allows the two signal paths 914 and 916 to be routed between the ground holes 188 and a column of signal holes 186. In the single-ended configuration, the tail region 222 is bent out of the plane of the plate 150. For the differential configuration, it does not bend. It should also be noted that plate 128 (FIG. 1) can similarly bend in its tail region, if desired. In the preferred embodiment, although the plate 128 is not bent for single-ended signals and is bent for differential signals. The tongues 220 are bent out of the plane of the plate 150 before the injection molding of the housing 170. The tongues 220 will be wound between the holes 180 (Figure 1). The tabs 220 help to ensure that the plate 150 adhere to the housing 170. They also reinforce the housing 170 through its face, i.e., the surface facing the head 114 of the lugs. Figure 3 shows the shield 150 after it has been inserted by molding into the housing 170 to form the land portion 166. Figure 3 shows that the housing 170 includes the pyramid-shaped projections 310 on the face of the part 166 of the shield. Coupling recesses (not shown) are included in the floor of the pin header 114. The projections 310 and the coupling recesses serve to prevent the spring force of the torsion beam contacts 142 from separating the adjacent inserts 144 when the secondary card connector 116 is inserted into the pin header 114. Figure 4 shows a blank or model 400 for the receptacle contact. The model white for receptacle contact is preferably stamped from a sheet of metal. Several whites are stamped on a roll. In the preferred embodiment, there are eight receptacle contacts 410A ... 410H. The receptacle contacts 410 are held together on the carrier strips 412, 414, 416, 418 and 422. These carrier strips are cut to separate contacts 410A ... 410H after the housing 172 has been molded around the contacts. The carrier strips can be retained for most of the manufacturing operation for easy handling of the receptacle portions 168. Each of the receptacle contacts 410A ... 410H includes two legs 182. The legs 182 are folded and folded to form the receptacle 158. Each receptacle contact 410A ... 410H also includes a transmission region 424 and a tail region 426. Figure 4 shows that the transmission regions 424 are equidistantly spaced apart. This arrangement is preferred for single-ended signals, since it results in maximum separation between the contacts. Figure 4 shows that the tail regions are suitable for press fit within the plated through holes. Other types of tail regions could be used. For example, welding tails could be used. Figure 5 shows blanks or models 400 for the receptacle contact after the housing 172 is molded around it. Figure 6 shows a receptacle contact target 600 suitable for use in an alternative embodiment of the invention. The receptacle contacts 610A ... 610H are grouped in pairs: (610A and 610B), (610C and 610D), (610E and 610F) and (610G and 610H). The transmission regions 624 of each pair are as close as possible to each other while the differential impedance is conserved. This increases the separation between adjacent pairs. This configuration improves the signal integrity for differential signals. The tail region 626 and the targets receptacles 400 and 600 of the receptacle contacts are identical. These are the only portions of the receptacle contacts 410 and 610 that extend from the housing 172. Therefore, the signal portion 168 is externally the same either for the differential signals or for the single-ended signals. This allows the single-ended differential signal plates to be mixed into a single secondary card connector. Figure 7A illustrates a prior art connector as an aid to explain the improved performance of the invention. Figure 7A shows a shielding plate 710 with a beam in cantilever 712 formed in it. The cantilevered beam 712 engages a blade 714 of the lug head. The contact point is marked as X. The sheet 714 is connected to a back plane (not shown) at point 722. The signals are transmitted through the signal pins 716 and 718 that run adjacent to the shield plate. The plate 710 and the plate 714 act as the return signal. The signal path 720 through these elements is shown as a cycle. It should be noted that signal path 720 is cut through pin 718. As is well known, a signal that travels in a cycle that passes through a conductor will be coupled inductively to the driver. Therefore, the arrangement of Figure 7A will have a relatively high coupling or interference of the pins 716 to 718. Figure 7B shows a side view of the arrangement of Figure 7A. Since the cantilever beam 712 is above the blade 714, its distance from the blade 716 is d? _. In contrast, the sheet 714 has a separation d2, which is larger. In the transmission of high-frequency signals, the distance between the signal path and the ground dictates the impedance of the path or path of the signal. Changes in distance mean changes in impedance. Changes in impedance cause reflections of the signal, which is not desirable. Figure 7C shows the same arrangement during the coupling. The blade 714 should slide under the cantilevered beam 712. If not inserted correctly, the blade 714 may strike against the end of the cantilevered beam 712. This phenomenon is called "anchoring". This phenomenon is very undesirable in a connector as it can break the connector. In contrast, Figure 8 shows schematically the components of a connector manufactured according to the invention. The armor plates 128 and 150 overlap. The contact is made at the point marked with an X on the torsion beam 146. The signal path 820 is shown to pass through a signal pin 122, return to the through plate 150 to the contact point X, pass to through the arm 146, through the plate 128 and through the tail 130. The path or signal path 820 is then completed through the back plane (not shown in Figure 8). Significantly, signal path 820 is not cut through any signal pin 122 that is adjacent. In this form, the interference is significantly reduced with respect to the prior art. Figure 8B illustrates schematically the plates 128 and 150 before being coupled with the secondary card connector 116 to the leg head 114. In the perspective of Figure 8B, the arm 146 is shown bent outwardly from the plane of the plate 128. As the plates 150 and 128 slide along each other during engagement, the arm 146 is pressed towards the plane of the plate 128. Figure 8C shows the plates 128 and 150 in the coupled configuration. The depression 810 which is made in the arm 146 is shown by touching the plate 150. The torsional spring force generated by pressing the arm 146 towards the plane of the plate 128 ensures a good electrical contact. It should be noted that the separation between the plates 128 or 150 and an adjacent signal contact does not have a discontinuity as large as that shown in Figure 7B. This improvement will strengthen the electrical performance of the connector. It should also be noted that when moving from the configuration of Figure 8B to that of Figure 8C there is no abrupt surface that could cause the anchoring. Therefore, with torsional contacts, the mechanical strength of the connector should be improved compared to the prior art. Figure 10 shows an alternative embodiment of a plate 154 (Figure 1). In the embodiment of Figure 10 a shielding target on the carrier strip 1010 is encapsulated in an insulating housing 1070 through injection molding. The shielding tails 1030 are shown extending from the housing 1070. The housing 1070 includes cavities 1016, 1017, 1018 and 1019. The shielding target is cut and bent to make the contacts 1020 within the cavities 1016, 1017, 1018 and 1019. The cavities 1016, 1017, 1018 and 1019 have holes 1022 formed in their floors. The lugs of the lug heads are inserted through the holes during the coupling and connection, through the spring property of the lug, as well as the contacts 1020 that ensure the electrical connection to the shield. In the modality of Figure 10, the signal contacts are stamped separately. The transmission line section of the contacts is laid in the cavities 1026. The receptacle portions of the signal contacts are inserted into the cavities 1024. A plate as illustrated in Figure 10 shows that any number of contacts can be used. of signal per column. In Figure 10, four signal contacts per column are shown. That figure also illustrates that the pins could be used instead of a 128 board. However, there could be differences in electrical performance. A plate could be used in conjunction with the configuration of Figure 10. In that case, instead of a series of separate holes 1022 in the cavities 1016, 1017, 1018 and 1019, a slot would be cut through the cavities. Figure HA shows an alternative embodiment for contacts 1142 on plate 1128. Plate 1128 includes a series of torsional contacts 1142. Each contact is made of a stamp on arm 1146 from plate 1128. Here, the arms have a generally serpentine shape. As described above, it is desirable that the arms 1146 be long enough to provide good flexibility. However, it is also desired that the current flows through the contacts 1142 in an area that is as narrow as possible in a direction perpendicular to the current flow through the signal pins 122. To achieve these two objectives, the arms 1146 are stamped in a serpentine form. Figure 11B shows plate 1128 in cross section through the line indicated as B-B in Figure IA. As shown, the arms 1146 are bent out of the plane of the plate 1128. During this coupling of the connector half, they are pressed towards the plane of the plate 1128, thus generating a torsional force. Figure 12 shows a further view of the connector 100. Figure 12 shows the face 1210 of the secondary card connector 116. The lower surface of the pin head 114 is also visible. In this view, it can be seen that the press fit tails 124 of the plate 128 have an orientation that is at a right angle to the orientation of the press fit tails 130 of the signal pins 122.

EXAMPLE A connector according to the present invention was developed and tested. The tests were made with the configuration of a single end and the measurements were made on a signal line activated with the ten closest lines. For signal elevation times of 500ps, the backward interference was 4.9%. The interference in advance was 3.2%. The reflection was too small to be measured. The connector provided an actual signal density of 101 inches per line. Having described one modality, several alternative modalities or variations may be visualized. For example, the connector size could be increased or decreased in relation to the displayed. Also, it is possible that materials other than those expressly mentioned can be used to construct the connector. Several changes can also be made to specific structures. For example, the tweezers 174 are generally shown as radially symmetrical. They could improve the effectiveness of a shield plate 150 if the pliers 174 were lengthened with a major axis running parallel to the signal contacts on the signal pieces 168 and a minor axis perpendicular, as short as possible. Also, manufacturing techniques may vary. For example, it is desired that the connector 116 of the secondary card be formed by arranging a plurality of inserts on a stiffener. It is also possible that an equivalent structure can be formed by inserting a plurality of shielding pieces and signal receptacles into a molded housing. Therefore, the invention should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims (29)

1. CLAIMS t 1. An electrical connector comprising: a plurality of subunits aligned in parallel, each subunit comprising: a) a plate; b) an insulating housing molded onto a portion of the plate, the insulating housing has a plurality of cavities formed therein; c) a plurality of signal contacts, each one is inserted into one of the cavities. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: a) for a portion of the subunits, the spacing between the adjacent signal contacts in each subunit is uniform; and b) for a portion of the subunits the signal contacts in each of the subunits are placed in pairs, where the separation between the signal contacts within a pair is less than the separation between the signal contacts in different pairs. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the spacing between the adjacent signal contacts in each subunit is uniform. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the signal contacts in each of the units are placed in pairs, where the separation between the signal contacts within a pair is less than the separation between signal contacts in different pair. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of signal contacts are inserted by molding in a second insulating housing. The electrical connector according to claim 5, wherein: a) each shield includes a retaining feature; and b) each of the second housings includes a feature that couples the holding characteristic in the shield. The electrical connector according to claim 5, wherein the second housing includes means for coupling the first housing. An electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a metallic stiffener, wherein each of the subunits is attached to the stiffener. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of signal contacts have tail portions to be connected to a printed circuit board extending in parallel from the subunit and each plate includes a plurality of tail portions that are They extend from the subunit in parallel with the tail portions of the signal contacts. The electrical connector according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of tail portions extending from each plate is joined in a first region of the plate, the first region of the plate being parallel to the plane of the portion of the plate molded in the insulating housing, but not bent out of it. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein each cavity is joined by a wall having a hole formed therethrough. The electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein: a) the wall of each cavity has a platform extending therefrom; b) each signal contact includes a pair of legs; and c) one leg of each pair is on each side of the platform. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the insulating housing in each subunit is shaped to leave a plurality of cavities between adjacent subunits, a wall of the cavity is joined by a plate to one of the subunits. The electrical connector according to claim 13, wherein each plate has a plurality of fingers attached thereto, the fingers projecting into the interior of the cavity. The electrical connector according to claim 13, further comprising: a second connector, interengaging with the electrical connector, comprising: a) a plurality of signal contacts placed to electrically couple the plurality of signal contacts in each of the subunits; b) a plurality of plates, each placed to fit within one of the cavities between adjacent subunits. The electrical connector according to claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of signal contacts in the second connector is a pin. A rear plane unit incorporating the connector of claim 16, further comprising: a) a back plane; c) a secondary card; and c) wherein the plurality of subunits is attached to the secondary card and the second connector is connected to the rear plane. The rear plane unit according to claim 17, wherein: a) the rear plane has a plurality of columns of signal orifices and a plurality of columns of ground holes, each column being placed between two columns of the holes of signal; and b) the plurality of signal contacts in the second connector have tail contacts that are inserted into the signal orifices; c) each of the plurality of plates in the second connector has a plurality of contact tails and the contact tails of each plate are inserted into the ground holes in one of the columns of the ground holes. The rear plane unit according to claim 18, further comprising a plurality of signal strokes with a pair of signal strokes placed between two adjacent columns of the signal orifices, one of the columns of the ground holes is centered between the two columns of the signal strokes, one of the signal strokes runs on each side of the column of the earth holes. The rear plane unit according to claim 18, further comprising a plurality of signal strokes with a pair of signal strokes placed between two adjacent columns of the signal orifices, a column of the ground holes is displaced from the Central line between the two columns of signal strokes, each of the two signal strokes runs on the same side of the column of earth holes. 21. An electrical connector comprising: a) a first part having: i) a plurality of receptacle members, each including a column of signal contacts coupled in an insulating housing; ii) a plurality of shielding members, each including a conductive plate partially embedded in an insulating housing; and iii) wherein the plurality of shielding members is intermediate the adjacent receptacle members; b) a second piece having an insulator housing adapted to engage with the first piece and a plurality of pin-shaped signal contacts positioned to engage the receptacle members in the first piece. 22. The electrical connector according to claim 21, wherein the pin-shaped signal contacts are placed in columns and the second part further comprises metal plates, each placed between adjacent columns of pin-shaped signal contacts. The electrical connector according to claim 22, which includes a plurality of cavities, each cavity is joined by a conductive plate of a shield member and a surface of a receptacle member, wherein a metal plate of the second piece is Coupling with one of the cavities. The electrical connector according to claim 21, further comprising a metal stiffener and the plurality of receptacle members and the plurality of shield members are connected to the receptacle. 25. A method for manufacturing an electrical connector, comprising the steps of: a) forming a plurality of shielding members by insert molding an insulating housing on a shield plate; b) joining the signal contacts to each of the shielding members; and c) aligning a plurality of shielding members with the signal contacts attached thereto. The method according to claim 25, wherein the method of joining the signal contacts comprises first inserting a housing onto the contacts by molding, to form a contact member, and then joining the housing of the contact member with the contact member. armor. The method according to claim 26, wherein each contact member forms a column of signal contacts in the electrical connector. The method according to claim 26, wherein the step of attaching the housing of the contact members to the shield member comprises inserting a feature into an opening in the shield plate. 29. The method according to claim 25, wherein the step of aligning comprises joining the shielding members to a metal stiffener.