TWI519011B - Electrical connector system - Google Patents

Description

Electrical connector system

The backplane connector system is typically used to connect a first substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board) and a second substrate (e.g., another printed circuit board) in a parallel or perpendicular relationship. As electronic components shrink in size and electronic components generally become more complex, it is often necessary to mount more components in a smaller space on a circuit board or other substrate; therefore, it is now necessary to shrink the backplane connector system. The spacing between the electrical terminals and the number of electrical terminals housed in the backplane connector system. However, as the speed of the electrical signal increases, reducing the spacing between electrical terminals increases the likelihood of electrical crosstalk and signal degradation.

There is a need for an electrical connector system that has high density electrical terminals and can operate at high speeds.

In accordance with the present invention, an electrical connector system includes a plurality of wafer assemblies. Each of the sheet assemblies includes a first housing defining a plurality of first electrical contact grooves, and a second housing configured to match the first housing to define a plurality of second electrical contact grooves. The first housing defines a plurality of protrusions extending from an edge of the first housing at a mounting end of the sheet assembly, and the second housing defines a plurality of protrusions extending from the sheet assembly One of the edges of the second housing at the mounting end. A first electrical contact array is substantially located within the first electrical contact trenches, and a second electrical contact array is substantially located within the second electrical contact trenches. Each electrical contact of the first electrical contact array defines a signal substrate bonding component extending through the edge of the first housing at the mounting end of the wafer assembly, and each of the second electrical contact array The electrical contact defines a signal substrate engaging element that extends through an edge of the second housing at the mounting end of the wafer assembly. An organizer is located at the mounting end of the sheet assemblies. The organizer defines a plurality of first holes sized to pass the signal substrate engaging elements of the first and second electrical contact arrays through the organizer and from the organizer; and a plurality of second holes, It is sized to pass the projections extending from the first and second housings through the organizer. The protrusions of the first housing and the protrusions of the second housing are sized to be sufficient for the first housing and the second housing to engage a substrate, the tissue passing through the organizer The second plurality of holes enter the corresponding holes in the substrate.

The invention relates to a backplane connector system coupled to one or more substrates. The backplane connector systems are capable of operating at high speeds (e.g., up to at least about 25 Gbps) while also providing high pin densities (e.g., at least about 50 pairs of electrical connectors per inch) in some embodiments. In one embodiment, as shown in the first figure, the backplane connector system 102 is used to connect a first substrate 104 (eg, a printed circuit board) to a second substrate 106 in a parallel or vertical relationship (eg, another a printed circuit board). As will be described in further detail below, embodiments of the disclosed connector system can include a grounded shield structure that is substantially three-dimensionally wrapped over the backplane footprint, the backplane connector, and/or the daughter card footprint. Electrical connector pair (which can be a differential electrical connector pair). During operation of the high speed backplane connector systems, the covered ground structures can be used with dielectric fillers surrounding the differential connectors of the electrical connectors to avoid unwanted lateral, longitudinal and comparative The transmission of higher order modes.

The second A is a perspective view of an electrical connector system 202 for connecting a plurality of substrates. In one embodiment, the electrical connector system 202 has a mounting end 204 coupled to a first substrate and a mating end 206 coupled to a second substrate. The connections to the first substrate or the second substrate may be direct connections or via an interface connector. The first and second substrates are arranged in a substantially perpendicular relationship when engaged with the electrical connector system 202. Electrical connector system 202 includes a sheet housing 208 and one or more sheet assemblies 210.

The sheet housing 208 is for receiving and positioning a plurality of sheet assemblies 210 adjacent one another within the electrical connector system 202. In one embodiment, the foil housing 208 engages the foil assembly 210 at the mating end 206, the size of one or more of the apertures in the foil housing 208 being such that the mating connector extending from the foil assembly 210 is passed through the foil housing 208, such that the mating connectors are connectable to corresponding mating connectors associated with the substrate or another mating device, such as the cap modules illustrated in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/474,568.

The sheet assembly 210 is used to provide an array of electrical paths between a plurality of substrates. The electrical paths can be signal paths, power transmission paths, or ground potential paths. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, each of the sheet assemblies 210 includes a first housing 214, a first electrical contact array 216 (also referred to as a first lead frame assembly), and a first A second electrical contact array 218 (also referred to as a second leadframe assembly), a second housing 220, a projection 222, and a ground shield 228. 2B is a partially exploded view of the electrical connector system 202 of FIG. 2A. In other embodiments, the wafer assemblies 210 each include a central housing (eg, having each of the central housings formed therein) The two-contact array of grooves on the side), a plurality of outer casings, a central casing having a plurality of outer casings, or other casing arrangements.

In the second and second B-figure embodiments, the first housing 214 of the wafer assembly 210 includes a conductive surface that defines a plurality of grooves 223 that are sized to receive the first electrical contact array 216. In this embodiment, the second housing 220 also includes a conductive surface that defines a plurality of trenches sized to receive the second electrical contact array 218. The grooves of the second housing 220 are substantially similar to the grooves 223 illustrated in the second Figure B. In some embodiments, the trenches are flush with the insulating layer (eg, overmolded plastic dielectric) such that when the first and second electrical contact arrays 216, 218 are substantially in their individual trenches The insulating layer electrically isolates the electrical contacts from the conductive surfaces of the first and second housings 214, 220. In other implementations, the insulating layer is applied directly to the electrical contact arrays 216, 218; after the electrical contact arrays 216, 218 have been positioned at the housing components 214, 220, the housings 214, 220 are bonded together. To form the sheet assembly 210.

The electrical contact arrays 216, 218 of the wafer assembly 210 include a series of substrate bonding components, such as the electrical contact mounting pins 224 shown in FIG. In one embodiment, the substrate bonding components are signal contacts that mechanically and electrically couple the wafer assembly 210 to the substrate. When the first and second electrical contact arrays 216, 218 are located in the trenches of the housing components 214, 220, the substrate bonding components extend from the mounting end 204 of the wafer assembly 210 to couple to one The first substrate. Similarly, the mating connectors 226 of the first and second electrical contact arrays 216, 218 extend from the mating end 206 of the wafer assembly 210 to couple to a second substrate or another matching device (eg, a top cover mold). group). The mating connectors are in the form of a closed band, a three beam, a double beam, a circle, a male, a female, a non-polar, or another mating connector type.

When the first electrical contact array 216 is substantially located in the trenches 223 of the first housing 214, and the second electrical contact array 218 is substantially located in the trenches of the second housing 220, the first electrical connection Each electrical contact of the array of dots 216 is adjacent to an electrical contact of the second array of electrical contacts 218. In some implementations, the first and second electrical contact arrays 216, 218 are positioned within the trenches such that the distance between adjacent electrical contacts in the entire wafer assembly 210 is substantially equal. The adjacent electrical contacts of the first and second electrical contact arrays 216, 218 together form a series of electrical contact pairs. In some implementations, the electrical contacts are differential pairs of electrical contacts. For example, the pairs of electrical contacts are used for differential signaling.

In some implementations, for each electrical contact pair, the electrical contacts of the first electrical contact array 216 mirror adjacent electrical contacts of the second electrical contact array 218; Electrical contacts provide the manufacturing advantages and consistency of high-speed electrical performance, while providing two unique pairs of structures.

The first and second housings 214, 220 of the wafer assembly 210 are formed to have a conductive surface. For example, the first and second housings 214, 220 are formed as a housing of a plated plastic grounded housing. In some embodiments, each of the first and second housings 214, 220 includes a plated plastic or diecast ground foil, such as nickel (Ni) coated with tin (Sn) or zinc (Zn). ) Die casting. In other embodiments, the first and second housings 214, 220 comprise aluminum (Al) die cast, conductive polymer, metal injection molding, or any other type of metal.

The first and second electrical contact arrays 216, 218 of the wafer assembly 210 are formed from a conductive material. In some embodiments, the first and second electrical contact arrays 216, 218 comprise phosphor bronze and nickel (Ni) coated gold (Au) or tin (Sn). In other implementations, the first and second electrical contact arrays 216, 218 comprise a copper (Cu) alloy material. The plating may be any precious metal (such as palladium Pd) or an alloy (such as palladium-nickel (Pd-Ni) or gold (Au) palladium (Pd) in the contact region, tin in the mounting region ( Sn) or nickel (Ni) and the underlying plating or substrate-plated nickel (Ni).

As shown in FIG. B, electrical connector system 202 also includes a ground shield 228. The grounding shield 228 is coupled to one side of the housing 220 or may be integrated into the housing 220. The ground shield 228 includes a substrate bonding component (e.g., ground mounting pin 230) at the mounting end of the wafer assembly to engage the substrate when the wafer component is mounted to a substrate.

The third figure depicts one of the housing elements of a sheet assembly 210, such as housing element 220. The fourth diagram depicts an array of electrical contacts, such as electrical contact array 218, that are assembled into housing component 220. The fifth figure depicts a ground shield 228 attached to the housing 220, and a portion of the ground shield 228 that is visible from the vicinity of the exterior of the housing member 220 can be used to remove one of the frame members prior to operation.

Referring to the sixth diagram, the sheet assembly 210 includes a plurality of protrusions 222. For example, housing 214 defines a first set of projections 222 that extend from the edge of housing 214 at the mounting end of sheet assembly 210. Similarly, housing 220 defines a second set of projections 222 that extend from the edge of housing 220 at the mounting end of sheet assembly 210. When the housing members 214 and 220 of the wafer assembly 210 are bonded to a substrate, at least a portion of each of the projections 222 is sized to fit into a corresponding aperture in the substrate.

In one embodiment, as shown in the sixth figure, each of the protrusions 222 includes a cylindrical substrate engaging portion 602 sized to fit one of the corresponding holes in the substrate; The base portion 602 also includes a rectangular shoulder portion 604 at the base. The shoulder portion 604 is wider than the cylindrical portion 602, as shown in the sixth figure. In other implementations, different configurations can be used for the protrusions 222; for example, the shape of the substrate engagement portion 602 and/or the shoulder portion 604 can be different than that shown in the sixth figure. Moreover, in some implementations, the subset of the protrusions of the electrical connector system 202 can be different than the other protrusions in the electrical connector system 202, as shown in the ninth diagram.

The protrusion 222 shown in the sixth figure is used as a grounding post for connecting to a ground potential contact of the substrate to provide a common ground between the substrate and the housing element associated with the protrusion 222. Ground potential. For example, a protrusion 222 extending from the housing member 214 is bonded to a ground potential contact in the substrate to provide a common ground potential between the substrate and the housing member 214.

In one embodiment, the projections 222 are formed as indispensable portions of the housings 214, 220. For example, the molds used to form the housings 214 and 220 can include portions that are large enough to form the protrusions 222. Thus, the projection 222 has a similar construction and can be made of a material similar to the housings 214, 220. In one example, the projections 222 are molded and formed with a conductive coating of plastic protrusions. In yet another example, the protrusion 222 is formed of a solid metal or another electrically conductive material. In some embodiments, the projections 222 are formed separately from the housings 214, 220 of the sheet assembly 210 and then attached to the housings 214, 220.

Referring to the sixth diagram, the projections 222 are for at least partially blocking the line of sight between adjacent signal contacts of the signal contact arrays 216, 218. For example, a portion of the protrusion 222 at least partially blocks a linear path between adjacent signal contacts. The protrusion 222 can help reduce interference transmission between the two signal contacts by at least partially blocking the linear path between the two signal contacts. For example, the protrusions 222 can reduce crosstalk between adjacent signal contacts. Crosstalk occurs when a signal that runs along a first signal pin interferes with a signal that runs along a second signal pin.

In one embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 222 of the first housing 214 are located on the first housing 214 to block adjacent pairs of signal substrate bonding elements in the first electrical contact array 216 (eg, electrical contact mounting) Sight line between pins 224). Similarly, the plurality of protrusions 222 of the second housing 220 are located on the second housing 220 to block adjacent pairs of signal substrate bonding elements in the second electrical contact array 218 (eg, electrical contact mounting pins 224) ) between the lines of sight.

The seventh diagram depicts an electrical connector system 202 including an organizer 702 that is located at the mounting end of a plurality of wafer assemblies 210. The organizer 702 includes a hole 704 sized to pass the substrate engaging elements (e.g., electrical contact mounting pins 224 of the electrical contact arrays 216, 218) through the organizer 702 and to the substrate. The organizer 702 also includes apertures 706 sized to pass the protrusions 222 of the housings extending from the sheet assembly 210 through the organizer 702 and to the substrate. Additionally, the organizer 702 can include a hole 708 sized to pass the ground mounting pin 230 of the ground shield 228 through the organizer 702 and to the substrate.

When the sheet assembly 210 is mounted to a substrate (eg, a printed circuit board), the protrusions 222 extend through the organizer 702 and contact the substrate. By extending the projections 222 from the housings of the sheet assembly 210 to the substrate, the projections 222 can provide shielding to the electrical contact mounting pins of the electrical contact arrays 216, 218 as they pass through the organizer 702. .

In some embodiments, the shoulder portion 604 of the projection 222 extending from the first and/or second housings 214, 220 is flushed to the organizer 702, as shown in the seventh figure. Thus, when the sheet assembly 210 is mounted to the substrate, the shoulder portion 604 of the projection 222 and the organizer 702 will contact the substrate. In other implementations, the shoulder portion 604 of the tab 222 can extend through the mounting surface of the organizer 702. When the protrusion 222 extends through the mounting surface of the organizer 702, the organizer 702 creates an air gap with the substrate when the sheet assembly 210 is mounted to the substrate. This air gap helps to electrically isolate at least a portion of the electrical contact mounting pins 224 of the electrical contact arrays 216, 218. In some embodiments, the distance between the organizer 702 and the substrate (the air gap) is greater than zero but substantially less than or equal to 0.5 mm.

Figures 8A and 8B are perspective views of the mounting end of the electrical connector system. The eighth and eighth panels illustrate protrusions 222 that at least partially block the line of sight between adjacent electrical contact mounting pins 224 of the electrical contact arrays 216, 218. In the eighth diagram, the substrate engaging portion 602 is shown to be substantially centered on the shoulder portion 604. In the eighth Figure B, the substrate engaging portion 602 is shown offset from the center of the shoulder portion 604, so that the substrate engaging portion 602 blocks a larger portion of the line of sight between adjacent signal contacts of the electrical contact arrays 216, 218. .

Referring to the ninth figure, in some embodiments, a subset of the protrusions in the electrical connector system is different than other protrusions in the electrical connector system. For example, some of the protrusions 222 can include the substrate joint portion 602, while other protrusions 902 can be free of such elements.

The eleventh diagram depicts the electrical connector system 202 that is to be coupled to the substrate 1002. In some implementations, the substrate 1002 includes a printed circuit board having a plurality of signal vias (eg, vias 1004) and a plurality of ground vias (eg, vias 1006 and 1008). The signal vias are mechanically and electrically connected to the signal contacts of the wafer assembly 210 to couple the wafer assembly 210 to the substrate 1002. The electrical signals are then passed between the substrate 1002 and the sheet assembly 210 via the signal contacts. The ground vias are mechanically and electrically connected to the ground contacts of the electrical connector system 202. For example, the protrusions 222 of the sheet assembly 210 are coupled to the ground vias 1006 and then share a common ground potential between the substrate 1002 and the housings of the sheet assembly 210. In addition, the grounding mounting pin 230 of the grounding shield 228 is coupled to the grounding via 1008 and then shares a common ground potential between the substrate 1002 and the grounding shield 228.

102. . . Backplane connector system

104. . . First substrate

106. . . Second substrate

202. . . Electrical connector system

204. . . Installation side

206. . . Matching end

208. . . Sheet shell

210. . . Sheet assembly

214. . . case

216. . . First electrical contact array

218. . . Second electrical contact array

220. . . case

222. . . Protruding

223. . . Trench

224. . . Electrical contact mounting pin

226. . . Matching connector

228. . . Ground shading

230. . . Grounding mounting pin

602. . . section

604. . . Shoulder part

702. . . Organizer

704. . . Hole

706. . . Hole

708. . . Hole

902. . . Protruding

1002. . . Substrate

1004. . . Through hole

1006. . . Through hole

1008. . . Through hole

The first figure is a system diagram of a backplane connector connecting a first substrate and a second substrate.

Figure 2A is a perspective view of an electrical connector system including a plurality of wafer assemblies.

Figure B is a partially exploded view of the electrical connector system of Figure A.

The third figure is a perspective view of the housing element of a sheet assembly.

The fourth figure depicts an array of electrical contacts assembled into the housing component of the third figure.

The fifth figure depicts another view of the array of electrical contacts assembled into the housing component of the third figure.

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the electrical connector system of Figure 2A.

The seventh diagram depicts an electrical connector system including an organizer.

Figure 8A is a perspective view of the mounting end of an electrical connector system.

Figure 8B is another perspective view of the mounting end of an electrical connector system.

The ninth diagram depicts a perspective view of another electrical connector system.

The tenth view is a perspective view of the electrical connector system to be bonded to the substrate.

202. . . Electrical connector system

204. . . Installation side

206. . . Matching end

208. . . Sheet shell

210. . . Sheet assembly

214. . . case

216. . . First electrical contact array

218. . . Second electrical contact array

220. . . case

222. . . Protruding

Claims (4)

An electrical connector system comprising: a plurality of wafer assemblies, each of the wafer assemblies comprising: a first housing defining a plurality of first electrical contact trenches, the first housing defining a plurality of protrusions, Extending from an edge of the first housing at a mounting end of the sheet assembly; a first array of electrical contacts substantially in the first electrical contact trench, the first electrical contacts Each electrical contact of the array defines a signal substrate engaging element extending through the edge of the first housing at the mounting end of the wafer assembly; a second housing configured to interface with the first housing Matching, the second housing defines a plurality of second electrical contact grooves, the second housing defining a plurality of protrusions extending from an edge of the second housing at the mounting end of the sheet assembly; a second electrical contact array substantially in the second electrical contact trenches, the electrical contacts of the second electrical contact array defining a signal substrate bonding component extending through the wafer component The second housing at the mounting end An edge; and an organizer at the mounting end of the sheet assembly, wherein the organizer defines: a plurality of first holes sized to cause the signal substrates of the first and second electrical contact arrays An engagement element extending through the organizer and extending from the organizer; and a plurality of second apertures sized to pass the projections extending from the first and second housings through the organizer; The protrusions of the first housing and the protrusions of the second housing are sized to be sufficient for the first housing and the second housing to engage a substrate Waiting for the second hole and into the corresponding hole in the substrate. The electrical connector system of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a printed circuit board having a first signal through hole, a second signal through hole, and the first signal through hole and the second signal One of the first electrical contact arrays includes a first signal substrate bonding component configured to be coupled to the first signal via; wherein the second electrical contact array includes a first a second signal substrate bonding component configured to be coupled to the second signal via; wherein the protrusions of the first and second housings comprise a ground pillar configured to be coupled to the ground via And blocking a line of sight between the first signal substrate bonding component and the second signal substrate bonding component. The electrical connector system of claim 1, wherein the protrusions of the first housing are located on the first housing to block engagement of adjacent signal substrates in the first electrical contact array a line of sight between the pair of components; and wherein the protrusions of the second housing are located on the second housing to block one of the adjacent pairs of adjacent signal substrate components in the second array of electrical contacts Sight. The electrical connector system of claim 1, wherein the protrusions of the first housing and the protrusions of the second housing when the mounting end of the sheet assembly is mounted to the substrate Forming an air gap between the substrate and the organizer; and wherein the air gap electrically isolates at least a portion of the signal substrate engaging elements of the first and second electrical contact arrays.