WO2013007774A1

WO2013007774A1 - Assembly and board mounting connector

Info

Publication number: WO2013007774A1
Application number: PCT/EP2012/063649
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ludwig Lange; Thierry Goossens
Original assignee: Fci
Priority date: 2011-07-13
Filing date: 2012-07-12
Publication date: 2013-01-17
Also published as: TW201308791A

Abstract

An assembly is provided comprising a board mounting connector mounted to a circuit board. The circuit board has a top face and a side face. The connector has a shield comprising a shield wall extending along and adjacent the side face of the circuit board. A shielded board mounting connector is also provided.

Description

Assembly and board mounting connector

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to board mounting connectors, in particular to shielded board mounting connectors. BACKGROUND

Board mounting connectors are known for interconnecting devices and/or cables to traces on or in a circuit board. For example, US 5,433,617 discloses a connector assembly for printed circuit boards .

In particular in view of the ongoing trends towards size reduction of electronic devices, faster signal speeds and lower power consumption, there is a strong desire for connectors providing improved signal integrity and reduced (sensitivity to) noise .

SUMMARY

In view of the above, an assembly and a board mounting connector according to the appended claims are provided.

In an aspect, herewith an assembly is provided comprising a board mounting connector mounted to a circuit board. The circuit board has a top face and a side face. The connector has a shield comprising a shield wall extending along and adjacent the side face of the circuit board, for shielding at least part of the side face.

Circuit boards are generally plane structures on top of which the board mounted connector is mounted. Known shielded board mounting connectors comprise shielding walls surrounding a portion of the connector, comprising side walls extending

substantially perpendicular from the top face of the circuit board and a wall generally parallel to the top face of the circuit board for shielding a top side of the connector.

However, it has now been found that noticeable electromagnetic noise may also propagate parallel to and within the circuit board and that it may pass through its side face. The present assembly provides shielding against such noise. The shield wall preferably is substantially closed, or continuous, and should have openings of effective length only of smaller than the longest acceptable noise wavelength, e.g. be shorter than that length and/or when longer be interrupted by a bridge or a bend.

The board mounting connector comprises one or more signal leads, and the circuit board may comprise one or more signal conductors extending within the circuit board, such as vias and/or traces. The signal lead(s) is/are connected to the signal conductor ( s ) , e.g. through connector contacts and/or vias. The shield wall overlaps at least part of the one or more signal conductors in the circuit board. The connector may comprise a board mounting face provided by a housing portion.

In particular in multilayer circuit boards, circuit boards may comprise one or more ground layers which may comprise large conductive areas acting as shields. E.g., the top face of the circuit board of the present assembly may comprise such ground layer or provide an insulating layer on top of such ground layer. However, it has been found that such shielding effect is present or at least dominant only substantially perpendicular to the layers. Further, the amplitude and effects of noise in the plane of the circuit board, parallel to the layers, generally increase with increasing signal speed,

corresponding to smaller signal wavelengths. The shield wall shields in this direction.

For instance, the connector may comprise a board mounting face and one or more of the signal leads of the

connector may have board mounting contacts extending from the board mounting face in a mounting direction into the circuit board, e.g. the shield wall extends in the mounting direction aside the board mounting contacts. This shields the contacts.

The board mounting connector comprises a first connector portion extending over the top face of the circuit board and a second connector portion extending adjacent the side face of the circuit board, and the shield wall extends between the second connector portion and the circuit board. Thus, the second connector portion and the circuit board are shielded from each other by the shield wall. The board mounting connector may comprise one or more leads comprising a lead portion extending from the board

mounting contact at a nonzero angle to the mounting direction, the lead having a generally bent shape with respect to the direction of the board mounting contact. In particular if the lead portion also extends over the shield wall, at least part of the lead portion is shielded from the contacts and the circuit board .

In the assembly, said lead portion and the circuit board mounting contact extend on opposite sides of the shield wall, thus being shielded from each other.

In a connector comprising plural leads having a lead portion extending on an opposite side of the shield wall with respect to the circuit board, e.g. having plural leads of bent shape, these lead portions are shielded from the circuit board. In such assembly, cross talk noise between the lead portion and conductive portions in the circuit board is reduced or even prevented, this holds for cross talk within one lead, between (the portions of) different leads and for possible pair cross talk in adjacent differential signal pairs, when present. These latter conductive portions may comprise contacts of other leads of the connector.

In the assembly, at least one shield connector may be provided extending from the shield wall in the mounting

direction and may be connected with the circuit board, to provide direct electrical contact between the shield wall and a circuit board conductor. Also, the shield contact may provide mechanical coupling, e.g. for mounting the shield and/or

improving robustness of the assembly.

Also, the connector may comprise a ground contact contacted to the circuit board and it may further comprise at least one shield connector extending from the shield wall and contacting the ground contact. The ground contact may be a shield contact of a shield portion extending within the

connector, e.g. of a shield separating connector modules. In this case, ground loops may be prevented and voltage may be equalised between the shield wall and the contact, and any conductor connected to it. In an aspect, a board mounting connector is provided which comprises a board mounting face, e.g. defined by one or more connector housing portions, and one or more signal leads. The leads of the connector have lead portions and board mounting contacts extending from the board mounting face in a mounting direction. The connector comprises a shield having a shield wall which extends in the mounting direction along at least part of the board mounting face adjacent to and overlapping at least part of the board mounting contacts. The lead portion and the board mounting contact of the signal leads extend on opposite sides of the shield wall. Thus, at least part of the contacts are shielded by the shield. Such connector may be mounted on a circuit board or on another object comprising one or more signal conductors such as traces and/or vias extending within the object and being connected to the signal leads, and such that the shield wall overlaps at least part of the signal

conductor (s) in the circuit board.

The board mounting connector comprises a first

connector portion providing the board mounting face and a second connector portion, which may extend from or adjacent the board mounting face in the mounting direction, the shield wall

extending between at least some board mounting contacts and covering at least part of the second connector portion. Thus, the second connector portion and the at least some board

mounting contacts are shielded from each other, reducing or preventing cross talk.

The board mounting connector may be a right angle connector having a mating face, wherein the connector comprises a shield covering substantially all connector faces and exposing the mating face and the board mounting face. Thus, the connector is substantially shielded in all directions not used for mating or mounting.

In a further, possibly independent, aspect, a board mounting connector is provided comprising a shield. The shield extends at least on opposite sides of the connector and is provided with board mounting shield contacts. The shield

contacts on the opposite sides are arranged staggered with respect to each other. Thus, two such connectors may be arranged side by side with reduced interference of their respective shield contacts, even allowing arranging them in the same orientation and substantially in one line with at least partly meshed contacts, this may facilitate contacting a single trace on or in a further object to which the connector is mounted, e.g. a circuit board.

In an aspect, possibly independent, a board mounting connector is provided comprising a shield. The connector

comprises a plurality of leads with board mounting contacts arranged in columns, e.g. as a result of a modular construction. The shield comprises board mounting shield contacts arranged offset from said columns. This allows a compact arrangement of contacts and/or conductors in a circuit board to be connected with the connector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-described aspects will hereafter be more explained with further details and benefits with reference to the drawings showing an embodiment of the invention by way of example .

Fig. 1 is a cross section of an improved assembly comprising connectors and circuit boards;

Fig. 2 is a cross section of a circuit board; Figs. 3-5 are perspective views of a shielded right- angle board mounting connector;

Fig. 5A is a detail perspective view of the connector of Figs. 3-5;

Figs. 6-7 are perspective views of a first shield part of the connector of Figs. 3-5;

Figs. 8-9 are perspective views of a second shield part of the connector of Figs. 3-5;

Figs. 10-11 are perspective views of a shielded header connector;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a shield of the header connector of Figs. 10-11;

Figs. 13-15 are perspective views of the connectors of Figs. 3-5 and 10-11, respectively, in mated state; Figs. 16-17 indicate mounting the connectors of Figs. 3-5 and 10-11, respectively, to a circuit board;

Figs. 18-20 indicate connection of leads to a circuit board;

Figs. 21-24 are perspective views of another shielded right-angle board mounting connector;

Fig. 25 is a detail of the connector of Figs. 21-24; Fig. 26 is a perspective views of a shield part of the connector of Figs. 21-25;

Figs. 27-29 are perspective views of another shielded header connector;

Figs. 30-32 are perspective views of the connectors of Figs. 21-24 and 27-29, respectively, in mated state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

It is noted that the drawings are schematic, not necessarily to scale and that details that are not required for understanding the present invention may have been omitted. The terms "upward", "downward", "below", "above", and the like relate to the embodiments as oriented in the drawings, unless otherwise specified. Further, elements that are at least

substantially identical or that perform an at least

substantially identical function are denoted by the same

numeral .

Fig. 1 shows a cross section of an assembly 1 comprising a connector 2 comprising a plurality of leads 3 in an insulating material 4. The connector 2 may be a modular

connector comprising plural plate-like lead frame modules providing columns of leads 3 arranged adjacent each other in a housing. The connector 2 comprises on one side a first connector portion 2A which provides a board mounting face BMF and with which the connector is connected to a first circuit board 5 in a board mounting direction BMD. On another side the connector 2 comprises a second portion 2B which provides a mating face MF and with which the connector 2 is connected to a

counterconnector 6. The shown counterconnector 6 is provided in the form of a header 6 having leads 7 in an insulating material 8. The header 6 comprises a mating face MF and a board mounting face BMF on opposite sides. The header 6 is connected to a second circuit board 9. The connector 2 comprises a shield 10 and the header comprises a shield 11.

All leads 3, 7 of one connector 2, 6 comprise a lead portion 3A, 7A, and first contact portions 3B, 7B, on one end for contacting an associated lead 7, 3 of the mated connector 6, 2 in a mating portion. The leads 3, 7, further comprise second contact portions 3C, 7C, on their opposite end protruding from the board mounting face BMF of the respective connector 2, 6, for contacting a respective further object to be contacted, here the first and second circuit boards 5 and 9, respectively.

The mating contacts 3B, 7B may be partly or fully enveloped in dielectric housing material of the connector and/or counterconnector (not shown) , when mated. Board contacts 3C, 7C generally may be exposed from connector housing material in respective board mounting portions. The shown connector 2 is a right-angle connector, but the disclosure and the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to such connector and

connectors with any angle including a straight mezzanine

connector may be provided according to the present disclosure.

The connector 2 here being a right angle connector, a portion of the lead portion 3A of each lead 3 extends from the board mounting contact 3B at a nonzero angle to the mounting direction BMD.

The shields 10 and 11 comprise board mounting shield contacts 12 and 13, respectively. The shield contacts 12, 13, may be the of same type as the board mounting contacts 3C, 7C or of a different type.

Each circuit board 5, 9 comprises a generally plane multilayer circuit board portion. Fig. 2 shows a cross section in detail of a multilayer circuit board 5 comprising a top face 14, a bottom face 16 opposite the top face 14 and a side face 17, here substantially perpendicular to the top and bottom faces 14, 16. The top and bottom faces 14, 16, each comprise a

conductive ground layer 18. The board 5 comprises a plurality of internal layers 20 comprising conductive signal traces and optional ground traces. Conductive vias 22 facilitate connecting a lead contact 3C of the connector 2 to a trace within the circuit board 5. Further vias may be provided, e.g.

interconnecting outer ground layers 18 and ground traces on one or more inner layers 20. Vias 22 may comprise contact vias for receiving a press-fit contact 3C and/or solder pads, e.g. for connection to a surface mount contact of a connector 2.

From Figs. 1-2 it will be clear that the first connector portion 2A extends over a portion of the top face 14 of the circuit board 5 and that the second connector portion 2B extends adjacent the side face 17 of the circuit board 5. The lead portions 3A of at least some leads 3 have a generally bent shape and are curved to provide differential signal pairs with little skew between the pair and/or adjacent pairs. Some of the lead portion 3A of the lowest leads 3 have a general U-shape and comprise lead portions arranged in the second connector portion 2B adjacent to the circuit board 5 and adjacent to the contact 3B of that lead, in some portions extending generally parallel to the contact 3B.

The shield 10 comprises a shield wall 24 being arranged between the second connector portion 2B and the circuit board 5. Thus, the shield wall 24 extends along the second connector portion 2B and between the board mounting contacts 3C, covering at least part of the second connector portion 2. When the connector 2 is mounted to the circuit board (Fig. 1) the shield wall 24 extends along and adjacent the side face 17 of the circuit board 5, overlapping the board mounting connectors 3C and at least part of the signal conductors 20, 22 in the circuit board 5 in the board mounting direction BMD. The lead portion 3A of the U-shaped leads 3 and the circuit board mounting contacts 3C extend on opposite sides of the shield wall 24, thereby being shielded from each other.

Figs. 3-5 show an embodiment of the board mounting connector 2 in more detail. Fig. 5A shows detail VA indicated in Fig. 4 in bottom perspective view. The connector 2 comprises a main body 26 comprising the leads 3 and the insulating housing 4, and providing the mating face MF and the board mounting face BMF. The shield 10 encases and covers substantially all faces of the main body 26, except for the mating face MF and the board mounting face BMF which are exposed, providing access to the mating contacts 3B (not visible in Figs 3-5) and the board mounting contacts 3C, respectively. In the shown embodiment, the mating contacts 3B are receptacle contacts extending in a mating direction M, here remaining within the housing 4 and the board mounting contacts 3C are eye-of-the-needle contacts extending in the board mounting direction BMD, but other contact types may be provided.

Also referring now to Figs. 69, in this embodiment the shield 10 comprises plural interconnected portions, in

particular a first shield portion 28 and a second shield portion 30, best seen in Figs. 6A-7B. The first shield portion 28 is formed as a shield cage having a top wall32, a rear wall 34 and opposite side walls 36, covering the first connector portion 2A and each being optionally substantially plane as shown here. The first shield portion 28 further comprises an optional front portion 32A-36A for covering the second connector portion 2B. The shield walls 32A-36A here extend parallel to but offset from the respective associated shield walls 32-36 and they comprise contact springs 38.

The second shield portion 30 comprises a bottom wall

40, comprising a substantially parallel and offset front portion 40A, and the rear wall 2. The front portion 40A is also provided with contact springs 38.

The shield portions 28, 30 are provided with the board mounting shield contacts 12. The shield contacts 12 of the first shield portion 28 extend substantially in the plane of the respective shield walls 34, 36, but they may optionally extend outside such plane. At least the shield contacts 12 on the opposite side walls 36 are arranged staggered with respect to each other, and the contacts 12 of the rear wall 34 may be arranged asymmetrically so that substantially identical (shields 28 of substantially identical) connectors 2 may be arranged back-to-back in close arrangement e.g. with meshed contacts 12.

The optional shield contacts 12 of the second shield portion 30 extend from the shield wall 24 with bent fingers 25 to allow board mounting via press-fitting into suitable vias. Straight fingers for board mounting may also be provided. When the second shield portion 30 is connected to the first shield portion 28 or is connected to ground otherwise, its shield contacts 12 may be omitted, reducing complexity, material and/or space requirements for the connector 2.

Fig. 5A shows detail VA of the connector 2 in bottom perspective view, showing that the connector body 26 comprises plural modules 26A providing a columnar arrangement of lead contacts 3C, and that the shield contacts 12 of the second shield portion 30 are arranged offset from these columns. This facilitates contact to a ground trace in the circuit board running between (and possibly symmetrically with respect to) the columns of contacts 3C. Further, this allows reducing the separation between the shield wall 24 and the contacts 3C closest to the shield wall 24, reducing the size of the

assembly .

In case of surface mounting, shield contacts 12 may extend substantially parallel to the circuit board, e.g.

perpendicular to the shield wall 24.

The shield portions 28, 30 are formed by folding sheet metal but a different conductor and/or a differently formed conductor are conceivable. The first shield portion comprises tabs 42 and the second shield portion comprises apertures 44 for receiving the tabs 42 to interlock and interconnect the first and second shield portions 28, 30 around the main body 26 of the connector 2. The shield portions 28, 30 may be folded around the connector main body 26, e.g. when formed in one piece. One or both shield portions 28, 30 may be assembled from plural

shielding pieces.

Figs. 10-12 show an embodiment of a shielded header 6. The header 6 comprises a header body 46 which comprises the leads 7 and the insulating housing 8, providing a mating face MF and a board mounting face BMF. The shield 11 encases and covers substantially all faces of the header body 46, except for the mating face MF and the board mounting face BMF which are

exposed, providing access to the mating contacts 7B and the board mounting contacts 7C, respectively. In the shown

embodiment, the mating contacts 7B are male blade pin contacts and the board mounting contacts 7C are eye-of-the-needle

contacts, but other contact types may be provided. The shield 11, shown on its own in Fig. 12, is a unitary object formed to wrap around the header body 46, here being folded and clasped closed with interlocking dovetail features 48, providing top, bottom and side walls 50-53. The top and bottom walls 50,52 are provided with portions 54 bent inward providing contact surfaces 56. The side walls 51, 53, are exposed by the header body 46 to the interior side (towards the contacts 7B) due to (the insulating part 8 of) the header body 46 having a general U-shape.

The shield walls 50-53 are provided with the board mounting shield contacts 13, which extend substantially in the plane of the respective shield walls 50-53, but which may optionally extend outside such plane. The shield contacts 13 on opposite side walls 51, 53, respectively, may be arranged

staggered with respect to each other as shown here. This also holds for the opposite top and bottom walls 50, 52 (not shown) .

Figs. 13-15 show the connectors 2 and 6 in mated state. The second connector portion 2B of the receptacle connector 2 is received within the header 6. The contact springs 38 of the connector 2 contact the walls 51, 53 and the contact surfaces 56 of the header shield 11, thus providing a substantially fully enclosed assembly, but exposing the board mounting faces BMF. Electrical noise emitted from signals travelling through the leads 3, 7 is substantially contained within the shields 10, 11, reducing interference with nearby objects.

Fig. 16 indicates the connectors 2, 6 of Figs. 3-15 in mated state and connected to circuit boards 5, 9, of which only the ground conductors are shown. Fig. 17 shows the indicated detail of Fig. 16 on enlarged scale, showing that the shield contacts 12 enter into vias in the circuit board 5 and are connected to the ground layers 18 on the top and bottom faces 14, 16 (not shown) of the circuit board 5.

Figs. 18-20 indicate the arrangement of the leads 3, 7 with respect to the ground layers 18 of the circuit board 5

(connectors 3B, 3C, 7B, 7C not shown), wherein Figs. 19, 20 show the indicated details of Fig. 18 on enlarged scale. The

connection to the second circuit board 9 may be substantially identical. Here, the ground layers 18 comprise substantially closed layers which are interconnected by conductive vias 20 and to which ground leads G are contacted (contact arrangement not shown) . Signal leads S, here arranged in differential signal pairs, are connected to signal conductors within the circuit boards 5, 9 (not shown) . The layers 18 are provided with

apertures insulating the signal conductors. The substantially closed conductive ground layer provides shielding of the board mounting faces BMF of the connectors 2, 6.

The shield wall 24 shields the second connector portion 2B and the corresponding portion of the header 6 portion from emitting noise radiation or receiving noise radiation from the circuit board 5. Also, blocking cross talk between the contacts 3C and further portions of leads 3, 7, is reduced or prevented. It has been found that noise emissions from the presented connector are reduced for signal frequencies up to about 7.5 GHz by more than about 20 dB at a distance of about 1 meter from the connectors, compared to a similar assembly without the shields 10, 11. The shield wall 24 closing the shields 10, 11 provides a substantive contribution to reduction of the noise emission.

Figs. 21-24 show an alternative embodiment of a

connector 2, with Fig. 25 detail XXV indicated in Fig 24. In this case the connector main body 26 comprises plural lead modules 26A connected adjacent each other in an insulating housing 60. Between adjacent modules 26A and on the opposite outer sides of the connector shields 62 are arranged. The shields 62 on the opposite outside walls of the connector may be substantially identical and they may have contacts 70 arranged staggered with respect to each other. Further, an outer shield 64 is provided, which assists in fixing the modules 26A in the housing 60 and interconnects the shields 62 through contacts 65 and 66. Over the second connector portion 2B the outer shield 64 comprises contact springs 38.

The shields 62 comprise board mounting contacts 70 on a board mounting face BMF and shield mating contacts 68 which extend through the housing 60 to the mating face MF and are arranged inline with lead contacts 3B. Similar applies for the shields 62 between the modules 26A. Thus, the connector needs no separate ground leads. The outer shield 64 comprises board mounting contacts 12, which are arranged in line with the lead contacts 3C. A second shield portion 30 is provided, comprising a shield wall 24, similar the shield (wall) 30 (24) of the embodiment discussed supra.

Fig. 25 is a detail of the connector 2 of Figs. 21-24 as indicated in Fig. 22, however without the outermost shield 62, so that an aperture 72 of the housing 60 for receiving the contacts 68 of the omitted shield are visible. Best seen in Figs. 25, 26, the second shield portion 30 comprises optional fingers 25 extending from the shield wall 24. Different from the embodiment described supra, the fingers 25 comprise contacts 74 for, in the assembled state of the connector 2, contacting a shield contact 70 or a ground contact 3C of the connector on the board mounting face BMF. This obviates providing separate shield contacts 12, allowing reduction of the connector size and obviating dedicated contact provisions on the circuit board 5.

Further, in the shield wall 24 optional contacts 75, here in the form of pinching contacts, contacting the shields 62, therewith possibly also securing the shields together. Also, the second shield portion 30 comprises optional apertures 76 receiving portions of the housing 60 and/or of the modules 26A for securing the shield portion 30, the housing 60 and/or the respective module 26A to each other. The second shield portion 30 further comprises spring contacts 38.

Like in the connector 2 of the first embodiment, the assembly of (outer) shields 62, 64, 30 provides a substantially closed shielding cage around the leads 3, except for the mating face MF, the board mounting face BMF and at the position of the contacts 7B in the second connector portion 2B, due to the shield connectors 68 being separated from each other. The space between the shield contacts 68, however, is taken up by the contacts 7B and the arrangement allows improving impedance of the receptacle contacts 7B of the connector 2.

The shielding effect of the shield wall 24 is substantially identical to the embodiment discussed supra.

Figs. 27-29 are different views of a board mounting header connector 6 for use with the receptacle connector of Figs. 21-25, comprising leads 7 arranged in columns in an insulating housing 8 which is generally U-shaped. The header 6 comprises shield walls 80 along the columns and shield walls 82 arranged substantially perpendicular thereto and being received in the housing 8. Fig. 29 shows the outline of a shield 80 in phantom. The shields 80, 82 are interconnected with contacts 84, 86 to provide a substantially closed shielding arrangement around the header.

The shields 80 comprise board mounting shield contacts 80C bent inwards to extend in line with adjacent lead contacts 7C. Similarly, shields 80 comprise mating shield contacts 80B bent inwards to extend in line with adjacent lead contacts 7B. Thus, the shield contacts 80B, 80C are arranged in the same grid as the lead contacts. The same holds for (the shield contacts and lead contacts 68 and 3B, and, respectively, 12 and 70/3C of) the connector 2 of Figs. 21-25 as stated above. Thus, this embodiment obviates additional contacts or vias in the

respective circuit boards 5, 9.

Figs. 30-33 show the connectors 2, 9 of Figs. 21-29 connected to each other. All mated lead contacts 3B, 7B and shield contacts 68, 80B are interconnected, and the spring contacts 38 contact the shields 82 ensuring equal voltages on all shields 30, 62, 64, 80, 82, and providing a substantially closed shielding arrangement around the signal leads 3, 7 within the shield assembly.

A connector assembly is provided comprising a shielded header connector and a mated shielded receptacle connector. The receptacle connector may be a board mounting connector as specified in any preceding claim. The header comprises a shield of which at least a portion, in the connected state of the header and receptacle connector, contacts at least a portion of a shield of the receptacle connector.

The invention is not restricted to the above described embodiments which can be varied in a number of ways. For

instance, elements and aspects discussed for or in relation with a particular embodiment may be suitably combined with elements and aspects of other embodiments, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Claims

1. Assembly (1) comprising a board mounting connector

(2) mounted to a circuit board (5), the circuit board having a top face (14) and a side face (17), wherein the connector has a shield (10) comprising a shield wall (24) extending along and adjacent the side face of the circuit board, wherein the board mounting connector comprises a first connector portion (2A) extending over the top face of the circuit board and a second connector portion (2B) extending adjacent the side face of the circuit board, wherein the shield wall extends between the second connector portion and the circuit board, and

wherein the connector comprises plural leads (3) having a lead portion (3A) extending on an opposite side of the shield wall (24) with respect to the circuit board (5).

2. Assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein the board mounting connector (2) comprises one or more signal leads (3), and the circuit board (5) comprises one or more signal

conductors such as traces (20) and/or vias (22) extending within the circuit board and being connected to the signal leads, wherein the shield wall (24) overlaps at least part of the signal conductor (s) in the circuit board.

3. Assembly (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the board mounting connector (2) comprises a board mounting face (BMF) and wherein one or more of the signal leads

(3) of the connector have board mounting contacts (3C) extending from the board mounting face in a mounting direction (BMD) into the circuit board (5) .

4. Assembly (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the board mounting connector (2) comprises one or more leads (3) comprising a lead portion (3A) extending from the board mounting contact (3C) at a nonzero angle to the mounting direction (BMD) .

5. Assembly (1) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the lead portion (3) and the circuit board mounting contact (3C) of one or more of the signal leads (3) extend on opposite sides of the shield wall (24) .

6. Assembly (1) according to any preceding claim, comprising at least one shield connector (12) extending from the shield wall (24) in the board mounting direction (BMD) and connected with the circuit board (5).

7. Assembly according to claim 6, wherein the shield connector (12) extends into the circuit board (5).

8. Assembly (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the board mounting connector (2) comprises a ground contact (3C) contacted to the circuit board (5) and further comprises at least one shield connector (74) extending from the shield wall (24), in particular extending generally parallel to the board mounting face (BMF) , and contacting the ground contact (3C) .

9. Assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the connector comprises plural lead modules (26) and shields (62) between adjacent lead modules, wherein at least one shield (62) comprises a ground contact and at least one shield

connector (74) extends from the shield wall (24) and contacts the ground contact of the shield (62)

10. Assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the connector comprises plural lead modules (26) and shields

(62) between adjacent lead modules, wherein the shield wall (24) comprises contacts (75) contacting the shields (62) between the second connector portion (2B) and the circuit board (5) and securing the shields (62) together.

11. Board mounting connector (2) for an assembly (1) according to any preceding claim, which comprises a first connector portion (2A) for extending over the top face of a circuit board having a board mounting face (BMF) , a second connector portion (2B) for extending adjacent the side face of the circuit board and one or more signal leads (3),

wherein the signal leads (3) of the connector have lead portions (3A) and board mounting contacts (3C) extending from the board mounting face (BMF) in a board mounting direction (BMD) , and

wherein the connector (2) comprises a shield (10) having a shield wall (24) which extends in the board mounting direction (BMD) along and adjacent to at least part of the board mounting face (BMF), being adjacent to and overlapping at least part of the board mounting contacts and

wherein the lead portion and the board mounting contact of the signal leads extend on opposite sides of the shield wall.

12. Board mounting connector (2) according to claim 11, wherein the second connector portion (2B) extends from or adjacent the board mounting face in the mounting direction, the shield wall extending between at least some board mounting contacts and at least part of the second connector portion, covering at least part of the second connector portion.

13. Board mounting connector according to claim 11 < 12, wherein the board mounting connector is a right angle

connector having a mating face (MF) , wherein the connector comprises a shield covering substantially all connector faces and exposing the mating face and the board mounting face.

14. Board mounting connector (2) according to any one of claims 11-13 comprising a shield (10), wherein the shield extends on opposite sides of the connector and is provided with board mounting shield contacts (12), and wherein the shield contacts on the opposite sides are arranged staggered with respect to each other.

15. Board mounting connector (2) according to any one of claims 11-14, comprising a shield (10), wherein the leads (3) have board mounting contacts (3C) arranged in columns, wherein the shield comprises board mounting shield contacts (12) arranged offset from said columns.