This application claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202123312854.8, filed on Dec. 27, 2021, entitled “CARD EDGE CONNECTOR,” the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates generally to interconnection systems, such as those including electrical connectors, used to interconnect electronic assemblies.
Electrical connectors are used in many electronic systems. It is generally easier and more cost effective to manufacture a system as separate electronic subassemblies, such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), which may be joined together with electrical connectors. Having separable connectors enables components of the electronic system manufactured by different manufacturers to be readily assembled. Separable connectors also enable components to be readily replaced after the system is assembled, either to replace defective components or to upgrade the system with higher performance components.
A known arrangement for joining several printed circuit boards is to have one printed circuit board serve as a backplane. A known backplane is a PCB onto which many connectors may be mounted. Conducting traces in the backplane may be electrically connected to signal conductors in the connectors so that signals may be routed between the connectors. Other printed circuit boards, called “daughterboards,” “daughtercards,” or “midboards,” may be connected through the backplane. For example, daughtercards may also have connectors mounted thereon. The connectors mounted on a daughtercard may be plugged into the connectors mounted on the backplane. In this way, signals may be routed among daughtercards through the connectors and the backplane. The daughtercards may plug into the backplane at a right angle. The connectors used for these applications may therefore include a right angle bend and are often called “right angle connectors.”
Connectors may also be used in other configurations for interconnecting printed circuit boards. Sometimes, one or more printed circuit boards may be connected to another printed circuit board, called a “motherboard,” that is both populated with electronic components and interconnects the daughterboards. In such a configuration, the printed circuit boards connected to the motherboard may be called daughterboards. The daughterboards are often smaller than the motherboard and may sometimes be aligned parallel to the motherboard. Connectors used for this configuration are often called “stacking connectors” or “mezzanine connectors.” In other systems, the daughterboards may be perpendicular to the motherboard.
For example, this configuration is often used in computers in which the motherboard might have a processor and a bus configured to pass data between the processor and peripherals, such as a graphics processor or memory. Connectors may be mounted to the motherboard and connected to the bus. The peripherals may be implemented on daughtercards with connectors that mate with the connectors on the bus such that separately manufactured peripherals may be readily integrated into a computer made with the motherboard.
To enhance the availability of peripherals, the bus and the connectors used to physically connect peripherals via the bus may be standardized. In this way, there may be a large number of peripherals available from a multitude of manufacturers. All of those products, so long as they are compliant with the standard, may be used in a computer that has a bus compliant with the standard. Examples of such standards include serial ATA (SATA), serial attached SCSI (SAS), peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe), which are commonly used in computers. The standards have gone through multiple revisions, adapting to the higher performance expected from computers over time.
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to high speed electrical connectors.
Some embodiments relate to a card edge connector. The card edge connector may include a housing comprising a base portion extending in a longitudinal direction and a socket recessed into the base portion in a mating direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; a plurality of conductive terminals held in the housing and disposed in a row extending in the longitudinal direction, the plurality of conductive terminals each comprising a first contact portion curving into the socket, a second contact portion opposite the first contact portion and disposed outside the base portion, and an intermediate portion extending between the first contact portion and the second contact portion, the plurality of conductive terminals comprising a plurality of pairs of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals between the pairs; and a shielding member at least partially held in the base portion and separated from the socket by the plurality of conductive terminals, the shielding member configured to overlap at least the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of signal terminals and to electrically connect the plurality of ground terminals.
In some embodiments, the shielding member may comprise a body, and a plurality of connection portions extending from the body and towards respective ones of the plurality of ground terminals.
In some embodiments, each intermediate portion of the plurality of ground terminals and the plurality of pairs of signal terminals may comprise a first section joining the first contact portion, a second section joining the second contact portion, and a third section joining the first section and the second section. The plurality of connection portions may be connected to the plurality of ground terminals at the third sections of the intermediate portions.
In some embodiments, contact points between the plurality of connection portions of the shielding member and the plurality of ground terminals may be closer to the second section than the first section.
In some embodiments, the third sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of ground terminals and the plurality of pairs of signal terminals may extend in a first plane. The second sections of the intermediate portions of each of the plurality of ground terminals and the plurality of pairs of signal terminals may extend in an angle with respect to the first plane.
In some embodiments, the body of the shielding member may extend in parallel to the first plane. The body may overlap the first and third sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of signal terminals and the plurality of ground terminals. The shielding member may comprise a plurality of extensions extending from the body and each extending in parallel to the second sections of the intermediate portions of one pair of the plurality of pairs of signal terminals.
In some embodiments, the third sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of signal terminals and the plurality of ground terminals may be retained by the base portion. The second sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of signal terminals and the plurality of ground terminals may extend out of the base portion. The body of the shielding member is retained in the base portion. The plurality of extensions may extend out of the base portion.
In some embodiments, the plurality of extensions may be a plurality of first extensions. The shielding member may comprise a plurality of second extensions extending from the body. The plurality of first extensions may be separated from each other by the plurality of second extensions, with one second extension between every two adjacent first extensions. Each of the plurality of second extensions may be spaced apart from two adjacent first extensions by a cutout extending into the body and disposed corresponding to one of the plurality of ground terminals.
In some embodiments, the card edge connector may further comprise one or more signal terminals and/or power terminals disposed in the row.
Some embodiments relate to a card edge connector. The card edge connector may include a housing comprising a base portion extending in a longitudinal direction and a socket recessed into the base portion in a mating direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; a plurality of conductive elements held in the housing and disposed in a row extending in the longitudinal direction, the plurality of conductive terminals each comprising a first contact portion curving into the socket, a second contact portion opposite the first contact portion and disposed outside the base portion, and an intermediate portion joining the first contact portion and the second contact portion; and a shielding member comprising: a body at least partially held in the base portion; and a plurality of extensions extending from and transverse to the body and out of the base portion and closer to the second contact portions of the plurality of conductive elements.
In some embodiments, the plurality of conductive elements may be a first plurality of conductive elements disposed in a first row. The shielding member may be a first shielding member. The card edge connector may comprise a second plurality of conductive elements held in the housing and disposed in a second row in the longitudinal direction and separated from the first row by the socket, the second plurality of conductive terminals each comprising a first contact portion curving into the socket, a second contact portion opposite the first contact portion and disposed outside the base portion, and an intermediate portion joining the first contact portion and the second contact portion, the second plurality of conductive terminals comprising a plurality of pairs of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals dispersed between the pairs; and a second shielding member held in the base portion and separated from the socket by the second plurality of conductive terminals. The second shielding member may comprise a body at least partially held in the base portion and a plurality of extensions extending from and transverse to the body and out of the base portion and closer to the second contact portions of the second plurality of conductive elements.
In some embodiments, the second shielding member may comprise a plurality of connection portions. Each of the plurality of connection portions may extend from the body of the second shielding member towards a corresponding one ground terminal of the plurality of ground terminals and may be electrically connected to the corresponding one ground terminal at the intermediate portions. The plurality of connection portions of the second shielding member may be offset from the plurality of connection portions of the first shielding member in the longitudinal direction.
In some embodiments, the card edge connector may further comprise a third shielding member disposed in the base portion between the first row and the second row and electrically connected to the first shielding member and the second shielding member.
In some embodiments, the third shielding member may be made of a lossy material.
In some embodiments, the third shielding member may be electrically connected to the plurality of ground terminals at the intermediate portions.
In some embodiments, the card edge connector may further comprise a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion extending from the base portion at opposite ends of the base portion, respectively. The first receiving portion and the second receiving portion may be configured to guide, receive and/or retain edges of a printed circuit board. When the edges of the printed circuit board are received in the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion, a portion of the printed circuit board may be disposed between the second contact portions of the first row and the second row.
Some embodiments relate to an electrical connector. The electrical connector may include a housing comprising a base portion extending in a longitudinal direction, a socket recessed into the base portion in a mating direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a pair of guide members extending from the base portion in the mating direction; a plurality of conductive elements held in the housing and disposed in a row extending in the longitudinal direction, the plurality of conductive terminals each comprising a first contact portion curving into the socket, and a second contact portion opposite the first contact portion and disposed outside the base portion and between the pair of guide members; and a shielding member at least partially held in the base portion and extending at least from the first contact portions of the plurality of conductive elements to the second contact portions of the plurality of conductive elements.
In some embodiments, the plurality of conductive elements may comprise a plurality of pairs of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals dispersed between the pairs. The shielding member may comprise a body, a plurality of first extensions extending from the body and each disposed to overlap one pair of the plurality of pairs of signal terminals, and a plurality of second extensions extending from the body and each disposed corresponding to one of the plurality of ground terminals. The plurality of second extensions may each comprise a slot disposed to overlap a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals.
In some embodiments, the shielding member may comprise a plurality of connection portions configured to make contact with portions of the plurality of ground terminals in the base portion of the housing, and a plurality of extension extending out of the base portion and closer to the second contact portions of the plurality of conductive elements.
Some embodiments relate to an electronic system. The electronic system may include an electrical connector described herein; a first printed circuit board inserted into the socket of the electrical connector, the first printed circuit board comprising a first plurality of contact pads configured to make contact with the first contact portions of the plurality of conductive terminals; and a second printed circuit board inserted between the pair of guide members, the second printed circuit board comprising a second plurality of contact pads configured to make contact with the second contact portions of the plurality of conductive terminals. The shielding member of the electrical connector may be separated from the first and second printed circuit boards by the plurality of conductive elements.
According to an aspect of the present application, a card edge connector for establishing an electrical connection between a first circuit board and a second circuit board is provided. The card edge connector may comprise: an insulative housing including a base portion extending along a longitudinal direction and a socket recessed into the base portion along a mating direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from a first side of the base portion; a plurality of conductive terminals each including a first contact portion, a second contact portion opposite to the first contact portion, and an intermediate portion extending between the first contact portion and the second contact portion, the plurality of conductive terminals held in the insulative housing and arranged in a first terminal row and a second terminal row extending along the longitudinal direction respectively, mutually opposed and spaced apart, with the first contact portion exposed in the socket for establishing an electrical connection with a first corresponding conductive portion of the first circuit board when the first circuit board is inserted into the socket, and with the second contact portion protruding out of a second side of the base portion opposite to the first side for establishing an electrical connection with a second corresponding conductive portion of the second circuit board, the first terminal row including a plurality of first ground terminals and a plurality of pairs of first signal terminals, each pair of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals constituting a differential signal pair for carrying a differential signal, and the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals spaced apart from each other by the plurality of first ground terminals, with one first ground terminal disposed between every two adjacent pairs of the first signal terminals; and a first shielding member held in the base portion on a side of the first terminal row facing away from the second terminal row and spaced apart from the first terminal row, the first shielding member configured for covering at least the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals in the longitudinal direction and the mating direction, and electrically connecting the plurality of first ground terminals together.
In some embodiments, the first shielding member may include a plurality of first connection portions, each of the plurality of first connection portions may extend from the first shielding member towards a corresponding one first ground terminal of the plurality of first ground terminals and electrically connected to the corresponding one first ground terminal at the intermediate portion thereof, thereby electrically connecting the corresponding one first ground terminal to the first shielding member.
In some embodiments, each of the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of first ground terminals and the intermediate portion of each first signal terminal of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals may include a first section connected with the first contact portion, a second section connected with the second contact portion, and a third section connecting the first section with the second section and extending parallelly to the mating direction, and wherein each of the plurality of first connection portions may be connected to the corresponding one first ground terminal on the third section of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one first ground terminal.
In some embodiments, the position where each of the plurality of first connection portions is connected to the third section of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one first ground terminal may be closer to the second section, rather than to the first section.
In some embodiments, each first signal terminal of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals and each first ground terminal of the plurality of first ground terminals may be aligned along the longitudinal direction, and wherein the third section of the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of first ground terminals and the third section of the intermediate portion of each first signal terminal of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals may collectively define a first plane, the second section of the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of first ground terminals and the second section of the intermediate portion of each first signal terminal of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals may extend obliquely away from the first plane, respectively.
In some embodiments, the first shielding member may include a first body extending parallelly to the first plane and a plurality of first extensions extending from the first body, the first body may cover the first and third sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals and the plurality of first ground terminals in the longitudinal and mating directions, each of the plurality of first extensions may extend along and parallelly to the second sections of two intermediate portions of a corresponding pair of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals.
In some embodiments, the third sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals and the third sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of first ground terminals may be retained by the base portion, and wherein the second sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals and the second sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of first ground terminals may extend out of the second side of the base portion, the first body of the first shielding member may be retained in the base portion, and each of the plurality of first extensions may protrude out of the second side of the base portion.
In some embodiments, the first shielding member may include a plurality of second extensions extending from the first body, the plurality of first extensions spaced apart from each other by the plurality of second extensions, with one second extension between every two adjacent first extensions, and each of the plurality of second extensions may be spaced apart from two adjacent first extensions by a cutout cut into the first body, wherein each of the plurality of first connection portions may be a spring arm extending from the first shielding member and may be at least partially punched integrally from a corresponding one of the plurality of second extensions, the spring arm may abut against the third section of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one first ground terminal.
In some embodiments, each of the plurality of first connection portions may be a spring arm integrally punched from the first shielding member, the spring arm may abut against the intermediate portion of the corresponding one first ground terminals.
In some embodiments, the first shielding member may include a first retention feature configured for retaining the first shielding member in the base portion, the first retention feature may be a protruding feature protruding from the first shielding member beyond a surface of the first shielding member facing away from the first terminal row.
In some embodiments, the total number of the first signal terminals and the first ground terminals may be less than the total number of the conductive terminals in the first terminal row, the plurality of first ground terminals and the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals constitute a zone of the first terminal row, wherein two first ground terminals of the plurality of first ground terminals may be arranged at each end of the zone along the longitudinal direction, respectively, and the first terminal row may further include signal terminals and/or power terminals arranged on each side of the zone of the first terminal row.
In some embodiments, the second terminal row may include a plurality of second ground terminals and a plurality of pairs of second signal terminals arranged opposing to the plurality of first ground terminals and the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals, each pair of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals may constitute a differential signal pair for carrying a differential signal, and the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals spaced apart from each other by the plurality of second ground terminals, with one second ground terminal disposed between every two adjacent pairs of the second signal terminals. The card edge connector may further include a second shielding member held in the base portion on a side of the second terminal row facing away from the first terminal row and spaced apart from the second terminal row, the second shielding member may be configured for covering at least the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals in the longitudinal direction and the mating direction, and electrically connecting the plurality of second ground terminals together.
In some embodiments, the second shielding member may include a plurality of second connection portions, each of the plurality of second connection portions may extend from the second shielding member towards a corresponding one second ground terminal of the plurality of second ground terminals and may be electrically connected to the corresponding one second ground terminal at the intermediate portion thereof, thereby electrically connecting the corresponding one second ground terminal to the second shielding member.
In some embodiments, each of the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of second ground terminals and the intermediate portion of each second signal terminal of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals may include a fourth section connected with the first contact portion, a fifth section connected with the second contact portion, and a sixth section connecting the fourth section with the fifth section and extending parallelly to the mating direction, each of the plurality of second connection portions may be connected to the corresponding one second ground terminal on the sixth section of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one second ground terminal.
In some embodiments, the position where each of the plurality of second connection portions is connected to the sixth section of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one second ground terminal may be closer to the fifth section, rather than to the fourth section.
In some embodiments, each second signal terminal of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals and each second ground of the plurality of second ground terminals may be aligned along the longitudinal direction, and wherein the sixth section of the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of second ground terminals and the sixth section of the intermediate portion of each second signal terminal of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals may collectively define a second plane, the fifth section of the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of second ground terminals and the fifth section of the intermediate portion of each second signal terminal of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals may extend obliquely away from the second plane, respectively.
In some embodiments, the second shielding member may include a second body extending parallelly to the second plane and a plurality of third extensions extending from the second body, the second body may cover the fourth and sixth sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals and the plurality of second ground terminals in the longitudinal and mating directions, each of the plurality of second extensions may extend along and parallelly to the fifth sections of two intermediate portions of a corresponding pair of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals.
In some embodiments, the sixth sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals and the sixth sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of second ground terminals may be retained by the base portion, and wherein the fifth sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals and the fifth sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of second ground terminals may extend out of the second side of the base portion, the second body of the second shielding member may be retained in the base portion, and each of the plurality of second extensions may protrude out of the second side of the base portion.
In some embodiments, the second shielding member may include a plurality of fourth extensions extending from the second body, the plurality of third extensions are spaced apart from each other by the plurality of fourth extensions, with one fourth extension between every two adjacent third extensions, and each of the plurality of fourth extensions may be spaced apart from two adjacent third extensions by a cutout cut into the second body, wherein each of the plurality of second connection portions may be a spring arm extending from the second shield and may be at least partially punched integrally from a corresponding one of the plurality of fourth extensions, the spring arm may abut against the sixth section of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one second ground terminal.
In some embodiments, each of the plurality of second connection portions may be a spring arm integrally punched from the second shielding member, the spring arm may abut against the intermediate portion of the corresponding one second ground terminals.
In some embodiments, the second shielding member may include a second retention feature configured for retaining the second shielding member in the base portion, the second retention feature may be a protruding feature protruding from the second shielding member beyond a surface of the second shielding member facing away from the second terminal row.
In some embodiments, the total number of the second signal terminals and the second ground terminals may be less than the total number of the conductive terminals in the second terminal row, the plurality of second ground terminals and the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals may constitute a zone of the second terminal row, wherein two second ground terminals of the plurality of second ground terminals may be arranged at each end of the zone along the longitudinal direction, respectively, and the second terminal row may further include signal terminals and/or power terminals arranged on each side of the zone of the second terminal row.
In some embodiments, the number of the first signal terminals may be the same as that of the second signal terminals, and the number of the first ground terminals may be the same as that of the second ground terminals, the plurality of first ground terminals and the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals may be spaced apart from the plurality of second ground terminals and the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals opposing to each other and offset from each other.
In some embodiments, the card edge connector may further comprise a third shield member disposed in the base portion between the first terminal row and the second terminal row, the third shield member may electrically couple the plurality of first ground terminals and the plurality of second ground terminals together.
In some embodiments, the third shield member may be made of a metal and electrically connect the plurality of first ground terminals and the plurality of second ground terminals together.
In some embodiments, the third shield member may be made of a lossy material, and the third shield member may be capacitively coupled or in direct contact with the plurality of first ground terminals and the plurality of second ground terminals.
In some embodiments, the third shield member may be electrically coupled with each ground terminal of the plurality of first ground terminals and the plurality of second ground terminals at the intermediate portion of the ground terminal.
In some embodiments, the card edge connector may further comprise a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion extending from the second side of the base portion at each end of the base portion along the longitudinal direction, respectively, the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion may be configured to guide, receive and retain an edge of the second circuit board, when the edge of the second circuit board may be received in the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion, a portion of the second circuit board provided with the second corresponding conductive portion may be located between the second contact portions of the first terminal row and the second terminal row and the second contact portions establish an electrical connection with the second corresponding conductive portion.
In some embodiments, the first body of the first shielding member may be continuously flat in the longitudinal direction and the mating direction.
In some embodiments, the second body of the second shielding member may be continuously flat in the longitudinal direction and the mating direction.
These techniques may be used alone or in any suitable combination. The foregoing summary is provided by way of illustration and is not intended to be limiting.
The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
100
101
103
103
a
103
b
104
105
107
107
a
107
b
109
111
a
111
b
200
a
200
b
201
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203
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301
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2001
2003
3011
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3017
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3021
3031
The Inventors have recognized and appreciated connector design techniques that satisfy electrical and mechanical requirements to support greater bandwidth through high frequency operation. Some of these techniques may synergistically support higher frequency connector operation and satisfy the physical requirements set by industry standards such as Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe). A straddle mount connector satisfying the mechanical requirements of the PCIe specification at the performance required for PCIe 5.0 and beyond is used as an example of a connector in which these techniques have been applied.
A straddle mount connector may be designed to hang over an edge of a printed-circuit board, which may be referred to as “host board,” rather than sitting on one side of the board. The straddle mount connector may include shielding members shaped and disposed to increase signal integrity without changing the size of the connector. The shielding members may extend substantially along the length of the terminals and therefore enable the connector to provide increased signal integrity.
A shielding member may be disposed outside a row of terminals. The shielding member may extend from a contact region for an add-in card to a contact region for the host card. Portions of the shielding member may extend beyond the connector housing so as to lengthen the shielding provided along the lengths of the terminals. The portions of the shielding member may be configured to interact with the terminals to provide a desired impedance uniformity along the current conduction paths. The shielding member may include contact portions curving toward the row of terminals and electrically coupled to the ground terminals in the row. The connector housing may be molded with features to hold the shield members in place.
The socket 107 is configured for receiving the edge portion 7 of the first circuit board 3. The socket 107 is shown in
As shown in
With continuing reference to
In some examples, as shown in
With further reference to
The Inventors have recognized and appreciated that electrically connecting the plurality of first ground terminals 2001 together through the first shielding member 301 may provide a conductive path among the plurality of first ground terminals 2001 , which may reduce electrical potential differences between the plurality of first ground terminals 2001, and may control and/or suppress undesired resonances that may occur within the first ground terminal 2001 during the operation of the card edge connector 100 and therefore shift the resonance point of the crosstalk toward higher frequencies. The Inventors have recognized and appreciated that the first shielding member 301 covering the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals 2003 in the longitudinal direction 105 and the mating direction 109 may provide shielding along the differential signal transmission path in the card edge connector 100. This enables to improve integrity of the signal passing through the card edge connector 100, thereby improving the high frequency transmission performance of the card edge connector 100. The use of the first shielding member 301 to connect the plurality of first ground terminals 2001 may improve the high frequency transmission performance of the card edge connector 100 without increasing the size of the insulative housing 101, thereby facilitating miniaturization of the card edge connector 100.
It should be appreciated that, as used herein, the first shielding member 301 covering the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals 2003 in the longitudinal direction 105 may refer to that the first shielding member 301 extends in the longitudinal direction 105 to cover more than 90% (e.g., 95%, 98%, or 100%) of the length of the intermediate portion 203 of each first signal terminal 2003 of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals 2003. It should also be appreciated that, as used herein, the first shielding member 301 covering the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals 2003 in the mating direction 109 may refer to that the first shielding member 301 extends in the mating direction 109 to cover the intermediate portions 203 of all of the first signal terminals 2003 of the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals 2003.
In some examples, the first shielding member 301 may be a wave plate or a porous plate. In some other examples, as will be described below, the body of the first shielding member 301 may be continuously flat in the longitudinal direction 105 and the mating direction 109.
With reference to
As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
The first shielding member 301 may further include a first retention feature configured for retaining the first shielding member 301 in the base portion 103. In some embodiments, as shown in
The configuration, the arrangement and the fitting manner of the plurality of first ground terminals 2001, the plurality of pairs of first signal terminals 2003 and the first shielding member 301 in the first terminal row 200a of the card edge connector 100 are described above in connection with
As shown in
In some embodiments, the third shield member 303 may be made of metal and electrically couples the plurality of first ground terminals 2001 and the plurality of second ground terminals together.
In some embodiments, the third shield member 303 may be formed from a lossy material. The third shield member 303 may be capacitively coupled or in direct contact with the plurality of first ground terminals 2001 and the plurality of second ground terminals. This enables to reduce the effect of electrical resonance, thereby improving signal integrity. When the electrical resonance occurs at a frequency within the operating frequency range of the card edge connector 100, the integrity of the high-speed signal passing through the card edge connector 100 may deteriorate. The deterioration in the integrity of the signal passing through the card edge connector 100 may be partially caused by the loss of signal energy coupled into the resonant signal, which means that less signal energy passes through the card edge connector 100. The deterioration in the integrity of the signal passing through the card edge connector 100 may be partially caused by the coupling of the resonant signal from the ground terminals to the signal terminals. The resonant signal accumulates and possesses a high amplitude, so that when the resonant signal is coupled from the ground terminals to the signal terminals, it will generate a large amount of noise that interferes with the signal. Sometimes, the resonant signal coupled to the signal terminals may be referred to as crosstalk. The frequency at which electrical resonance occurs is related to the length of the ground terminals supporting the electrical resonance, since the wavelength of the resonant signal is related to the length of the ground terminals supporting the resonance, and the frequency is inversely related to the wavelength. Electrically coupling the third shield member 303 formed from a lossy material to the ground terminals may enable energy coupled into the ground terminals and accumulated into a resonant signal to be dissipated in the third shield member 303, which makes the occurrence of electrical resonance less likely, thereby increasing signal integrity and improving the operating frequency range of the card edge connector 100.
The card edge connector 100 shown in
It should be appreciated that the fitting manner between the first shielding member, the second shield, the conductive terminal and the third shield member described therein may be used in any other suitable types of connectors, such as a right angle connector or a vertical connector.
It should also be appreciated that, the card edge connector 100 may include only the aforementioned first shielding member 301 or the aforementioned second shielding member 302 in some embodiments, or both in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the card edge connector 100 may optionally include the aforementioned third shield member 303.
It should also be appreciated that the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, “fifth” and “sixth” are only used to distinguish an element or component from another element or component, and that these elements and/or components should not be limited by the terms.
The present disclosure has been described in detail in conjunction with specific embodiments. Obviously, the above description and the embodiments shown in the appended drawings should be understood to be exemplary and do not constitute a limitation to the present disclosure. For a person skilled in the art, various variations or modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, and these variations or modifications fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202123312854.8 | Dec 2021 | CN | national |