Patent Application
20130244494
The number and types of electronic devices available to consumers have increased tremendously the past few years, and this increase shows no signs of abating. Devices such as portable computing devices, tablet, desktop, and all-in-one computers, cell, smart, and media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors and other devices have become ubiquitous.
These devices often receive and provide power and data using various cable assemblies. These cable assemblies may include connector inserts, or plugs, on one or more ends of a cable.
The connector inserts may plug into connector receptacles on electronic devices, thereby forming one or more conductive paths for signals and power.
The connector receptacles may be formed of housings that typically at least partially surround and provide mechanical support for contacts. These contacts may be arranged to mate with corresponding contacts on the connector inserts or plugs to form portions of electrical paths between devices.
The numbers of these receptacles that are manufactured for some electronic devices can be very large. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide connector receptacles that are simple to assemble and manufacture.
As a further complication, the data rates of some signals conveyed by these connector receptacles have increased over time. To be able to handle these signals, it may be desirable that the connector receptacles do not degrade signal quality significantly. An important aspect of providing good signal quality is to provide a good ground path and shielding for the connector receptacle and corresponding connector insert. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide connector receptacles that provide a good ground shielding. It may also be desirable to provide connector receptacles that are arranged to consume a reduced or limited amount of space in a device enclosure.
Thus, what is needed are connector receptacles that are that may be simple to assemble, provide good shielding, and consume a reduced or limited amount of space inside a device enclosure.
Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that are simple to assemble, provide good shielding, and consume a reduced or limited amount of space inside a device enclosure.
An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may simplify assembly by providing a connector receptacle having a number of contacts in a subassembly. The subassembly may include a first number of contacts that are insert-molded in an overmold. A second number of contacts may be added to the overmold. The subassembly may be inserted into a hollow tongue portion of the connector receptacle. The hollow tongue may protect portions of the first and second numbers of contacts.
Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention may simplify assembly by providing a connector receptacle having a number of contacts in a subassembly. The subassembly may include a first number of contacts that are insert-molded in a first overmold. A second number of contacts may be held together using a second overmold. The first overmold and the second overmold may be attached to each other. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, this may be done using pins and holes located on either or both of the overmolds. The subassembly may be inserted into a hollow tongue portion of the connector receptacle. The hollow tongue may protect portions of the first and second numbers of contacts.
Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention may improve signal quality by providing a connector receptacle having a good ground shielding. In various embodiments of the present invention, one or more ground contacts may be split and routed such that one ground contact at a front or mating portion of a connector receptacle may provide ground contacts on either side of one or more signal contacts at a back of the connector receptacle. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, a single ground contact at a front of a connector receptacle is split in two at the back of the connector receptacle. A differential pair is then surrounded on each side by a portion of the split contact, thereby shielding the differential pair and improving signal quality.
Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention may improve signal quality by providing a connector receptacle having a good ground connection. In various embodiments of the present invention, ground contacts may be located on a tongue of the connector receptacle. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, ground contacts may be located on sides of a tongue. Contacts may be further included on a top of the tongue as well.
Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention may reduce the space consumed in a device enclosure by providing a number of contacts having through-hole contacts at one end. Having through-hole contacts may reduce the space consumed as compared to other contacts, such as surface mount contacts. To further reduce space, these through-hole contacts may be arranged substantially in a line.
Embodiments of the present invention may be used to improve various connector receptacles, such as those compatible with the various Universal Serial Bus interfaces and standards, including USB, USB2, and USB3, as well as High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), power, Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, and other types of interfaces and standards. These connector receptacles may be utilized in many types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablet, desktop, and all-in-one computers, cell, smart, and media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors and other devices.
Various embodiments of the present invention may incorporate one or more of these and the other features described herein. A better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be gained by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
Connector receptacle 100 may include housing 110 having tongue 120. Tongue 120 may include a first number of openings 130 for a second number of contacts 140. Tongue 120 may further include a second number of openings 150 for a second number of contacts 160.
In a specific embodiment of the present invention, connector receptacle 100 may be a USB3 connector. In this example, contacts 160 may be legacy USB contacts, while contacts 140 may be additional contacts added for USB3 compliance.
In a specific embodiment of the present invention, connector receptacle 100 may be assembled by receiving a first number of contacts 140. These contacts may include a contacting portion 142 and a through-hole contacting portion 144 at an opposite end. One of these contacts, in this example center contact 143, may have two through-hole contacting portions 146 and 147. The first number of contacts may be overmolded by piece 210 by using injection molding or other technique. Again, contacts 160 may be added to complete the subassembly. Contacts 160 may include a contacting portion 162, and a through-hole contacting portion 164 at an opposite end. After contacts 160 are added, through-hole contacting portions 164, 144, 146, and 147, may be arranged substantially in a line. Again, the completed subassembly and ground contacts 230 may be inserted into hollow tongue 120 in housing 110. A top shield piece 260 and bottom pieces 240 and 250 may be added for shielding, grounding, and mechanical stability.
Again, a second plurality of contacts may be added to this portion of the subassembly. Side ground contacts may also be added or inserted into tongue 120 separately. An example is shown in the following figure.
Again, embodiments of the present invention may provide USB3 connector receptacles. In other embodiments of the present invention, other connector receptacles that may be compliant with the other interfaces or standards may be provided. In this specific example, the connector receptacle may be compliant with USB3. In that situation, the first number of contacts, beginning with contact 620, may be used to convey a first differential pair, a first ground, and a second differential pair. The second number of contacts, beginning with contact 630, may be used to convey a second ground, a third differential pair, and a positive power supply.
In this specific example, a first ground, 143, may be split such as two through-hole contacting portions 146 and 147. As illustrated, these two through-hole contacting portions are located on each side of the through-hole contacting portions 165 and 166 for the third differential pair. In this way, ground contact 143 provides ground shielding for the third differential pair. Specifically, beginning with through-hole contacting portion 640, the through-hole contacting portions provide, in order, contacting portions for a second ground, the first differential pair, the first ground, the third differential pair, the first ground, a second differential pair, and a positive power supply. It should be noted the positive power supply is low impedance AC path, and thus may appear as a ground for shielding purposes.
Accordingly, the through-hole contacting portion 640 of the second ground and the through-hole contacting portion 147 of the first ground act as a shield for the through-hole contacting portions 148 and 149 of the first differential pair. Similarly, the through-hole contacting portion 164 of the power supply contact and through-hole contacting portion 146 of the ground contact provide low impedance shielding for a second differential pair through-hole contacting portions 144 and 145.
Connector receptacle 100 may also include shield portions 250 and 260. Shield portions 250 and 260 may be grounded to provide shielding and mechanical retention for an insert once the insert is inserted into connector receptacle 100.
Again, it may be desirable that connector receptacles according to an embodiment of the present invention consume a reduced amount of space inside a device enclosure. This in turn may allow a device to be smaller, or to include more functionality. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may include contacts having through-hole contacting portions. This in turn may save area, or board space, or both, as compared to surface mount contacts. An example is shown in the following figure.
In other embodiments of the present invention, other types of subassemblies may be used. For example, instead of a single overmold, multiple overmolds may be employed. This may provide for a thinner overall structure. Also, to reduce connector thickness, a top or bottom portion may be removed. In such a situation, grounding or retention features on a top or bottom may be removed. In various embodiments of the present invention, other ground contacts and retention features may be employed to compensate. For example, in a specific embodiment of the present invention, a top portion of a housing and shielding may be removed, and replaced with ground contacts on a top of a tongue of the connector receptacle. An example is shown in the following figures.
Again, this and other embodiments of the present invention may provide shielding for the differential pairs as shown in the examples above. Similarly, this, and other embodiments the present invention, may employ through-hole contacting portions to reduce space consumed by the connector receptacle, though in other embodiments of the present invention, other types of contacting portions, such as surface-mount contacting portions, may be used.
The above description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Thus, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.
