Patent Application
20090233485
The present disclosure generally relates to electrical connectors, and in particular to electrical connectors having electromagnetic interference shielding and latching features.
An electronic system, such as a computing device for example, may include components mounted on printed circuit boards that are housed in a chassis, such as an enclosure for example. The circuit boards may be connected to cables to transfer power and data signals inside and outside of the chassis. The size and shape of the chassis may be dictated by the external physical constraints of the application in which the electronic system is to be used. For example, a rack-mounted electronic system may have a chassis that conforms to one or more industry standard sizes. With regard to size, electronic system are becoming increasingly dense with more components being fit into smaller spaces. As a result, many features that once had ample space are becoming increasingly cramped, affecting usability for technicians using, servicing, installing, and removing equipment.
However, the size and shape of the circuit boards within the chassis may be dictated by electrical and physical design criteria, such as component placement, heat flow, space efficiency, signal integrity, electromagnetic interference, and the like. In some instances, electromagnetic interference may cause a disturbance of an electrical circuit that may degrade the circuit's performance. In some instances, some components in a chassis may cause electromagnetic interference with other components in the chassis.
The connector system disclosed herein may include a tray, a connector assembly, a pivotally supported first latch member, and a pivotally supported second latch member. The tray may define a leading end and a trailing end opposite the leading end. The connector assembly may be disposed at the trailing end of the tray. The pivotally supported first latch member may be disposed at a first side of the connector assembly, and the pivotally supported second latch member may be disposed at a second side of the cable assembly that is at laterally opposed to the first side. The first and second latch members may include transversely staggered, respective handles.
The electromagnetic shield disclosed herein may include a first end portion, a second end portion, and a shield portion. The first end portion may be configured to receive a leading end of a connector assembly. The second end portion may be opposite the first end portion. The shield portion may extend from the first end portion in a first direction to the second end portion. The shield portion may be configured to at least partially shield the connector assembly when the connector assembly is inserted via the first end portion in the first direction.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments that proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In general, the connector system disclosed herein may facilitate interconnection between electrical components, such as a printed circuit board and a cable, for example. The connector system may reduce the effect of electromagnetic interference on the transfer of power and data signals between the cable and the printed circuit board. Moreover, the connector system may includes latches that facilitate usability, especially when multiple connectors are adjacent to one another in close proximity.
Referring to
It should be appreciated that the I/O communications system 20 can include one or more connector systems 24 attached between the printed circuit board 22 and an electrical device, such as device 23. Alternatively still, a plurality of connector systems 24 can be connected between the circuit board 22 and more than one electrical device such as device 23. For instance,
The I/O connector system 24 can include a plurality of electrical connector assemblies 30 (see
Referring now to
The upper and bottom covers 38 and 40 can include any suitable engagement member that can mate when connecting the covers 38 and 40. As illustrated, a plurality of engagement members 46 in the form of posts can extend up from the base 42 at a location adjacent to the side walls 44. The engagement members 46 can be configured to be received in, and press-fit into if desired, complementary apertures (not shown) formed in the upper cover 38. Of course, the positions of the posts 46 and apertures could be reversed such that the posts 46 extend down from the upper cover 38 and complementary apertures 47 (see
As shown in
The electrical traces 48 may define an I/O card that provides an interface for the I/O signals that are communicated between a printed circuit board 22 and the external I/O device 23. In one embodiment, the traces 48 can extend along the upper surface of the base 42 between the leading and trailing ends 41 and 43. Alternatively, the traces 48 can comprise one or more embedded layers disposed in the base 42 between the upper and bottom surfaces of the base 42. Alternatively still, or in addition, the traces 48 can by carried by the upper cover 38 in any manner described above with respect to the lower cover 40. Alternatively still, the tray 36 can retain or otherwise support a discrete circuit board 134, as described below with reference to the alternative embodiment illustrated in
In an alternative embodiment illustrated in
In all of the above embodiments, the tray 36 can be said to “carry” or “support” electrical traces either directly on the tray itself or indirectly via a circuit board, daughtercard (i.e., electrical traces of a circuit board, daughtercard, or the like), or directly wired from the signal conduits 26 to the rear end of the first connector 49, as shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Connectors 52 and 54 can be constructed and operate as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,331,800, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in its entirety herein. It should be appreciated that while the second connector assembly 32 includes connectors 52 and 54 as right angle connectors in the illustrated embodiment, any connector or connectors suitable for electronically connecting electrical traces of the circuit board 22 to traces 48 carried by the connector tray 36 (for instance a co-planar connector) could be used. It should be further appreciated that the number of electrically conductive contacts 56 and 66 of the connectors 52 and 54, respectively, can vary depending on the desired application.
Referring now also to
As best shown in
The ferrule openings 77 can each receive a ferrule 73 that is configured to retain one of the cables and terminate the electrically conductive braids disposed in each cable. The ferrule housing 71 and ferrules 73 thus provide an interface between the signal conduit 26 and any suitable cable-to-board connector (not shown) that can include electrical contacts that can plug into the ferrules at one end and attach to the cable braid, and can couple to the electrical traces carried by the connector tray 36 at another end. One example of a cable-to-board connector is described in more detail below with reference to a connector 132 illustrated in
When both housings 71 and 79 are installed in the connector system 24, the apertures 78 extending through housing 79 can be aligned with the ferrules 73 so that the cables (or cable braids) extend through the housing 79 and into the ferrules 73. An electrically conductive electromagnetic (EMC) shielding spring 76 can surround the interface between the housings 77 and 79 to protect the adjacent signal conduits from interference, or cross talk.
Referring now to
The electromagnetic shield 80 can be provided as a die cast metallic (i.e., electrically conductive) bezel body that defines an upper wall 82, a pair of side walls 84 that extend downwardly from the laterally opposing ends of the upper wall 82, and an end wall 86 connected between the side walls 84 at one longitudinal end 85 of the shield 80. A pair of notches or cut-outs 88 can be formed in the side walls 84 that are configured to receive the circuit board 22 when the shield 80 is connected to the connector tray 36 at the opposing longitudinal end 87.
The electromagnetic shield 80 can further include an engagement member 98 configured to mate with a corresponding engagement member 100 carried by the circuit board 22 to attach the shield 80 to the circuit board 22 in a desired position and orientation. As illustrated, two laterally spaced engagement members 98 are carried by the shield 80 at the notches 88 that mate with two complementary engagement members 100 on the circuit board 22.
Each engagement member 98 can be provided in the form of a positioning peg that protrudes down from the notched portion of each side wall 84. Each engagement member 100 can be provided in the form of an aperture extending into the circuit board 22. The apertures 100 can be sized to receive the positioning pegs 98 either loosely or in a press-fit connection if desired. The engagement of the positioning members 98 and 100 on the circuit board 22 to locate the shield 80 on the circuit board 22 and provide mechanical support to the attachment of the connector tray 36 to the circuit board 22. The shield may include one or more engagement members 83, such as screw holes for example, to mount the shield to a chassis 19, such as an enclosure. The chassis 19 may include complementary engagement members (not shown).
An aperture 90 can extend through end wall 86 of the shield 80 that is sized to receive the connector tray 36, and is further sized to receive a portion of the third connector assembly 34. The aperture 90 may be configured to receive the leading end 41 of the connector tray 36 in a first direction 101. A pair cam of retention members 92 can be carried or otherwise supported by the end wall 86. Each retention member 92 is configured to assist in attaching the cable retention housing 79 to the connector system 24, and facilitating removal of the cable attention housing 79 from the connector system 24. Each retention member 92 is configured to assist in attaching the connector system 24 to shield 80, and facilitating removal of the connector system 24 from the shield.
With further reference to
Accordingly, the connector system 24 can be assembled by inserting the connector tray 36 through the aperture 90 of the shield such that the grooves 110 of the connector tray 36 receive the complementary guide bars 108 of the shield 80. The off-center locations of the grooves and guide bars ensure that the tray 36 is inserted in the desired orientation so that the guide bars 108 register with the grooves 110. The side walls 84 and upper wall 82 of the shield 80 can thus substantially or entirely surround the upper tray surface 33 and side walls 35 and 44, and thereby providing substantially 270° of electromagnetic protection to the electrical traces 48 carried by the connector tray 36. Alternatively, the shield 80 could further surround the base 42 of the bottom cover 40. Prior to insertion of the tray 36 into the shield 80, the first electrical connector 52 can be pre-fastened to the connector tray 36, and the second electrical connector can be pre-fastened to the circuit board 22. Accordingly, first connector 52 attaches to the second connector 54 once the tray 36 has been fully inserted into the shield 80.
The electromagnetic shield may be mounted to the chassis, thus providing a shielded channel into which the connector assembly may be inserted. The chassis may include a enclosure, such as a computer enclosure. Accordingly, operation of I/O connector 24 and shield 80 may include mounting an electromagnetic shield to a chassis. The electromagnetic shield may include a first end portion 85, a second end portion 87, and a shield portion (e.g., the upper wall 82 and side walls 84 of the shield 80). The first end portion may be configured to receive a leading end of a connector assembly, such as the first board interfacing ed 41 of I/O connector 24, for example. The second end portion 87 may be opposite the first end portion 85. The shield portion may extends from the first end portion 85 in a first direction 101 to the second end portion 87. Operation of I/O connector 24 and the shield 80 may further include inserting the I/O connector 24 via the first end portion 85 in the first direction 101 until the leading end of the I/O connector 24 is proximate to the second end portion 87, such that the shield portion is at least partially shielding the I/O connector 24. For example, the I/O connector 24 may be inserted via the first end portion 85 in the first direction 101 until the first connector 52 mates with the second connector 54 (as shown in
Various structure is described as extend in longitudinal direction, in a lateral direction, and in a transverse direction (i.e., vertical direction). Unless otherwise specified herein, the terms “lateral,” “longitudinal,” and “transverse” as used to describe the orthogonal directional components of various components. It should be appreciated that while the longitudinal and lateral directions are illustrated as extending along a horizontal plane, and that the transverse direction is illustrated as extending along a vertical plane, the planes that encompass the various directions may differ during use, depending, for instance, on the orientation of the various components. Accordingly, the directional terms “vertical” and “horizontal” are used to describe the components as illustrated merely for the purposes of clarity and convenience, it being appreciated that these orientations may change during use.
The third connector assembly 34 can be further installed such that the signal conduit 26 can be electrically connected to the conductive traces 48 carried by the connector tray 36. Specifically, referring now to
Each latch member 112 can be pivotally attached to laterally opposing ends of the cable retention housing 79 via a hinge, or pin 114, that extends vertically through a pair of vertically spaced protrusions that extends laterally out from the housing 79. Each pin 114 extends through a corresponding aperture (not shown) extending through each the elbow 119 of each latch member 112.
Each cam retention member 92 can include a cam retention housing 120 that protrudes longitudinally out from the laterally outer ends of the end wall 86. The end wall 86 may define first and second cam retention pockets 112. For example, the cam retention pockets 122 may extend laterally into the retention housing 120. Each cam member 116 is sized to fit within the cam retention member 92 that is supported by the end wall 86 of the electromagnetic shield 80.
The cable retention housing 79 can thus removably attached to the connector system 24. Similarly, the connector system 24 may be removable attached to the shield 80. Pivoting the handles 118 outward along the direction of Arrow A decreases the distance between the opposing cam members 116 until it becomes less than the distance between retention housings 120. The cable retention housing 79 is then inserted until the handles 118 can be pivoted inward along the direction of Arrow B to cause the cam members 116 to fit within the corresponding recesses 112. Each handle 118 can then be pivoted further inward to the position illustrated in
As best shown in
Referring now to
If the connectors 130 and 132 are provided as a single connector, and the signal conduits 26 extend through the ferrules 77 and connector tray 36 as described above with reference to
Furthermore, certain embodiments further recognize that the electrical traces 84 need not be carried directly on or in one or more components of the connector tray 36. For instance, as illustrated in
It should be appreciated that the connector tray 36 illustrated in
The embodiments described herein have been presented by way of illustration, and the present invention is therefore not intended to be limited to the disclosed embodiments. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will realize that the invention is intended to encompass all modifications and alternative arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/036,795 filed on Mar. 14, 2008, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in its entirety herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61036795 | Mar 2008 | US |
