Patent Application
20140113490
The numbers and types of electronic devices available to consumers has grown tremendously the past few years. Tablet computers, netbooks, laptops, desktops, and all-in-one computers, media players, handheld media players, cell phones, smart phones, and other devices have proliferated. These devices have proliferated not only in the types that are available, but also as in the functionality they include.
Moreover, options for some particular devices have also proliferated. For example, for a particular device, the size of an internal memory may be an option. Other functionalities, such as video or graphics cards, network connections, and others, may also be made available as options or as possible upgrades. This allows a manufacturer to offer products at several price points, and allows customers to buy only the amount of functionality that is required to suit their needs and to possibly upgrade at a later time.
With these devices, various options may be added by including an optional card or board inside a housing of the electronic device. Also, certain cards or boards may be manufactured separately, for example, by a different manufacturer. In these and other situations, it may be desirable to include the card in the electronic device as a daughter card or board. These optional or daughter cards or boards may be attached to a main or motherboard. Specifically, these optional or daughter cards or boards may be attached to a board inside the electronic device housing using a connector. These cards may be memory cards, networking, or other types of cards.
Recently, the speed of these cards has been increasing greatly, as the amount of data that these electronic devices process has skyrocketed. The speed of memory cards, networking cards, and other types of cards and devices has greatly increased.
Unfortunately, connectors are often a limiting factor in a device's speed. Unmatched terminations, reflections, and cross coupling at connectors may limit the operating frequency of device or card inserted in a connector.
Thus, what is needed are connectors that may provide improved signal paths that may allow a higher operating frequency for inserted devices or cards.
Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide connectors having improved signal paths. An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a connector having a pair of first contacts adjacent to each other. Two second contacts may be located on each side of and adjacent to the pair of first contacts. The second contacts may include a front beam portion that contacts a front shield located along a front face of the connector. The front shield may in turn connect to a top shield that at least partially covers a top, sides, and back of the connector.
In this configuration, the pair of first contacts has a contact on each side that is connected to a front shield. The pair of first contacts has the front shield on another side, and the top shield on the remaining side. That is, the pair of first contacts is close to being surrounded by ground connections. Noise coupling to the pair of first contacts, as well as termination and reflection problems, are greatly reduced. Accordingly, the pair of first contacts may provide a high speed differential signal path.
Various embodiments of the present invention may include other types of contacts. For example, third contacts having a greater width than the first and second contacts may be provided for the purpose of conveying power. These contacts may be placed at the ends of the connector, or elsewhere in the connector. The contacts may include tail portions to be connected to traces on a main logic board, flexible circuit board, or other appropriate substrate. These tail portions may be surface mount contacts, through-hole contacts, or other type of contacts. Openings in the front shield may provide for the visual inspection of connections between these contact tail portions and traces on a main logic board.
The contacts may be located in a housing, and each included contact may include a contacting portion along a top of the housing. A top shield may be located over the top of the housing. A cards or device may be inserted between an underside of the top shield and the top of the housing. The underside of the top shield may form a ground connection to the card or device, the first contacts may provide signal paths, the second contacts may provide ground paths, and the third contacts may provide power.
An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a connector. This connector may form a plurality of signal paths between a printed circuit board and a card. The connector may include an insulative housing having a number of slots formed along a front and top. The connector may further include a plurality of first contacts, each having a first portion extending away from a bottom of the housing to attach to a contact on a surface of the printed circuit board, a second portion extending along a front of a slot in the housing, and a third portion extending along a top of a slot in the housing. The connector may further include a plurality of second contacts, each having a first portion extending away from the bottom of the housing to attach to a contact on a surface of the printed circuit board, a second portion extending along a front of a slot in the housing, a third portion extending along a top of a slot in the housing, and a fourth portion extending from the second portion away from the housing. Shielding around the connector may include a top shield over at least a top of the insulative housing, and a front shield along the front of the housing and contacting the fourth portions of the plurality of second contacts.
An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a method of manufacturing a connector. This method may include receiving an insulative housing having a number of slots formed along a front and top, inserting a plurality of first contacts in slots in the housing, inserting a plurality of second contacts in slots in the housing, and attaching a front shield to the housing by inserting tabs on the front shield into the housing. The front shield may contact first portions of each of the plurality of second contacts, the first portion of each of the plurality of second contacts extending from a body of the contact away from the housing.
Cards or devices may be inserted between the top shield and contacts at the top of the housing. These cards or device may include graphics cards, wireless networking cards, memory devices, solid state drives, and other types of cards and devices.
Embodiments of the present invention may provide connectors for various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablets, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, cell phone, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors and other devices.
Various portions of connector these connectors may be formed of various materials. For example, the housings may be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. The contacts and shields may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material.
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 100 may include housing 110. Housing 110 may include a number of slots 118 holding contacts 130, and possibly other contacts, as shown in the following figures. Housing 110 may further include posts 114. Posts 114 may be located in openings on a main logic board or other appropriate substrate for mechanical stability. Housing 110 may further include keying feature 116, which prevent the inadvertent or upside down insertion of a card or device into connector 100.
Connector 100 may further include top shield 120, which may be located over a top, back, and sides of housing 110. Top shield 120 may include cutout 126, which may accept tab 112 on housing 110. Top shield 120 may further include tabs 128, which may be located in a main logic board or other appropriate substrate. Tabs 128 may provide a ground connection. Top shield 120 may be at least partially divided by separations 122 and 124. Separations 122 and 124 may improve contacts between top shield 120 and ground contacts on a top of a board or device inserted into connector 100. Front edge 123 of top shield 120 may be folded underneath itself. This may provide an amount of spring or retention force to hold a card or device in place when it is inserted into connector 100.
Front shield 150 may attach to top shield 120 at laser or spot weld locations 159, and it may reside along a front face of housing 110. Openings 152 in front shield 150 may allow for the inspection of contact tail portions 138 of contacts 130 when a contact tail portions 138 are connected to contacts on a main logic board or other appropriate substrate. Tabs 158 on front shield 150 may be inserted into to openings and housing 110.
Second contacts 140 may include a front beam portion 142. Front beam portion 142 may extend from the main body away from housing 110. Front beam portion 142 may contact front shield 150. Front shield 150 may include tabs 156 to be inserted into housing 110. Front shield 150 may further include openings 152 through which contacts formed at contact tail 138 may be inspected after connector 100 is assembled to a main logic board or other appropriate substrate. Tabs 154 may be located in a Main logic board or other appropriate substrate. Front shield 150 may include indentation 155 to improve electrical connections to beam portions 142 of second contacts 140.
In various embodiments of the present invention, additional contacts, such as contacts 160 may be included. Contacts 160 may have a width that is greater than the first contacts 120 or second contacts 130. These contacts may be appropriate for providing power to a device inserted in connector 100. In this configuration, pairs 310 of first contacts 130 may be adjacent to each other, and the pair 310 may be adjacent on each side to a second contact 140. Second contacts 140 may be grounded. Front shield 150 may be located in front of pair 310 of first contacts 120, while top shield 120 may be above and behind this pair of contacts. Accordingly, pairs 310 of first contacts 120 may be well-shielded by ground connections. This shielding may reduce cross-talk, reduce termination and reflection problems, and improve overall signal quality. This in turn may allow devices or cards inserted into connector 100 to operate at higher frequencies.
Embodiments of the present invention may provide connectors for various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablets, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, cell phone, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors and other devices.
Various portions of connector these connectors may be formed of various materials. For example, the housings may be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. The contacts and shields may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material or combination of materials.
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.
