ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAVING AN EMI ABSORBER

• US 20150044909A1
• Filed: 08/12/2013
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Corporation (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Inventors: Dunwoody, Steven David, Long, Richard James
• Granted Patent: US 9,270,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/607.56
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/65914 Connection of shield to additional grounding conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6593 the shield being composed of different pieces
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6599 Dielectric material made conductive, e.g. plastic material coated with metal
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7193 with ferrite filters
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0018 with provisions to reduce aperture leakages in walls, e.g. terminals, connectors, cables

Abstract

An electrical connector is provided for terminating a cable having a cable shield. The electrical connector includes an electrical contact configured to be terminated to an end of a wire of the cable, and a housing having a body that extends from a mating end to a cable end. The housing includes a connector shield. The electrical contact is held by the housing. The cable end includes a cable channel that is configured to hold an end segment of the cable therein such that the cable shield is electrically engaged with the connector shield. An electromagnetic interference (EMI) absorber is held within the cable channel such that the EMI absorber is configured to extend around the cable shield along at least a portion of a length of the cable channel. The EMI absorber is configured to absorb EMI emitted from the cable.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for terminating a cable having a cable shield that is electrically conductive, the electrical connector comprising:

an electrical contact configured to be terminated to an end of a wire of the cable;

a housing comprising a body that extends from a mating end to a cable end, the housing comprising a connector shield that is electrically conducive, the electrical contact being held by the housing, the housing being configured to mate with a mating connector at the mating end, the cable end comprising a cable channel that extends through the body and is configured to hold an end segment of the cable therein such that the cable shield is electrically engaged with the connector shield of the housing; and

an electromagnetic interference (EMI) absorber held within the cable channel of the body of the housing such that the EMI absorber is configured to extend around the cable shield along at least a portion of a length of the cable channel, the EMI absorber being configured to absorb EMI emitted from the cable.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the EMI absorber is held within the cable channel such that the EMI absorber is configured to be disposed between the cable shield of the cable and an interior wall of the body of the housing that defines the cable channel.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein a segment of the cable end of the body of the housing that defines the cable channel extends around an approximate entirety of a circumference of the EMI absorber along at least a portion of the length of the cable channel.

4. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein a gap is defined between the cable shield and an interior wall of the body of the housing that defines the cable channel, the EMI absorber being held within the cable channel such that the EMI absorber is configured to fill an approximate entirety of the gap between the cable shield and the interior wall that defines the cable channel.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the EMI absorber comprises at least one of a magnetic elastomer, a ferrite-based material, carbonal iron, or a ferrite material in a binder.

6. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the cable includes an insulative jacket that extends around the cable shield, the cable channel being configured to hold the end segment of the cable therein such that a termination end of the cable shield extends outward away from an open end of the cable channel for electrical engagement with the connector shield of the housing, wherein the EMI absorber is configured to extend from a jacket end of the insulative jacket to the termination end of the cable shield.

7. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the cable includes an insulative jacket that extends around the cable shield, the cable channel being configured to hold the end segment of the cable therein such that an end of the cable shield is electrically engaged with the connector shield of the housing, wherein the EMI absorber is configured to extend continuously from an edge of the insulative jacket to an edge of the end of the cable shield.

8. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the EMI absorber is configured to extend around an approximate entirety of a circumference of the cable shield.

9. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the body of the housing is fabricated from a solid metallic material such that the body defines the connector shield.

10. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the body of the housing comprises a dielectric member, the connector shield comprising at least one of:

an electrically conductive coating that coats the dielectric member;

or

an electrically conductive material that at least partially fills one or more interior chambers of the dielectric member.

11. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the body of the housing comprises a frontshell and a backshell, the frontshell comprising the mating end of the body of the housing, the backshell being mounted to the frontshell and comprising the cable end of the body of the housing.

12. A cable assembly comprising:

a cable having an end segment, the cable comprising a wire and an electrically conductive cable shield that extends around the wire; and

an electrical connector terminated to the end segment of the cable, the electrical connector comprising;

an electrical contact terminated to the wire of the cable;

a housing extending from a mating end to a cable end, the housing comprising a connector shield that is electrically conducive, the electrical contact being held by the housing, the housing being configured to mate with a mating connector at the mating end, the cable end comprising a cable channel that holds the end segment of the cable therein such that the cable shield is electrically engaged with the connector shield of the housing; and

an electromagnetic interference (EMI) absorber held within the cable channel of the housing such that the EMI absorber extends around the cable shield along at least a portion of a length of the cable channel, the EMI absorber being configured to absorb EMI emitted from the cable.

13. The cable assembly of claim 12, wherein the EMI absorber is held within the cable channel such that the EMI absorber is disposed between the cable shield and an interior wall of the body of the housing that defines the cable channel.

14. The cable assembly of claim 12, wherein a segment of the cable end of the body of the housing that defines the cable channel extends around an approximate entirety of a circumference of the EMI absorber along at least a portion of the length of the cable channel.

15. The cable assembly of claim 12, wherein a gap extends between the cable shield and an interior wall of the body of the housing that defines the cable channel, the EMI absorber being held within the cable channel such that the EMI absorber fills an approximate entirety of the gap between the cable shield and the interior wall that defines the cable channel.

16. The cable assembly of claim 12, wherein the EMI absorber comprises at least one of a magnetic elastomer, a ferrite-based material, carbonal iron, or a ferrite material in a binder.

17. The cable assembly of claim 12, wherein the EMI absorber is configured to extend around an approximate entirety of a circumference of the cable shield.

18. An electrical connector for terminating a cable having a cable shield that is electrically conductive, the electrical connector comprising:

an electrical contact configured to be terminated to an end of a wire of the cable;

a housing extending from a mating end to a cable end, the housing comprising a connector shield that is electrically conducive, the electrical contact being held by the housing, the housing being configured to mate with a mating connector at the mating end, the cable end comprising a cable channel that is defined by an interior wall of the housing, the cable channel being configured to hold an end segment of the cable therein such that the cable shield is electrically engaged with the connector shield; and

an electromagnetic interference (EMI) absorber held within the cable channel such that the EMI absorber is configured to be disposed between the cable shield of the cable and the interior wall of the housing along at least a portion of a length of the cable channel, the EMI absorber being configured to absorb EMI emitted from the cable.

19. The electrical connector of claim 18, wherein a gap is configured to extend between the cable shield and the interior wall of the housing, the EMI absorber being held within the cable channel such that the EMI absorber is configured to fill an approximate entirety of the gap between the cable shield and the interior wall that defines the cable channel.

20. The electrical connector of claim 18, wherein the EMI absorber comprises at least one of a magnetic elastomer, a ferrite-based material, carbonal iron, or a ferrite material in a binder.