CONNECTOR RECEPTACLE HAVING A TONGUE

• US 20150162684A1
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Amini, Mahmoud R., Gao, Zheng, Ng, Nathan N.
• Granted Patent: US 9,640,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7029 not integral with the coupling device
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/73 connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6583 with separate conductive resilient members between mating shield members
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/60 Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/66 with pins, blades or analogous contacts and secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. to a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0215 Grounding of printed circuits by connection to external grounding means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/117 Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors

Abstract

Connector systems may include a connector receptacle and connector plug or insert. The connector receptacle may include a tongue. The tongue may be formed using a printed circuit board. Contacts may be plated on top and bottom surfaces of the tongue. Retention features may also be located on top and bottom surfaces of tongue. These retention features may be speed bumps or other features. The connector insert may include a leading edge portion formed of plastic, a conductive shield around the insert behind the leasing edge portion, a plurality of spring contacts attached to an inside of the conductive shield, a top row of contacts; and a bottom row of contacts. Other connector receptacles may include a tongue having side ground contacts. The side ground contacts may engage an inside of a plug shield and have contacting portion to fit in openings in the plug shield.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a receptacle comprising;

a tongue, the tongue formed using a printed circuit board;

a first plurality of contacts formed on a top surface of the tongue; and

a first retention feature located on a top surface of tongue.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the first retention feature is a speed bump.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 further comprising:

a second retention feature formed on a bottom surface of the tongue, wherein the second retention feature is a speed bump.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 further comprising:

a second plurality of contacts formed on a bottom surface of the tongue.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 wherein the tongue has notches in each of a left and right side to engage a spring in a connector insert when the connector insert is mated to the connector receptacle.

6. The electronic device of claim 3 wherein the first retention feature and the second retention feature are located on a ground pad on the tongue.

7. A connector insert comprising:

a leading edge portion formed using a non-marring material;

a conductive shield around the insert behind the leasing edge portion;

a plurality of spring contacts attached to an inside of the conductive shield;

a top row of contacts; and

a bottom row of contacts.

8. The connector insert of claim 7 wherein the non-marring material is plastic.

9. The connector insert of claim 7 wherein the spring contacts are attached to the inside of the conductive shield by laser welding.

10. The connector insert of claim 9 wherein the conductive shield is formed of steel.

11. The connector insert of claim 7 wherein the plurality of spring contacts are arranged to engage retention features on a top and bottom sides of a tongue of the connector receptacle.

12. The connector insert of claim 7 wherein the plurality of spring contacts are spaced to not contact power pins on the tongue of the connector receptacle during insertion.

13. The connector insert of claim 7 further comprising a ground plane between the top row of contacts and the bottom row of contacts.

14. The connector insert of claim 13 wherein the ground plane is located in a housing and between high-speed signal pairs in the top row of contacts and the bottom row of contacts and absent in at least one other location to improve the strength of the housing.

15. A connector receptacle comprising:

a tongue, the tongue formed using a printed circuit board;

a first plurality of contacts formed on a top surface of the tongue;

a second plurality of contacts formed on a bottom surface of the tongue;

a first speed-bump located on a top surface of tongue; and

a second speed-bump located on a bottom surface of tongue.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the tongue has notches in each of a left and right side to engage a spring in a connector insert when the connector insert is mated to the connector receptacle.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 wherein the first speed bump and the second speed bump are located on a ground pad on the tongue.

18. The connector receptacle of claim 15 wherein the tongue is formed as part of a main logic board for an electronic device.

19. The connector receptacle of claim 15 wherein a rear and sides of the connector receptacle are formed with a device enclosure, where the device houses the connector receptacle.

20. The connector receptacle of claim 15 wherein sides of the connector receptacle are formed with a device enclosure, where the device houses the connector receptacle, and a rear of the connector receptacle is formed as a separate piece.

21. A connector receptacle comprising:

a tongue;

a first plurality of contacts formed on a top surface of the tongue;

a second plurality of contacts formed on a bottom surface of the tongue;

a first side ground contact; and

a second side ground contact.

22. The connector receptacle of claim 21 wherein the tongue is formed using a printed circuit board.

23. The connector receptacle of claim 21 wherein the first and second plurality of contacts are formed on a wide front portion of the tongue, the wide front portion in front of a narrower back portion, wherein the first and second side ground contacts are substantially located behind the wide front portion and to the sides of the narrower back portion.