Electrical connectors
First Claim
1. An electrical connector assembly including a pair of mating connectors and arranged for high velocity propagation of electrical signals along a plurality of paths between first circuit means connected to one connector and second circuit means connected to the other connector, each connector comprising:
- a plurality of signal contact elements for propagation of said signals, each having connection means at one end thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit or second circuit means and having a contact surface at an opposite end thereof for engagement with a contact surface of a contact element of the mating connector, common ground means for all of said contact elements including a plurality of ground plates each having connector means along one edge thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit means and having contact surface means along an opposite edge thereof for engagement with contact surface means of a ground plate of a mating connector, said contact surface means of one connector being in the form of multi-spring-fingered contact surface means along said opposite edge thereof for engagement with a pair of oppositely disposed contact surface means of a continuous ground plate of the mating connector, and support means for supporting all of said signal contact elements in a certain fixed and electrically insulated relation to each other and to said common ground means such as to obtain a uniform characteristic impedance along all signal paths through said mating connectors, said signal contact elements including a plurality of groups of elements, each group being associated with one of said ground plates and each being supported in at least one row in longitudinally spaced parallel relation to said associated ground plate.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to electric connectors for propagation of a relatively large number of signals between electrical circuits and at very high velocities. The number of signals which can be propagated is quite large in relation to the size of the connectors of the invention and at the same time, the signals can be transmitted at very high velocity and with minimal interference between the signals propagated or from external signal sources. The connectors are also advantageous in that the electrical characteristics of the propagation paths are uniform and they can be readily matched to the characteristics of the circuits which are interconnected so as to minimize standing wave phenomena. The invention also facilitates connection to a plurality of circuit board circuits while providing substantially complete separation of signals propagated to and from the circuits.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. An electrical connector assembly including a pair of mating connectors and arranged for high velocity propagation of electrical signals along a plurality of paths between first circuit means connected to one connector and second circuit means connected to the other connector, each connector comprising:
- a plurality of signal contact elements for propagation of said signals, each having connection means at one end thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit or second circuit means and having a contact surface at an opposite end thereof for engagement with a contact surface of a contact element of the mating connector, common ground means for all of said contact elements including a plurality of ground plates each having connector means along one edge thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit means and having contact surface means along an opposite edge thereof for engagement with contact surface means of a ground plate of a mating connector, said contact surface means of one connector being in the form of multi-spring-fingered contact surface means along said opposite edge thereof for engagement with a pair of oppositely disposed contact surface means of a continuous ground plate of the mating connector, and support means for supporting all of said signal contact elements in a certain fixed and electrically insulated relation to each other and to said common ground means such as to obtain a uniform characteristic impedance along all signal paths through said mating connectors, said signal contact elements including a plurality of groups of elements, each group being associated with one of said ground plates and each being supported in at least one row in longitudinally spaced parallel relation to said associated ground plate.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electrical connector assembly including a pair of mating connectors and arranged for high velocity propagation of electrical signals along a plurality of paths between first circuit means connected to one connector and second circuit means connected to the other connector, each connector comprising:
- a plurality of signal contact elements for propagation of said signals, each having connection means at one end thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit or second circuit means and having a contact surface at an opposite end thereof for engagement with a contact surface of a contact element of the mating connector, a plurality of ground plates each having connector means along one edge thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit means and having contact surface means along an opposite edge thereof for engagement with contact surface means of a ground plate of a mating connector, and support means for supporting signal contact elements in fixed and electrically insulated relation to each other and to said ground plates, said signal contact elements including a plurality of groups of elements, each group being associated with one of said ground plates and each being supported in at least one row in longitudinally spaced parallel relation to said associated ground plate wherein said contact elements associated with each ground plate include a second group of elements supported in a second row parallel to the first row and to the associated ground plate and wherein said first and second groups of elements are on opposite sides of said associated ground plate.
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10. An electrical connector assembly including a pair of mating connectors and arranged for high velocity propagation of electrical signals along a plurality of paths between first circuit means connected to one connector and second circuit means connected to the other connector, each connector comprising:
- a plurality of signal contact elements for propagation of said signals, each having connection means at one end thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit or second circuit means and having a contact surface at an opposite end thereof for engagement with a contact surface of a contact element of the mating connector, common ground means for all of said contact elements including a plurality of ground plates each having connector means along one edge thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit means and having contact surface means along an opposite edge thereof for engagement with contact surface means of a ground plate of a mating connector, and support means for supporting all of said signal contact elements in a certain fixed and electrically insulated relation to each other and to said common ground means such as obtain a uniform characteristic impedance along all signal paths through said mating connectors, said signal contact elements including a plurality of groups of elements, each group being associated with one of said ground plates and each being supported in at least one row in longitudinally spaced parallel relation to said associated ground plate, wherein said support means includes an outer shell of conductive material in generally surrounding relation to said contact elements and said ground plates, and means including insulator means within said shell for support of said contact elements and said ground plates, said contact elements being so positioned in relation to said ground plates and said outer shell as to obtain a substantially constant characteristic impedance with respect to all of said contact elements.
- View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. An electrical connector assembly including a pair of mating connectors and arranged for high velocity propagation of electrical signals along a plurality of paths between first circuit means connected to one connector and second circuit means connected to the other connector, each connector comprising:
- a plurality of signal contact elements for propagation of said signals, each having connection means at one end thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit or second circuit means and having a contact surface at an opposite end thereof for engagement with a contact surface of a contact element of the mating connector, a plurality of ground plates each having connector means along one edge thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit means and having contact surface means along an opposite edge thereof for engagement with contact surface means of a ground plate of a mating connector, and support means for supporting signal contact elements in fixed and electrically insulated relation to each other and to said ground plates, said signal contact elements including a plurality of groups of elements, each group being associated with one of said ground plates and each being supported in at least one row in longitudinally spaced parallel relation to said associated ground plate, wherein each of said first and second circuit means includes AC ground terminal means and a plurality of ungrounded terminals, said connection means of said ground plates of said connectors being arranged for connection to said ground terminals of said first and second circuit means and said connection means of said contact elements being arranged for connection to said unground terminals of said first and second circuit means, and wherein said ground plate is between certain of said contact elements and the elements connected to said ungrounded terminals of said circuit portions to provide electrical separation and isolation thereof.
- View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. An electrical connector assembly including a pair of mating connectors and arranged for high velocity propagation of electrical signals along a plurality of paths between first circuit means connected to one connector and second circuit means connected to the other connector, each connector comprising:
- a plurality of signal contact elements for propagation of said signals, each having connection means at one end thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit or second circuit means and having a contact surface at an opposite end thereof for engagement with a contact surface of a contact element of the mating connector, common ground means for all of said contact elements including a plurality of ground plates each having connector means along one edge thereof for connection to a terminal of said first circuit means and having contact surface means along an opposite edge thereof for engagement with contact surface means of a ground plate of a mating connector, and support means for supporting all of said signal contact elements in a certain fixed and electrically insulated relation to each other and to said common ground means such as to obtain a uniform characteristic impedance along all signal paths through said mating connectors, said signal contact elements including a plurality of groups of elements, each group being associated with one of said ground plates and each being supported in at least one row in longitudinally spaced parallel relation to said associated ground plate, wherein said contact elements associated with each ground plate include a second ground of elements supported in a second row parallel to the first row and the associated ground plate and wherein said first and second groups of elements are on the same side of said associated ground plate and wherein said contact elements associated with each ground plate include third and fourth groups of elements supported in third and fourth rows on a side of said associated ground plate opposite said first and second groups, said support means including an outer shell of conductive material in generally surrounding relation to said contact elements and said ground plates, and means including insulator means within said shell for support of said contact elements and said ground plates.
- View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
Specification