Impedance-tuned termination assembly and connectors incorporating same

• US 6,454,605 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2000
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Molex Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Molex Incorporated
• Inventors: Brunker, David L., Dawiedczyk, Daniel L., Lopata, John E., Bassler, Maxwill P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luebke, Renee
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAMMOND, BRIGGITTE R
• Application Number:
  US09/540,605
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 439/497, 439/610, 439/108, 439/101, 439/502, 439/609
• US Class Current: 439/607.23
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6471 by special arrangement of ground and signal conductors, e.g. GSGS [Ground-Signal-Ground-Signal]
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6473 Impedance matching
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6581 Shield structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6585 Shielding material individually surrounding or interposed between mutually spaced contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/65914 Connection of shield to additional grounding conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/65915 Twisted pair of conductors surrounded by shield
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/0512 Connections to an additional grounding conductor

Abstract

A termination structure for a cable connector having a pair of differential wire pairs and an associated ground wire utilizes a series of nests, or solder cups, that have their dimensions tailored to maintain a desired level of electrical performance. These nests are also arranged in a configuration to maintain the aforementioned electrical performance, and also position the ground and signal conductors of the cable in the termination area in the same position and orientation as they take in the cable.

Claims

1. In a connector for terminating to an end of a cable, the cable having at least one pair of signal wires which are encompassed by an associated grounding shield, each signal wire having an inner conductor encompassed by an insulative covering, the connector including an insulative connector housing supporting at least three terminals, the connector housing having a mating face and a terminating face, the terminals including first and second signal terminals and a ground terminal, each of said terminals having a contact portion disposed proximate to said connector housing mating face and each of said terminals having a termination portion disposed proximate to said connector housing terminating face, the improvement comprising:

said first and second signal terminal termination portions being axially spaced apart from said ground terminal termination portion, and said first and second signal termination portions being spaced apart widthwise from each other such that said ground and signal termination portions are disposed in a triangular configuration when viewed from said connector terminating face.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein said ground terminal termination portion is disposed between said first and second signal terminal termination portions when said connector is viewed from above.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein each of said signal and ground terminals include a body portion disposed intermediate their respective termination and contact portions, said ground and signal terminal body portions being disposed within said connector housing, said ground terminal body portion being larger than said signal terminal body portions.

4. The connector of claim 1, wherein said ground terminal and said first and second signal terminals are disposed in a triangular configuration lengthwise through said connector, with each of said terminals defining a vertex of an imaginary triangle.

5. The connector of claim 1, wherein each of said ground and signal termination portions include respective ground and signal terminal nest portions.

6. The connector of claim 5, wherein each of said signal and ground terminals include a body portion disposed intermediate their respective termination and contact portions, said ground and signal terminal body portions being disposed within said connector housing, said ground terminal body portion being larger than said signal terminal body portions.

7. The connector of claim 5, wherein said ground terminal termination portion is interposed between said signal terminal termination portions when viewed from above.

8. The connector of claim 5, wherein said first and second signal terminal and ground terminal nest portions have a semi-circular cross-section.

9. The connector of claim 8, wherein said ground terminal nest portion is disposed rearwardly of said first and second signal terminal nest portions.

10. The connector of claim 8, wherein said ground terminal nest portion has two free ends and at least partially circumscribes said first and second signal portions when an imaginary line is drawn interconnecting said ground terminal nest portions.

11. The connector of claim 8, wherein said first and second signal terminal nest portions are aligned with each other along a first horizontal plane.

12. The connector of claim 11, wherein said ground terminal nest portion is disposed in a second horizontal plane spaced apart from said first horizontal plane.

13. The connector of claim 12, wherein said second horizontal plane is disposed above said first horizontal plane, when said connector is viewed from said terminating face.

14. The connector of claim 5, wherein each of said first and second signal terminal and ground terminal nest portions have preselected surface areas, the ground terminal nest portion surface area being greater than a corresponding surface area of one of said first and second signal terminal nest portions.

15. The connector of claim 14, wherein each of said signal and ground terminal nest portions have a preselected width, and the width of said ground terminal nest portion is not less than a sum of said widths of said first and second signal terminal nest portions.

16. The connector of claim 14, wherein said first and second signal terminal nest portions have a combined surface area that does not exceed a corresponding surface area of said ground terminal nest portion.

17. The connector of claim 5, wherein said ground terminal nest portion is spaced apart from said signal terminal nest portions in a spacing that approximately matches a spacing between said cable grounding shield and said cable signal wire conductors.

18. The connector of claim 17, wherein said cable grounding shield has a preselected outer radius and said ground terminal nest portion have a preselected inner radius that is sufficiently large to receive said cable grounding shield therein.

19. A cable connector for providing a connection between a cable and a mating connector, the cable having at least one pair of differential signal wires extending therethrough and a grounding shield encircling the cable signal wires, the cable connector comprising:

a housing formed of an electrically insulative material;

a triplet of conductive terminals disposed in said housing, the triplet including one ground terminal and two differential signal terminals associated with said ground terminal;

each of the terminals including a contact portion for engaging a corresponding terminal contact portion of the mating connector, a termination portion for terminating said terminal to said grounding shield or differential signal terminals of said cable, and a body portion interconnecting said terminal and termination portions together, said body portions being at least partially supported within said housing;

said grounding terminals and said differential signal terminals being arranged in a triangular orientation lengthwise through said connector, whereby said ground and signal terminals define vertices of an imaginary triangle when said connector is viewed from an end, each of said ground and signal terminals including a hollow termination nest.

20. The connector of claim 19, wherein said ground terminal body portion has a surface that is larger than a corresponding signal terminal body portion of one of said two differential signal terminals.

21. The connector of claim 19, wherein said ground terminal extends widthwise in a first plane and said two differential signal terminals extend widthwise in a second plane, said first and second planes being spaced apart from each other.

22. The connector of claim 19, wherein each of said ground and signal terminal termination nests includes two walls extending upwardly from said termination portion.

23. The connector of claim 22, wherein each of said ground and signal termination nests have a semi-circular configuration.

24. The connector of claim 19, wherein said ground terminal body and contact portions have preselected widths, the ground terminal body portion width being greater than said ground terminal contact portion width.

25. The connector of claim 24, wherein said signal terminal body portions have a preselected width that is less than said ground terminal body portion width.

26. The connector of claim 19, wherein said ground terminal termination portion includes an arcuate solder cup and said signal terminal termination portions include arcuate solder cups, the signal terminal solder cups being spaced apart from said ground terminal solder cup in a spacing that matches a spacing of said cable between differential signal wires and said cable grounding shield.

27. The connector of claim 26, wherein said signal terminal solder cups are spaced ahead of said ground terminal solder cups.

28. The connector of claim 19, wherein said signal terminal termination portions are partially embedded in said housing and are separated from each other by an intervening wall.

29. The connector of claim 29, wherein said signal terminal termination portions and said housing cooperatively define slots for each of said signal wire conductors.

30. A connector for terminating to a cable so that the cable may be connected to an opposing connector, the cable having at least one differential pair of signal wires and a grounding shield associated with said differential wire pair, said connector comprising:

an electrically insulative connector housing, the housing having a terminating face that faces an end of said cable and a mating face that is engageable with said opposing connector, at least three conductive terminals disposed in said housing, one of said terminals being a ground terminal for mating with a corresponding ground terminal of an opposing connector, the remaining two of said terminals being differential signal terminals for mating with corresponding differential signal terminals of said opposing connector, said three terminals each including contact portions extending along said housing and protruding from said mating face, terminal body portions joined to said contact portions, said body portions being held within said housing, and termination portions for terminating to said cable, the termination portions extending out from said connector housing terminating face;

said termination portions each including a nest formed as part of said terminals, said nests having a hollow, cup-like shape, said ground terminal nest receiving an exposed portion of said cable grounding shield and said signal terminal nests receiving exposed conductors of said differential signal wires, said ground terminal termination nest being spaced apart from said signal terminal termination portions in axial and lateral directions to match the orientation of said signal wires in said cable relative to said grounding shield.

31. The connector of claim 30, wherein said terminal nests are generally semi-circular in configuration.

32. The connector of claim 30, wherein said nests are defined in part by extensions of said terminals that rise up from said termination portions, said extensions having free ends, whereby said signal terminal nests lie at least partially within an area circumscribed by said ground terminal nest and an imaginary line drawn interconnecting said ground terminal nest extension free ends.

33. The connector of claim 30, wherein said signal and ground terminals are arranged in a preselected orientation such that said two signal terminals are spaced apart from each other and said ground terminal is spaced apart from said two signal terminals, whereby said ground and signal terminals are arranged in a configuration where they are disposed at vertices of an imaginary triangle throughout the length of said connector housing.

34. In a connector for terminating to an end of a cable, the cable having at least one pair of signal wires which are encompassed by an associated grounding shield, each signal wire having an inner conductor encompassed by an insulative covering, the connector including an insulative connector housing supporting at least three terminals, the connector housing having a mating face and a terminating face, the terminals including first and second signal terminals and a ground terminal, each of said terminals having a contact portion disposed proximate to said connector housing mating face and each of said terminals having a termination portion disposed proximate to said connector housing terminating face, and each of said terminals having a body portion interconnecting its respective contact and termination portions, the improvement comprising:

said ground terminal and said first and second signal terminals being disposed in a triangular configuration throughout said connector from said contact portions to said termination portions thereof, wherein said first and second signal terminals are spaced apart widthwise from each other and are further spaced apart from said ground terminal, each of said ground and signal terminals defining a vertex of an imaginary triangle, said configuration of said signal and ground termination portions approximating a configuration of said signal wires and said grounding shield within said cable.

35. The connector of claim 34, wherein each of said ground and signal terminal termination portions include a termination nest.

36. The connector of claim 34, wherein said ground terminal termination portion is wider than said signal terminal termination portions.

37. The connector of claim 34, wherein said ground terminal termination portion has a larger surface area than said signal terminal termination portions.

38. A connector for terminating to a cable so that the cable may be connected to an opposing connector, the cable having at least two signal conductors and a ground conductor associated with said two signal conductors, said ground and signal conductors being arranged with said cable in a first preselected orientation wherein said ground conductor is spaced apart from said signal conductors, the connector comprising:

an electrically insulative connector housing, the housing having a terminating face that faces an end of said cable and a mating face that is engageable with said opposing connector, at least three conductive terminals disposed in said housing, one of said terminals being a ground terminal for mating with a corresponding ground terminal of an opposing connector, the remaining two of said terminals being differential signal terminals for mating with corresponding differential signal terminals of said opposing connector, said three terminals each including contact portions extending along said housing and protruding from said mating face, terminal body portions joined to said contact portions, said body portions being held within said housing; and

,

termination portions for terminating to said cable, the termination portions extending out from said connector housing terminating face, said ground terminal termination portion being spaced apart from said signal terminal termination portions in a second preselected orientation that substantially matches said first preselected orientation of said signal conductors in said cable relative to said cable ground conductor.

39. The connector of claim 38, wherein said ground and signal terminal termination portions include hollow termination nests that respectively receive said ground and signal conductors of said cable therein.