Adapter for interconnecting electrical assemblies

• US 7,494,383 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2007
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
• Original Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
• Inventors: Cohen, Thomas S., Manter, David
• Primary Examiner(s): PAUMEN, GARY F
• Application Number:
  US11/880,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20090029602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 439/638, 439/660, 439/76.1, 439/620.07, 439/620.05, 439/620.06
• US Class Current: 439/638
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7029 not integral with the coupling device
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7041 Gluing or taping
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/725 containing contact members presenting a contact carrying strip, e.g. edge-like strip
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/06 Intermediate parts for linking two coupling parts, e.g. adapter with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/94

Abstract

An electrical connector suitable for use in an adapter. The connector includes conductive elements that can be routed in three dimensions to facilitate interconnections between connectors used to form an adapter. Simplified construction is achieved through use of connector wafers, each of which route signals in a plane such that when the wafers are organized side-by-side in a connector, signals may be routed through multiple parallel planes. Some of the wafers may include holes through which conductive elements from other wafers may pass, to that signal may be routed in a third dimension, perpendicular to the parallel planes. The adapter may be mounted on a printed circuit board or other substrate with active components. Signals may pass through the adapter in one of the parallel planes or may be routed for conditioning in the active components.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, comprising:

a first subassembly, comprising;

a first housing having at least one hole extending through the first housing; and

a first plurality of conductive members, each of the first plurality of conductive members having a portion disposed within the first housing in a first plane, wherein the hole is disposed perpendicular to the first plane; and

a second subassembly, comprising;

a second housing; and

a second plurality of conductive members, each of the second plurality of conductive members having a portion disposed within the second housing in a second plane, the second plane being parallel to the first plane,

wherein at least one of the second plurality of conductive members has a second portion extending from the second housing and through the at least one hole.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein:

each of the first plurality of conductive members has a mating contact portion extending from the first housing along a first line coplanar with the first plane; and

each of the second plurality of conductive members has a mating contact portion extending from the second housing along a second line coplanar with the second plane.

3. The electrical connector of claim 2, further comprising a member engaged to the first housing and the second housing, the member having a cavity with the mating contact portions of the first plurality of conductive members and the second plurality of conductive members being positioned in the cavity.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3, wherein:

each of at least a portion of the first plurality of conductive members has a second mating contact portion extending from the first housing along a third line coplanar with the first plane; and

each of at least a portion of the second plurality of conductive members has a second mating contact portion extending from the second housing along a fourth line coplanar with the second plane.

5. The electrical connector of claim 4, further comprising a second member engaged to the first housing and the second housing, the second member having a cavity with the second mating contact portions of the first plurality of conductive members and the second plurality of conductive members being positioned in the cavity.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5 in combination with a printed circuit board, wherein the second portion of each of the at least one of the second plurality of conductive members is secured to the printed circuit board.

7. The electrical connector of claim 1 in combination with a printed circuit board, wherein the second portion of each of the at least one of the second plurality of conductive members is secured to the printed circuit board.

8. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the first housing comprises an insulating material and a second portion of the second housing comprises a lossy conductive material.

9. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the first plurality of conductive members comprises a plurality of pairs of signal conductors and a plurality of ground conductors, each of the plurality of ground conductors being adjacent to a pair of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors and being wider than a conductor of a pair of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors, wherein a hole of the at least one holes passes through a ground conductor of the plurality of ground conductors.

10. An electrical connector, comprising a plurality of subassemblies, including a first subassembly and a second subassembly:

the first subassembly, comprising;

a first housing;

a first plurality of conductive members extending in a first plane, each of the first plurality of conductive members having a portion embedded in the first housing;

the second subassembly, comprising;

a second housing;

a second plurality of conductive members extending in a second plane, parallel to the first plane, each of the second plurality of conductive members having a portion embedded in the second housing, at least one of the second plurality of conductive members having a portion extending from the second housing and passing through the first housing perpendicular to the first plane and the second plane.

12. The electrical connector of claim 10, wherein:

each of the first plurality of conductive members and second plurality of conductive members has a first end and a second end;

at least a portion of the first plurality of conductive members have mating contact portions on the first end and the second end, the mating contact portions extending from opposite sides of the first housing;

at least a portion of the second plurality of conductive members have mating contact portions on the first end and the second end, the mating contact portions extending from opposite sides of the second housing.

11. An electrical connector, comprising a plurality of subassemblies, including a first subassembly and a second subassembly:

the first subassembly, comprising;

a first housing, comprising;

a first piece, comprising a first insulating portion and at least one region of insulating material being integrally formed with the first insulating portion, each region of the at least one region of insulating material having a hole therethrough; and

a second piece, the second piece comprising a region of lossy material, the region of lossy material having at least one opening therein, each of the at least one openings having a region of the at least one region of insulating material extending therethrough;

a first plurality of conductive members, each of the first plurality of conductive members having a portion embedded in the first insulating portion of the first housing,

the second subassembly, comprising;

a second housing;

a second plurality of conductive members, each of the second plurality of conductive members having a portion embedded in the second housing, at least one of the second plurality of conductive members having a portion extending from the second housing and passing through the hole of a region of the at least one region of insulating material.

13. An electrical connector, comprising a plurality of subassemblies, including a first subassembly and a second subassembly:

the first subassembly, comprising;

a first plurality of conductive members, each of the first plurality of conductive members having a first end and a second end, at least a first subset of the first plurality of conductive members having a mating contact at each of the first end and the second end, with the mating contacts at the first ends being aligned in a first row and the mating contacts at the second ends being aligned in a second row, parallel to the first row; and

a first insulating housing molded around at least a portion of each of the first plurality of conductive members;

the second subassembly, comprising;

a second plurality of conductive members, each of the second plurality of conductive members having a first end and a second end, at least a second subset of the second plurality of conductive members having a mating contact at each of the first end and the second end, with the mating contacts at the first ends being aligned in a third row and the mating contacts at the second ends being aligned in a fourth row, parallel to the third row;

a second insulating housing molded around at least a portion of each of the second plurality of conductive members; and

a first insulating cap and a second insulating cap, the first row and the third row of mating contacts being positioned in the first cap and the second row and the fourth row of mating contacts being positioned in the second insulating cap.

14. The electrical connector of claim 13, wherein:

the first cap and the second cap each have a mating interface; and

the mating interface of the first cap is complementary to the mating interface of the second cap.

15. The electrical of claim 14, wherein:

at least a subset of the first plurality of conductive members extend in a first plane from the first insulating cap to the second insulating cap;

a subset of the second plurality of conductive members extend in a second plane, parallel to the first plan from the first insulating cap to the second insulating cap;

each conductive member in a second subset of the second plurality of conductive members has a second end extending orthogonal to the second plane.

16. The electrical connector of claim 15, wherein the electrical connector is adapted and configured to form an adapter, the adapter further comprising a substrate having active circuitry and the second end of each conductive member in the second subset engages the substrate.

17. The electrical connector of claim 16, further comprising at least one lossy portion disposed between adjacent conductive members of the first plurality of conductive members.

18. The electrical connector of claim 13, further comprising a third plurality of conductive members, the third plurality of conductive members having portions parallel to the first row, the second row, the third row, and the fourth row.