Electrical connector

• US 8,794,981 B1
• Filed: 12/12/2013
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Adam, Leiba, Aaron, Hayashida, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary
• Application Number:
  US14/104,294
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• Field of Search: 439/76.1, 439/660, 439/606
• US Class Current: 439/76.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/405 Securing in non-demountable manner, e.g. moulding, riveting
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/65912 for shielded multiconductor cable coaxial cables with one conductor surrounded by shield H01R9/05; flat shielded cables H01R12/594
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/60 Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/24 Assembling by moulding on contact members
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/117 Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/1031 Surface mounted metallic connector elements
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/1034 Edge terminals, i.e. separate pieces of metal attached to the edge of the PCB tab H05K2201/0397
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10356 Cables
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

An electrical connector may include a printed circuit board (PCB), the PCB including a plurality of contacts, a plurality of wires coupled to the plurality of contacts on the PCB, a non-conductive pad extending across the PCB, a plurality of pins extending across the non-conductive pad, and an overmold. The plurality of pins may be coupled to the plurality of contacts. The overmold may cover at least a portion of the PCB and at least a first portion of each of the plurality of pins. The overmold may include a first aperture exposing at least a second portion of each of the plurality of pins.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB), the PCB including a plurality of contacts;

a plurality of wires coupled to the plurality of contacts on the PCB;

a non-conductive pad extending across the PCB;

a plurality of pins extending across the non-conductive pad, the plurality of pins being coupled to the plurality of contacts; and

an overmold covering at least a portion of the PCB and at least a first portion of each of the plurality of pins, the overmold including a first aperture exposing at least a second portion of each of the plurality of pins.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the non-conductive pad is rectangular prism-shaped.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1, further comprising:

a first power node attached to the PCB; and

a second power node attached to the PCB, the second power node being attached to an opposite side of the PCB from the first power node,

wherein the overmold covers at least a first portion of each of the first power node and the second power node, the overmold including a second aperture exposing at least a second portion of the first power node and a third aperture exposing at least a second portion of the second power node.

4. The electrical connector of claim 1, further comprising a ground bar between the plurality of contacts and the plurality of pins.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wires and the plurality of pins are configured to transmit and receive signals according to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication protocol.

6. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein:

the non-conductive pad comprises a first non-conductive pad extending across a top of the PCB;

the plurality of pins comprises a first plurality of pins extending across the first non-conductive pad;

the electrical connector further comprises a second non-conductive pad extending across a bottom of the PCB; and

the electrical connector further comprises a second plurality of pins extending across the second non-conductive pad.

7. An electrical connector comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB), the PCB including a plurality of contacts configured to transmit and receive data according to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication protocol;

a plurality of wires coupled to the plurality of contacts on the PCB;

a plurality of pins extending across the PCB, the plurality of pins being coupled to the plurality of contacts; and

an overmold covering at least a portion of the PCB and at least a first end portion of each of the plurality of pins, the overmold including a first aperture exposing a middle portion of each of the plurality of pins, the electrical connector having a thickness of between 1.0 millimeters and 1.4 millimeters from a top surface of the overmold to an opposing bottom surface of the overmold.

8. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein the electrical connector has a thickness of between 1.1 millimeters and 1.3 millimeters.

9. The electrical connector of claim 7, further comprising:

a first power node attached to a side portion the PCB, the side; and

a second power node attached to the PCB, the second power node being attached to an opposite side of the PCB from the first power node,

wherein the overmold covers at least a first portion of each of the first power node and the second power node, the overmold including a second aperture exposing at least a second portion of the first power node and a third aperture exposing at least a second portion of the second power node.

10. The electrical connector of claim 7, further comprising a ground bar between the plurality of contacts and the plurality of pins.

11. A method of manufacturing an electrical connector, the method comprising:

installing a pad across a printed circuit board (PCB), the pad including a non-conductive material;

attaching a plurality of pins to the PCB, the pins extending over the pad and attaching to the PCB in a location adjacent to the pad, the pins comprising a conductive material;

covering at least a portion of each of the plurality of pins; and

while the portions of each of the plurality of pins are covered, covering the PCB with an overmold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the attaching the plurality of pins comprises soldering the plurality of pins to the PCB.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of pins curve convexly with respect to the PCB.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the covering at least the portion of each of the plurality of pins comprises clamping at least the portion of each of the plurality of pins.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the covering at least the portion of each of the plurality of pins comprises clamping at least the portion of each of the plurality of pins with a metal clamp.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the covering the PCB comprises covering the PCB with a nonconductive overmold.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising removing the cover from the portions of each of the plurality of pins after covering the PCB with the overmold.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising coupling a plurality of wires to a plurality of contacts in the PCB, the plurality of contacts being coupled to the plurality of pins.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

covering a portion of a first power node on the PCB; and

covering a portion of a second power node, the second power node being on an opposite side of the PCB; and

wherein the covering the PCB with the overmold comprises covering the PCB with the overmold while the portions of the plurality of pins, the first power node, and the second power node are covered.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising sliding a collar over the electrical connector after covering the PCB with the overmold.

21. The method of claim 11, further comprising attaching a shield to the electrical connector after sliding the collar over the electrical connector.

22. A method of manufacturing an electrical connector, the method comprising:

covering a portion of a first power node on a printed circuit board (PCB);

covering a portion of a second power node, the second power node being on an opposite side of the PCB from the first power node; and

while the portions of the first power node and the second power node are covered, covering the PCB with an overmold.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the covering the portion of the first power node and the covering the portion of the second power node comprises clamping the portion of the first power node and the portion of the second power node.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the covering the PCB with the overmold comprises covering the PCB with a nonconductive overmold.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

soldering the first power node onto a first interior node; and

soldering the second power node onto a second interior node.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising removing the cover from the portions of the first and second power nodes after covering the PCB with the overmold.