# US 2014/0154921 A1 · Active electrical communication cable assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0154921 A1 - Document ID: US20140154921A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/691,479 - Filed: 2012-11-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Inventors: Qi QI; Jamyuen KO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140154921A1 ## CPC - H01R 24/50: mounted on a PCB [Printed Circuit Board] - H01R 13/6581: Shield structure - H01R 13/6594: the shield being mounted on a PCB and connected to conductive members - H01R 13/6658: {on printed circuit board (H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence)} - H01R 24/62: Sliding engagements with one side only, e.g. modular jack coupling devices - H01R 13/5816: {for cables passing through an aperture in a housing wall, the separate part being captured between cable and contour of aperture} - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS ## Abstract An active electric cable assembly suitable for high speed communication (e.g., 10 Gbit/sec) between electronic devices, such as but not limited to a peripheral device (e.g., storage device, docking station, etc.) and a computing platform expansion bus. (e.g., supporting the standards and specifications associated with the trade name Thunderbolt®). In embodiments, through holes, embossments, mechanical stops, micro-coaxial single wires, thermal pads, and dielectric film sheets are utilized in a robust cable assembly. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cable assembly comprising: a top metal shield and a bottom metal shield, wherein one of the top and bottom metal shields comprises an embossment and the other of the top and bottom metal shields comprises a recess or through hole to mate with the embossment and form a shield cavity; a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), including at least one integrated circuit (IC), disposed within the shield cavity; at least one electrically isolative film sheet disposed within the shield cavity and between the PCBA and the top or bottom metal shield; a raw cable sub-assembly further comprising: a plurality of wires terminated at the PCBA, the plurality including at least a micro-coaxial signal wire, a power wire, and a ground wire; and an electrically isolative jacket surrounding the plurality of wires; and a single piece boot surrounding the raw cable sub-assembly, the top shield and the bottom shield. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly further comprises a first electrically isolative thermal pad disposed between an interior surface of the shield cavity and the PCBA; and wherein the at least one film sheet further comprises first and second film sheets adjacent to opposite sides of the PCBA and the first thermal pad. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The cable assembly of claim 2, wherein the assembly further comprises a second electrically isolative thermal pad disposed between the PCBA and the shield cavity on a side of the PCBA opposite the first thermal pad. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wires further comprises at least one non-coaxial signal wire. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The cable assembly of claim 4, wherein the plurality of wires further comprises: a plurality of the micro-coaxial signal wires; a plurality of the non-coaxial signal wires; a plurality of the power wires; and a plurality of the ground wires. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The cable assembly of claim 5, wherein the power and ground wires are proximate a longitudinal center of the raw cable sub-assembly, and the plurality of micro-coaxial signal wires are proximate the jacket and distal from the power and ground wires. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The cable assembly of claim 5, wherein a first of the micro-coaxial signal wires is terminated on a first side of the PCBA and wherein a second of the micro-coaxial signal wires is terminated on a second side of the PCBA. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein the PCBA further comprises first contact pads disposed on a first end to which the wires are soldered and second contact pads disposed on a second end, opposite the first end, to which conductors of a plug housing contact sub-assembly make contact, the plug housing contact sub-assembly disposed within the bottom shield. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The cable assembly of claim 8, wherein the PCBA further comprises stops to contact a sidewall of the bottom shield and resist passage of the plug housing contact sub-assembly through an end of the bottom shield opposite the raw cable assembly. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The cable assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plug cap crimped to an end of the raw cable sub-assembly proximate the PCBA and soldered to the top metal shield. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The cable assembly of claim 10, wherein the pug cap is soldered to the top metal shield at a location coincident with a through hole disposed in the top metal shield. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The cable assembly of claim 10, further comprising a strain relief tube disposed over the raw cable sub-assembly and adjacent to an end of the plug cap opposite the PCBA, the strain relief tube partially disposed within the boot and extending outwardly beyond the boot. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein the boot further comprises an internal recess to mate with at least one of the top and bottom shields, and wherein the boot further comprises internal stops adjacent to at least one of the top and bottom shields to resist displacement of the shields in a longitudinal direction toward the raw cable sub-assembly. ### Claim 14 A method of assembling an cable assembly, the method comprising: soldering a plurality of wires extending from a raw cable sub-assembly to metal pads disposed on a first end of a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA); inserting a second end of the PCBA, opposite the first, into a plug housing contact sub-assembly to couple pins of the plug housing contact sub-assembly with metal pads disposed on the second end of the PCBA; inserting the PCBA into the bottom metal shield to contact stops on the PCBA with sides of the bottom metal shield; disposing at least one electrically isolative film sheet between the PCBA and the sides of the bottom metal shield; mating an embossment in one of the bottom and top metal shields with a recess or through hole in the other of the bottom and top metal shields to surround the PCBA within a shield cavity; and inserting the mated top and bottom metal shields into a single-piece boot until a recess in at least one of the boot or shields latches with an embossment in the other of the boot or shields. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising laser stripping a plurality of wires extending from a raw cable sub-assembly to expose wire ends for soldering to the PCBA. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: crimping a plug cap over the raw cable sub-assembly to contact a shield of the raw cable sub-assembly; and laser welding the plug cap to one of the top and bottom shields, the plug cap accessed by a through hole in at least one of the top and bottom shields. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) A system comprising: the cable assembly of claim 1; and a single multi-contact connector coupled to a second end of the cable assembly, the single multi-contact connector connected to each of the plurality of wires. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the single multi-contact connector is a male connector. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A system comprising: a peripheral device coupled to a second end of the cable assembly of claim 1, the peripheral device including a memory to store data transmitted over the cable assembly. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the peripheral device comprises a solid state drive (SSD).