High performance electrical connector

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an improved electrical connector of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,335. Though the invention hereof is not limited to the specific construction of such prior art connector, it exemplifies the type of electrical connector that can be modified by the teachings of this invention. Such connector comprises a pair of intermatable housing members, where each said housing member is adapted to be terminated to plural conductors. Each housing is formed of an insulative material and includes a conductor receiving side and a mating side, a plurality of contact receiving cavities extending from the conductor receiving side to the mating side. The cavities are arranged in rows on spaced-apart parallel axes, where adjacent rows are separated by an insulative housing wall. An array of electrical contact terminals are received in the cavities, where each contact terminal includes contact means at its forward end proximate to the mating side, and conductor terminating means proximate to the conductor receiving side. The improvement thereon includes an elongated cavity essentially coextensive with the array of contact terminals, where the elongated cavity receives an electronic device, such as a PCB, having discrete electrical circuit traces along the surfaces thereof. Such traces are arranged to align with selected ones or pairs of conductors, whereby to improve connector performance through capacitive coupling of energy between certain pairs of conductors.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.