Connector with solderless filter
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorWilliam T. Phillips, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A solderless filter circuit disposed in an electrical connector assembly for filtering electrical signals carried by conductors in the connector assembly including, without solder connections, low cost capacitive and inductive circuit elements providing reliable electrical connection with the conductors, for example in a Pi filter configuration for low pass signal filtering in a convenient filter package. Integrated capacitor elements include modified electrical leads in the form of conductor seats and are packaged with a ferrite block in at least one housing retained within at least one of two mating connectors.
Claims14
A solderless filter circuit for filtering electrical signals carried by electrical conductors, the filter circuit contained in a connector assembly including at least two mating connectors and comprising:
- a housing having at least one filter passage therethrough;
- the at least one filter passage sized to receive a corresponding electrical conductor therein;
- an inductive element retained in the housing adjacent the at least one filter passage and in position to electrically contact the electrical conductor received in said at least one filter passage;
- an integrated capacitor circuit retained in the housing and comprising, corresponding to each filter passage in the housing, at least one capacitor element with first and second electrical terminals;
- and
- at least one of the electrical terminals of each capacitor element being adjacent the corresponding filter passage and having a conductor seat thereon for seating an electrical conductor received in the corresponding filter passage,
- wherein the electrical conductor received in said filter passage makes electrical contact with the inductive element for applying an inductive load to electrical signals carried by said electrical conductor, and is seated in the conductor seat of the corresponding terminal of the corresponding at least one capacitor element, for applying capacitive filtering to electrical signals carried by said electrical conductor.
A header connector assembly including at least two matched connectors having electrical leads which are electrically coupled when the at least two connectors are mated together, the header connector assembly including a filter circuit for filtering electrical signals carried by the electrical leads, the filter circuit comprising:
- a housing retained in the header connector assembly;
- the housing having a plurality of passages, each of the plurality positioned and sized to receive a corresponding one of the electrical leads through a predetermined length of the passage;
- a solderless integrated capacitor circuit retained in the housing and having a multiplicity of capacitors integrated thereon,
- each of the multiplicity having first and second electrically conductive terminals with a capacitance therebetween,
- each first terminal having a concave seat across the terminal width for seating a corresponding electrical lead;
- each concave seat aligned with a corresponding housing passage;
- and
- at least one solderless inductor element retained in the housing and positioned in the housing to electrically contact each electrical lead received through the passages of the housing to apply an inductive load to electrical signals carried by the electrical leads received through such passages of the housing,
- wherein solderless signal filtering is provided for electrical signals carried by the electrical leads when said leads are received through the passages of the housing, seated in the corresponding concave seat, and electrically contacting the at least one inductive element, through the application of capacitive and inductive loads to said electrical signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.