Connector with improved performance characteristics

An I/O connector for providing a connection between a mating connector terminated to a cable and a circuit board, the cable having at least one differential pair of signal wires and a ground associated with said signal wires, the connector comprising:

• housing formed from an electrically insulative material, a triplet of conductive terminals supported by said housing, said triplet including a distinct arrangement of two signal terminals and one ground terminal,
• each of said triplet terminals including a flat contact blade portion for contacting a corresponding opposing terminal of said mating connector, a connecting portion for connecting said terminals to associated circuits on said circuit board, and an intervening body portion that interconnects said contact blade portion and said connecting portion together, said triplet terminal contact blade portions and said body portions being angled with respect to each other, said ground terminal contact blade portion being wider than any of said two signal terminal contact blade portions,
• said contact blade portions of said two signal terminals of said triplet being spaced apart from each other and disposed in side-by-side order along said connector housing, said triplet ground terminal contact blade portion being spaced apart from said two signal terminal contact blade portions and aligned therewith, said triplet ground terminal body portion being spaced apart from and generally between said triplet two signal terminal body portions.

A connector for providing a connection between a mating connector and a circuit board, the mating connector being terminated to a cable having at least one differential pair of signal wires and a ground associated with said signal wires, the connector comprising:

• a housing formed from an electrically insulative material, a triad of conductive terminals disposed in said housing, said triad including one ground terminal and two differential signal terminals associated with said ground terminal,
• each of said ground and signal terminals including a contact portion for contacting a corresponding opposing terminal of said mating connector, a mounting portion for terminating said terminals to associated circuits on said circuit board, and a transition portion for interconnecting said contact and mounting portions together, said ground and signal terminal contact portions entering said housing and being at least partially supported thereby,
• said ground terminal extending between said two signal terminals along said mounting portions thereof and for along part of said transition portions thereof, said ground terminal contact portion being wider than said ground terminal transition portion and at least one of said signal terminal contact portions, said ground terminal contact portion and said signal terminal contact portions being spaced apart from each other in said housing and extending through said housing in a triangular orientation with said ground terminal contact portion being disposed above said signal terminal contact portions.

A connector for providing a connection between a cable connection and a circuit board, the cable having at least one differential pair of wires and a ground associated with said differential wire pair, comprising:

• an electrically insulative housing, the housing having first and second leaf portions, at least three conductive terminals disposed in said housing, one of said terminals being a ground terminal for mating with a corresponding ground terminal of said cable connector, and the remaining two of said terminals being differential signal terminals for mating with corresponding differential signal terminals of said cable connector, said three terminals each including tail portions for mounting to said circuit board, contact portions supported by said housing and transition portions interconnecting said tail and contact portions,
• said signals and ground terminals being arranged in a first preselected orientation along their tail portions and transition portions and in a second preselected orientation along their contact portions, such that in said first preselected orientation, said ground terminal is disposed between said two signal terminals and in said second preselected orientation, said ground terminal is spaced apart from said two signal terminals such that said ground and signal terminal contact portions are arranged at vertices of an imaginary triangle, said ground terminal contact portion being disposed on said housing first leaf portion and said signal terminal contact portions being disposed on said housing second leaf portions.

An I/O connector for providing a connection between a mating connector terminated to a cable and a circuit board, the cable having two differential pairs of signal wires and two grounds respectively associated with said differential pairs of signal wires, the connector comprising:

• a housing formed from an electrically insulative material, first and second triplets of conductive terminals supported by said housing, each of said triplets including a distinct arrangement of two signal terminals and one ground terminal for mating with corresponding terminals of said mating connector respectively terminated to said cable two differential pairs of signal wires and cable grounds,
• each of said triplet terminals including a flat is contact blade portion for contacting a corresponding opposing terminal of said mating connector, a connecting portion for connecting said terminals to associated circuits on said circuit board, and an intervening body portion that interconnects said contact blade portion and said connecting portion together, said triplet terminal contact blade portions and said body portions being angled with respect to each other,
• said contact blade portions of said two signal terminals of said first triplet being spaced apart from each other and disposed in side-by-side order along said connector housing, said first triplet ground terminal contact blade portion being spaced apart from said first triplet signal terminal contact blade portions and aligned therewith, said first triplet ground terminal body portion being spaced apart from and generally between said first triplet signal terminal body portions;
• said contact blade portions of said two signal terminals of said second triplet being spaced apart from each other and disposed in side-by-side order along said connector housing, said second triplet ground terminal contact blade portion being spaced apart from said second triplet signal terminal contact blade portions and aligned therewith, said second triplet ground terminal body portion being spaced apart from and generally between said second triplet signal terminal body portions;
• and
• said first and second triplets being spaced apart from each other widthwise along said housing, and said connector housing includes a key portion interposed between said first triplet and said second triplet.

An I/O connector for providing a connection between a mating connector terminated to a cable and a circuit board, the cable having at least one differential pair of signal wires and a ground associated with said signal wires, the connector comprising:

• a housing formed from an electrically insulative material, a triplet of conductive terminals supported by said housing, said triplet including a distinct arrangement of two signal terminals and one ground terminal,
• each of said triplet terminals including a flat contact blade portion for contacting a corresponding opposing terminal of said mating connector, a connecting portion for connecting said terminals to associated circuits on said circuit board, and an intervening body portion that interconnects said contact blade portion and said connecting portion together, said triplet terminal contact blade portions and said body portions being angled with respect to each other, said ground terminal contact blade portion being wider than corresponding widths of any of said two signal terminal contact blade portions,
• said contact blade portions of said two signal terminals of said triplet being spaced apart from each other and disposed in side-by-side order along said connector housing, said triplet ground terminal contact blade portion being spaced apart from said two signal terminal contact blade portions and aligned therewith, said triplet ground terminal body portion being spaced apart from and generally between said triplet two signal terminal body portions, and
• wherein said triplet ground terminal has a width that varies along its length, said contact portion of said triplet ground terminal having a first preselected width and said body portion of said triplet ground terminal having a second preselected width, said first preselected width being greater than said second preselected width wherein said housing includes first and second leaf portions, said first leaf portion supporting said triplet ground terminal and said second leaf portion supporting said triplet signal terminals.