US 6,786,755 B2Granted

Differential signal connector assembly with improved retention capabilities

AssigneeMolex Incorporated

InventorsPhilip J. Dambach, Kent E. Regnier

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A connector provides mechanical strength and impedance-conforming coupling between conductors in a cable and conductors on a circuit board. The conductors in the cable and the circuit board carry differential signals. The connector is comprised of a dielectric plug that has conductive terminals installed in it which comprise an electrical triad. A dielectric inner body has at least one triplet of three conductive terminals that extend into corresponding slots of the dielectric plug. The dielectric inner body has latching arm slots that receiving a latching arm of a mechanical coupling link member. A protective cover extends over a wire management support member and the dielectric inner body portion and at least partially over the dielectric plug member. The protective cover has retention openings that engage an actuator leg of a latching member. The protective cover also has at least one bias leg recess, for receiving a bias leg of the latching member. A latching member has bias legs that extend into the bias leg passages of the dielectric plug member. The latching member locks the dielectric plug member, the dielectric inner body and the protective cover together.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A latching connector for use in differential signal applications, comprising:

an insulative housing supporting a plurality of conductive terminals in at least two rows of terminals, the housing including a body portion and a mating plug portion extending outwardly therefrom, the terminal rows being disposed on opposite surfaces of said mating plug portion, each of said terminals including at least a contact portion and a tail portion, the terminal contact and tail portions extending out from opposite sides of said housing body portion, the housing mating plug portion is engageable with said housing body portion and said housing mating plug portion includes a plurality of slots disposed therein which receive said terminals therein;
preselected groups of three of the terminals defining distinct differential signal transmission channels in the housing, each of the differential signal transmission channels including a pair of differential signal terminals disposed adjacent each other in one of said terminal rows and a ground terminal disposed in the other of said terminal rows in opposing relationship to the ground terminal, the differential signal transmission channels being arranged consecutively along the rows in an alternating, inverted sequence such that within each of said rows, said pair of differential signal terminals of one of said differential signal transmission channels is adjacent to a ground terminal of a different differential signal transmission channel;
and
a latching assembly supported by said housing for engaging a mating connector and holding said connect and the mating connector together in a mated condition.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/400,241Filed 27 Mar 2003 · us provisional application
Priority: 27 Mar 2002
Published: US 2003/0186580 A12 Oct 2003
Granted: 7 Sep 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H01R 13/6273
Latching means integral with the housing: comprising two latching arms
H01R 12/724
Coupling devices mounted on the edge of the printed circuits: containing contact members forming a right angle
H01R 13/6471
Means for preventing cross-talk: by special arrangement of ground and signal conductors, e.g. GSGS [Ground-Signal-Ground-Signal]
H01R
Electrically-conductive connections