Connector having bridge member for coupling ground terminals

1. A connector for mounting on a circuit board, comprising:

an insulative housing having a first wall, a second wall, and a receptor slot defined between the first and second walls;

a row of first terminals supported by the insulative housing and protruding downwardly into the receptor slot, the row of first terminals including a first ground terminal, a second ground terminal, and a first differential pair positioned between the first and second ground terminals;

a row of second terminals supported by the insulative housing and protruding upwardly into the receptor slot, the row of second terminals including a third ground terminal, a fourth ground terminal, and a second differential pair positioned between the third and fourth ground terminals, the row of first terminals and the row of second terminals separated from each other along a front-to-back direction to define a locating space therebetween; and

a bridge positioned in the locating space and electrically coupling the first ground terminal with the second ground terminal.

2. The connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said bridge is a planar plate having a conductive member electrically connecting with the first and second ground terminals, the first differential pair being insulated from the conductive member.

3. The connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said bridge extends transversely in the locating space and has a pair of first cutouts, the first and second ground terminals passing through the first cutouts along a top-to-bottom direction respectively and electrically connecting with the conductive member.

4. The connector as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said bridge has a first recess positioned between the pair of first cutouts, the first differential pair passing through the first recess along the top-to-bottom direction and being insulated from the conductive member through an air gap.

5. The connector as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said first and second ground terminals are interference fit in the pair of first cutouts, respectively.

6. The connector as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said first and second ground terminals are soldered in the pair of first cutouts.

7. The connector as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said bridge electrically couples the first, second, third, and fourth ground terminals.

8. The connector as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said bridge has a pair of second cutouts, the first and second cutouts disposed at two opposite edges of the bridge, the third and fourth ground terminals passing through the second cutouts along the top-to-bottom direction respectively for electrically connecting the conductive member.

9. The connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said bridge is a metal plate, said conductive member being of metal material.

10. The connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said bridge is a circuit board, said conductive member being of a conductive trace.

11. The connector as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising an elongated spacer supported by said insulative housing, said spacer defining a plurality of slots extending therethrough along a top-to-bottom direction for receiving the first and second terminals, the bridge disposed at the upper side of the spacer.

12. The connector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said bridge is supported by the spacer.

13. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulative housing defining a front mating port;

two rows of terminals disposed in the housing in a transverse direction, each of the terminals defining, in a front-to-back direction perpendicular to said transverse direction, a front mating section exposed in the mating port for mating with a complementary connector, and a rear mounting section for mounting to a printed circuit board;

each row of terminals including grounding terminals and differential pair terminals alternately arranged with each other in the transverse direction; and

a grounding plate located between two rows of terminals in said front-to-back direction around the corresponding rear mounting sections; wherein

said grounding plate defines plural structures mechanically and electrically connected to the rear mounting sections of the corresponding grounding terminals, respectively.

14. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said structure defines a fork configuration to sandwich the rear mounting section of corresponding grounding terminal.

15. The electrical connector as claimed in 13 , wherein the rear mounting sections of the two rows of terminals are categorized with an inner row and an outer row and are configured to allow the grounding plate to be assembled with regard to the housing only after the terminals of the inner row are assembled into the housing and before the terminals of the outer row are assembled into the housing.

16. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15 , further including an insulative spacer configured to be only forwardly assembled to the housing in the front-to-back direction and located under the grounding plate in a vertical direction perpendicular to both said transverse direction and said front-to-back direction and between the rear mounting sections in the inner row and the outer row.

17. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 16 , wherein said rear mounting sections of the terminals are configured to allow the spacer to be assembled with regard to the housing only after the terminals of the inner row are assembled into the housing and before the terminals of the outer row are assembled into the housing.

18. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulative housing defining a front mating port;

two rows of terminals disposed in the housing in a transverse direction, each of the terminals defining, in a front-to-back direction perpendicular to said transverse direction, a front mating section exposed in the mating port for mating with a complementary connector, and a rear mounting section for mounting to a printed circuit board;

each row of terminals including grounding terminals and differential pair terminals alternately arranged with each other in the transverse direction;

a grounding plate located between two rows of terminals and mechanically and electrically connected to the corresponding grounding terminals; and

an insulative spacer located between two rows of terminals in said front-to-back direction around the corresponding rear mounting sections; wherein

said insulative spacer defines plural structures mechanically engaging the rear mounting sections of all the corresponding terminals, respectively.

19. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the housing and the spacer are configured to allow the spacer to be only forwardly assembled into the housing in the front-to-back direction, and said rear mounting sections of said terminals are categorized with an inner row and an outer row and are configured to allow the spacer to be assembled with regard to the housing only after the terminals of the inner row are assembled into the housing and before the terminals of the outer row are assembled into the housing.

20. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the grounding plate is configured to be assembled with regard to the housing only after the terminals of the inner row are assembled into the housing and before the terminals of the outer row are assembled into the housing.