IP Library Granted Patent US 9,590,353
Granted Patent B2
US 9,590,353 · App. 14/744,619 · Granted Mar 7, 2017

Low profile connector system

Inventors: Kent E. Regnier (Lombard, IL); Steven George Sutter (Maumelle, AR); Darian Schulz (Little Rock, AR)
Assignee: Molex, LLC
H01R13/6273H01R12/7076H01R13/6471H01R13/6473H01R13/6582H01R24/60H01R24/62H01R2107/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,590,353
App. No.
14/744,619
Granted
Mar 7, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A connector system is disclosed that can support high data rates over a connector with terminals on a 0.5 mm pitch. A plug connector can include a termination module that has a paddle card and a plug module that includes rows of terminals. The termination module and the plug module can be aligned via the row of terminals and pads on the paddle card. A receptacle connector includes two rows of terminals that are provided on opposite sides of a tongue. The tongue includes impedance notches aligned with terminals arranged as differential pairs. Ground terminals extend past the differential pairs and along the impedance notch.

Claims (16)

1. A receptacle connector, comprising:

a shell configured to be secured to a circuit board;

a housing assembly at least partially positioned in the shell, the housing assembly including a first terminal frame and a second terminal frame, the first terminal frame supporting a first row terminals and the second terminal frame supporting a second row terminals, the rows of terminals provided on a 0.5 mm pitch, the housing assembly and the shell defining a port; and

a first tongue provided by the first terminal frame, the first tongue supporting pairs of differential-coupled terminals separated by a ground terminal, the ground terminals configured to extend beyond the signal terminals toward an end of the first tongue, the first tongue including impedance notches position adjacent an end of the signal terminals, the impedance notches having ground terminals extend along two sides, wherein the terminals are less than 0.13 mm thick and wherein the receptacle connector is configured to support a data rate of 16 Gbps using NRZ encoding in a passive manner.

2. The receptacle connector of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal frame supports a terminal comb, the terminal comb configured to help align tails supported by the first terminal frame.

3. The receptacle connector of claim 1 , further comprising a second tongue provided by the second terminal frame, the second tongue supporting pairs of differential-coupled terminals separated by ground terminals, the ground terminals configured to extend beyond the signal terminals, the second tongue including impedance notches position adjacent an end of the signal terminals, the impedance notches having ground terminals extend along two sides.

4. The receptacle connector of claim 3 , wherein the first and second terminal frame are configured to be married together prior to insertion into the shell.

5. The receptacle connector of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first and second tongues includes cutouts aligned with the terminals.

6. A receptacle connector, comprising:

a shell configured to be secured to a circuit board;

a housing assembly at least partially positioned in the shell, the housing assembly including a first terminal frame and a second terminal frame, the first terminal frame supporting a first row terminals, each of the terminals in the first row including contacts, tails and a body that extends therebetween, and the second terminal frame supporting a second row terminals, each of the terminals in the second row including contacts, tails and a body that extends therebetween, the rows of terminals provided on a 0.5 mm pitch, the housing assembly and the shell defining a port, wherein the first row of terminals includes pairs of signal terminals surrounded by ground terminals, the ground terminals being longer than the signal terminals, and the housing includes ribs along the body that vary the impedance of ground terminals versus signal terminals so as to cause the signal terminals to be preferentially coupled; and

a first tongue provided by the first terminal frame, the first tongue supporting pairs of differential-coupled terminals separated by a ground terminal, the ground terminals configured to extend beyond the signal terminals, the first tongue including impedance notches position adjacent an end of the signal terminals, the impedance notches having ground terminals extend along two sides.

7. The receptacle connector of claim 6 , wherein the first terminal frame supports a terminal comb, the terminal comb configured to help align tails supported by the first terminal frame.

8. The receptacle connector of claim 7 , further comprising a second tongue provided by the second terminal frame, the second tongue supporting pairs of differential-coupled terminals separated by ground terminals, the ground terminals configured to extend beyond the signal terminals, the second tongue including impedance notches position adjacent an end of the signal terminals, the impedance notches having ground terminals extend along two sides.

9. The receptacle connector of claim 8 , wherein the first tongue includes cutouts aligned with the terminals.

10. The receptacle connector of claim 9 , wherein the second tongue includes cutouts aligned with the terminals.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 29, 2015
From: REGNIER, KENT E.; SUTTER, STEVEN GEORGE; SCHULZ, DARIAN
To: MOLEX INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 036917/0213 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 29, 2015
From: MOLEX INCORPORATED
To: MOLEX, LLC
Reel/Frame 037007/0493 →
Continuity (6)
Continuation 14653905
Provisional Application 61753029 · Jan 16, 2013
Provisional Application 61757299 · Jan 28, 2013
Provisional Application 61760433 · Feb 4, 2013
Provisional Application 61868704 · Aug 22, 2013
Related Publication 20150288104A1 · Oct 8, 2015