IP Library Granted Patent US 11,688,963
Granted Patent B2
US 11,688,963 · App. 17/330,846 · Granted Jun 27, 2023

Cable shield structure for electrical device

Inventors: Michael David Herring (Apex, NC); Bruce Allen Champion (Camp Hill, PA); Megha Shanbhag (Sunnyvale, CA); Lieven Decrock (Roeselare, BE)
Assignees: TE CONNECTIVITY BELGIUM; TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GmbH
H01R12/75H01R13/6596H01R13/65912
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,688,963
App. No.
17/330,846
Granted
Jun 27, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A cable shield tunnel for an electrical device includes a ground bus and a floor shim, discrete from the ground bus, and coupled to a circuit card and forming a cable tunnel that receives an end of a cable. The ground bus includes an end wall extending along a first end of the cable tunnel, a first side wall extending from the end wall along a first side of the cable tunnel, and a second side wall extending from the end wall along a second side of the cable tunnel opposite the first side. The first and second side walls are configured to be coupled to the circuit card. The floor shim is provided at a second end of the cable tunnel opposite the first end and is positioned between the cable and the circuit card.

Claims (29)

1. A cable shield tunnel for an electrical device, the cable shield tunnel comprising:

a ground bus and a floor shim configured to be coupled to a circuit card, the ground bus and the floor shim forming a cable tunnel configured to receive an end of a cable;

the ground bus including an end wall extending along a first end of the cable tunnel, a first side wall extending from the end wall along a first side of the cable tunnel, and a second side wall extending from the end wall along a second side of the cable tunnel opposite the first side, the first and second side walls configured to be coupled to the circuit card; and

the floor shim discrete from the ground bus, the floor shim having a shim surface configured to be separately coupled to and rest on a mounting surface of the circuit card, the floor shim provided at a second end of the cable tunnel opposite the first end, the floor shim configured to be positioned between the cable and the circuit card.

2. The cable shield tunnel of claim 1 , wherein the floor shim elevates the cable off of the circuit card in the cable tunnel.

3. The cable shield tunnel of claim 1 , wherein the floor shim is conductive providing electrical shielding along the second end of the cable tunnel.

4. The cable shield tunnel of claim 1 , wherein the floor shim is stamped from a metal blank having a thickness.

5. The cable shield tunnel of claim 4 , wherein the thickness is selected based on a tunnel height of the cable tunnel defined between the end wall and the circuit card and based on a cable height of the cable to position the cable in the cable tunnel.

6. The cable shield tunnel of claim 4 , wherein the thickness is greater than a thickness of the ground bus.

7. The cable shield tunnel of claim 1 , wherein the floor shim includes a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion extending forward of the end of the cable, the rear portion located rearward of the end of the cable and positioned between the cable and the circuit card.

8. The cable shield tunnel of claim 7 , wherein the front portion has a first thickness and the rear portion has a second thickness, the first thickness being thicker than the second thickness.

9. The cable shield tunnel of claim 1 , wherein the floor shim includes a raised section, the cable tunnel having a first tunnel height between the end wall and the floor shim along the raised section and a second tunnel height between the end wall and the floor shim rearward of the raised section, the second tunnel height being greater than the first tunnel height.

10. The cable shield tunnel of claim 1 , wherein the first and second side walls are positioned forward of the end of the cable, the end wall extending both forward and rearward of the end of the cable.

11. The cable shield tunnel of claim 10 , wherein the floor shim extends both forward and rearward of the end of the cable.

12. The cable shield tunnel of claim 1 , wherein the end wall includes a solder tab configured to be soldered to an outer conductor of the cable.

13. An electrical device comprising:

a circuit card having a cable end, the circuit card having cable contacts along a mounting surface of the circuit card at the cable end;

a cable terminated to the mounting surface of the circuit card at the cable end, the cable having an inner signal conductor and an outer conductor providing electrical shielding for the inner signal conductor, the inner signal conductor terminated to the corresponding cable contact; and

a cable shield tunnel coupled to the circuit card at the mounting surface, the cable shield tunnel including a ground bus and a floor shim forming a cable tunnel configured to receive an end of the cable, the ground bus including an end wall extending along a first end of the cable tunnel, a first side wall extending from the end wall along a first side of the cable tunnel, and a second side wall extending from the end wall along a second side of the cable tunnel opposite the first side, the first and second side walls coupled to the mounting surface of the circuit card, the floor shim having a shim surface being separately coupled to and resting on the mounting surface of the circuit card, the floor shim provided at a second end of the cable tunnel opposite the first end, the floor shim positioned between the cable and the circuit card.

14. The electrical device of claim 13 , wherein the floor shim elevates the cable off of the circuit card in the cable tunnel.

15. The electrical device of claim 13 , wherein the floor shim has a thickness, the thickness being selected based on a tunnel height of the cable tunnel defined between the end wall and the circuit card and based on a cable height of the cable to position the cable in the cable tunnel.

16. The electrical device of claim 13 , wherein the floor shim includes a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion extending forward of the end of the cable, the rear portion located rearward of the end of the cable and positioned between the cable and the circuit card.

17. The electrical device of claim 13 , wherein the floor shim includes a raised section, the cable tunnel having a first tunnel height between the end wall and the floor shim along the raised section and a second tunnel height between the end wall and the floor shim rearward of the raised section, the second tunnel height being greater than the first tunnel height.

18. An electrical device comprising:

a circuit card having a cable end, the circuit card having cable contacts along a mounting surface of the circuit card at the cable end;

a cable terminated to the mounting surface of the circuit card at the cable end, the cable having an inner signal conductor and an outer conductor providing electrical shielding for the inner signal conductor, the inner signal conductor terminated to the corresponding cable contact, an end of the cable having a cable height; and

a cable shield tunnel coupled to the circuit card at the mounting surface, the cable shield tunnel including a ground bus and a floor shim forming a cable tunnel configured to receive the end of the cable, the ground bus including an end wall extending along a first end of the cable tunnel, a first side wall extending from the end wall along a first side of the cable tunnel, and a second side wall extending from the end wall along a second side of the cable tunnel opposite the first side, the first and second side walls coupled to the mounting surface of the circuit card to position the end wall a tunnel height from the mounting surface of the circuit card, the floor shim having a shim surface being separately coupled to and resting on the mounting surface of the circuit card, the floor shim provided at a second end of the cable tunnel opposite the first end, the floor shim positioned between the cable and the circuit card, the floor shim having a thickness selected based on the tunnel height and the cable height.

19. The electrical device of claim 13 , wherein the floor shim includes a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion extending forward of the end of the cable, the rear portion located rearward of the end of the cable and positioned between the cable and the circuit card.

20. The electrical device of claim 13 , wherein the floor shim includes a raised section, the cable tunnel having a first tunnel height between the end wall and the floor shim along the raised section and a second tunnel height between the end wall and the floor shim rearward of the raised section, the second tunnel height being greater than the first tunnel height.

Assignments (4)
MERGER Recorded Jun 7, 2022
From: TE CONNECTIVITY SERVICES GMBH
To: TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GMBH
Reel/Frame 060305/0923 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 7, 2022
From: TYCO ELECTRONICS BELGIUM EC BVBA
To: TE CONNECTIVITY BELGIUM
Reel/Frame 058960/0950 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 26, 2021
From: HERRING, MICHAEL DAVID; CHAMPION, BRUCE ALLEN; SHANBHAG, MEGHA
To: TE CONNECTIVITY SERVICES GMBH
Reel/Frame 056358/0349 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 26, 2021
From: DECROCK, LIEVEN
To: TYCO ELECTRONICS BELGIUM EC BVBA
Reel/Frame 056358/0392 →