Electrical connectors – With vitreous-type envelope – Having bayonet-coupling contact
Patent
1996-07-17
1999-03-30
Abrams, Neil
Electrical connectors
With vitreous-type envelope
Having bayonet-coupling contact
439252, 439857, H01R 903
Patent
active
058880968
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The subject of the invention relates to an electrical connector and, in particular, but not limited to, a shielded electrical connector for use in high frequency cable applications.
In high frequency applications, the trend in industry is to increase the density of electrical connections while reducing the overall cost of the connector. The increase in density is significantly reducing the size of the connectors, along with the housings and contacts therein which has a direct affect upon electrical transmission characteristics and structural integrity. In addition, high frequency applications typically involve shielding the connector structure with a conductive member that is then interconnected to the conductive shielding of the high frequency cable. In high frequency applications, the best situation is when the impedance of the connector structure is exactly that of the impedance of the cable herein. This enables the connector structure to be essentially invisible to the cable, thereby providing the best possible data transmission capability for the particular connector/cable combination.
As impedance is roughly dependant on the square root of the ratio of inductance over the capacity when the density increases the capacitance of a particular connector structure becomes higher and higher due to the small distances between the shielding and the conductors. This results in a lower impedance connector structure at the end of the cable.
Difficulties arise in equalizing the impedance of the connector and the impedance of the cable in high density applications where the small dimensions associated with the high density effectively limit the amount of shielding and space between the contacts and the shielding that may be utilized to control the impedance of the connector. It would be advantageous to provide an electrical contact that enables the impedance of the connector to be matched with the cable.
In high density applications, it is possible that some of the contacts and terminals are not in optimal alignment. There are many electrical terminals known in the art that electrically engage contacts of a mating connector, such as those having a deflectable beam that wipes a pin or tab contact surface as the interconnection is made. In an effort to accommodate the misalignment, float between the contacts and the terminal has been provided in some electrical interconnection devices. This float ensures that over a range of misalignment the contact and terminals can be correctly seated. Therefor, it would be advantageous to provide an electrical contact where the contact portion that electrically engages a mating contact can float relative the rest of the connector.
However, in some smaller, high density applications where the terminals must also be quite small, the thickness of the deflecting beam also becomes small, thereby limiting the structural integrity of the terminal. In these applications, the terminal portion is prone to damage caused by "stubbing". "Stubbing" occurs when the mating tab or pin contact does not slide over the deflecting beam, but rather becomes stuck against it. The causes of "stubbing" can be traced to improper alignment during the interconnection or manufacturing deficiencies such as burrs. As a result of the contact not being able to slide over the deflecting beam, continued insertion typically will cause the beam to buckle and fail. Unfortunately, even if float is provided it is still possible for the contact and the terminal to stub when the connectors are initially mated together. In order to prevent damage from stubbing it would be desirable to provide support to the contact, thereby preventing buckling and the ultimate failure of the contact due to the excessive loading being transferred into the terminal as a result of the stubbing.
In order to provide cost savings in order to produce the high density connectors, it would be desirable to incorporate into the contacts Insulation Displacement Contact (IDC) technology. Typically, high frequency cables will incorporate a TEFLON insula
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European Search Report
Den Otter Johannes Marinus Jacobus
Smits Willem Reginald Maria
Soes Lucas
Wiekamp Jan Hendrik Ate
Abrams Neil
The Whitaker Corporation
Wina Driscoll
Wittels Daniel
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