Electrical connectors – Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield – Multi-part shield body
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-30
2002-06-04
Pascal, Robert (Department: 2817)
Electrical connectors
Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield
Multi-part shield body
C439S620040, C333S012000, C333S181000, C333S02400C
Reexamination Certificate
active
06398588
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to the field of electronic device connectors. More particularly, the present invention relates to reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) leakage through a connector housing that is required to be electrically isolated from a chassis of a device to which the connector housing is coupled.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Connectors are used to couple together a wide variety of electronic devices including computers, peripheral devices, audio/video components, telephones, network terminals, etc. For instance, a personal computer may have several different connectors, both male and female, for hooking up components such as a monitor, a key board, and a mouse, and may include additional connectors for networking such as an Ethernet card connector.
For various reasons, connector housings are often “isolated” from the ground (usually the chassis) of the device to which a connector housing is coupled. For instance, in the event of a “ground surge,” such as a lightening strike on a telephone line leading to a computer, every component in the computer coupled to the chassis may experience a large and potentially damaging current. By isolating the connector housing from the chassis, a ground surge is less likely to be propagated to another device or into a network to which the connector leads.
FIGS. 1A and 1B
illustrate one example of an isolated connector housing
120
in an electronic device
100
. Chassis
110
contains a printed circuit board (PCB)
140
. PCB
140
includes an integrated circuit (IC)
150
, which is coupled to connector housing
120
through a bus
155
. A signal path
150
couples bus
155
on PCB
140
through connector housing
120
to any of a number of peripheral devices, networks, etc. (not shown).
Connector housing
120
is indirectly coupled to chassis
110
in that connector housing
120
is mount to PCB
140
using mounting screws
160
and PCB
140
is mounted within chassis
110
. Furthermore, connector aperture
130
in chassis
110
is larger than the dimensions of connector housing
120
so that connector housing
120
does not make direct contact with chassis
110
. In which case, connector housing
120
is isolated from chassis
110
.
Although isolating a connector from ground has certain advantages, it also has some disadvantages. For instance, if electronic device
100
generates electromagnetic interference (EMI), which virtually all electronic devices do, the EMI may leak into signal path
150
through connector housing
120
. Market pressures are constantly moving toward faster, more reliable data transfer, and EMI leakage is a limiting factor on performance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A capacitive coupling includes a capacitive material and a conductor coupled to the capacitive material. The conductor and the capacitive material have a form factor to fixedly attach to either a connector housing or a chassis of an electronic device. The form factor of the conductor and the capacitive material is also to removably couple the connector housing and the chassis of the electronic device such that at least one signal frequency is passed between the connector housing and the chassis of the electronic device and a direct current is isolated between the connector housing and the chassis of the electronic device.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5192230 (1993-03-01), Gabany et al.
patent: 5397252 (1995-03-01), Wang
patent: 5413504 (1995-05-01), Kloecker et al.
patent: 5611711 (1997-03-01), Okada et al.
patent: 6033263 (2000-03-01), Weidler et al.
patent: 6109972 (2000-08-01), Leinonen et al.
Jones Stephen E.
Pascal Robert
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