Electrical connectors – With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision – Grounding to connector container or housing
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-09
2004-09-07
Gushi, Ross (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision
Grounding to connector container or housing
C439S607070, C439S939000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06786742
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cable connector which electrically connects with an electromagnetic wave shielded cable generally for use in various electronic equipment including communication equipment such as an electronic automatic exchange, an electronic transmission equipment or the like and computer equipment. In detail, the present invention relates to a cable connector which has a ground plate between the cable connector and a mating connector to form a shield-ground path from the cable to the ground plate so as to drop external electromagnetic wave noise mixed in from the electromagnetic wave shielded cable. In more detail, the present invention relates to a cable connector forming a shield-ground path by bringing conductive electrical contacts provided on the cable connector into elastic contact with the ground plate when the connector is fit-connected. The present invention also relates to a connector system including the cable connector and communication equipment using the connector system.
An electronic automatic exchange houses, for example, a plurality of exchange units in its cabinet. The exchange unit is provided with a printed circuit board having a printed circuit board (PCB) connector in its casing. The casing of the exchange unit is conductive and this conductive casing electromagnetically shields the printed circuit board. Part of the conductive casing is used as a ground plate by grounding this part. A cable connector electrically connected to the electromagnetic wave shielded cable is used to electrically connect PCB connectors in the same electronic automatic exchange to each other or PCB connectors in separate electronic automatic exchanges to each other.
FIG. 1
shows how a cable connector
111
connected to a shielded cable
119
is fit-connected to a PCB connector
103
via a ground plate
101
of an exchange unit. The PCB connector
103
is constituted by an insulator
107
holding male contacts
105
placed in its inner space. On the other hand, the cable connector
111
is provided with female contacts
115
which electrically connect to signal lines
121
of the cable
119
and the respective male contacts
105
of the PCB connector
103
, a contact housing
117
for housing the female contacts
115
, a shield shell having conductivity (not shown), an insulating cover
118
for enclosing the shield shell and electrical contacts
113
which extend from the shield shell and are exposed from a gap between the contact housing
117
and the insulating cover
118
.
The cable
119
is constituted such that a plurality of signal lines
121
are enclosed with a jacket shield. These signal lines
121
are electrically connected to the respective female contacts
115
while the jacket shield is electrically connected to the shield shell of the cable connector
111
. When the connector is fit-connected, a shield-ground path is formed from the cable
119
to the ground plate
101
since electrical connection is secured by bringing the electrical contact
113
into elastic contact with the conductive ground plate
101
.
However, the electrical contacts
113
shown in
FIG. 1
are of a cantilever type, in which a plate spring is straight. Since the spring length from a supported end (fulcrum of the spring) held by the shield shell to a contact end, which is an action point, is short in the electrical contact
113
having a straight plate spring, the spring generates greater displacement in relation to a load (so called rigid spring having a large spring constant value). As a result, a spring displacement region required for obtaining a sufficient contact force inevitably becomes small. When a distance between the electrical contact
113
and the ground plate
101
is increased due to poor location accuracy of the ground plate
101
in relation to the cable connector
111
, variation in protrusion levels of the contact ends of the electrical contacts
113
and so forth, the contact of the electrical contacts
113
to the ground plate
101
is deteriorated (sufficient spring force cannot be secured). Therefore, a problem arises that impedance of the shield-ground path is increased, thereby resulting in decline of the shield ground effect.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cable connector in which a shield-ground path from a shielded cable to a ground plate has low impedance when a cable connector connected to the shielded cable is fit-connected to a mating connector via the ground plate. Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector system including this cable connector and communication equipment using this connector system.
To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a cable connector which electrically connects to a shielded cable containing signal lines shielded with a jacket shield and is fit-connected to a mating connector via a ground plate. This cable connector is provided with a contact housing including first contacts electrically connected to signal lines, a shield shell which electrically connects to the jacket shield and covers the contact housing and an insulating cover for covering the shield shell. The cable connector has electrical contacts which are composed of generally U-like bent plate springs supported at one ends on the shield shell and come into elastic contact with the ground plate when the cable connector is fit into a mating connector.
The cable connector having the above constitution, on a surface opposed to the mating connector, has electrical contacts which are composed of generally U-like bent plate springs supported at one ends on the shield shell and come into elastic contact with the ground plate when the cable connector is fit into the mating connector. That is, the bent plate spring typically has a generally U-like shape, but those bent into a generally V-like shape, a generally W-like shape, a generally bellows-like shape and the like are also encompassed. An end portion on the cable side of the generally U-like bent plate spring is fixed and supported on the shield shell.
In case of a generally U-like bent plate spring, when one U-like end on the cable side (first supported end) is fixed and supported on the shield shell, the end fixed and supported on the shield shell becomes a fulcrum of the spring while the U-like bent site becomes an action point of the spring. Furthermore, this bent site also becomes a fulcrum for the other end having a U-like shape (end portion on the mating connector side). The other end on the mating connector side becomes a final action point. In a generally U-Like bent plate spring, one end on the cable side becomes a fulcrum of a spring and the other end on the mating connector side becomes the final action point. The whole length of the generally U-like plate spring serves as the spring length. Thus, since the length of a bent type spring can be made longer spring than a straight spring, the spring constant of the plate spring can be reduced as compared with that of a conventional straight spring. As a result, a large spring displacement region required for obtaining a necessary and sufficient contact force can be secured. Therefore, since stable contact (force) can be obtained between the plate springs and the ground plate, electrical connectability of the electrical contacts to the ground plate is improved and the shield-ground path from the shielded cable to the ground plate has low impedance.
The electrical contact preferably extends from an end portion of the bent plate spring on the cable side in a fitting direction of the connector on the cable side and has a supported portion held by the shield shell. According to such a constitution, the end portion of the bent plate spring on the cable side is fixed and supported at the supported portion held by the shield shell. Since the supported portion can resist the elastic force acted when the bent plate spring comes into contact with the ground plate, supporting property of the electrical contact is improved and thereby
Florczak Yen Tong
Gushi Ross
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