Patent ID: 7878853
Filing Date: 2011-02-01
Classification: H01R

Abstract:
1. A connector comprising: a plurality of connector units held within a housing, each connector unit including an insulative support frame supporting a plurality of conductive terminals in two, spaced-apart columns of terminals, the support frame including a first and second frame half, one column of said two terminal columns being supported by the first frame half and the other column of said two terminal columns being supported by the second frame half, each frame half including a first and second spoke members extending radially from a front corner of said frame and a primary spoke member extending radially from the frame front corner to a rear corner of said frame, the first and second frame half spacing said two terminal columns apart from each other, widthwise, within each of said connector units; each of said terminals including tail portions for mounting to a circuit board, contact portions for mating with an opposing connector and body portions interconnecting the terminal tail and contact portions together, the terminals including distinct pairs of signal terminals and single ground shield terminals, each pair of said signal terminals being aligned edge-to-edge to form differential signal terminal pairs within their respective terminal body portions within each of said two columns, each of said differential signal terminal pairs being separated from another differential signal terminal pair within a terminal column by a single one of said ground shield terminals, said ground shield terminals being alternatingly spaced apart as between said two terminal columns such that said ground shield terminals in each of said terminal columns are spaced apart from and face a differential signal terminal pair of an opposing terminal column, each of said ground shield terminals being wider than the differential signal terminal pair within said connector unit; and, wherein said terminals are attached to said first and second frame halves along said spoke members, wherein said spoke members on both the first and second frame half extend across outer surfaces of said terminals and said spoke members on said first frame half includes interior spoke portions that extend across inner surfaces of said terminals of said first frame half, said interior spoke portions spacing said terminal columns apart from each other, wherein said primary spoke members bisect said frame first and second halves and said first and second frame halves further include a pair of secondary spoke members disposed therein between said primary spoke member and each of said first and second spoke members, wherein said interior spoke portions of said first and second spoke member and said primary spoke member define two V-shaped air channels on an inner face of said first frame half.