Radio frequency interference shield

An apparatus is described herein. The apparatus includes a receptacle to receive a plug to couple a peripheral device to a computing device. The apparatus includes a ground contact of a printed circuit board of the computing device. The apparatus includes a shield communicatively coupled to the ground contact, wherein the shield is to reduce radio frequency interference (RFI) from an interface between the plug and the receptacle.

BACKGROUND ART

A computing device may include input/output (I/O) interfaces to enable a peripheral device to communicate with an information processing system, such as a processor, of the computing device. Each I/O interface may include a connector associated with a communications protocol such as a universal serial bus (USB) connector associated with a USB communication protocol. In some cases, the I/O interface may emit radio frequencies that interfere with operations of the computing device. The radio frequency interference (RFI) may cause signal degradation in components such as wireless transmitters, wireless receivers, wireless transceivers, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure relates generally to techniques for reducing radio frequency interference (RFI) at an input/output (I/O) interface. The I/O interface may include a physical interface between a computing device and a peripheral device. The physical interface includes a receptacle configured to receive a plug. The I/O interface may emit radio frequencies, such as radio frequency interference that can interfere with operations performed by a computing device. For example, RFI from the I/O interface may interfere with operations of a wireless receiving component of the computing device. In some embodiments, RFI is emitted at the I/O interface at least partially as a consequence to a lack of communicative coupling from the plug to the receptacle and from the receptacle to ground. To reduce RFI, the I/O interface may include shielding to reduce RFI including shielding generated near the back of the receptacle. The shielding may be connected to ground via a circuit board of the computing device.

FIG. 1is a diagram illustrating a peripheral view of an I/O interface having shielding to reduce RFI. The I/O interface includes a receptacle102and a plug104. The receptacle102may be configured to receive the plug104as indicated by the arrow106.

The I/O interface100may be configured to communicatively couple a computing device (not shown) to a peripheral device (not shown). The computing device may be, for example, a laptop computer, desktop computer, tablet computer, mobile device, server, or cellular phone, a wearable computing device, among others. In some embodiments, the peripheral device is a computing device as listed above. In some embodiments, the peripheral device is a peripheral hard disk drive, a media player, a camera, a thumb drive, a display, and the like.

In some embodiments, the I/O interface100may be a universal serial bus (USB) interface. In some embodiments, the I/O interface100may be other I/O interfaces including computer bus interfaces such as Display Port, digital visual interface (DVI), video graphics array (VGA), and the like. In some embodiments, the I/O interface100includes any future unified I/O implementations.

As discussed above, the I/O interface100may be configured to communicatively couple the computing device to a peripheral device. The receptacle102is configured to receive the plug104to couple the computing device to the peripheral device. The receptacle102may include a back shield108configured to reduce RFI that may be emitted from the I/O interface100to other components of the computing device. As discussed in more detail below in regard toFIG. 2, the back shield108may be configured to be coupled to a ground contact110of a circuit board112, as illustrated by the arrows114and116.

FIG. 2is a diagram illustrating a side view of the I/O interface having a shield coupled to a ground contact. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the back shield108may be coupled to the ground contact110. As discussed above, the ground contact110may be a ground contact of the circuit board112, such as a printed circuit board, of a computing device. The coupling of the back shield108to the ground contact110may reduce RFI emitted from the I/O interface. The back shield108may at least partially reduce the RFI emitted. In some embodiments, the reduction RFI at the back shield108may consequently reduce RFI received at other components of the computing device.

The back shield108may be disposed near the back of the receptacle102. The back of the receptacle102may be a part of the receptacle102near a circuit board having a ground contact, such as the ground contact110of the printed circuit board112. In some embodiments, an interface between the receptacle102and the plug104may include a side shield206configured to reduce RFI. The side shield206may be disposed at a perimeter of the interface between the plug104and the receptacle102.

FIG. 3is a diagram illustrating a peripheral view of the shield at the interface between the plug and the receptacle. The side shield206may be disposed at the interface of a side of the plug104and a side of the receptacle102. As illustrated inFIG. 3, the side shield206may surround the periphery of the plug104. The side shield206may communicatively couple the plug104to the receptacle102, and thereby reduce RFI emitted from the I/O interface as the receptacle102is coupled to a ground contact, such as the ground contact110ofFIG. 1andFIG. 2.

FIG. 4is a diagram illustrating a peripheral view of a shield of an outer body of the plug. The shield402may be one embodiment of the side shield206discussed above in reference toFIG. 3. As illustrated inFIG. 4, the shield402includes a protrusion of the outer body404of a plug, such as the plug104ofFIG. 1. The shield402may communicatively couple the plug104to a receptacle, such as the receptacle102ofFIG. 1. The protrusion of the shield402may enable the plug104to be communicatively coupled to the receptacle102thereby reducing RFI emitted from the I/O interface.

In some embodiments, the shield402may be disposed at a side of the I/O interface where emitted radiation is relatively higher. For example, the plug104may be a USB connector having higher RFI emitted from one side when compared to another side. In some embodiments, the shield402may be disposed at more than one side of the plug104.

FIG. 5is a diagram illustrating a peripheral view of a shield of the receptacle. The shield502may be one embodiment of the side shield206discussed above in reference toFIG. 3. As illustrated inFIG. 5, the shield502may be protrusions of the receptacle102. The shield502may form a communicative coupling between the receptacle102and a plug, such as the plug104ofFIG. 1. In some embodiments, the shield502may be latches configured to communicatively couple a plug104to the receptacle102when the plug104is received at the receptacle102. In some embodiments, the shield502includes any other suitable type of protrusion enabling the plug104to be communicatively coupled to the receptacle102. As illustrated inFIG. 5, the receptacle102may include the back shield108, as well as the shield502of the receptacle.

In some embodiments, the shield502may be disposed at a side of the I/O interface where emitted radiation is relatively higher. For example, the receptacle102may be a USB connector having higher RFI emitted from one side when compared to another side. In some embodiments, the shield502is disposed at more than one side of the receptacle102.

An apparatus to couple a peripheral device to a computing device is described herein. The apparatus may include a receptacle. The receptacle may be configured to receive a plug to couple the peripheral device to the computing device. The apparatus includes a ground contact of a circuit board of the computing device. The apparatus includes a shield communicatively coupled to the ground contact, wherein the shield is disposed near the back of the receptacle and the shield is to reduce radio frequency interference (RFI) from an interface between the plug and the receptacle.

An input/output (I/O) interface is described herein. The I/O interface may be configured to couple a peripheral device to a computing device. The I/O interface may include a receptacle of the I/O interface, wherein the receptacle is to receive a plug. The I/O interface may include a ground contact of a circuit board. The I/O interface may include a shield directly coupled to the ground contact, wherein the shield is to reduce radio frequency interference (RFI) from the I/O interface.

An input/output (I/O) interface is described herein. The I/O interface may be configured to couple a peripheral device to a computing device. The I/O interface may include a receptacle, wherein the receptacle is to receive a plug. The I/O interface may include a ground contact of a circuit board. The I/O interface may include a shield directly coupled to the ground contact, wherein the shield is to reduce radio frequency interference (RFI) from the I/O interface.

It is to be understood that specifics in the aforementioned examples may be used anywhere in one or more embodiments. For instance, all optional features of the computing device described above may also be implemented with respect to either of the methods or the computer-readable medium described herein.

Furthermore, although flow diagrams and/or state diagrams may have been used herein to describe embodiments, the techniques are not limited to those diagrams or to corresponding descriptions herein. For example, flow need not move through each illustrated box or state or in exactly the same order as illustrated and described herein.