Patent Publication Number: US-9425557-B2

Title: Connector utilizing conductive polymers

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/631,659, filed Sep. 28, 2012, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors and in particular to electrical connectors that are mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB) within an electronic device. A wide variety of electronic devices are available for consumers today. Many of these devices have connectors that that facilitate communication with and/or charging of a corresponding device. These connectors often interface with other connectors through cables that are used to connect devices to one another. Sometimes, connectors are used without a cable to directly connect the device to another device, such as a charging station or a sound system. 
     As an example, receptacle connectors are sometimes positioned on one or more of the surfaces of an electronic device and are mounted to a printed circuit board within the device. As smart-phones, media players, charging stations and other electronic devices become more compact, the electronic connectors may consume a considerable portion of the outer surfaces of the device, noticeably affecting the device&#39;s aesthetics. To achieve an aesthetically pleasing design it may be desirable to have the electronic connector approximately match the outer surfaces of the device. 
     Additional demands on electronic connectors employed in electronic devices may be to discharge electrostatic charges in the plug, support faster data transfer speeds and to shield electromagnetic noise from entering and leaving the device. 
     Thus, new connectors may require new features and/or changes to commonly used connectors to be able to meet aesthetic requirements, discharge electrostatic charges, increase data transfer speed and shield electromagnetic noise. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the invention pertain to technology that is particularly useful in the manufacture of electronic connectors with portions thereof made from an electrically conductive polymer. 
     Some embodiments relate to the formation of electronic connectors that may have a front face that interfaces with a device housing. The front face may be comprised of an electrically conducive polymer that approximately matches the device housing to provide a uniform outer surface. Further, the front face may have interference features that force a mating connector to make physical contact with the front face before making contact with electrical contacts within the connector. The physical contact between the mating connector and the front face may discharge the electrostatic charges within the mating connector, the cable and the person. 
     Some embodiments of the invention may have a receptacle connector with an outer housing comprised of electrically conductive polymer. The outer housing may be connected to a ground and used for electromagnetic noise shielding. Further embodiments may have electrically conductive ground structures disposed on the interior of the outer housing. The ground structures may be disposed between contact structures that transfer electrical signals through the connector. The ground structures and the contact structures may be designed to improve the impedance match within the connector and or to reduce signal cross-talk within the connector. Further embodiments may have an insert disposed within the housing to electrically isolate the ground structures from the contact structures. 
     Some embodiments may have a front interface plate, an outer housing and internal ground structures all comprised of a conductive polymer. In some embodiments these structures may be formed simultaneously in a single injection molding process. 
     To better understand the nature and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the following description and the accompanying figures. It is to be understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the scope of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram that illustrates an example of an electronic device and a peripheral device employing a receptacle connector and a connector plug, respectively. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram that illustrates a front perspective view of an electrical connector with a front interface plate in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram that illustrates a rear perspective view of an electrical connector with a front interface plate in accordance with an embodiment of the invention 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram that illustrates a cross-sectional view of a plug entering a receptacle connector in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram that illustrates a close-up of a portion of a plug and a front interface plate in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram that illustrates a close-up of a portion of a plug and a front interface plate in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram that illustrates a front perspective view of an electrical connector with a front interface plate in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram that illustrates a rear view of an electrical connector with a front interface plate in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram that illustrates a rear perspective view of an electrical connector with ground structures in accordance with an embodiment of the invention 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram that illustrates a rear perspective view of an electrical connector with ground structures and an insert in accordance with an embodiment of the invention 
         FIG. 11  is a process by which a connector with a front interface plate comprised of conductive polymer can be made in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a process by which a connector with ground structures comprised of conductive polymer can be made in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to electrical connectors assembled to PCBs that may be employed in electronic devices. While the present invention can be useful to produce connector assemblies for a wide variety of electronic devices, some embodiments of the invention are particularly useful for producing connector assemblies for electronic devices that require particular electrostatic discharge features, aesthetic characteristics, faster data transfer speeds and/or electromagnetic noise shielding, as described in more detail below. 
     Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to electrical connectors employed in electronic devices. Many electronic devices such as smart-phones, media players, and tablet computers have electronic connectors that facilitate battery charging and/or communication with other devices. The connectors include a plurality of electrical contacts through which electrical connections are made to another compatible connector to transfer power and/or data signals through the connectors.  FIG. 1  illustrates an example of two such connectors including a plug connector  110  and a receptacle connector  130 . Each of these connectors  110 ,  130  may comply with a well-known standard such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0, Firewire, Thunderbolt, or the like or may be proprietary connectors, such as the 30-pin connector used on many Apple products among other types of proprietary connectors. 
     As further shown in  FIG. 1 , plug connector  110  is coupled to a cable  100 , which in turn is coupled to a peripheral device  105  that can be any of many different electronic devices or accessories that operate with such devices. Receptacle connector  130  is incorporated into a computing device  140 . When the plug connector  110  is mated with the receptacle  130 , electrical contacts within each electronic connector (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) are in physical and electrical contact with each other to allow electrical signals to be transferred between computing device  140  and peripheral device  105 . 
     To further illustrate embodiments of the invention, various examples of electrical connectors that include electrostatic discharge features, aesthetic characteristics, increased data transfer speed and electromagnetic noise shielding that may be made in accordance with the present invention are discussed below, however these embodiments should in no way limit the applicability of the invention to other connectors. 
       FIG. 2  is a simplified perspective view of the front and top surfaces of an exemplary receptacle connector assembly  200 , in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Connector assembly  200  may include an outer housing  205  and may have a cavity  220  for receiving a plug portion of a mating connector (not shown). Outer housing  205  may be comprised of an electrically conductive polymer, a metal, or a combination thereof, as described in more detail below. Connector assembly  200  may have a front interface plate  215  that may also be comprised of an electrically conductive polymer, described in more detail below, and affixed to a receiving face  230  of the connector assembly. Front interface plate  215  may comprise an aperture  237  defined by perimeter  235 , and may be aligned with cavity  220 . A portion of aperture  237  may be slightly smaller in the width direction than the width a plug portion of a mating connector (not shown) forming an interference fit or otherwise forcing contact between the plug connector and interface plate, as described in more detail below. In some embodiments the dimensions of receptacle connector assembly  200  are less than 40 mm long by 40 mm wide by 8 mm thick. In other embodiments the dimensions of receptacle connector assembly  200  are less than 30 mm long by 30 mm wide by 7 mm thick. In further embodiments the dimensions of receptacle connector assembly  200  are less than 20 mm long by 20 mm wide by 6 mm thick. Also, in some embodiments, the width of aperture  237  is at least three times as long as the height of aperture  237 . 
     A simplified perspective view of the rear and top surfaces of connector assembly  200  is shown in  FIG. 3 . Connector assembly  200  may have a rear face  240  disposed opposite receiving face  230 , and outer housing  205  may extend there between. Rear face  240  may have a plurality of electrical leads  210  protruding from contact structures (not shown) disposed within outer housing  205  and shown in more detail in  FIG. 9  below. The contact structures may be separated by ground structures (shown in  FIG. 9 ) comprised of a conductive polymer, described in more detail below. Electrical leads  210  may be used to electrically connect connector assembly  200  to a printed circuit board or other electronic routing structure. 
     A simplified cross-section of a plug portion  410  of a mating connector entering cavity  220  through aperture  237  of front interface plate  215  is depicted in  FIG. 4 . Connector assembly  200  is depicted mounted in an exemplary electronic device (see  FIG. 1 ) having device housing  405 . As illustrated, front interface plate  215  of connector assembly  200  may be mounted substantially flush with the outer surface of device housing  405 , which may result in a somewhat continuous exterior surface  450 . In some embodiments, interface plate  215  may be comprised of an electrically conductive polymer. In some embodiments, the electrically conductive polymer of interface plate  215  may be colored to approximately match the color of device housing  405 , providing a somewhat uniform outer surface  450 . In other embodiments, the conductive polymer comprising interface plate  215  may be colored differently from device housing  405  to provide a different aesthetic appearance. In other embodiments, interface plate  215  may be comprised of a non-electrically conductive polymer. The geometry of front interface plate  215  and the way it engages with device housing, as depicted in  FIG. 4 , is for exemplary purposes only, and other geometries and methods of engagement are within the scope of the invention. 
     In some embodiments where interface plate  215  may be comprised of an electrically conductive polymer, the interface plate may be connected to a local ground. In some embodiments, interface plate  215  may be used to discharge electrostatic charges built up in plug portion  410  of mating connector, its cable (not shown) and the person holding the plug. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to discharge the electrostatic charges before plug contacts  420  make electrical contact with receptacle contact tips  415 . In some embodiments, electrostatic discharge can damage electronic components within the electronic device, if not discharged to ground before electrical contacts  420  engages contact tip  415  are engaged. To ensure discharge of the electrostatic charges, it may be desirable to force plug portion  410  to make physical contact with the electrically conductive polymer comprising interface plate  215 . To this end, in some embodiments of the invention, interface plate  215  includes an inference feature as described in more detail below. 
     Simplified close ups  425  of plug portion  410  of a receptacle connector and front interface plate  215  according to two different embodiments of the invention are shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . In one embodiment, depicted in  FIG. 5 , a protuberance  505  may protrude from inner surface  515  of front interface plate  215  aperture  237 . In some embodiments protuberance  505  may decrease the size of aperture  237  of front interface plate  215  to be smaller than the width of plug portion  410  of the receptacle connector, resulting in an interference fit. Thus, in these embodiments, plug portion  410  of the receptacle connector may physically contact and deflect protuberance  505  to gain entry to cavity  220  (see  FIG. 4 ). The physical contact between plug portion  410  and protuberance  505  may result in an electrical connection between the plug portion and the front interface plate (comprised of an electrically conductive polymer), thus creating a path for the discharge of static electricity from the plug portion through the electrically conductive front interface plate to a ground. In some embodiments plug portion  410  may be comprised of a harder material than protuberance  505  such that the plug portion is not marred when it physically contacts the protuberance. In some embodiments, plug portion  410  may be comprised of metal and protuberance  505  may be comprised of a conductive plastic with a modulus of elasticity and yield strength sufficient to withstand repeated protuberance deformation cycles without permanently deforming. In some embodiments, wherein the conductive plastic is comprised of a relatively higher modulus material, the size of protuberance  505  may be reduced to allow ease of entry of plug portion  410 . Conversely, in embodiments that may use a relatively lower modulus conductive plastic, protuberance  505  may be enlarged while still allowing ease of entry of plug portion  410 . 
     In some embodiments, the conductive polymer used to manufacture front interface plate  215  may be made from a thermoplastic resin containing metallic fibers. In some embodiments the thermoplastic resin may be nylon, Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) or Liquid-Crystal Polymer (LCP). Other thermoplastics may be used without departing from the invention. In some embodiments the polymer may be filled with carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, metallic powder, carbon powder, graphite or other conductive materials to make the polymer electrically conductive. In other embodiments a thermosetting polymer may be used in place of the thermoplastic polymer. 
     An alternative embodiment of front interface plate  215  is depicted in  FIG. 6 . In this embodiment a deflectable arm  605  may protrude from inner surface  515  of front interface plate  215  aperture  237 . In some embodiments deflectable arm  605  may decrease the size of aperture  237  of front interface plate  215  to be smaller than the width of plug portion  410  of the receptacle connector (as discussed above). Thus, in these embodiments plug portion  410  of the receptacle connector may physically contact and deflect deflectable arm  605  to gain entry to cavity  220  (see  FIG. 4 ). The physical contact between plug portion  410  and deflectable arm  605  may result in an electrical connection between the plug portion and the front interface plate (comprised of an electrically conductive polymer, as discussed above), thus creating a path for the discharge of static electricity from the plug portion through the electrically conductive front interface plate to a ground. More than one protuberance  505 ,  605  may protrude from inner surface  515 . Some embodiments may have interference features on two, three or all four sides of inner surface  515 . Further embodiments may have two opposing interference features disposed on opposite sides of inner surface  515 . 
     In some embodiments, front interface plate  215  may be screwed, bolted, riveted or fastened by other mechanical means to connector assembly  200  (see  FIG. 2 ). In other embodiments, front interface plate  215  may be affixed to connector assembly  200  by an insert-molding process and in still other embodiment interface plate  215  and housing  205  may be integrally formed together as a single piece with an injection molding process. In some embodiments, protuberance  505  (see  FIG. 5 ) and deflectable arm  605  may be formed by an injection molding process together with interface plate  215 . For example, in one embodiment front interface plate  215  may be insert-molded on connector assembly  200  (see  FIG. 2 ), simultaneously forming deflectable arm  605 . Other features and designs of interference features like protuberance  505  (see  FIG. 5 ) and deflectable arm  605  may be employed without departing from the invention. For example, the interference feature may be a hemispherical bump, a series of protrusions in vertical orientation, a series of protrusions in horizontal orientation, or any other feature that may protrude from surface  515  such that plug portion  410  may make physical contact with it to gain entry to cavity  220  (see  FIG. 2 ). Some embodiments may require deflectable arm  605  to be inverted such that the insert-mold tool can form the arm from the front of the connector. 
     In some embodiments, front interface plate  215  may be connected to a ground through outer housing  205  (see  FIG. 2 ) of connector assembly  200 . In other embodiments, an independent ground path may be used to connect front interface plate  215  to a ground. 
     Some embodiments, as depicted in  FIG. 7 , may have a front interface plate  715  with features that aid the entry of plug portion  410  (see  FIG. 4 ) into connector assembly  700 . A simplified perspective view of the front and top surfaces of another exemplary receptacle connector assembly  700 , in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, is shown in  FIG. 7 . Connector assembly  700  may include an outer housing  705  and may have a cavity  720  for receiving a plug portion of a mating connector (not shown). Outer housing  705  may be comprised of an electrically conductive polymer, a metal, or a combination thereof, as described in more detail below. Connector assembly  700  may have a front interface plate  715  that may also be comprised of an electrically conductive polymer, and affixed to a receiving face  730  of the connector assembly. Front interface plate  715  may comprise an aperture  737  defined by perimeter  735 , and may be aligned with cavity  720 . The size of a portion of aperture  737  may be smaller than a size of a plug portion  410  (see  FIGS. 4-6 ) of a mating connector, as previously described with regard to the formation of interference features. Further, front interface plate  715  may comprise entry features  705 , such as a bevel or a radius to accommodate connectors more easily, and to avoid sharp edges that might otherwise be presented to the user, among other purposes. 
     As mentioned supra, in some embodiments outer housing  205  (see  FIG. 2 ) may be comprised of an electrically conductive polymer. In some embodiments this may provide a ground path to front interface plate  215  (see  FIG. 2 ) for the discharge of static electricity from plug portion  410  (see  FIG. 4 ). In other embodiments, constructing outer housing  205  (see  FIG. 2 ) from a conductive polymer may provide electromagnetic shielding for the electronic device and connector assembly  200 . More specifically, in some embodiments the electronic device may require connector assembly  200  (see  FIG. 2 ) to shield electromagnetic noise from entering the electronic device and or from leaving the electronic device. By manufacturing outer housing  205  (see  FIG. 2 ) from an electrically conductive polymer and connecting outer housing to a ground, electromagnetic shielding may be achieved. Further, an electrically conductive rear enclosure  805  as depicted in  FIG. 8  may be electrically connected to rear face  240  (see  FIG. 2 ) of outer housing  205  to further shield electromagnetic noise from entering or leaving the electronic device. In some embodiments conductive outer housing  205  (see  FIG. 2 ) and conductive rear enclosure  805  may operate in conjunction with a conductive device housing  405  (see  FIG. 4 ) to substantially form a faraday cage around the electronic device for electromagnetic shielding purposes. 
     In some embodiments both outer housing  205  (see  FIG. 2 ) and front interface plate  215  may be made from an electrically conductive polymer. In some embodiments, both outer housing  205  (see  FIG. 2 ) and front interface plate  215  may be formed as a substantially unitary structure. In some embodiments, both outer housing  205  (see  FIG. 2 ) and front interface plate  215  may be insert-molded over connector assembly  200 . In further embodiments, rear enclosure  805  (see  FIG. 8 ) may be unitary with outer housing  205  (see  FIG. 2 ) and front interface plate  215  while in other embodiments it may be a separate structure. Other combinations of unitary and non-unitary construction combinations of front interface plate  215  (see  FIG. 2 ), outer housing  205  and rear enclosure  805  (see  FIG. 8 ) are within the scope of the invention. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 9 , some embodiments may comprise ground structures  910  formed inside of connector assembly  900  to separate adjacent contact structures  950 , each of which includes an elongated beam portion  416  positioned between a contact tip  415  and an anchor portion  418 . Each contact tip  415  is positioned within cavity  920  (see also  FIG. 4 ) so that it can be electrically coupled to a corresponding plug connector contact during a mating event. Beam portion  416  allows the tip of each contact to flex slightly downward during a mating event and biases the tip to keep physical and electrical contact with a contact in the plug connector that aligns with the particular receptacle contact. Anchor portion  418  may be a substantially flat plate with one or more cutouts that fits within a slot (not shown) of the receptacle connector housing to secure or anchor the contacts in place. Contact structures  950  may further include electrical leads  912  that extend out of rear face  940  of connector assembly  900  that can couple the receptacle connector to a printed circuit board or similar substrate in an electronic device the receptacle connector is part of In some embodiments, ground structures  910  can be substantially flat plates that are positioned adjacent to and/or sized to substantially cover (when viewed from the side) the anchor portion of one or more contact structures. 
     In some embodiments ground structures  910  may be made from an electrically conductive polymer when they are required to be electrically conductive, however in other embodiments a non-electrically conductive polymer may be used when they are not required to be electrically conductive. In some embodiments, outer housing  905  may have an inner surface  940  having one or more ground structures  910  extending from a base disposed on the inner surface to distal end  945 . In further embodiments, ground structures  910  may be substantially unitary with outer housing  905 . In other embodiments, outer housing  905  and ground structures  910  may be injection molded at the same time. In some embodiments, ground structures  910  may be comprised of metal and be insert-molded during the injection molding of outer housing  905 . In various embodiments, ground structures  910  may be placed between each and every contact structure  950  included in connector assembly  900  or may be placed between only certain contact structures  950 . For example, as depicted in  FIG. 9 , there are ten contact structures  950  and five ground structures  910 . In one particular embodiment, the outer two contact structures  950  are connector detect contacts (as opposed to signal contacts) that can be used to detect when a plug connector is inserted into the receptacle connector cavity, the inner eight contact structures as data, power and ground contacts (referred to collectively as “signal contacts”) and connector assembly  900  includes five ground structures  910 . In one version of this embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 , the contacts and ground structures are positioned in the following order: connector detect contact structure, ground structure, two signal contact structures, ground structure, two signal contact structures, ground structure, two signal contact structures, ground structure, two signal contact structures, ground structure, connector detect contact structure. 
     In some embodiments, ground structures  910  may be used to shield noisy signals from sensitive signals within the connector. For example, in some embodiments contact structures  950  that are used to transmit power may be shielded by ground structures  910  from contact structures  950  that are used to transmit data. In other embodiments, for example, contact structures  950  may be used to transmit high-speed data using a matched impedance differential pair of conductors. In these embodiments, contact structures  950  and ground structures  910  may be designed to minimize the discontinuity in impedance within connector assembly  900  to maximize the bandwidth of the differential pair. Similar uses may be employed for single ended high-speed conductors, such as, for example coaxial, microstrip, stripline and general transmission line designs, where ground structures  910  may be employed to minimize impedance disruption within connector assembly  900 . In other embodiments, contact structures  950  and ground structures  910  may be designed to reduce cross-talk between adjacent data signals. Other uses, benefits and features of disposing ground structures  910  between or adjacent to contact structures  950  may be used without departing from the invention. Electromagnetic simulation using, for example, a full-field electromagnetic solver, may be employed and may result in optimized contact structures  950  and ground structures  910  that look significantly different than depicted here. Such features and benefits thereof are fully contemplated herein and may be employed without departing from the invention. 
     Some embodiments may employ an insert  1005 , as depicted in  FIG. 10 . Insert  1005  may have one or more fingers  1010  that may be disposed over ground structures  910  (see  FIG. 9 ). More specifically, portions of fingers  1010  may be disposed between ground structures  910  (see  FIG. 9 ) and contact structures  950  such that the ground structures may be electrically isolated from the contact structures. In other embodiments, fingers  1010  may be disposed over ground structures  910  (see  FIG. 9 ) and contact structures  950 . In other embodiments, portions fingers  1010  may not be disposed between ground structures  910  (see  FIG. 9 ) and contact structures  950 . In some embodiments, insert  1005  may be injection molded from a non-electrically conductive polymer, while in other embodiments it may be comprised of a conductive polymer or a different material. Further, in some embodiments, insert  1005  and rear enclosure  805  (see  FIG. 8 ) may both be employed. 
     It will be appreciated that connector assemblies  200 ,  700  and  900  described herein are illustrative and that variations and modifications are possible. For instance, some embodiments may comprise an electrically conductive front interface plate  915  (see  FIG. 9 ), while others may comprise an electrically conductive outer housing  905  while others may comprise an electrically conductive housing and ground structures  910 . Further embodiments may comprise an electrically conductive front interface plate  915 , as well as an electrically conductive outer housing  905  and ground structures  910 . Other various combinations of these features and other disclosed features may be employed without departing from the invention. As briefly mentioned above, myriad formulations of conductive polymers are available and particular formulations may be more beneficial for one embodiment than another. For example, some embodiments that only employ conductive polymers for electrostatic discharge may be able to use a polymer with lower electrical conductivity which may have a lower cost than some embodiments that may use conductive polymers for electromagnetic shielding. Myriad variations of conductive polymers may be used for myriad features within connector assemblies  200 ,  700  and  900  without departing from the invention. For instance, in one embodiment a single conductive polymer may be used to form one or more electrically conductive features. In another embodiment, a two-shot molding process may be employed where one conductive polymer may be used for one feature while a different conductive polymer may be used for another feature. In another embodiment a non-electrically conductive polymer may be used with an electrically conductive polymer. 
     An exemplary simplified process for manufacturing a connector assembly comprising an electrically conductive front interface plate, in accordance with embodiments described herein, is depicted in  FIG. 11 . In step  1105  a partially assembled connector assembly may be provided. Two different methods may be employed to attach the front interface plate to the connector assembly. The first method may employ step  1110  where the front interface plate may be formed as a separate structure using, for instance, injection molding and an electrically conductive polymer. During the formation of the front interface plate, interference features may be formed in the aperture of the plate. In step  1115  the front interface plate may be mechanically attached to the connector assembly. This may be performed using, for example, fasteners, interference fit features or hot-melt features on the front interface plate. The connector assembly is completed and in step  1125  the connector assembly may be installed on a printed circuit board. Using an alternative method, in step  1120 , the connector assembly may be placed in an insert-molding machine and the front interface plate may be insert-molded on the connector assembly using an electrically conductive polymer. During the formation of the front interface plate, interference features may be formed in the aperture of the plate. The connector assembly is completed and in step  1125  the connector assembly may be installed on a printed circuit board. The front interface plate connection to ground may be formed by installing the connector assembly on the circuit board. For instance, the front interface plate may be electrically connected to a metallic outer housing that may be electrically connected to ground. Other embodiments may form a separate electronic connection between the front interface plate and ground. 
     An exemplary simplified process for manufacturing a connector assembly comprising electrically conductive ground structures disposed between contact structures, in accordance with embodiments described herein, is depicted in  FIG. 12 . In step  1205  an outer housing with ground structures may be formed from an electrically conductive polymer. The housing and ground structures may be formed, for example, using injection molding, insert molding or machining In step  1210  contact structures are provided. The contact structures may be, for example, formed from stamped and plated metal. In step  1215  the contact structures may be assembled into the outer housing. The contact structures may have a carrier that holds them together, or they may be assembled as individual components. In step  1220  a non-conductive insert may be provided. The non-conductive insert may be formed, for example, using injection molding, insert-molding or machining In step  1225 , the non-conductive insert may be installed in the outer housing. An optional rear enclosure may be assembled on the rear face of the connector assembly. In step  1230  the connector assembly is complete and may be installed on a printed circuit board. The outer housing connection to ground may be formed by installing the connector assembly on the circuit board. For instance, the outer housing may be electrically connected to a ground connection on the printed circuit board. Other embodiments may form a separate electronic connection between the outer housing and ground. 
     In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The sole and exclusive indicator of the scope of the invention, and what is intended by the applicants to be the scope of the invention, is the literal and equivalent scope of the set of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequent correction.