Patent Publication Number: US-8540529-B2

Title: Shielded USB connector module with molded hood and LED light pipe

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to cable connector assemblies. More particularly, the present invention relates to cable connector assemblies with integrated light emitting diodes (LEDs). 
     2. Background Art 
     System-in-package (SiP) devices are often desirable in many circuit applications due to increased functionality, high performance, and compact form factor. In particular, because of their compact size, SiP devices may be directly integrated into connector modules, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors, to provide additional functionality while retaining the size footprint of a standard cable. Maintaining a slim connector profile may be particularly important for compatibility with tightly spaced connection ports, such as USB ports that may be grouped closely together on a laptop or another mobile device. 
     One example of providing additional functionality is embedding light emitting diodes (LEDs) as status indicators. For example, LEDs may indicate power status, data transfer status, error status, or any other condition, allowing users to readily troubleshoot potential issues and to confirm proper cable operation. LEDs may also emit visible or non-visible light for other uses besides status indicators, for example to send infrared remote control signals, to transfer optical data, to detect motion or position, or to detect the presence of smoke or other hazardous conditions. 
     However, it is difficult to obtain sufficient visibility of the LEDs outside of the connector module. One option is to use a transparent or semitransparent plastic hood for the connector module to permit light transmission. However, given the relatively deep embedding of the LEDs within the connector module, the poor optical transmission properties of the plastic housing, and the presence of metallic shielding for grounding and protection, the LEDs may be difficult to identify due to low light intensity and restricted viewing angles. Additionally, the transparent plastic hood may expose the inner wiring and construction of the module, which may be aesthetically undesirable. 
     Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a way to integrate LEDs of a SiP device into a connector module while providing high outside visibility of the LEDs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     There are provided systems and methods for a shielded connector module with a molded hood and an LED light pipe, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  presents a perspective view of a system-in-package (SiP) device, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  presents a perspective view of a metallic shield, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1C  presents a perspective view of a molded hood with an opening for an LED light pipe, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1D  presents a perspective view of an assembled connector module, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1E  presents a cross sectional view of an assembled connector module, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a flowchart describing the steps, according to one embodiment of the present invention, by which a shielded connector module with a molded hood and an LED light pipe may be provided. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application is directed to a system and method for a shielded connector module with a molded hood and an LED light pipe. The following description contains specific information pertaining to the implementation of the present invention. One skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be implemented in a manner different from that specifically discussed in the present application. Moreover, some of the specific details of the invention are not discussed in order not to obscure the invention. The specific details not described in the present application are within the knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings in the present application and their accompanying detailed description are directed to merely exemplary embodiments of the invention. To maintain brevity, other embodiments of the invention, which use the principles of the present invention, are not specifically described in the present application and are not specifically illustrated by the present drawings. Additionally, for reasons of clarity, the drawings may not be to scale. 
       FIG. 1A  presents a perspective view of a system-in-package (SiP) device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. SiP device  120  includes surface mounted LED  122 , connector contacts  124 , and cable contacts  126 . SiP device  120  may also include other components that are not illustrated in  FIG. 1A . 
     SiP device  120  may, for example, provide status notifications for a USB device, such as a USB headset. Thus, surface mounted LED  122  may change intensity depending on power status, connection status, volume level, or other parameters, and may comprise any color such as red, green, blue, or white. Additionally, while only a single surface mounted LED  122  is shown, alternative embodiments may utilize multiple LEDs of different colors to provide additional status information. As previously discussed, surface mounted LED  122  may also provide other functions besides status notifications. For example, in some embodiments, surface mounted LED  122  may function to send infrared remote control signals, to transfer optical data, to detect motion or position, or to detect the presence of smoke or other hazardous conditions. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1A , the connector contacts  124  may comprise the four-conductor USB Standard Type-A connector. However, in alternative embodiments, SiP device  120  may be configured for another connector standard. The cable contacts  126  may be connected to cable wires that are coupled to the USB device. While eight conductors are shown for cable contacts  126  in  FIG. 1A , alternative embodiments may use any number of cable contacts  126 , depending on the required number of conducting cable wires. Furthermore, while not illustrated in  FIG. 1A , additional hardware may be integrated into SiP device  120  such as, for example, a demultiplexer, an encoder chip, an analog to digital converter, a digital signal processor, a transceiver chip, a microcontroller, and other devices. SiP device  120  may be assembled using conventional fabrication methods and may comprise an overmolded laminate PCB. 
     Moving to  FIG. 1B ,  FIG. 1B  presents a perspective view of a metallic shield, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Metallic shield  130  includes a hole  132  to allow an LED light pipe to pass through, as discussed below. Metallic shield  130  may surround and protect SiP device  120  and may also be connected to system ground. 
     Next,  FIG. 1C  presents a perspective view of a molded hood with an opening for an LED light pipe, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Molded hood  140  includes a hole  142  to allow LED light pipe  112  to pass through. LED light pipe  112  may optionally include a fresnel lens  114  attached to a surface thereof exposed to the outside of molded hood  140 . LED light pipe  112  may comprise optical grade materials with high optical transmission properties, such as optical grade acrylic. LED light pipe  112  may be formed into any desired shape, such as a cylindrical or rectangular block shape. Additionally, LED light pipe  112  and molded hood  140  may both be molded using a dual-shot molding operation. Molded hood  140  may comprise opaque materials, such as an opaque plastic, to hide the internal circuitry and wiring of the connector module. 
     Turning to  FIG. 1D ,  FIG. 1D  presents a perspective view of an assembled connector module, according to an embodiment of the present invention. By surrounding the SiP device  120  with metallic shield  130  and molded hood  140 , and by inserting the LED light pipe  112  such that only the fresnel lens  114  is visible outside of the molded hood  140 , a completed connector module  110  is provided. Although omitted from  FIG. 1D , the connector module  110  may then connect to a device, such as a headset, by a multi-conductor cable. 
       FIG. 1E  presents a cross sectional view of an assembled connector module, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cross sectional view of  FIG. 1E  may correspond to a cross section indicated by line  1 E in  FIG. 1D . As shown in  FIG. 1E , the cross sectional view of connector module  110  shows SiP device  120  being surrounded by metallic shield  130  and molded hood  140 . The surface mounted LED  122  on top of SiP device  120  is surrounded by a concave surface of LED light pipe  112 , which may also include standoff legs for proper height positioning. As previously discussed, both the LED light pipe  112  and the molded hood  140  may be formed using a dual-shot molding operation, allowing manufacture of connector module  110  to tight physical tolerances. Accordingly, the LED light pipe  112  may be placed in close proximity, but not in direct contact, with the surface mounted LED  122 . For example, the gap  116  defining a proximity from the concave surface of LED light pipe  112  to the surface mounted LED  122  may be no greater than 0.05 inches or 1.27 mm. 
     Additionally, the LED light pipe  112  may be secured in place using one or more features such as a locking shoulder and/or an annular ring. Accordingly, the use of conventional retaining mechanisms, such as lock washers, grommets, spring clips, nuts, and other hardware may be avoided. Advantageously, this allows connector module  110  to retain a compact form factor and low assembly cost. 
     By minimizing the size of gap  116  as described above, light transmission from surface mounted LED  122  is optimized, capturing approximately 92% of the emitted light. Furthermore, by attaching an optically translucent epoxy or a similar material to the concave surface of LED light pipe  112 , the gap  116  may be filled with the epoxy rather than air, increasing the light capture up to 100% if the gap  116  is completely eliminated. Additionally, fresnel lens  114  may optionally help to disperse light rays  118 , providing a wide viewing angle of up to 180 degrees for easy user observation from any position. While fresnel lens  114  is shown as protruding from the top surface of connector module  110 , alternative embodiments may place fresnel lens  114  flush with the top surface of connector module  110 . Additionally, as previously discussed, since multiple surface mount LEDs may be mounted on SiP device  120 , multiple LED light pipes may also be correspondingly provided, in a manner similar to LED light pipe  112 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a flowchart describing the steps, according to one embodiment of the present invention, by which a shielded connector module with a molded hood and an LED light pipe may be provided. Certain details and features have been left out of flowchart  200  that are apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, a step may comprise one or more substeps or may involve specialized equipment or materials, as known in the art. While steps  210  through  240  indicated in flowchart  200  are sufficient to describe one embodiment of the present invention, other embodiments of the invention may utilize steps different from those shown in flowchart  200 . 
     Referring to step  210  of flowchart  200  in  FIG. 2  and SiP device  120  of  FIG. 1A , step  210  of flowchart  200  comprises providing a SiP device  120  having a surface mounted LED  122 . As shown in  FIG. 1A , the connector contacts  124  of SiP device  120  may be configured as a USB Standard Type A Connector or another connector standard. The SiP device  120  may be fabricated using methods known in the art and may comprise an overmolded laminate PCB. 
     Referring to step  220  of flowchart  200  in  FIG. 2 , SiP device  120  of  FIG. 1A , and metallic shield  130  of  FIG. 1B , step  220  of flowchart  200  comprises surrounding SiP device  120  with metallic shield  130 . The metallic shield  130  is aligned with SiP device  120  such that the hole  132  is positioned above the surface mounted LED  122 . As previously discussed, the metallic shield  130  may also be coupled to system ground. 
     Referring to step  230  of flowchart  200  in  FIG. 2 , metallic shield  130  of  FIG. 1B , and molded hood  140  of  FIG. 1C , step  230  of flowchart  200  comprises forming a molded hood  140  around metallic shield  130 . For example, molded hood  140  may be pre-formed and placed around metallic shield  130 , or molded hood  140  may be formed directly around metallic shield  130 . The metallic shield  130  is aligned with molded hood  140  such that the holes  132  and  142  are in alignment. Further, as previously discussed, the molded hood  140  and the LED light pipe  112  may have been previously molded using a dual-shot molding operation, and the molded hood  140  may comprise opaque materials such as plastic. 
     Referring to step  240  of flowchart  200  in  FIG. 2 , SiP device  120  of  FIG. 1A , metallic shield  130  of  FIG. 1B , LED light pipe  112  and molded hood  140  of  FIG. 1C , and connector module  110  of  FIG. 1D , step  240  of flowchart  200  comprises inserting LED light pipe  112  in a proximity with surface mounted LED  122 , LED light pipe  112  being directed through metallic shield  130  and molded hood  140 . As shown by the cross sectional area of connector module  110  as shown in  FIG. 1E , the LED light pipe  112  is directed through hole  132  of metallic shield  130  and hole  142  of molded hood  140 , and is placed in close proximity to surface mounted LED  122 . LED light pipe  112  may be secured into place using one or more features such as locking shoulders or annular rings. As previously discussed, by minimizing the distance of gap  116  between the concave surface of LED light pipe  112  and surface mounted LED  112 , light capture and transmission of light rays  118  may be optimized. Optically translucent epoxy may optionally fill the air within gap  116  to increase light capture. The optional addition of fresnel lens  114  may also increase the viewing angle of light rays  118 . 
     Thus, a method for providing a shielded connector module with a molded hood and an LED light pipe has been disclosed. The disclosed connector module may provide status indicator lights with high intensity and wide viewing angles, allowing users to easily ascertain device status and/or to provide other features such as data communication and environmental monitoring without increasing the size of the connector module. The quality of the emitted light may be superior to conventional designs with transparent or semi-transparent hoods, and the use of an opaque molded hood may advantageously hide internal construction and wiring for an attractive visual appearance. 
     From the above description of the invention it is manifest that various techniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the present invention without departing from its scope. Moreover, while the invention has been described with specific reference to certain embodiments, a person of ordinary skills in the art would recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. As such, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. It should also be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of many rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention.