Patent Publication Number: US-9887485-B2

Title: Ruggedized electrical connector

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application relates to a ruggedized electrical connector configured to mount to a printed circuit board. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the current electronics market, the demand for electrical connectors which are smaller, thinner, lighter, and more powerful is increasing at an exponential rate. Technology has reached a point where the existing electrical connectors, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors, are becoming a limiting factor in the design of newer platforms and devices due to their relatively large size and internal volume. Additionally, the usability and robustness requirements of the USB connectors have surpassed the capability of existing connectors. 
     Therefore, a need exists for an improved electrical connector, namely an improved USB connector, which addresses the evolving needs of platforms and devices and is capable of withstanding extreme environments, while maintaining all of the functional benefits of existing connectors, particularly existing USB connectors. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a ruggedized electrical connector that includes a shell that has an interface front side and an opposite rear side for mounting on a printed circuit board. An interface sealing member is coupled to the interface front side of the shell. The interface sealing member substantially covers the interface front side of the shell for preventing contaminants from passing externally around the shell. A contact subassembly is received in the shell and includes a plurality of contacts and a housing supporting the contacts. Each of the contacts has an interface end and a tail end. The interface ends are arranged in a mating platform extending from the housing toward the front side of said shell for engaging a mating connector. An internal sealing member is coupled around the housing for preventing contaminants from passing internally though the shell. A rear shield is coupled to the rear side of the housing. 
     The present invention also provides a ruggedized electrical connector mountable to a printed circuit board that has a conductive shell having an interface front side and an opposite rear side. The conductive shell provides a ground path to the printed circuit board. A contact subassembly is received in the conductive shell and includes a plurality of contacts. Each of the plurality of contacts has an interface end and a tail end. The interface ends are configured and arranged in a mating platform for engaging a mating connector. A conductive rear shield coupled to the rear side of the conductive shell. A contact footprint is provided on the printed circuit board. The contact footprint includes plated holes arranged in a pattern and each receives the tail ends of the plurality of contacts, respectively. The pattern of the plated through holes being configured to improve the electrical properties of the ruggedized electrical connector. 
     Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is front perspective view of a ruggedized electrical connector in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the electrical connector illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the electrical connector illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is front perspective view of a ruggedized electrical connector in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a rear perspective view of the electrical connector illustrated in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the electrical connector illustrated in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector illustrated in  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIG. 9  is a diametrical view of a contact footprint of a print circuit board on which the electrical connectors of the first and second embodiments may be mounted. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-9 , the present invention relates to a ruggedized electrical connector  100 ,  200  that mounts to a printed circuit board  900 . In a preferred embodiment, the electrical connector may be a USB type connector, such as a USB Type C connector, that complies with both the USB specification and IPC standards. The ruggedized electrical connector of the present invention may be either a vertical connector  100  or a right angle connector  200 . The term ruggedized means the electrical connector is capable of withstanding extended use in extreme environments, such as rigorous vibration and exposure to harsh elements. Ruggedized also means the electrical connector is fully submersible and resistant to corrosion. The electrical connector  100 ,  200  of the present invention is designed to minimize weight, minimize size, and ensure safety. The minimization of the size and weight allows the electrical connector to be used in portable electronic devices, such as portable computers, portable GPSs, agricultural equipment, and the like, where space is limited and minimized weight is desired. The present invention also provides a unique footprint for the printed circuit board on which either version of the ruggedized electrical connector  100  or  200  may be mounted where the footprint is designed to improve impedance, insertion loss, return loss, crosstalk performance. 
     The ruggedized electrical connector of the present invention may be a vertical/straight version connector  100  ( FIGS. 1-4 ) or a right angle version connector  200  ( FIGS. 5-8 ). In the vertical embodiment  100 , the contact tails extend straight out of the rear of the connector. As a result, the printed circuit board  900  is parallel to the panel that the electrical connector is mounted on. In the right-angle embodiment  200 , the contact tails bend 90 degrees at the rear of the connector. As a result, the printed circuit board  900  is perpendicular to the panel that the connector is mounted on. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , the ruggedized vertical connector  100  generally includes an interface sealing member  102 , a shell  104 , an inner shield  106 , ground plates  108 , a contact subassembly  110 , an internal sealing member  112 , a footprint spacer  114 , a rear shim spacer  116 , and a rear shield  118 . The interface sealing member  102  is adapted to fit on the front face  120  of the shell  104  and acts as a barrier between the panel on which the connector is to be mounted and the shell  102 . The interface sealing member  102  is preferably formed of gasket material, such as a silicone rubber that may be conductive to assist in grounding. The interface sealing member  102  prevents any contaminants from passing externally around the perimeter of the shell  104 . The interface sealing member  102  includes a generally flat body  122  with a central opening  124  for accommodating an interface extension  126  of the shell  104 . The body  122  of the interface sealing member  102  is shaped to be received in a recessed area  128  at the front face  120  of the shell  104 . The interface sealing member  102  substantially covers the front face  120  of the shell  104 . 
     The shell  104  houses the internal components of the electrical connector  100  and may also act as a ground path to the circuit board  900 . The shell  104  is preferably formed of a conductive material, such as a die-cast zinc alloy. The shell  104  includes a front end  130  that includes the front face  120  for mounting to a panel and an opposite rear end  132  for mounting to the circuit board  900 . The interface extension  126  extending from the front face  120  may be a UBS Type C receptacle interface, for example. The rear end  132  of the shell  104  is open, thereby allowing the contact tails to extend therethrough and engage the circuit board  900 . The front end  130  defines a flange  134  around the body of the shell  104  and the rear shield  118  couples to the shell&#39;s rear end  132  to retain the components therein. 
     The inner shield  106  is disposed near the front end  130  of the shell and forms part of the mating interface of the electrical connector  100 , as best seen in  FIG. 4 . The inner shield  106  also acts as a ground path by electrically connecting the ground plates  108  with the shell  104 . Fingers  138  may be provided on the inner shield  106  for increased electromagnetic shielding. The ground plates  108  are coupled to the contact subassembly  110  and engage the metal shield on the mating connector (not shown), and provide a ground return path. Fingers may be provided on the ground plates  108  for improved grounding and to facilitate loading. The inner shield  106  and the ground plates  108  are preferably formed of a conductive material, such as stainless steel. 
     The contact subassembly  110  generally includes a plurality of contacts  140  and a housing  142  supporting those contacts  140 . The housing  142  may be an overmold surrounding the middle of the contacts  140 , as seen in  FIG. 3 . The contacts  140  transfer signal and power from the mating connector, through the ruggedized electrical connector  100  of the present invention, to the printed circuit board  900 . A mid-plate  144  is provided between the rows of contacts  140  which acts as a shield to mitigate crosstalk between the contacts  140 . The mid-plate  144  is connected to the ground of the printed circuit board  900  when the connector  100  is mounted thereon. The housing  142  secures the contacts  140  and the mid-plate  144  in place, and acts as an electrical insulator between the conductive components. An outer channel  145  is provided in the housing  142  for receiving the internal sealing member  112 . Each of the contacts  140  has an interface end  146  and a tail end  148 . The interface ends  146  of the contacts  140  are arranged in a mating platform  150  that extends from the housing  142  toward the front face  120  of the shell  104 . As seen in  FIG. 4 , the grounding plates  108  are attached to either side of the mating platform  150 . The tail ends  148  extend from the rear end  132  of the shell  104  to engage the printed circuit board  900 . The tail ends  148  of the contacts  140  are generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector  100 . 
     The internal sealing member  112  is received in the channel  145  of the contact subassembly housing  142  to prevent any contaminants from passing internally through the connector  100 . In a preferred embodiment, the internal sealing member  112  is an O-ring formed of a non-conductive rubber material, such as silicone rubber. When the internal sealing member  112  is installed, it deforms to fill any gaps that are present in the electrical connector  100  to ensure an air-tight seal. In a preferred embodiment, the compression percentage of the internal sealing member  112  cross-section is about 25% and the percentage stretch on the inner diameter of the internal sealing member  112  is about 3%. 
     The footprint spacer  114  ensures proper spacing of the contact tails  148  and restricts excessive movement between the contacts  140  that could be damaging to the electrical connector  100 . The plastic material of this footprint spacer preferably has a higher dielectric constant than the housing body  142  in order to lower the impedance of the rear termination area of the connector The body  152  of the spacer  114  is sized to fit into the rear end  132  of the shell  104  and includes a plurality of passageways  154  for receiving the individual contacts  140 . A pattern created by these passageways  154  matches the footprint ( FIG. 9 ) of the printed circuit board  900 . An alignment member  156  may be provided on the body  152  of the spacer  114  that aligns and positions the spacer  114  in the shell rear end  132  and also couples with the rear shield  118 . The alignment member  156 , may be for example, an extended ledge that resides in a complementary cutout  158  at the rear end  132  of the shell  104 . 
     The rear shield  118  is coupled to the rear of the shell  104  and latches thereto, thereby applying pressure throughout the connector  100  to secure all of the components in place. The rear shield  118  has a frame body that is preferably formed of a conductive material, such as stainless steel. The frame body defines as opening  160  that allows the contact tails  148  to extend therethrough. One or more latching members  162  extend from the rear shield  118  toward the shell  104  for engaging corresponding latching members  164  on the shell&#39;s rear end  132 . In a preferred embodiment, the latching members  162 , such as tabs, may snap onto the latching members  164 , such as detents, of the shell  104 . Standoffs  166  are provided that protrude from the rear shield  118  away from the shell  104  for completing the ground path between the ground plates  108 , the inner shield  106 , and the shell  104  via contact tails  148  that are soldered to the circuit board  900 . The rear shim spacer  116  is between the spacer  114  and the rear shield  118  and deforms under the pressure applied by the rear shield  118  to fill any extra space in the rear cavity of the connector  100 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5-8 , the right angle connector embodiment  200  is similar to the vertical embodiment  100  including that the front of both the vertical and right angle embodiments is the same. As with the vertical embodiment, the right angle embodiment  200  generally includes an interface sealing member  202 , a shell  204 , an inner shield  206 , ground plates  208 , a contact subassembly  210 , an internal sealing member  212 , a footprint spacer  214 , a rear shim spacer  216 , and a rear shield  218 . The rear of the right angle embodiment  200  is different in some aspects compared with the vertical embodiment  100  to accommodate the right angle orientation of the connector  200  (and its contacts) with respect to the printed circuit board  900 . More specifically, the shell  204 , the footprint spacer  214 , the rear shim spacer  216 , the rear shield  218 , and the plurality of contacts  240  of the right angle embodiment  200  are designed differently than those same components of vertical embodiment  100 . Any elements of the right angle connector  200  that are not described are the same as the vertical connector embodiment  100 . 
     The shell  204  of the right angle connector  200  is similar to the shell  104  of the vertical embodiment  100 , except for a cutout  270  ( FIG. 8 ) provided in its bottom. Like the shell  104 , the shell  204  houses the internal components of the electrical connector  200  and also acts a ground path. The shell  204  includes a front end  230  for mounting to a panel and an opposite rear end  232  for mounting to the circuit board  900 . The front end  230  receives an interface sealing member  202  similar to sealing member  102  of the vertical embodiment. The cutout  270  is provided in the bottom of the shell  204  at its rear end  232  to accommodate the contact tail ends  248 , which extend at a generally 90 degree angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the connector. 
     Because the cutout  270  is provided in the shell&#39;s bottom for the contact tails  248 , the rear shield  218  does not include a cutout or opening for receiving the contact tails, unlike the rear shield  118  of the vertical embodiment. Instead, the rear shield  218  provides a plate body  272  for closing off the rear end  232  of the shell  204 . Additionally, unlike the rear shield  118  of the vertical embodiment  100 , the rear shield  218  does not include standoffs for engaging the printed circuit board in view of the right angle (and not vertical) orientation of the connector  200 . Standoffs  274  may be provided on the shell  204  which engage the circuit board  900 . Like the rear shield  118  of the vertical embodiment, the rear shield  218  includes one or more latching members  262  that engage the rear end  232  of the shell  204 . 
     Like in the vertical embodiment, the contacts  240  of the right angle connector  200  are supported by an overmolded housing  242  that includes a channel  254  for receiving an internal sealing member  212  similar to the sealing member  112  of the vertical connector  100 . Each of the contacts  240  is bent substantially 90 degrees such that the interface ends  146  thereof are generally perpendicular to the tail ends  248 . 
     The footprint spacer  214  of the right angle embodiment is smaller than the spacer  114  of the vertical embodiment. The pattern of the passageways  245  in the spacer  214  is identical to the pattern of the passageways  154  in the spacer  114  of the vertical embodiment. And that pattern matches the footprint ( FIG. 9 ) of the printed circuit board  900 . The footprint spacer  214  is assembled onto the contacts  240  after the tails  248  are bent 90 degrees, and rests in the rear cavity of the shell  204 . The spacer  214  ensures that the contacts remain bent 90 degrees in the rear cavity of the shell  204  when a force is applied to the bottom of the contact tails  248 , such as during installation. A contact spacer  280  associated with the footprint spacer  214  is provided for the right angle embodiment  200  that rests on top of the footprint spacer  214 . Both spacers  214  and  280  fit securely in the rear cavity of the shell  204 , and do not interfere with any of the surrounding components. The contact spacer  280  includes an alignment member  256  that aligns with and engages the rear end  232  of the shell  204 . The plastic material of this footprint spacer  214  and contact spacer  280  preferably has a higher dielectric constant than the housing body  210  in order to lower the impedance of the rear termination area of the connector. 
     The present invention contemplates that the printed circuit board  900  and its footprint  902  are designed to improve the electrical properties of the ruggedized connector, such as improved impedance, insertion loss, return loss, and crosstalk performance. As seen in  FIG. 9 , the footprint  902  of the circuit board  900  includes a pattern of holes  902  that engage the individual contact tails  148  and  248  of either connector  100  or  200 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, each hole  904  is plated on its inner wall to assist with solder wicking with the contact tails  148  and  248 . Solder wicking is a process by which capillary action pulls the solder into the holes  904 . The plating makes an electrical connection with traces that run throughout the circuit board  900 . An annular conductive ring or pad  906  surrounds each hole  904 . The diameters of the holes  904  are sized to ensure sufficient wicking in the plated through holes  904  during installation of the connectors  100  and  200 . 
     As mentioned above, the interface of the ruggedized electrical connectors  100  and  200 , and thus the number and arrangement of the contacts  140  and  240 , is preferably a USB Type-C connector. The footprint  902  of the printed circuit board  900  is designed for mating with the contacts  140  and  240 , respectively. To reduce break out on the pads  906 , the pitch between the holes  904  is increased, as compared to, for example, the spacing of the reference footprints for a hybrid design (i.e. a combination of SMT and through hole terminations) in the Type C specification. The minimum spacing between the annular rings  906  is preferably a minimum of 0.1 mm, the diameter of the holes  904  is preferably greater than 0.47 mm in order to allow enough space for the contacts and provide space for solder to wick up into the via, and the diameter of the pads  906  preferably ranges between 0.87 mm to 0.97 mm. 
     As seen in  FIG. 9 , the plated holes  904  are arranged in five rows, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , and R 5 . Rows R 1  and R 5  form the outer rows of the footprint  902  and are adapted to mate with the signal contacts of the ruggedized connector of the present invention. Row R 3  forms a middle row spaced equally between rows R 1  and R 5 . Row R 3  is adapted to mate with the ground contacts of the ruggedized connector. R 1  includes ten plated holes  904  which are arranged in first and second groups  910  and  912  of four holes with two spaced holes  914  and  916  located between the first and second groups  910  and  912 . Row R 5  similarly includes first and second groups  918  and  920  of four holes with two adjacent holes  922  and  924  located between the first and second groups  918  and  920 . Row R 3  includes first and second groups  926  and  928  of three holes. The first group  926  of row R 3  is arranged between the first groups  910  and  918  of the outer rows R 1  and R 5 . The second group  928  of row R 3  is arranged between the second groups  912  and  920  of the rows R 1  and R 2 . Row R 2  includes two holes  930  and  932  where one hole  930  is adjacent both the first group of holes  910  of row R 1  and the first group of holes  926  of row R 3  and the other hole  932  is adjacent the second group of holes  912  of row R 1  and the second group of holes  928  of R 3 . Row R 4  includes two holes  934  and  936  where one hole  934  is adjacent to the first group of holes  918  of row R 5  and the other hole  936  is adjacent to the second group of holes  920  of row R 5 . On either ends of the rows are slots  940  for receiving the standoffs of the connector shell. 
     While particular embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.