PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9972943-B2
Application Number: US-201615274393-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Modular connector receptacles having printed circuit board tongues

Abstract:
Connector receptacles that may be modular, may be reliable and durable, and may provide a high signal quality. Examples may provide modular connector receptacles having a shielded housing around a tongue supporting a number of contacts. They may provide a high signal quality by using printed circuit boards as tongues and for routing signals, and they may be made durable by using through-hole contacting portions soldered to the printed circuit board and mechanically supported by a header.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A connector receptacle comprising:
 a tongue formed of a printed circuit board; 
 an EMI top plate over the printed circuit board; 
 an EMI bottom plate under the printed circuit board; 
 a housing around the tongue; 
 a plurality of contacts on the tongue; 
 a first alignment pin passing through a first opening in the housing, a first opening in the EMI top plate, a first opening in the EMI bottom plate, and a first opening in the printed circuit board; 
 a second alignment pin passing through a second opening in the housing, a second opening in the EMI top plate, a second opening in the EMI bottom plate, and a second opening in the printed circuit board; and 
 a plurality of through-hole contacting portions, each connected to a corresponding contact in the plurality of contacts on the tongue. 
 
     
     
       2. The connector receptacle of  claim 1  wherein the printed circuit board is a multi-layer printed circuit board. 
     
     
       3. The connector receptacle of  claim 2  where the housing has a front opening for the tongue. 
     
     
       4. The connector receptacle of  claim 3  further comprising a top shield over a top of the housing and a bottom shield under a bottom of the housing. 
     
     
       5. The connector receptacle of  claim 4  wherein the plurality of through-hole contacting portions comprise a plurality of pins soldered to an underside of the printed circuit board. 
     
     
       6. The connector receptacle of  claim 5  further comprising a header to support the plurality of through-hole contacting portions. 
     
     
       7. The connector receptacle of  claim 1  wherein the EMI bottom plate includes tabs to fit in openings in EMI top plate. 
     
     
       8. The connector receptacle of  claim 1  wherein the connector receptacle is modular. 
     
     
       9. The connector receptacle of  claim 1  wherein the first opening in the printed circuit board is a hole and the second opening in the printed circuit board is a notch. 
     
     
       10. A connector receptacle comprising:
 a tongue formed of a front portion of a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board further having a rear portion, a first opening, and a second opening; 
 an EMI top plate over the printed circuit board and having a first opening and a second opening; 
 an EMI bottom plate under the printed circuit board and having a first opening and a second opening; 
 a housing around the tongue, the housing having a first opening and a second opening; 
 a plurality of contacts on the tongue; 
 a plurality of third openings in the rear portion of the printed circuit board; 
 a first alignment pin passing through the first opening in the housing, the first opening in the EMI top plate, the first opening in the EMI bottom plate, and the first opening in the printed circuit board; 
 a second alignment pin passing through the second opening in the housing, the second opening in the EMI top plate, the second opening in the EMI bottom plate, and the second opening in the printed circuit board; and 
 a plurality of through-hole contacting portions, each connected to the printed circuit board at a corresponding opening in the plurality of third openings in the rear portion of the printed circuit board. 
 
     
     
       11. The connector receptacle of  claim 10  further comprising a header to support the plurality of through-hole contacting portions. 
     
     
       12. The connector receptacle of  claim 11  wherein the printed circuit board is a multi-layer printed circuit board. 
     
     
       13. The connector receptacle of  claim 12  wherein the printed circuit board comprises a plurality of traces, each trace connecting one of the plurality of contacts on the tongue of the printed circuit board to one of the plurality of third openings in the rear portion of the printed circuit board. 
     
     
       14. The connector receptacle of  claim 10  wherein the connector receptacle is modular. 
     
     
       15. The connector receptacle of  claim 10  wherein the first opening in the printed circuit board is a hole and the second opening in the printed circuit board is a notch. 
     
     
       16. A connector receptacle comprising:
 a tongue supporting a plurality of contacts and formed of a front portion of a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board further having a rear portion, a first opening, a second opening, and a plurality of third openings in the rear portion; 
 an EMI top plate over the rear portion of the printed circuit board and having a first opening and a second opening; 
 an EMI bottom plate under the rear portion of the printed circuit board and having a first opening and a second opening; 
 a housing around the tongue, the housing extending over the EMI top plate and the rear portion of the printed circuit board and having a first opening and a second opening; 
 a plurality of contacts on the tongue; 
 a first alignment pin passing through the first opening in the housing, the first opening in the EMI top plate, the first opening in the EMI bottom plate, and the first opening in the printed circuit board; 
 a second alignment pin passing through the second opening in the housing, the second opening in the EMI top plate, the second opening in the EMI bottom plate, and the second opening in the printed circuit board; and 
 a plurality of through-hole contacting portions, each connected to the printed circuit board at a corresponding opening in the plurality of third openings in the rear portion of the printed circuit board, 
 wherein the connector receptacle is a modular connector receptacle. 
 
     
     
       17. The connector receptacle of  claim 16  wherein the connector receptacle provides signal paths between a connector insert and a logic board. 
     
     
       18. The connector receptacle of  claim 16  wherein the plurality of through-hole contacting portions are supported by a header. 
     
     
       19. The connector receptacle of  claim 16 , wherein the modular connector receptacle provides pathways from a corresponding connector insert to a logic board of an electronic device when the corresponding connector insert is mated with the connector receptacle, and comprises a housing having an opening for the corresponding connector insert. 
     
     
       20. The connector receptacle of  claim 16  wherein the first opening in the printed circuit board is a hole and the second opening in the printed circuit board is a notch. 
     
     
       21. The connector receptacle of  claim 16  further comprising:
 a top shield over the housing, the front portion of the printed circuit board, and the rear portion of the printed circuit board; and 
 a bottom shield under the housing and the front portion of the printed circuit board. 
 
     
     
       22. The connector receptacle of  claim 10  further comprising:
 a top shield over the housing, the front portion of the printed circuit board, and the rear portion of the printed circuit board; and 
 a bottom shield under the housing and the front portion of the printed circuit board.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Power and data may be provided from one electronic device to another over cables that may include one or more wire conductors, fiber optic cables, or other conductors. Connector inserts may be located at each end of these cables and may be inserted into connector receptacles in the communicating or power transferring electronic devices. 
     These connector receptacles may be assembled in different ways and the electronic devices housing them may also be assembled in different ways. For example, some connector receptacles may be assembled along with their electronic devices where portions of the connector receptacles may be formed of portions of the electronic devices. Portions of housings of some connector receptacles may be formed using portions of device enclosures for the electronic devices. Portions of interconnect may be shared between a connector and other circuits or components in the electronic devices. Such sharing may provide connector receptacles having specific or improved capabilities. A downside of this approach may be that the assembly process for the electronic device may be relatively complicated. 
     Other connector receptacles may have a modular form. Modular connector receptacles may enable the use of pick-and-place and other surface-mount technology (SMT) processes used in the assembly of electronic devices. A downside of this approach has been that very high-performance modular connector receptacles have not been available. For example, signal quality may be compromised when using a conventional modular connector receptacle in an electronic device. 
     Also, connector inserts may be inserted into these connector receptacles many times over the lifetime of the electronic device. Accordingly, it may be desirable that these connector receptacles be reliable and not quickly wear out. 
     Thus, what is needed are connector receptacles that may be modular, may be reliable and durable, and may provide a high signal quality. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that may be modular, may be reliable and durable, and may provide a high signal quality. An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a modular connector receptacle. The connector receptacle may be modular in that it may provide pathways from a connector insert to a logic board of an electronic device and it may have its own housing having an opening for the connector insert. Optionally, the housing may be shielded. 
     These and other embodiments of the present invention may provide a connector receptacle providing a high signal quality by providing a tongue formed of a printed circuit board. The use of a printed circuit board may provide contacts and signal paths having matched impedances, signal isolation and shielding, and other features that may provide a high signal quality or signal integrity. The printed circuit board may be a multi-layer or other type of printed circuit board. 
     These and other embodiments of the present invention may provide a connector receptacle having a printed circuit board tongue. The printed circuit board tongue may be located in an opening of a connector receptacle housing. A number of pins acting as through-hole contacting portions may be soldered to a rear portion of the printed circuit board, and further soldered to a logic board of an electronic device, where the logic board may be a printed circuit board (separate from the printed circuit board tongue in the connector receptacle), flexible circuit board, or other appropriate substrate. A header may be included for mechanical support for the through-hole contacting portions. This arrangement of a printed circuit board tongue, header, and through-hole contacting portions may provide a connector receptacle that is reliable and durable. 
     These and other embodiments of the present invention may provide a connector receptacle that is modular. The connector receptacle may be modular in that it may provide pathways from a connector insert to a logic board of an electronic device and may have its own housing having an opening for the connector insert. Optionally, the housing may be shielded. This modular connector receptacle may be placed on a logic board using pick-and-place assembly equipment. This may simplify assembly of electronic devices housing the connector receptacle. Also, during assembly, the modular connector receptacle may be placed in a vertical direction normal to a surface of the logic board. This may simplify assembly on a crowded logic board where lateral space is limited. 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, alignment pins may be used to simplify the assembly of a connector receptacle. These pins may pass through openings in a housing, electromagnetic (EMI) plates, and the printed circuit board to align these components and keep them in position during assembly. 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, each contact on a tongue of a connector receptacle may be independently electrically connected to a corresponding through-hole contacting portion. Using a through-hole contacting portion for each contact may facilitate inspection during assembly as each through-hole contacting portion may be readily viewed and examined after soldering to a logic board. Also, electrical testing may be simplified as each contact may be electrically connected to a separate through-hole contacting portion. 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, connector receptacles may include through-hole contacting portions. These through-hole contacting portions may fit in openings in a logic board to form electrical connections with traces in the logic board. These through-hole contacting portions may also provide mechanical stability for the connector receptacle. In other embodiments of the present invention, some or all of the contacts may terminate in surface-mount contacting portions. 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, one or more electronic devices or components, such as data retiming circuits, impedance circuits, light-emitting diodes, and others may be located on a printed circuit board in the connector receptacle and may be connected to contacts and openings in the printed circuit board through traces in the printed circuit board. 
     While embodiments of the present invention may be useful in USB Type-C connector receptacles, these and other embodiments of the present invention may be used in other types of connector receptacles for different interfaces. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, shields, EMI plates, ground contacts, ground clips, through-hole contacting portions, and other conductive portions of a connector receptacle may be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, titanium copper, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions, such as the housings, headers, reflow caps, and other structures may be formed using injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process. The nonconductive portions may be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), ceramics, or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. The printed circuit boards used may be formed of FR-4 or other material. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that may be located in, and may connect to, various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, wearable computing devices, cell phones, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, power supplies, video delivery systems, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector receptacles may provide interconnect pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as one of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards including USB Type-C, High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt™, Lightning™, Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), test-access-port (TAP), Directed Automated Random Testing (DART), universal asynchronous receiver/transmitters (UARTs), clock signals, power signals, and other types of standard, non-standard, and proprietary interfaces and combinations thereof that have been developed, are being developed, or will be developed in the future. Other embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that may be used to provide a reduced set of functions for one or more of these standards. In various embodiments of the present invention, these interconnect paths provided by these connector receptacles may be used to convey power, ground, signals, test points, and other voltage, current, data, or other information. 
     Various embodiments of the present invention may incorporate one or more of these and the other features described herein. A better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be gained by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an electronic system that may be improved by the incorporation of embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exploded view of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a printed circuit board for a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a portion of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates another portion of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 7-20  illustrate a method of manufacturing a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 21  illustrates the attachment of a connector receptacle to a logic board according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 22  illustrates a cutaway side view of a connector receptacle attached to a logic board according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an electronic system that may be improved by the incorporation of an embodiment of the present invention. This figure, as with the other included figures, is shown for illustrative purposes and does not limit either the possible embodiments of the present invention or the claims. 
     This example illustrates monitor  130  that may be in communication with computer  110 . Computer  110  may provide video or other data over cable  120  to monitor  130 . Video data may be displayed on the video screen  132  of monitor  130 . Computer  110  may similarly include a screen  112 . In other embodiments the present invention, other types of devices may be included, and other types of data may be shared or transferred among the devices. For example, monitor  130  may be a monitor, an all-in-one computer, tablet computer, or other device. In these and other embodiments of the present invention, power may be shared between computer  110  and monitor  130  over cable  120 . 
     Cable  120  may be one or a number of various types of cables. For example, it may be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable such as a USB Type-C cable, Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, Lightning, or other type of cable. Cable  120  may include compatible connector inserts (not shown) that plug into connector receptacles (not shown) on the computer  110  and monitor  130 . 
     Assembly of devices such as computer  110  and monitor  130  may be simplified by using a modular connector receptacle that is formed as a single unit. Performance of the devices may be improved by using a connector receptacle having a high signal quality. The lifetime of the devices may be lengthened and user satisfaction may be improved by incorporating a connector receptacle that is reliable and durable. One such connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Connector receptacle  200  may accept a connector insert (not shown) and may reside on logic board  2110  (shown in  FIG. 21 ), where logic board  2110  may be a printed circuit board, flexible circuit board, or other appropriate substrate. Connector receptacle  200  may provide pathways for signals and power between the connector insert and logic board  2110 . 
     Connector receptacle  200  may include housing  240  having a front-side opening  246  for accepting a connector insert (not shown) when the connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle  200 . Tongue  212  may be located in opening  246  of housing  240 . Tongue  212  may support a plurality of contacts  214  on its top and bottom sides. Connector receptacle  200  may be shielded on a top side by top shield  270  and on a bottom side by bottom shield  290 . A number of through-hole contacting portions  230  may be electrically connected to contacts  214  and may emerge from an underside of connector receptacle  200 . Through-hole contacting portions  230  may be inserted into openings in logic board  2110  (shown in  FIG. 21 ) on which connector receptacle  200  resides in order to connect to components (not shown) on logic board  2110 . Through-hole contacting portions  230  may be surrounded by ground tabs  284  and  264 . Ground tabs  284  and  264  may be inserted and soldered into openings in logic board  2110  to form connections to ground. In this example, ground tabs  284  and  264  may be located along each side of an array of through-hole contacting portions  230 . In this way, ground tabs  284  and  264  may provide a Faraday cage for shielding through-hole contacting portions  230 . Posts  284  may be inserted into openings in logic board  2110  for mechanical stabilization. Pins  250  may be used during assembly to align various portions of connector receptacle  200  to each other. Pins  250  may also be inserted into openings in logic board  2110  to form ground connections. 
     Connector receptacle  200  may include a front portion  202  and a rear portion  204 . Rear portion  204  may be attached to a top side of logic board  2110  (shown in  FIG. 21 ). Front portion  202  may extend beyond an edge of logic board  2110 . Tab  272  on top shield  270  may position rear portion  204  of receptacle  200  on a top side of logic board  2110 . 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, each contact  214  may be independently electrically connected to a corresponding through-hole contacting portion  230 . Using a through-hole contacting portion  230  for each contact  214  may facilitate inspection during assembly as each through-hole contacting portion  230  may be readily viewed and examined after soldering to logic board  2110  (shown in  FIG. 21 ). Also, electrical testing may be simplified and improved as each contact  214  may be electrically connected to a separate through-hole contacting portion  230 . 
     Connector receptacle  200  may be a modular connector receptacle. Connector receptacle  200  may be modular in that it may provide pathways from a connector insert (not shown) to logic board  2110  (shown in  FIG. 21 ) and it may have its own housing  240  having an opening  246  for the connector insert. Optionally, the housing  240  may be shielded, for example by top shield  270  and bottom shield  290 . Modular connector receptacle  200  may be placed on logic board  2110  using pick-and-place assembly equipment (not shown). This may simplify assembly of electronic devices (not shown) housing connector receptacle  200 . Also, during assembly, modular connector receptacle  200  may be placed in a vertical direction normal to a surface of logic board  2110 . This may simplify assembly on a crowded logic board  2110  where lateral space is limited. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exploded view of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Connector receptacle  200  may include printed circuit board  210 . Printed circuit board  210  may be a multi-layer or other type of printed circuit board Printed circuit board  210  may include tongue  212  supporting contacts  214 . Contacts  214  may be located on a top side of printed circuit board  210 , on a bottom side of printed circuit board  210 , or both. Printed circuit board  210  may further include a rear portion  216  having a number of openings  218 . Traces (not shown), may extend from contacts  214  to openings  218 . Utilizing printed circuit board  210  for routing through connector receptacle  200  may provide contacts  214  and traces (not shown) having high impedances, matched impedances, and shielding for a high signal quality or signal integrity. In these and other embodiments of the present invention, one or more electronic devices or components (not shown), such as data retiming circuits, impedance circuits, light-emitting diodes, and others may be located on printed circuit board  210  and may be connected to contacts  214  and openings  218  via traces (not shown) in printed circuit board  210 . 
     Through-hole contacting portions  230  may be soldered into openings  218  in printed circuit board  210 . Through-hole contacting portions  230  may be arranged to be inserted and soldered to openings in logic board  2110  (shown in  FIG. 21 ), which may be a printed circuit board (separate from printed circuit board  210  in connector receptacle  200 ), flexible circuit board, or other appropriate substrate. Header  220  may provide mechanical support for through-hole contacting portions  230 . The use of through-hole contacting portions  230  that are reflow soldered to printed circuit board  210  and stabilized by header  220  may contribute to a connector receptacle  200  that is reliable and durable. Reflow cap  229  may be positioned under header  220 . Reflow cap  229  may protect through-hole contacting portions  230  from damage during assembly and shipping of connector receptacle  200 . Reflow cap  229  may secure through-hole contacting portions  230  in position during reflow soldering when through-hole contacting portions  230  are soldered to printed circuit board  210 . Reflow cap  229  may also protect against overheating and discoloration during reflow. 
     Insulator  258  may be used to electrically insulate through-hole contacting portions  230  and openings  218  from EMI top plate  260 . EMI top plate  260  may be placed over printed circuit board  210  and insulator  258 . EMI top plate  260  may include ground contact  262  and ground tabs  264 . EMI bottom plate  280  may be placed under printed circuit board  210 . EMI bottom plate  280  may include ground contact  282  and ground tabs  284 . EMI bottom plate  280  may include tabs  287  that may be inserted into openings  267  in EMI top plate  260 . In this way, EMI bottom plate  280  and EMI top plate  260  may snap together during assembly to form an electrical connection. Ground contacts  262  and  282  may electrically connect to ground contacts at a front of a connector insert (not shown) when the connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle  200 . Ground tabs  264  and  284  may be inserted into openings in logic board  2110  (shown in  FIG. 21 ). 
     These connector receptacle structures may be aligned by pins  250  to housing  240 . Specifically, EMI top plate  260 , printed circuit board  210 , and EMI bottom plate  280  may be aligned by pins  250  to housing  240 . Housing  240  may include opening  246 . Printed circuit board  210  may be placed under extension  248  of housing  240  such that tongue  212  of printed circuit board  210  may be located in opening  246  of housing  240 . Ground contacts  252  may be placed in openings  242  and housing  240 . Ground clip  254  may be placed in slot  244  in housing  240 . 
     Bottom shield  290  may be placed under a bottom side of housing  240 , while top shield  270  may be placed over a top side of housing  240 . In various embodiments of the present invention, top shield  270  and bottom shield  290  may snap together. 
     Reflow cap  208  may be inserted into opening  246  of housing  240 . Reflow cap  208  may protect tongue  212  from damage, corrosion, contamination, and oxidation during assembly and shipping of connector receptacle  200 . Reflow cap  208  may also protect tongue  212  from overheating and discoloration when connector receptacle  200  is soldered to logic board  2110  (shown in  FIG. 21 ). 
     In this way, a shield of a connector insert (not shown) that is inserted into connector receptacle  200  may electrically connect to ground contacts  252  on a top and bottom of opening  246 . Ground contacts in the front of the connector insert may electrically connect to the shield of the connector insert and may further electrically connect to ground contact  262  on EMI top plate  260  and ground contact  282  on EMI bottom plate  280 . Ground clip  254  may electrically connect EMI top plate  260  to top shield  270 . 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, ground contact  262  on EMI top plate  260  may be biased in downward direction such that ground contact  262  may remain physically close to a top surface of printed circuit board  210 . Similarly, ground contact  282  on EMI bottom plate  280  may be biased in an upward direction such that ground contact  282  may remain physically close to a bottom surface of printed circuit board  210 . 
     In this example, traces (not shown) in printed circuit board  210  and through-hole contacting portions  230  may provide pathways for signals and power from a connector insert (not shown) that is inserted into connector receptacle  200  and logic board  2110  (shown in  FIG. 21 ). The use of through-hole contacting portions  230  that are reflow soldered to printed circuit board  210  and supported by header  220  may form a reliable and durable connector receptacle  200 . Examples of this portion of connector receptacle  200  are shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a printed circuit board for a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Printed circuit board  210  may include tongue  212  supporting a number of contacts  214 . Contacts  214  may be located on a top side of printed circuit board  210 , on the bottom side of printed circuit board  210 , or both. Top and bottom sides of printed circuit board  210  may be plated with a ground ring or ground area  215 . Tongue  210  may further include a rear portion  216 . Opening  217  in ground ring or ground area  215  may be provided on rear portion  216  of printed circuit board  210 . A number of openings  218  may be plated for connection to through-hole contacting portions  230  (shown in  FIG. 3 ). Printed circuit board  210  may include alignment opening  211  and alignment notch  213  for accepting pins  250  (shown in  FIG. 9 ). Using alignment opening  211  and alignment notch  213  allows tolerances in a size of printed circuit board  210  to be compensated for while still being able to align printed circuit board  210  to other portions of connector receptacle  200  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). Printed circuit board  210  may further include opening  219 A and notch  219 B for accepting posts  224  of header  220  (shown in  FIG. 5 ). Traces (not shown), may extend from contacts  214  to openings  218 . Utilizing printed circuit board  210  for routing through connector receptacle  200  may provide contacts and traces having high impedances, matched impedances, and shielding for a high signal quality or signal integrity. 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, one or more electronic devices or components (not shown), such as data retiming circuits, impedance circuits, light-emitting diodes, and others, may be located on printed circuit board  210 . These devices or components may be connected to contacts  214  and openings  218  through traces in printed circuit board  210 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a portion of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Header  220  may include a number of openings  226 , each for accepting a through-hole contacting portion  230 . Through-hole contacting portions  230  may include barbs  232  for securing through-hole contacting portions  230  in place in openings  226  in header  220 . Posts  222  may emerge from a bottom of connector receptacle  200  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) and may be inserted into openings in logic board  2110  (shown in  FIG. 21 ) for mechanical stability. Posts  224  may be inserted into opening  219 A and notch  219 B of printed circuit board  210  (shown in  FIG. 4 ). 
       FIG. 6  illustrates another portion of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, through-hole contacting portions  230  may be inserted into header  220 . Reflow cap  229  may be placed over header  220  in order help keep through-hole contacting portions  230  in place during reflow soldering when through-hole contacting portions  230  are soldered to printed circuit board  210  (shown in  FIG. 3 ). Reflow cap  229  may further protect through-hole contacting portions  230  from over-heating during soldering and damage during assembly and shipping of connector receptacle  200  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). 
       FIGS. 7-20  illustrate a method of manufacturing a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 7 , alignment pins  250  may be inserted into corresponding openings  265  in EMI top plate  260 . EMI top plate  260  may include ground contact  262  and ground tabs  264 . Carrier  269  may be stamped as part of EMI top plate  260  so that connector receptacle  200  may be more easily handled during manufacturing. In  FIG. 8 , insulating layer  258  may be placed on an underside of EMI top plate  260 . In  FIG. 9 , the assembled unit from  FIG. 6  may be soldered to printed circuit board  210 , and printed circuit board  210  and the assembled unit from  FIG. 6  may be placed on EMI top plate  260 . Specifically, through-hole contacting portions  230 , which may be held in place by header  220 , may be soldered to openings  218  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) of printed circuit board  210 . Again, reflow cap  229  may secure through-hole contacting portions  230  in place during reflow and prevent overheating. Alignment opening  211  and alignment notch  213  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) in printed circuit board  210  may accept pins  250  to align tongue  210  to EMI top plate  260 . In  FIG. 10 , EMI bottom plate  280  may be placed on a bottom surface of printed circuit board  210 . Pins  250  may pass through openings  285  in EMI bottom plate  280 .  FIG. 11  illustrates a close-up side view of pins  250  passing through EMI top plate  260 , printed circuit board  210 , and EMI bottom plate  280 . Also, tabs  287  on EMI bottom plate  280  are shown inserted in openings  267  in EMI top plate  260 . 
     In  FIG. 12 , housing  240  may be placed over printed circuit board  210 . Specifically, extended portion  248  of housing  240  may be placed over a top side of printed circuit board  210 . To facilitate this, pins  250  may be removed. Tongue  212  of printed circuit board  210  may pass through an opening  249  in housing  240 . In  FIG. 13 , printed circuit board  210  may be in its final position relative to housing  240 . Ground contact  252  may be located in an opening  242  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) in housing  240 . Tabs  253  on ground contact  252  may be placed in notches  243  in housing  240 . 
     In  FIG. 14 , pins  250  may be reinserted into openings  245  in housing  240 .  FIG. 15  illustrates pins  250  and ground contact  252  in housing  240 . In  FIG. 16 , bottom shield  290  may be placed over a bottom side of housing  240 . In  FIG. 17 , ground clip  254  may be placed in an opening  244  in housing  240 .  FIG. 18  illustrates a close-up view of ground clip  254 . Ground clip  254  may include tabs  255  which may be placed in notches in opening  244  in housing  240 . In  FIG. 19 , top shield  270  may be placed over the top side of housing  240 . Top shield  270  may be spot or laser welded at points  273  to ground contact  253  (shown in  FIG. 15 ). Top shield  270  may be spot or laser welded to bottom shield  290  (shown in  FIG. 16 ) at points  274 . Top shield  270  may be spot or laser welded at points  275  to EMI top plate  260  (shown in  FIG. 7 ). In  FIG. 20 , reflow cap  208  may be placed in opening  246  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) in housing  240 . 
       FIG. 21  illustrates the attachment of a connector receptacle to a logic board according to an embodiment of the present invention. Connector receptacle  200  may be attached to a top side of logic board  2110 , which may be a printed circuit board, flexible circuit board, or other appropriate substrate. Logic board  2110  may include openings  2150  for pins  250 . Openings  2150  may be grounded. Logic board  2110  may include openings  2122  for posts  222  on header  220  (shown in  FIG. 5 .) Logic board  2110  may further include openings  2130  for accepting through-hole contacting portions  230  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) of connector receptacle  200 . Openings  2130  may connect to traces in logic board  2110 . Logic board  2110  may further include openings  2164  and  2184  for accepting ground tabs  264  and  284  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) on EMI top plate  260  and EMI bottom plate  280 . Openings  2164  and  2184  may be grounded. 
       FIG. 22  illustrates a cutaway side view of a connector receptacle attached to a logic board according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, printed circuit board  210  in connector receptacle  200  may be vertically displaced from logic board  2110 . This vertical displacement may help to properly align connector receptacle opening  246  (identified in  FIG. 2 ) to a corresponding opening in a device enclosure (not shown). 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, each contact  214  on a tongue  212  of a connector receptacle  200  may be independently electrically connected to a through-hole contacting portion  230 . Using a through-hole contacting portion  230  for each contact  214  may facilitate inspection during assembly as each through-hole contacting portion  230  may be readily viewed and examined after soldering to logic board  2110 . Also, electrical testing may be simplified as each contact  214  may be electrically connected to a separate through-hole contacting portion  230 . 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, contacts  214  may be connected to through-hole contacting portions  230 . Through-hole contacting portions  230  may fit in openings in logic board  2110  to form electrical connections with traces (not shown) in logic board  2110 . These through-hole contacting portions  230  may also provide mechanical stability for the receptacle  200 . In other embodiments of the present invention, some or all of contacts  214  may terminate in surface-mount contacting portions (not shown). 
     While embodiments of the present invention may be useful in USB Type-C connector receptacles, these and other embodiments of the present invention may be used in other types of connector receptacles for different interfaces. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, shields, EMI plates, ground contacts, ground clips, through-hole contacting portions, and other conductive portions of a connector receptacle may be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, titanium copper, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions, such as the housings, headers, reflow caps, and other structures may be formed using injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process. The nonconductive portions may be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), ceramics, or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. The printed circuit boards used may be formed of FR-4 or other material. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that may be located in, and may connect to, various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, wearable computing devices, cell phones, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, power supplies, video delivery systems, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector receptacles may provide interconnect pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as one of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards including USB Type-C, High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt™, Lightning™, Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), test-access-port (TAP), Directed Automated Random Testing (DART), universal asynchronous receiver/transmitters (UARTs), clock signals, power signals, and other types of standard, non-standard, and proprietary interfaces and combinations thereof that have been developed, are being developed, or will be developed in the future. Other embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that may be used to provide a reduced set of functions for one or more of these standards. In various embodiments of the present invention, these interconnect paths provided by these connector receptacles may be used to convey power, ground, signals, test points, and other voltage, current, data, or other information. 
     The above description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Thus, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20160923
Publication Date: 20180515
Grant Date: 20180515
Priority Date: 20160923
Inventors: JEON, JAMES M.
AMINI, MAHMOUD R.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01R13/22", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6581", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/181", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0216", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/116", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10189", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/5213", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/141", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/5213", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6581", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10189", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/141", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10295", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/732", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/117", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/117", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6594", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6594", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/368", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10295", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/732", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/368", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 61685755