PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9948042-B2
Application Number: US-201615368691-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Connector insert assembly

Abstract:
Connector inserts having retention features with good reliability and holding force. These connector inserts may include ground contacts that provide an insertion portion having a reduced length. These connector inserts may be reliable, have an attractive appearance, and be readily manufactured.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A connector insert comprising:
 a housing having front opening, a first side opening along a right side, a second side opening along a left side, a first plurality of slots along a top side, and a second plurality of slots along a bottom side; 
 a first plurality of contacts in the first plurality of slots in the housing, each having a front tip near the front opening and located between a first extended portion of the housing and the top side of the housing; 
 a second plurality of contacts in the second plurality of slots in the housing, each having a front tip near the front opening and located between a second extended portion of the housing and the bottom side of the housing; 
 a first retention spring in the first side opening in the housing, the first retention spring including a contacting portion at a first end to engage a notch on a tongue of a connector receptacle; 
 a second retention spring in the second side opening in the housing, the second retention spring including a contacting portion at a first end to engage a notch on a tongue of a connector receptacle; and 
 a shield around the housing, the first retention spring, and the second retention spring. 
 
     
     
       2. The connector insert of  claim 1  wherein the first plurality of contacts are pre-biased downward such that the front tip of the first plurality of contacts engage with a top of the first extended portion of the housing and wherein second plurality of contacts are pre-biased upward such that the front tip of the first plurality of contacts engage with a bottom of the second extended portion of the housing. 
     
     
       3. The connector insert of  claim 1  wherein the first retention spring further comprises a dimple, and a portion of the first retention spring from the dimple to the contacting portion forms a deflection arm that deflects as the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle. 
     
     
       4. The connector insert of  claim 3  wherein the deflection arm has a length that is a majority of the length of the first retention spring. 
     
     
       5. The connector insert of  claim 1  further comprising a first insulating layer between the first plurality of contacts and the shield and a second insulating layer between the second plurality of contacts and the shield. 
     
     
       6. The connector insert of  claim 5  wherein the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer are pieces of tape. 
     
     
       7. The connector insert of  claim 1  wherein the connector insert has a front lip around the front opening, wherein an inside portion of the front lip is formed by the housing and the outside portion of the front lip is formed by the shield. 
     
     
       8. The connector insert of  claim 1  further comprising a first ground contact between the front opening of the housing and the first plurality of contacts and a second ground contact between the front opening of the housing and the second plurality of contacts. 
     
     
       9. The connector insert of  claim 8  wherein the first and second ground contacts each include a plurality of contacting portions joined by a cross beam and a plurality of raised portions extending from the cross beam, wherein the first and second ground contacts are located in corresponding slots in the housing near the front opening, wherein the first ground contact and the second ground contact wrap around approximately one-half of the circumference of the housing in the lateral direction. 
     
     
       10. A connector insert comprising:
 a housing having front opening, a first side opening along a right side, a second side opening along a left side, a first plurality of slots along a top side, and a second plurality of slots along a bottom side; 
 a first plurality of contacts in the first plurality of slots in the housing; 
 a second plurality of contacts in the second plurality of slots in the housing; 
 a first retention spring in the first side opening in the housing; 
 a second retention spring in the second side opening in the housing; 
 a first ground contact between the front opening and the first plurality of contacts; 
 a second ground contact between the front opening and the second plurality of contacts, wherein the first and second ground contacts each include a plurality of contacting portions joined by a cross beam and a plurality of raised portions extending from the cross beam, wherein the first and second ground contacts are located in corresponding slots in the housing near the front opening; and 
 a shield around the housing, the first ground contact, the second ground contact, the first retention spring, and the second retention spring, the shield contacting the raised portions on the first ground contact and the second ground contact. 
 
     
     
       11. The connector insert of  claim 10  wherein the first ground contact and the second ground contact wrap around approximately one-half of the circumference of the housing. 
     
     
       12. The connector insert of  claim 10  further comprising a first insulating layer between the first plurality of contacts and the shield and a second insulating layer between the second plurality of contacts and the shield. 
     
     
       13. The connector insert of  claim 12  wherein the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer are pieces of tape. 
     
     
       14. The connector insert of  claim 10  wherein the first retention spring and the second retention spring each has a first length and includes a contacting portion at a first end to engage a notch on a tongue of a connector receptacle, where each retention spring further includes a dimple, the dimple contacting the shield when the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle. 
     
     
       15. The connector insert of  claim 10  wherein the plurality of contacting portions of the first ground contact and the second ground contact each extend through a corresponding opening in the housing near the front of the housing. 
     
     
       16. The connector insert of  claim 10  wherein the plurality of contacting portions of the first ground contact and the second ground contact are folded back approximately 180 degrees. 
     
     
       17. The connector insert of  claim 9  wherein the shield contacts the raised portions on the first ground contact and the second ground contact. 
     
     
       18. A connector insert comprising:
 a housing having front opening, a first plurality of slots along a top side, and a second plurality of slots along a bottom side; 
 a first plurality of contacts in the first plurality of slots in the housing, each having a front tip near the front opening and located between a first extended portion of the housing and the top side of the housing; 
 a second plurality of contacts in the second plurality of slots in the housing, each having a front tip near the front opening and located between a second extended portion of the housing and the bottom side of the housing; 
 a first ground contact between the front opening and the first plurality of contacts; 
 a second ground contact between the front opening and the second plurality of contacts, wherein the first and second ground contacts each include a plurality of contacting portions joined by a cross beam and a plurality of raised portions extending from the cross beam, wherein the first and second ground contacts are located in corresponding slots in the housing near the front opening; and 
 a shield around the housing, the first ground contact, and the second ground contact, the shield contacting the raised portions on the first ground contact and the second ground contact. 
 
     
     
       19. The connector insert of  claim 18  wherein the first ground contact and the second ground contact wrap around approximately one-half of the circumference of the housing. 
     
     
       20. The connector insert of  claim 19  wherein the plurality of contacting portions of the first ground contact and the second ground contact each extend through a corresponding opening in the housing near the front of the housing.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/641,375, filed Mar. 7, 2015, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/543,803, filed Nov. 17, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/003,012, filed May 26, 2014, which are incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The amount of data transferred between electronic devices has grown tremendously the last several years. Large amounts of audio, streaming video, text, and other types of data content are now regularly transferred among desktop and portable computers, media devices, handheld media devices, displays, storage devices, and other types of electronic devices. Power may be transferred with this data, or power may be transferred separately. 
     Power and data may be conveyed over cables that may include wire conductors, fiber optic cables, or some combination of these or other conductors. Cable assemblies may include a connector insert at each end of a cable, though other cable assemblies may be connected or tethered to an electronic device in a dedicated manner. The connector inserts may be inserted into receptacles in the communicating electronic devices to form pathways for power and data. 
     The data rates through these connector inserts may be quite high. To provide these high data rates, it may be desirable that these connector inserts have good matching, a high signal integrity, and low insertion loss. This may require the impedance of signal contacts in the connector insert to be matched and close to a target value. 
     These connector inserts may be inserted into a device receptacle once or more each day for multiple years. It may be desirable that these connector inserts have and maintain a pleasant physical appearance as a poor appearance may lead to user dissatisfaction with both the cable assembly and the electronic devices that it connects to. 
     Electronic devices may be sold in the millions, with an attendant number of cable assemblies and their connector inserts sold alongside. With such volumes, any difficulties in the manufacturing process may become significant. For such reasons, it may be desirable that these connector inserts may be reliably manufactured. 
     Thus, what is needed are connector inserts having signal contacts with a matched impedance near a target value for good signal integrity and low insertion loss, a pleasant physical appearance, and that may be reliably manufactured. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts having contacts with a matched impedance near a target value for good signal integrity and low insertion loss, a pleasant physical appearance, and that may be reliably manufactured. 
     An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide connector inserts having signal contacts with a matched impedance near a target value to improve signal integrity and provide a low insertion loss in order to allow high data rates. This matching may be achieved in part by increasing an impedance of the signal contacts. For example, various embodiments of the present invention may include ground planes between rows of contacts in a connector in order to electrically isolate signals in the different rows from each other. Also, a grounded shield may surround these rows of contacts. The ground plane and shield may increase capacitance to the signal contacts, thereby lowering the impedance at the contacts below a target value and thereby degrading signal integrity. Accordingly, in order to improve signal integrity and facilitate matching, embodiments of the present invention may thin or reduce thicknesses of one or more of the shield, ground plane, or contacts in order to increase the distances between the structures. This increase in distance may increase the impedance at the contacts to near a target value, again improving matching among the signal contacts. 
     In other embodiments of the present invention, the shape of a signal contact when it is in a deflected or inserted state may be optimized. For example, a contact may be contoured to be at a maximum distance from the ground plane and shield over its length in order to increase impedance at the contact. In a specific embodiment of the present invention where the ground plane and shield are substantially flat, the signal contacts may be substantially flat as well, and where either or both the ground plane and shield are curved, the signal contacts may be substantially curved as well. 
     In this embodiment of the present invention, the signal contacts of a connector insert may be designed to be substantially flat when the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle. This design may also include a desired normal force to be applied to a contact on a connector receptacle by a connector insert signal contact. From this design, the shape of the connector insert signal contacts when the connector insert is not inserted in a connector receptacle may be determined. That is, from knowing the shape of a connector insert signal contact in a deflected state and the desired normal force to be made during a connection, the shape of a connector insert signal contact in a non-deflected state may be determined. The connector insert signal contacts may be manufactured using the determined non-deflected state information. This stands in contrast to typical design procedures that design a contact beginning with the non-deflected state. 
     These and other embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts having a pleasant appearance. In these embodiments, a leading edge of the connector insert may be a plastic tip. This plastic tip may be a front portion of a housing in the connector insert. Embodiments of the present invention may provide features to prevent light gaps from occurring between the plastic tip and shield. One illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a step or ledge on the plastic tip to block light from passing between the plastic tip and the shield. In other embodiments of the present invention, a force may be exerted on the shield acting to keep the shield adjacent to, or in proximity of, the plastic tip. This force may be applied at a rear of the shield by one or more arms having ramped surfaces, where the arms are biased in an outward direction and the ramps are arranged to apply a force to the shield. 
     After a connector insert portion has been manufactured, a cable may be attached to it. The cable may include a ground shield or braiding. During cable attachment, the braiding may be pulled back and a ground cap may be placed over the braiding. The cap may then be crimped to secure the cable in place. The crimping may be done with a multi-section die, where contacting surfaces of the die include various points or peaks along their surface. These points may effectively wrinkle or jog the perimeter of the cap, thereby reducing the dimensions of a cross-section of the cable. This reduction in cross section may improve the flow of plastic while a strain relief is formed around the cable. This may, in turn, increase the manufacturability of the connector insert. 
     Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention may include retention springs for a connector insert. These retention springs may engage notches on sides of the tongue of a connector receptacle when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. These retention springs may include a contacting portion for engaging the notches on the tongue. The retention springs may also include an optional dimple. The dimple, if present, may engage in inside of a shield of the connector insert while the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle, otherwise, the retention spring surface itself may engage the inside of the shield while the connector insert is being inserted. In other embodiments of the present invention, the dimple if present, may engage in inside of the shield before the connector insert is inserted, otherwise the retention spring surface itself may engage the inside of the shield before the connector insert is inserted. The retention spring may include a deflection arm extending from the dimple, if present, to the contacting portion. In other embodiments of the present invention, the deflection arm may extend from a location where the retention spring contacts the shield to the contacting portion. A majority of the length of the retention spring may be made up of this deflection arm. This deflection arm may deflect as the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle. In this way, stresses may be spread out over the retention spring during insertion. This may help to avoid a concentration of stress that could otherwise cause a cold working failure or cracking in the retention spring. Specifically, a surface or dimple (if present) may contact a surface, such as a shield, when the connector insert starts to be inserted into a connector receptacle. Force or stress may concentrate here, but the retention spring may be made thicker or wider in one or more directions here to support the stress. As the insert continues to be inserted, the deflection arm may deflect, absorbing stresses over a long portion of the retention spring. Particularly where no dimple is present, the contact area between the retention spring and shield or other surface may “rock” or move along the length of the retention spring (towards the contacting portion), again helping to distribute the points of high stress compensation. This configuration may provide a retention spring that is hard enough to provide a good retention force but not fail due to cold working. These retention springs may be formed in various ways. For example, the may be forged, stamped, metal-injection-molded, or formed in other ways. 
     Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention may include ground contacts near a front opening of the connector insert. These ground contacts may be connected by a cross piece. The cross piece may be supported by one or more spring structures, which may wrap laterally around a front portion of a housing for the connector insert. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the support structures may wrap around approximately one-half of a circumference of the housing. 
     Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a connector insert having a front lip. An inside portion of the front lip may be formed of a nonconductive housing, while an outside portion may be formed of a conductive shield. This arrangement may help to prevent the conductive shield from contacting and shorting contacts on a tongue of a connector receptacle while the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. To further protect against shorting receptacle contacts, the housing may be arranged to be either aligned with or extending beyond the shield. Also, having a portion of lip formed by the shield may help to strengthen a leading edge of the connector insert. 
     The signal contacts included in a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention may be pre-biased to provide a force against contacts on a top of a connector receptacle. This pre-bias may provide a force at a front opening of the connector insert in a direction such that the opening may tend to close up. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide an end cap having bowed outside edges. These outwardly bowed edges may provide a countervailing force during manufacturing to help the opening of the connector insert to remain open. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, contacts, shields, and other conductive portions of connector inserts and receptacles may be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, forging, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions 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), or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. The printed circuit boards used may be formed of FR-4, BT or other material. Printed circuit boards may be replaced by other substrates, such as flexible circuit boards, in many embodiments of the present invention. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts and 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, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector inserts and receptacles may provide pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as one of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards including USB-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 inserts and 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 inserts and 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 a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention that has been inserted into a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a portion of a connector system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates signal contacts in a deflected or inserted state according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates signal contact in a non-deflected or extracted state according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a front end of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a portion of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a portion of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a cutaway view of a portion of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a structure for crimping a cap around an end of a cable according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates an exploded view of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a retention spring that may be used in a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a top cut-away view of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a front view of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a connector insert portion and a ground contact according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 15  illustrates steps in the manufacturing of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 16  illustrates forces being exerted at a connector insert opening according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 17A-17B  illustrate an end cap being inserted into an opening of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 18  illustrates the operation of an end cap that may be employed during manufacturing of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a connector insert according to embodiments of the present invention that is been inserted into a connector receptacle according to 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. 
     Specifically, connector insert  110  has been inserted into connector receptacle  120 . Receptacle  120  may be located in 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, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. Connector insert  110  and receptacle  120  may provide pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as one of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards including USB-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. In other embodiments of the present invention, connector insert  110  and receptacle  120  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 connector insert  110  and receptacle  120  may be used to convey power, ground, signals, test points, and other voltage, current, data, or other information. More information about connector insert  110  and receptacle  120  may be found in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/543,711, filed Nov. 17, 2014, titled CONNECTOR RECEPTACLE HAVING A SHIELD, which is incorporated by reference. 
     Connector insert  110  may include a number of contacts for conveying signals. These signals may include high-speed differential signals, as well as other types of signals. To increase signal integrity and reduce insertion losses, it may be desirable to increase an impedance of the signal contacts. More specifically, it may be desirable to match the impedance across the various contacts in a connector plug or insert so that they all have a value near a target value. In some embodiments of the present invention, this matching is facilitated by decreasing capacitances between the signal contacts in the connector insert to other conductive structures in the connector insert  110  and connector receptacle  120 . This may be done by increasing the physical spacing between the signal contacts and these other structures. 
     Various connector receptacles may include ground structures, such as shields or center ground planes, or both. These shields and ground planes may have a particularly contour, which may be but is not necessarily flat. The signal contacts may then be designed to have a similar contour when they are deflected due to the connector insert being inserted into a connector receptacle. From this deflected shape, a non-deflected shape may be determined. From this non-deflected shape the contact may be formed. Variations between the shape of the contact and the shape of the ground structures may exist. These variations may be adjusted based at least in part on a desired contact force between the contact for the connector insert and a corresponding contact in a connector receptacle. This contact force may also at least partially account for differences between the deflected and non-deflected shapes of the contact for the connector insert. An example of this is shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a portion of a connector system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure includes a connector insert  110  having signal contacts  112  and  114 , shield  118 , and center ground plane  119 . This figure also includes a connector receptacle  120  including a tongue  122  having a center ground plane  129 , shield  128 , and contacts  124 . Contacts  124  may engage contacts  112  and  114  at locations  113  when connector insert  110  is inserted into connector receptacle  120 . Ground contacts, such as ground contacts  230 , may electrically connect to contacts  240  on receptacle tongue  122 . Ground contacts  240  may connect to shield  128  in the receptacle, which may electrically connect to shield  118  on the insert. Shield  118  may connect to ground contact  230 , thereby forming a ground shield around tongue  122  and contacts  114 . 
     Since contacts  112  and  114  are between shield  118  (and shield  128 ) and central ground planes  119  and  129 , contacts  112  and  114  may capacitively couple to shield  118  and center ground planes  119  and  129 . This capacitance may increase with decreasing distance. This increase in capacitance may reduce the impedance at signal contacts  112  and  114 , thereby reducing signal integrity. This reduction in capacitance may complicate the overall goal of matching the impedance near a target value at signal contacts  112  and  114 . 
     Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may reduce a thickness of one or more of signal contacts  112  and  114 , shield  118 , shield  128 , and center ground planes  119  and  129 . These decreasing thicknesses may increase a distance or spacing between these structures, thereby increasing impedance. In other embodiments of the present invention, signal contacts  112  and  114  may be contoured to increase distances, such as distances  202  and  204  to center ground planes  119  and  129 , and distances  208  and  209  to shields  118  and their associated ground contacts. For example, where shield  128  and center ground plane  119  may be curved, contacts  112  and  114  may be curved as well in order to maximize these distances. In a special case as illustrated, center ground plane  119 , center ground plane  129  in the connector receptacle tongue  122 , and shields  118  and  128  have substantially straight or flat surfaces. Accordingly, signal contact  112  and  114  may be arranged to be substantially flat in a deflected state when in the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. 
     Signal contacts  112  and  114  may be designed using a method according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the design process begins with signal contacts  112  and  114  in this nearly flat or straight deflected state. That is, signal contacts may be designed to follow the contours of the central ground planes  119  and  129  and shields  118  and  128  in the state where connector insert  110  is inserted into connector receptacle  120 . A desired normal force at location  113  may be factored in as well. From this, a shape of signal contacts  112  and  114  in a non-deflected or extracted state may be determined. Signal contacts  112  and  114  may be manufactured in this state and used an embodiment of the present invention. This stands in contrast to conventional design techniques that begin by designing a signal contact in a non-deflected or non-inserted state. 
     Unfortunately, it may be problematic to form signal contacts  112  and  114  such that they are completely flat in a deflected state. For example, at least a slight amount of curvature at location  113  may be desirable such that contact is made between signal contact  112  in the connector insert and signal contact  124  in the connector receptacle. Specifically, without such curvature, a portion of connector insert signal contact  112  may rest on a front of the tongue  122 . This may cause contact  112  to lift at location  113  and disconnect from connector receptacle contact  124 . Also, to avoid tongue  122  from engaging an edge of signal contact  112  during insertion, a raised portion  115  having a sloped leading edge and a tip  116  may be included at an end of signal contact  112 . This raised portion  115  may cause a localized drop or dip in the impedance of signal contact  112 . To reduce this dip or reduction in impedance, raised portions  115  may have a substantially flat surface at tip  116  in an attempt to increase the distance between tip  116  and shield  118 . That is, tip  116  may have a top surface that is substantially parallel to shield  118 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates signal contacts in a deflected or inserted state according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, contacts  112  may be substantially flat. Deviations from this at location  113  may be present, as described above. From this arrangement, as well as the desired force to be applied at location  113 , the shape of signal contacts  112  in a non-deflected state may be determined. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates signal contact in a non-deflected or extracted state according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, contacts  112  and  114  may bend towards each other in the non-inserted state. Signal contacts  112  and  114  may be manufactured in the non-deflected state and used an embodiment of the present invention. Again, when the connector insert including contact  112  is inserted in a corresponding connector receptacle, contact  112  may defect to a substantially flat or straight position. 
     Various embodiments of the present invention may include a tip, formed of plastic or other material, on a front leading edge of a connector insert. In these embodiments of the present invention, it may be desirable to ensure that there are no gaps or spaces visible between the plastic tip and shield of a connector insert. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide features to reduce or limit these gaps. Examples are shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a front end of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, plastic tip  520  may be located on a front of the connector insert next to shield  510 . That is, shield  510  may meet the plastic tip  520  at a rear of the plastic tip  520  away from a front of the connector insert. While plastic tip  520  may be made of plastic, it may instead be formed of other non-conductive material. A plastic tip  520  may be used to avoid marring of the connector insert and corresponding connector receptacle and to preserve their appearance over time. Plastic tip  520  may also be durable as compared to metallic or other types of front ends. Plastic tip  520  may be a front end of a molded portion or housing  524  in the connector insert. 
     A gap  530  between plastic tip  520  and shield  510  may exist. This arrangement may allow light from opening  550  to pass through opening  522 , which may be present for ground contacts  560  to electrically connect to shield  510 , through gap  530  where it may be visible to a user. Accordingly, plastic tip  520  may include a ledge portion  540  to block light that may otherwise pass through gap  530 . Specifically, ledge  540  may be present between edges  544  and  542 . Ledge  540  may effectively cover an end of gap  530 , thereby preventing light leakage. Put another way, opening  522  may be formed such that it has a leading edge  542  that is behind gap  530  in the direction away from the front opening of the connector insert. 
     In other embodiments of the present invention, a force may be applied to the remote end of shield  510  to reduce the gap  530  between shield  510  and plastic tip  520 . An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a portion of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, shield  510  may be adjacent to or in close proximity to plastic tip  520 . This close proximity may be caused by a force being applied to shield  510 . Specifically, during assembly, arms  620  may be compressed or folded in closer to each other such that shield  510  may be slid over plastic portion  610 . When shield  610  reaches plastic tip  520 , arms  620  may be released, whereupon they may push out and against an end of shield  510 . That is, arms  620  may be biased outward such that when they are released, they push out and against a rear portion of shield  510 . Specifically, a surface  630  of arms  620  may be ramped or sloped such that a force is applied to shield  510  moving it adjacent to or in close proximity to plastic tip  520 . A molded piece  650  may be inserted through a back end of shield  510  in order to force arms  620  outward, thereby holding shield  510  in place against plastic tip  520 . 
     In this example, tape piece  670  may be included. Tape piece  670  may help to prevent signal contacts in the connector insert from contacting shield  510 . Tape piece  670  may be sloped as shown so that it is not caught on the leading edge of shield  510  as shield  510  slides over plastic housing  610  during assembly. 
     Once this connector insertion portion is complete, a housing and cable may be attached to a rear portion of the assembly. This may be done in a way that avoids or reduces various problems in the manufacturing process An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a portion of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, cable  780  may pass through cap  770 . Cap  770  may be covered or partially covered by strain relief  760 . Conductors  740  in cable  780  may terminate on printed circuit board  730  at contacts  750 . Traces (not shown) on printed circuit board  730  may connect contacts  750  to contacts in the connector insert. The printed circuit board  730  of a connector insert may be housed in housing  720 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a cutaway view of a portion of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. Again, conductors  740  may terminate at pads  750  on printed circuit board  730 . Braiding  810  of cable  780  may be folded back onto itself and crimped by cap  770 . An example of how this crimping maybe done is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a structure for crimping a cap around an end of a cable according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, four tool die pieces  900  may be used. These die pieces may be pushed inwards until gap  910  is reduced to a small or zero distance between each tool die  900 . This may crimp cap  770  around the braiding  6410  of cable  780 . The tool die piece  900  may include various points or peaks, such as  920  and  930 . These points may effectively wrinkle or jog the perimeter of the cap, thereby reducing the dimensions of a cross-section of cable  780 . This may improve the flow of plastic while forming strain relief  760  around cable  780 . 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts having improved ground contacts and retention spring features. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates an exploded view of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. This connector insert may include a shield  1010  around housing  1020 . A number of contacts  1030  may be placed in housing  1020 . Specifically, contacts  1030  may be located in slots  1028  and top and bottom sides of housing  1020 . Secondary housing  1032  may secure contacts  1030  together as a unit. Side retention springs  1050  may be located in side openings  1022  in housing  1020 . Ground contacts  1040  may be located at a front of the connector insert between an opening of a connector insert and contacts  1030 . Ground contacts  1040  may be located in groves  1024  in housing  1020 . Insulating layers  1060  may be used to prevent contacts  1030  from contacting shield  1010 . Insulating layers  1060  may be pieces of Kapton tape or other insulating material. Shield  1010  may include tabs  1012  which may engage notch  1026  when housing  1020  is inserted into shield  1010  during manufacturing. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a retention spring that may be used in a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. Retention springs  1050  may include a contacting portion  1110 . Contacting portion  1110  may engage a notch in a tongue in a connector receptacle when a connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. Retention spring  1050  may further include dimple  1120 , though in other embodiments of the present invention, dimple  1120  may be absent. Dimple  1120 , if present, or the surface of retention spring  1050  if not, may engage in inside of shield  1010  when the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle. In other embodiments of the present invention, dimple  1120 , if present, or the surface of retention spring  1050  if not, may contact and inside of shield  1010  before the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle. Retention spring  1050  may further include prongs  1130 . Prongs  1130  may secure retention spring  1050  to a housing of the connector insert. 
     Retention spring  1050  may have an overall first length  1150 . Retention spring  1050  may also include a deflection arm  1160 . The deflection arm  1160  may extend from dimple  1120 , if present, to contacting portion  1110 . In other embodiments of the present invention, the deflection arm  1160  may extend from a location where the retention spring  1050  contacts the shield  1010  to the contacting portion  1110 . The deflection arm portion  1160  may consume a majority of the length of retention spring  1050 . That is, the length of the deflection arm  1160  may be more than one half of the length  1150  of the total retention spring. In this way, stresses may be spread out over the retention spring  1050  during insertion. This may help to avoid a concentration of stress that could otherwise cause a cold working failure or cracking in the retention spring  1050 . Specifically, a surface or dimple  1120  (if present) of retention spring  1050  may contact a surface, such as an inside of shield  1010 , when the connector insert starts to be inserted into a connector receptacle. Force or stress may concentrate at this point, but the retention spring may be made thicker or wider in or more directions near dimple  1120  (if present) to support the stress. As the insert continues to be inserted, the deflection arm may deflect, absorbing further stresses over a long portion of the retention spring  1050 . Particularly where no dimple  1120  is present, the contact area between retention spring  1050  and shield  1010  or other surface may “rock” or move along the length of the retention spring  1050  (towards the contacting portion  1110 ), again helping to distribute the points of high stress compensation. This configuration may provide a retention spring that is hard enough to provide a good retention force but not fail due to cold working. These retention springs may be formed in various ways. For example, the may be forged, stamped, metal-injection-molded, or formed in other ways. Further details on these retention springs may be found in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/543,748, filed Nov. 17, 2014, which is incorporated by reference. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates a top cut-away view of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. This connector insert may include a number of contacts  1030 . Ground contacts  1040  may be located between contacts  1030  and a front opening and housing  1020 . Retention springs  1050  may be located along outside edges of the connector insert. Retention springs  1050  may include contacting portions  1110 . Contacting portion  1110  may engage and fit in a notch on sides of a tongue of a connector receptacle when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. Retention springs  1050  may further include dimple  1120 , though dimple  1120  may be absent in various embodiments of the present invention. Dimple  1120 , if present, may engage an inside of shield  1010  when the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle, or before and while the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle. If dimple  1120  is not present, the retention spring surface itself may engage an inside of shield  1010  when the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle, or before and while the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle. Retention springs  1050  may include prongs  1130  for securing retention springs  1050  to the insert housing. An outside housing  1210  may surround a rear portion of the connector insert. Housing  1210  may be grasped by a user during the insertion and extraction of the connector insert into and out of a connector receptacle. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a front view of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. Again, the connector insert may have a shield  1010  around housing  1020 . Retention springs  1050  may be located in openings and sides of housing  1020 . Ground contacts  1040  may be located near a front opening of the connector insert. A housing  1210  may surround a rear portion of a connector insert. 
     The connector insert may include a front lip defining a front opening. This lip may have an inside portion formed of housing  1020  and an outside portion formed of shield  1010 . By providing an inside portion of the lip formed of a non-conductive material, shield  1010  is less likely to engage and short to contacts on a tongue of a connector receptacle while the connector insert is being inserted into the connector receptacle. To further protect against shorting receptacle contacts, the housing  1020  may be arranged to be either aligned with or extending beyond the shield  1010 . Having at least a portion of the lip formed of shield  1010  may help to improve the strength of the leading edge of the connector. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  above, the connector insert may include front ground contacts for engaging ground contacts on a connector receptacle tongue when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. It may be desirable that these ground contacts do not increase an overall length of an insert portion of a connector insert dramatically. An example of such a ground contact is shown in the following figure. The operation of such a ground contact was shown above in reference to ground contact  230  in  FIG. 2 . Other examples and further information regarding the operation of these ground contacts may be found in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/543,717, filed Nov. 17, 2014, which is incorporated by reference. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates a connector insert portion and a ground contact according to an embodiment of the present invention. This connector insert may include a housing  1020  supporting retention springs  1050  and ground contacts  1040 . Ground contacts  440  may be located in slot  1024  near a front of housing  1020 . Ground contacts  1040  may reduce an overall length of an insert portion of a connector insert by wrapping laterally around approximately half the circumference of housing  1020 . By wrapping laterally in this way, the increase in the overall length of the insert portion caused by the inclusion of the ground contacts  1040  is limited. 
     Ground contacts  1040  may include contacting portions  1440 , which may be joined by crosspiece  1430 . Crosspiece  1430  may be held in place by supporting structures  1410 . Supporting structures  1410  may include tabs  1420  for holding ground contacts  1040  securely in place in grove  1024  in housing  1020 . Ground contacts  1040  may also connect to an inside of shield  1010 . 
     Again, a tape or other insulating layer  1060  may be placed between contacts  1030  and shield  1010  to prevent contacts  1030  from contacting shield  1010 . Insulating or tape layer  1060  may be attached to housing  1020 . When housing  1020  is inserted into shield  1010 , care should be taken to avoid having shield  1010  strip away insulating or tape layer  1060 . Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may arrange housing  1020  to protect the tape or insulating layer  1060  during insertion of housing  1020  into shield  1010 . An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 15  illustrates steps in the manufacturing of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, housing  1020  is shown being inserted into shield  1010 . Insulating or tape layer  1060  may be located on top and bottom surfaces of housing  1020 . Housing  1020  may include notch portion  1510 . Notch portion  1510  may provide a space for tape  1060  to be placed such that it is not peeled away by shield  1010  when housing  1020  is inserted into shield  1010 . 
     Again, the connector insert may include a front lip having outside portion formed by shield  1010  and an inside portion formed by housing  1020 . Accordingly, shield  1010  may include a surface  1018  to engage surface  1028  of housing  1080 . This connector insert may also include ground contact  1040 . 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, signal contacts  1030  may be pre-biased in a way that results in a force being exerted at the opening of a connector insert. This force may be in a direction that tends to close the connector insert opening. This may result in a connector receptacle tongue being damaged during the insertion of the connector insert into a connector receptacle. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide manufacturing steps to avoid or mitigate this problem. An example is shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 16  illustrates forces being exerted at a connector insert opening according to an embodiment of the present invention. Contacts  1030  may be located in housing  1020 . Contacts  1030  may be pre-biased to exert a force on contacts on a tongue of a connector receptacle when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. This pre-bias may cause contacts  1030  to exert a force on housing portion  1026 . This force may act to close a front opening of the connector insert. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide an end cap that may be inserted into the front opening of a connector insert during manufacturing. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIGS. 17A-17B  illustrate an end cap being inserted into an opening of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. End cap  1720  may have a handle portion  1722  that may be grasped by an operator during assembly. The operation of end cap  1720  is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 18  illustrates the operation of an end cap that may be employed during manufacturing of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. State A illustrates an opening  1712  of a connector insert. Opening  1712  may have top and bottom sides biased outwardly to create compensate for forces that will be applied by contacts  1030  as shown above. Similarly, end cap  1920  may have top and bottom sides that are bowed or biased outwardly as well, as shown in stage B. End cap  1920  may be inserted into opening  1912  in stage C. At this time, the connector insert may be subjected to a high-temperature process, such as a reflow process. Ordinarily, this heating could cause the opening to droop and close. Instead, the outward shape may provide an arch of support to maintain the shape of the opening and keep it from closing. At stage D, end cap  1920  may be removed. After some time, stage E may be reached. At this stage, the top and bottom sides of opening  1912  may remain either straight or partially outwardly bowed. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, contacts and other conductive portions of connector inserts and receptacles may be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, forging, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions 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), or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. The printed circuit boards used may be formed of FR-4, BT or other material. Printed circuit boards may be replaced by other substrates, such as flexible circuit boards, in many embodiments of the present invention. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts and 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, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector inserts and receptacles may provide pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as one of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards including USB-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 inserts and 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 inserts and 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: 20161205
Publication Date: 20180417
Grant Date: 20180417
Priority Date: 20140526
Inventors: NG, Nathan N.
GAO, ZHENG
AMINI, MAHMOUD R.
KIM, MIN CHUL
ABRAHAM, COLIN J.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01R13/6597", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/16", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6581", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/2442", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/64", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6275", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/70", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/64", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6581", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6597", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/64", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/4921", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6585", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6275", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6585", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/16", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/2442", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/4921", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6597", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/2442", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6581", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6275", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/70", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 54556751