U.S. patent application number 15/084654 was filed with the patent office on 2017-10-05 for linking cable connector.
The applicant listed for this patent is TYCO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Arash Behziz, Michael David Herring.
Application Number | 20170288317 15/084654 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59929203 |
Filed Date | 2017-10-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170288317 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Behziz; Arash ; et
al. |
October 5, 2017 |
LINKING CABLE CONNECTOR
Abstract
Linking cable connector includes a lead frame held in an
interior cavity of a cover. The lead frame includes conductive
leads arranged side by side in a row and extending between a first
end and an opposite second end of the lead frame. At least some
adjacent conductive leads are spaced on a first lead pitch at the
first end, and are spaced on a second lead pitch at the second end.
The second lead pitch is less than the first lead pitch. The
conductive leads engage and electrically connect to corresponding
wire conductors of a first cable harness at the first end of the
lead frame, and the conductive leads engage and electrically
connect to corresponding wire conductors of a second cable harness
at the second end of the lead frame such that the leads provide
conductive paths between the first and second cable harnesses.
Inventors: |
Behziz; Arash; (Newbury
Park, CA) ; Herring; Michael David; (Apex,
NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TYCO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION |
Berwyn |
PA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59929203 |
Appl. No.: |
15/084654 |
Filed: |
March 30, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 1/11 20130101; H05K
1/0296 20130101; H01R 12/613 20130101; H01R 4/021 20130101; H05K
1/117 20130101; H05K 2201/10356 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01R 4/02 20060101
H01R004/02; H05K 1/11 20060101 H05K001/11; H05K 1/02 20060101
H05K001/02 |
Claims
1. A linking cable connector comprising: a cover defining an
interior cavity; and a lead frame held in the interior cavity of
the cover, the lead frame including a plurality of conductive leads
arranged side by side in a row, the conductive leads extending a
length between a first wire interface end and an opposite second
wire interface end of the lead frame, at least some conductive
leads defining first termination contact areas at least proximate
to the first wire interface end that are configured to engage and
electrically connect to corresponding wire conductors of a first
cable harness, the first termination contact areas of adjacent
conductive leads spaced apart on a first lead pitch, the at least
some conductive leads defining second termination contact areas at
least proximate to the second wire interface end that are
configured to engage and electrically connect to corresponding wire
conductors of a second cable harness, the second termination
contact areas of adjacent conductive leads spaced apart on a second
lead pitch that is less than the first lead pitch, wherein the
conductive leads are configured to provide conductive paths between
the wire conductors of the first cable harness and the wire
conductors of the second cable harness.
2. The linking cable connector of claim 1, wherein the lead frame
defines a wide span region, a narrow span region, and a transition
region that is disposed between the wide span region and the narrow
span region along a longitudinal axis of the lead frame, the wide
span region extending from the first wire interface end of the lead
frame to the transition region, the narrow span region extending
from the transition region to the second wire interface end of the
lead frame, wherein the at least some adjacent conductive leads are
spaced on the first lead pitch along the wide span region and the
at least some adjacent conductive leads are spaced on the second
lead pitch along the narrow span region.
3. The linking cable connector of claim 2, wherein the conductive
leads along the wide span region and the conductive leads along the
narrow span region extend parallel to the longitudinal axis, at
least most of the conductive leads along the transition region
extend non-parallel to the longitudinal axis.
4. The linking cable connector of claim 2, wherein adjacent
conductive leads in the lead frame extend parallel to one another
along the wide span region and along the narrow span region, the
adjacent conductive leads extending at acute angles relative to one
another along the transition region.
5. The linking cable connector of claim 2, wherein the transition
region of the lead frame extends between a wide end and an opposite
narrow end, a width of the transition region along a lateral axis
of the lead frame being greater at the wide end relative to the
width of the transition region at the narrow end, the at least some
adjacent conductive leads being spaced on the first lead pitch at
the wide end of the transition region, the at least some adjacent
conductive leads being spaced on the second lead pitch at the
narrow end of the transition region, the conductive leads extending
linearly between the wide end and the narrow end.
6. The linking cable connector of claim 2, wherein the lead frame
defines a center longitudinal axis that bisects a width of the lead
frame between a first outer lead on a first side of the center
longitudinal axis and a second outer lead on an opposite second
side of the center longitudinal axis, wherein, in the transition
region, the conductive leads in a first subset of leads disposed on
the first side of the center longitudinal axis have positive slopes
relative to the center longitudinal axis, the conductive leads in a
second subset of leads disposed on the second side of the center
longitudinal axis having negative slopes relative to the center
longitudinal axis.
7. The linking cable connector of claim 6, wherein, in the
transition region of the lead frame, the conductive leads of the
first and second subsets of leads have progressively increasing
angle magnitudes relative to the center longitudinal axis with
increasing distance of the conductive leads from the center
longitudinal axis such that the first and second outer leads have
the largest angles relative to the center longitudinal axis.
8. (canceled)
9. The linking cable connector of claim 8, wherein the cover is
formed of an electrically conductive metal material, the cover
having shield interfaces configured to engage one or more shielding
elements of the first cable harness at the first cable end of the
cover and one or more shielding elements of the second cable
harness at the second cable end of the cover to electrically
connect the cover to the shielding elements of the first and second
cable harnesses.
10. The linking cable connector of claim 1, wherein the conductive
leads define signal leads and ground leads arranged in a repeating
pattern along the row, the signal leads configured to engage and
electrically connect to signal conductors of the wire conductors of
the first and second cable harnesses, the ground leads configured
to engage and electrically connect to ground conductors of the wire
conductors of the first and second cable harnesses, the ground
leads engaging and electrically connecting to at least one ground
bus bar carried by the cover.
11. The linking cable connector of claim 1, wherein the conductive
leads define signal leads and ground leads arranged in a repeating
pattern along the row that includes at least one ground lead
disposed between adjacent pairs of signal leads, the signal leads
configured to engage and electrically connect to signal conductors
of the wire conductors of the first and second cable harnesses, the
signal leads in each pair being spaced on the first lead pitch at
mating interfaces between the signal leads and the signal
conductors of one cable in the first cable harness, the signal
leads in each pair being spaced on the second lead pitch at mating
interfaces between the signal leads and the signal conductors of
one cable in the second cable harness.
12. The linking cable connector of claim 1, wherein the conductive
leads of the lead frame are formed of a metal material and are at
least partially overmolded in a dielectric material that engages
the cover.
13. A linking cable connector comprising: a cover defining an
interior cavity; and a lead frame held in the interior cavity of
the cover, the lead frame extending along a longitudinal axis
between a first wire interface end and an opposite second wire
interface end, the lead frame defining a wide span region that
includes the first wire interface end, a narrow span region that
includes the second wire interface end, and a transition region
disposed between the wide span region and the narrow span region
along the longitudinal axis, the lead frame including a plurality
of conductive leads arranged side by side in a row along a lateral
axis, the conductive leads extending between the first and second
wire interface ends of the lead frame, at least some adjacent
conductive leads being spaced on a first lead pitch along the wide
span region and the at least some adjacent conductive leads being
spaced on a second lead pitch along the narrow span region , the
second lead pitch being less than the first lead pitch, wherein the
conductive leads along the wide span region are configured to
engage and electrically connect to corresponding wire conductors of
a first cable harness and the conductive leads along the narrow
span region are configured to engage and electrically connect to
corresponding wire conductors of a second cable harness such that
the conductive leads provide conductive paths between the wire
conductors of the first cable harness and the wire conductors of
the second cable harness.
14. The linking cable connector of claim 13, wherein the wide span
region and the narrow span region of the lead frame each includes a
respective cable subsection and a respective bus bar subsection,
the bus bar subsection of each of the wide span region and the
narrow span region being disposed between the transition region of
the lead frame and the respective cable subsection, the conductive
leads along the cable subsections defining contact areas for
engaging and electrically connecting to corresponding wire
conductors of the respective first and second cable harnesses, a
subset of the conductive leads designated as ground leads being
electrically connected to a bus bar carried by the cover along at
least one of the bus bar subsections.
15. The linking cable connector of claim 13, wherein the transition
region of the lead frame extends between a wide end and an opposite
narrow end, a width of the transition region along the lateral axis
being greater at the wide end relative to the width of the
transition region at the narrow end, the at least some adjacent
conductive leads being spaced on the first lead pitch at the wide
end of the transition region, the at least some adjacent conductive
leads being spaced on the second lead pitch at the narrow end of
the transition region, the conductive leads extending linearly
between the wide end and the narrow end.
16. The linking cable connector of claim 13, wherein the
longitudinal axis is a center longitudinal axis that bisects a
width of the lead frame between a first outer lead on a first side
of the center longitudinal axis and a second outer lead on an
opposite second side of the center longitudinal axis, wherein, in
the transition region, the conductive leads in a first subset of
leads disposed on the first side of the center longitudinal axis
extend non-parallel to the center longitudinal axis and
non-parallel to one another, and the conductive leads in a second
subset of leads disposed on the second side of the center
longitudinal axis extend non-parallel to the center longitudinal
axis and non-parallel to one another.
17. The linking cable connector of claim 13, wherein the cover
extends between a first cable end and a second cable end, the
interior cavity extending through the cover between a first opening
at the first cable end and a second opening at the second cable
end, the lead frame held between the first and second cable ends of
the cover, the first opening configured to receive the first cable
harness, the second opening configured to receive the second cable
harness, the cover defining a wide section that includes the first
cable end and a narrow section that includes the second cable end,
the wide span region of the lead frame being held along the wide
section of the cover, the narrow span region of the lead frame
being held along the narrow section of the cover.
18. A linking cable connector comprising: a cover defining an
interior cavity; and an array of electrical conductors held in the
interior cavity of the cover, the array of electrical conductors
extending longitudinally between a first wire interface end and an
opposite second wire interface end, the array of conductors
defining a wide span region that includes the first wire interface
end, a narrow span region that includes the second wire interface
end, and a transition region disposed between the wide span region
and the narrow span region, the electrical conductors in the array
each extending the length of the array between the first wire
interface end and the second wire interface end and being laterally
spaced apart from one another in a row, the electrical conductors
along the wide span region having a first pitch between adjacent
electrical conductors and the electrical conductors along the
narrow span region having a second pitch between adjacent
electrical conductors that is less than the first pitch, wherein
the transition region extends between a wide end and an opposite
narrow end, the electrical conductors at the wide end having the
first pitch between adjacent electrical conductors, the electrical
conductors at the narrow end having the second pitch between
adjacent electrical conductors, the electrical conductors extending
linearly between the wide end and the narrow end, wherein the
electrical conductors along the wide span region are configured to
engage and electrically connect to corresponding wire conductors of
a first cable harness and the electrical conductors along the
narrow span region are configured to engage and electrically
connect to corresponding wire conductors of a second cable harness
such that each electrical conductor provides a conductive path
between one of the wire conductors of the first cable harness and a
corresponding wire conductor of the second cable harness.
19. The linking cable connector of claim 18, wherein the array of
electrical conductors is an array of electrical traces along one
side of a printed circuit board.
20. The linking cable connector of claim 18, wherein the array of
electrical conductors is an array of conductive leads of an
overmolded lead frame.
21. The linking cable connector of claim 1, wherein a contact
spacing between adjacent conductive leads in the row is greater at
the first termination contact areas than at the second termination
contact areas.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The subject matter herein relates generally to cable
connectors that provide electrical links or pathways to connect two
electrical cable harnesses.
[0002] Electrical performance characteristics of electrical cables
vary among cables of different wire sizes, referring to the
diameter of the wire conductors of a cable. For example, cables
with larger wire sizes typically have better electrical loss
characteristics (e.g., less energy lost to resistance) than cables
with relatively smaller wire sizes, since the larger size wires
have larger cross-sectional areas along which to convey current. In
applications in which one or more electrical cables are used to
convey electrical signals over a relatively long distance between
two or more devices or systems, cables having larger wire sizes may
be preferable over cables with smaller wire sizes due to the better
loss characteristics in the larger wires.
[0003] As the wire size of a cable increases, the cable also
generally becomes less flexible. An application may require an end
of the cable to be routed through a narrow passageway through a
case in order to terminate to a device within the case, so it may
be preferable to use a cable with a smaller wire size in such an
application due to the increased flexibility relative to a larger
wire size cable. Additionally, an increased wire size may make a
cable more difficult to terminate the wire conductors to a device
having a relatively small pitch between contacts of the device. For
example, larger wire conductors may have a larger center-to-center
pitch between the centers of adjacent wire conductors than smaller
wire conductors. Some devices may be configured to electrically
connect to wire conductors having a certain pitch or ranges of
pitches, such that the devices may be impedance-matched to such
wire conductors. Thus, cables having large wire sizes may have a
pitch between wire conductors that is greater than the device is
configured to accept. Therefore, whereas cables with larger wire
sizes may provide better loss characteristics than cables with
smaller wire sizes, the larger wire size cables may be less
flexible and/or less able to interface with certain devices than
smaller wire size cables. Various applications may call for a cable
that extends a distance between a first electrical device and a
second electrical device in order to electrically connect the first
and second electrical devices. The distance may be sufficiently
long to warrant using a cable with a relatively large wire size to
reduce electrical loss. But, the first and/or second electrical
devices may be configured to electrically connect to a cable with a
smaller wire size due to the contact pitches of the devices or an
amount of flexibility required to access the devices within
respective cases. Thus, a larger wire size cable may be preferable
between the two devices, but a smaller wire size cable may be
preferable for making the electrical connections to the two
devices.
[0004] Accordingly, a need exists for electrically connecting a
first cable having a larger wire size to a second cable having a
smaller wire size.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0005] In an embodiment, a linking cable connector is provided that
includes a cover and a lead frame. The cover defines an interior
cavity, and the lead frame is held in the interior cavity of the
cover. The lead frame includes a plurality of conductive leads
arranged side by side in a row. The conductive leads extend a
length between a first wire interface end and an opposite second
wire interface end of the lead frame. At least some adjacent
conductive leads are spaced on a first lead pitch at least
proximate to the first wire interface end of the lead frame and are
configured to engage and electrically connect to corresponding wire
conductors of a first cable harness. The at least some adjacent
conductive leads are spaced on a second lead pitch at least
proximate to the second wire interface end of the lead frame and
are configured to engage and electrically connect to corresponding
wire conductors of a second cable harness. The second lead pitch is
less than the first lead pitch. The conductive leads are configured
to provide conductive paths between the wire conductors of the
first cable harness and the wire conductors of the second cable
harness.
[0006] In an embodiment, a linking cable connector is provided that
includes a cover defining an interior cavity and a lead frame held
in the interior cavity of the cover. The lead frame extends along a
longitudinal axis between a first wire interface end and an
opposite second wire interface end. The lead frame defines a wide
span region that includes the first wire interface end, a narrow
span region that includes the second wire interface end, and a
transition region disposed between the wide span region and the
narrow span region along the longitudinal axis. The lead frame
includes a plurality of conductive leads arranged side by side in a
row along a lateral axis. The conductive leads extend between the
first and second wire interface ends of the lead frame. At least
some adjacent conductive leads are spaced on a first lead pitch
along the wide span region, and the at least some adjacent
conductive leads are spaced on a second lead pitch along the narrow
span region. The second lead pitch is less than the first lead
pitch. The conductive leads along the wide span region are
configured to engage and electrically connect to corresponding wire
conductors of a first cable harness, and the conductive leads along
the narrow span region are configured to engage and electrically
connect to corresponding wire conductors of a second cable harness.
The conductive leads provide conductive paths between the wire
conductors of the first cable harness and the wire conductors of
the second cable harness.
[0007] In an embodiment, a linking cable connector is provided that
includes a cover defining an interior cavity and an array of
electrical conductors held in the interior cavity of the cover. The
array of electrical conductors extends longitudinally between a
first wire interface end and an opposite second wire interface end.
The array of conductors defines a wide span region that includes
the first wire interface end, a narrow span region that includes
the second wire interface end, and a transition region disposed
between the wide span region and the narrow span region. The
electrical conductors in the array each extend the length of the
array between the first wire interface end and the second wire
interface end and are laterally spaced apart from one another in a
row. The electrical conductors along the wide span region have a
first pitch between adjacent electrical conductors, and the
electrical conductors along the narrow span region have a second
pitch between adjacent electrical conductors that is less than the
first pitch. The transition region extends between a wide end and
an opposite narrow end. The electrical conductors at the wide end
have the first pitch between adjacent electrical conductors. The
electrical conductors at the narrow end have the second pitch
between adjacent electrical conductors. The electrical conductors
extend linearly between the wide end and the narrow end of the
transition region. The electrical conductors along the wide span
region are configured to engage and electrically connect to
corresponding wire conductors of a first cable harness, and the
electrical conductors along the narrow span region are configured
to engage and electrically connect to corresponding wire conductors
of a second cable harness. Each electrical conductor provides a
conductive path between one of the wire conductors of the first
cable harness and a corresponding wire conductor of the second
cable harness.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a cable assembly formed in accordance
with an embodiment.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cable assembly according to an
embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a conductor array of a
cable connector of the cable assembly according to an
embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the cable connector
according to an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Embodiments set forth herein include cable assemblies and
cable connectors that may form part of the cable assemblies. The
cable connectors may be configured to satisfy certain mechanical
requirements. For example, the cable connectors may be configured
to electrically engage multiple cables that have different wire
conductor sizes and/or center-to-center pitches between wire
conductors. The cable connectors may also be able to satisfy
certain electrical requirements. For example, the cable connectors
may be configured to transmit data signals at high speeds, such as
10 gigabits per second (Gbps) or greater, while achieving a
sufficient level of signal integrity. Moreover, the components of
one or more embodiments set forth herein may enable the manufacture
of cable connectors that are capable of achieving the desired
mechanical and electrical requirements.
[0013] As used herein, phrases such as "a plurality of [elements]"
and "an array of [elements]" and the like, when used in the
detailed description and claims, do not necessarily include each
and every element that a component may have. For example, the
phrase "a plurality of conductors [being/having a recited feature]"
does not necessarily mean that each and every conductor has the
recited feature. Other conductors may not include the recited
feature. Accordingly, unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g.,
"each and every cable of the cable connector"), embodiments may
include similar elements that do not have the recited features.
Likewise, unless explicitly stated otherwise, when a component is
recited as having certain elements, the component is permitted to
have additional elements. For example, although a connector body
may be described as having a front housing and a rear housing in
the illustrated embodiment, the connector body may also include
another housing part in addition to the front and rear
housings.
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a cable assembly 100 formed in accordance
with an embodiment. The cable assembly 100 includes a linking cable
connector 102, a first cable harness 104, and a second cable
harness 106. The first and second cable harnesses 104, 106 are
coupled to the linking cable connector 102. The linking cable
connector 102 includes a connector housing 120 that extends between
a first cable end 108 and a second cable end 110. The first and
second cable harnesses 104, 106 are electrically connected to
conductive elements of the linking cable connector 102 held within
the connector housing 120, as described in greater detail below.
The first cable harness 104 extends from the first cable end 108,
and the second cable harness 106 extends from the second cable end
110. The linking cable connector 102 is configured to provide an
electrically conductive pathway between the first and second cable
harnesses 104, 106 to electrically connect the first and second
cable harnesses 104, 106 to one another. For example, electrical
power and/or data signals conveyed through the first cable harness
104 are transmitted through the linking cable connector 102 to the
second cable harness 106 and vice-versa. The linking cable
connector 102 may be referred to herein as linking electrical
connector 102, electrical connector 102, or connector 102.
[0015] The first and second cable harnesses 104, 106 each include a
plurality or bundle of respective individual cables 144, 154 (shown
in FIG. 2) and a respective outer jacket 112, 114 that surrounds
the individual cables 144, 154. The cable assembly 100 optionally
may include strain-relief boots (not shown) that surrounds the
jackets 112, 114 at the corresponding ends 108, 110 of the cable
connector 102 to provide strain relief.
[0016] In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the cables 144
of the first cable harness 104 include wire conductors 152 that
have a larger wire size than wire conductors 162 of the cables 154
of the second cable harness 106. As used herein, wire size may
refer to a cross-sectional area of a wire conductor, a diameter of
a wire conductor, a surface area of wire conductor, or the like.
Wire size may be measured and/or categorized in terms of wire
gauge. Typically a larger wire size has a smaller wire gauge than a
smaller wire size. The first cable harness 104 has a greater
lateral width 116 than the lateral width 118 of the second cable
harness 106. Assuming the first cable harness 104 and the second
cable harness 106 have approximately the same number of wire
conductors 152, 162 therein, since the wire conductors 152 of the
first cable harness 104 are larger than the wire conductors 162 of
the second cable harness 106, the first cable harness 104 has an
overall greater width 116 than the width 118 of the second cable
harness 106.
[0017] In one example application, the cable assembly 100 is used
to provide an electrically conductive path between a first
electrical device (not shown) and a second electrical device (not
shown). The first electrical device is electrically connected to a
distal end (not shown) of the first cable harness 104, and the
second electrical device is electrically connected to a distal end
of the second cable harness 106. The first electrical device may be
configured to be terminated to wire conductors of the same or a
similar pitch and/or wire size as the wire conductors 152 of the
cables 144 in the first cable harness 104. The second electrical
device may be configured to be terminated to wire conductors of the
same or a similar pitch and/or wire size as the wire conductors 162
of the cables 154 in the second cable harness 106, which are
smaller and have a reduced pitch relative to the wire conductors
152 of the first cable harness 104. The linking cable connector 102
electrically connects the first cable harness 104 to the second
cable harness 106 end-to-end in order to provide a conductive
signal path between the first and second devices, while ensuring
that proper wire conductors are terminated to each of the
respective devices.
[0018] In another example application, the cable assembly 100 also
provides an electrically conductive path between two electrical
devices that are not shown. In this application, both electrical
devices are configured to be terminated to cables having relatively
small wire conductors, such as the cables 154 of the second cable
harness 106, for flexibility in routing and/or for matching a
relatively small contact pitch of the devices. But, the two devices
may be separated by a significant distance such that routing the
second cable harness 106 the full length would result in
significant electrical loss due to resistance in the wire
conductors 162. In an embodiment, the second cable harness 106 is
terminated at a distal end (not shown) to a first of the electrical
devices, and another cable harness (not shown) that is similar to
the second cable harness 106 is terminated to the second of the
electrical devices. The linking cable connector 102 is a first
linking connector that connects the second cable harness 106 to the
first cable harness 104. The first cable harness 104 spans a
majority of the distance between the two devices, and a distal end
(not shown) of the first cable harness 104 is connected to a second
linking cable connector (not shown) that is similar to the
illustrated linking connector 102. The second linking cable
connector electrically connects the first cable harness 104 to the
other cable harness that is terminated to the second device. Thus,
the cable harnesses with the smaller wire sizes are used at the
ends of the signal path for terminating to the electrical devices,
and the cable harness with the larger wire size is used to reduce
electrical loss along a middle portion of the signal path between
the devices.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cable assembly 100 according to
an embodiment. For reference, the cable connector 102 is oriented
with respect to a longitudinal axis 134 and a lateral axis 136 that
is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 134. It is noted that the
cable connector 102 may have any orientation with respect to
gravity. The cable connector 102 includes a cover 122 and an array
124 of conductors 126. In an embodiment, the cover 122 is composed
of a top cover member 127 (shown in FIG. 4) and a bottom cover
member 128 that are configured to engage one another to define the
assembled cover 122. The top cover member 127 is not shown in order
for the array 124 of conductors 126 to be visible, as the array 124
of conductors 126 are held in an interior cavity 198 (shown in FIG.
4) of the cover 122. As used herein, relative or spatial terms such
as "top," "bottom," "first," "second," "left," and "right" are only
used to distinguish the referenced elements and do not necessarily
require particular positions or orientations in the cable assembly
100, the cable connector 102, or the surrounding environment of the
cable assembly 100. The cover 122 in an embodiment is discrete from
the connector housing 120 (shown in FIG. 1) and is held within the
connector housing 120. The cover 122 extends between the first
cable end 108 and the second cable end 110 of the cable connector
102. In an alternative embodiment, the cover 122 defines the
connector housing 120, such that the cover 122 defines an outer
perimeter of the cable connector 102.
[0020] The array 124 of electrical conductors 126 extend
longitudinally between a first wire interface end 130 and an
opposite second wire interface end 132. The first wire interface
end 130 is at or proximate to the first cable end 108 of the cable
connector 102, and the second wire interface end 132 is at or
proximate to the second cable end 110 of the cable connector 102.
In an embodiment, each of the conductors 126 extends the full
length of the array 124 between the first wire interface end 130
and the second wire interface end 132. The electrical conductors
126 are laterally spaced apart from one another along the lateral
axis 136, such that the electrical conductors 126 are arranged in a
row. The conductors 126 may be held to extend co-planar with one
another.
[0021] In an exemplary embodiment, the electrical conductors 126
are conductive leads 126 of a lead frame 138. The electrical
conductors 126 are referred to herein as conductive leads 126. The
lead frame 138 extends between the first wire interface end 130 and
the second wire interface end 132. The lead frame 138 includes the
conductive leads 126 and a frame body or layer 140 that surrounds
the conductive leads 126. The conductive leads 126 are formed of a
conductive metal material, such as a copper alloy. The conductive
leads 126 of the lead frame 138 may have been formed on a common
carrier strip, with the carrier strip subsequently being
dissociated from the conductive leads 126 such that the leads 126
in the assembled state in the cover 122 are not electrically
connected to one another. The frame body 140 may be a dielectric
material that surrounds each of the conductive leads 126
individually to provide electrical insulation between the leads
126. The conductive leads 126 may be held in fixed positions
relative to one another by the frame body 140. The frame body 140
may be molded around the array 124 of conductive leads 126 through,
for example, an overmolding process. At least portions of the leads
126 may be encased within the frame body 140. Other portions of the
conductive leads 126 may be exposed through the frame body 140 to
define contact areas for electrical connections. The frame body 140
includes a top side 146 and a bottom side 148 (shown in FIG.
4).
[0022] In an alternative embodiment, instead of being conductive
leads, the electrical conductors 126 may be electrical traces
defined along one side of a printed circuit board (not shown). The
printed circuit board is held within the cover 122 and extends
between the first wire interface end 130 and the second wire
interface end 132. The traces of the circuit board may have the
same or a similar geometry as the geometry of the conductive leads
described below.
[0023] The first cable harness 104 includes a plurality or bundle
of individual cables 144 held within the outer jacket 112 (shown in
FIG. 1). Each cable 144 includes a shield layer 150, an insulation
layer 153, and at least one wire conductor 152. In an embodiment,
the wire conductors 152 include signal conductors 152A and ground
conductors 152B (shown in FIG. 4). The signal conductors 152A may
be used to convey data and/or power. The ground conductors 152B
provide a conductive ground path along the cables 144. At least one
signal conductor 152A is surrounded by the insulation layer 153,
which is itself surrounded by the shield layer 150. Each cable 144
may include a ground conductor 152B or drain wire that is disposed
between the shield layer 150 and the insulation layer 153 or is
disposed external of the shield layer 150. The second cable harness
106 also includes a plurality or bundle of cables 154 held within
the respective outer jacket 114 (shown in FIG. 1). Like the cables
144 of the first cable harness 104, each of the cables 154 of the
second cable harness 106 includes a shield layer 160, an insulation
layer 163 and at least one wire conductor 162. The wire conductors
162 include signal conductors 162A and ground conductors (not
shown).
[0024] In some embodiments, the cables 144 and/or the cables 154
are twin-axial cables each having a pair of the respective signal
wire conductors 152A, 162A extending parallel to each other
throughout the length of the corresponding cable 144, 154.
Alternatively, the pair of signal wire conductors 152A, 162A may be
helically twisted around a center axis of the corresponding cable
144, 154. In alternative embodiments, the cables 144 and/or the
cables 154 may include only one signal conductor or more than two
signal conductors.
[0025] The wire conductors 152 of the cables 144 of the first cable
harness 104 are terminated (for example, mechanically and
electrically connected) to the corresponding conductive leads 126
at or proximate to the first wire interface end 130 of the lead
frame 138. For example, the lead frame 138 defines termination
contact areas 142 located at or proximate to the first wire
interface end 130 in which the conductive leads 126 are exposed
through the dielectric frame body 140 in order to directly
mechanically engage the wire conductors 152. Similarly, the wire
conductors 162 of the cables 154 of the second cable harness 106
are terminated to the corresponding conductive leads 126 at
termination contact areas 143 located at or proximate to the second
wire interface end 132 of the lead frame 138. The wire conductors
152, 162 terminate to the conductive leads 126 to provide
metal-to-metal mating interfaces. For example, the wire conductors
152, 162 may be laser-welded to the corresponding termination
contact areas 142, 143 of the conductive leads 126, or
alternatively may be soldered to the conductive leads 126.
Optionally, the conductive leads 126 may include mating protrusions
(not shown) at the termination contact areas 142, 143 that are
configured to extend out of the plane of the conductive leads 126
to engage the corresponding wire conductors 152, 162. The mating
protrusions may be deflectable contact beams. In another
embodiment, the conductive leads 126 may indirectly engage the
corresponding wire conductors 152, 162 at the termination contact
areas 142, 143 via discrete conductive elements, such as contact
pads, located between the leads 126 and the wire conductors 152,
162.
[0026] The conductive leads 126 that are terminated to the signal
conductors 152A of the first cable harness 104 and to the signal
conductors 162A of the second cable harness 106 are referred to as
signal leads 126A. Each signal lead 126A is terminated to one of
the signal conductors 152A of the first cable harness 104 and one
of the signal conductors 162A of the second cable harness 106 to
provide a conductive signal path between the two signal conductors
152A, 162A. The conductive leads 126 that are terminated to the
ground conductors 152B (shown in FIG. 4) of the first cable harness
104 and the ground conductors (not shown) of the second cable
harness 106 are ground leads 126B. Each ground lead 126B is
terminated to one of the ground conductors 152B of the first cable
harness 104 and one of the ground conductors of the second cable
harness 106 to provide a conductive ground path therebetween. The
signal leads 126A and the ground leads 126B are arranged along the
row of conductive leads 126 in a repeating sequence or pattern
(along the lateral axis 136). In the illustrated embodiment, the
sequence is ground-signal-signal-ground-signal-signal-ground such
that a single ground lead 126B extends between two adjacent pairs
of signal leads 126A. The lead frame 138 may define other repeating
sequences of signal leads 126A and ground leads 126B in other
embodiments, such as alternating signal leads 126A and ground leads
126B or two ground leads 126B disposed between two adjacent pairs
of signal leads 126A.
[0027] In an exemplary embodiment, the lead frame 138 (for example,
the array 124 of conductors 126) defines a wide span region 164, a
narrow span region 166, and a transition region 168 disposed
between the wide span region 164 and the narrow span region 166
along the longitudinal axis 134. The wide span region 164 includes
the first wire interface end 130 of the lead frame 138 and extends
from the first wire interface end 130 to the transition region 168.
The narrow span region 166 includes the second wire interface end
132 of the lead frame 138 and extends from the second wire
interface end 132 to the transition region 168. A width of the wide
span region 164 along the lateral axis 136 is greater than a width
of narrow span region 166. The transition region 168 extends
between a wide end 170 and an opposite narrow end 172. The wide end
170 is located at the interface between the transition region 168
and the wide span region 164, and the narrow end 172 is located at
the interface between the transition region 168 and the narrow span
region 166. The width of the transition region 168 at the wide end
170 is the same as the width of the wide span region 164, and the
width of the transition region 168 at the narrow end 172 is the
same as the width of the narrow span region 166, such that the
transition region 168 is wider at the wide end 170 than at the
narrow end 172. The wide span region 164 includes the termination
contact areas 142. The narrow span region 166 includes the
termination contact areas 143.
[0028] In an embodiment, at least portions of the conductive leads
126 along the wide span region 164 have a first center-to-center
pitch 174 between adjacent conductive leads 126. As used herein, a
"pitch between adjacent [conductive elements]" refers to a distance
between lateral centers or midpoints of two adjacent conductive
elements, not a distance between nearest edges of the two
conductive elements. For example, a first pair of conductors may
have the same pitch as a second pair of conductors because the
distance between centers of the conductors of the first pair may be
equal to the distance between centers of the conductors of the
second pair, although a spacing between nearest edges of the
conductors of the first pair may differ from the spacing between
nearest edges of the conductors of the second pair. This result may
be due to one or more of the conductors in the first pair having a
different width relative to one or more of the conductors in the
second pair.
[0029] At least portions of the conductive leads 126 along the
narrow span region 166 have a second center-to-center pitch 176
that is less than the first center-to-center pitch 174. As used
herein, the first center-to-center pitch 174 is referred to as the
first lead pitch 174, and the second center-to-center pitch 176 is
referred to as the second lead pitch 176. Thus, two particular
adjacent conductive leads 126 are spaced on the first lead pitch
174 along at least a portion of the wide span region 164, and the
same two conductive leads 126 are spaced on the second lead pitch
176 along at least a portion of the narrow span region 166. In one
embodiment, all adjacent conductive leads 126 are spaced on the
first lead pitch 174 along at least a portion of the wide span
region 164, and all adjacent conductive leads 126 are spaced on the
second lead pitch 176 along at least a portion of the narrow span
region 166. However, in one or more embodiments, some adjacent
leads 126 are not spaced on the first lead pitch 174 along the wide
span region 164 and are not spaced on the second lead pitch 176
along the narrow span region 166. For example, two intra-cable
adjacent leads 126 that are configured to electrically connect to
adjacent signal wire conductors 152A within the same cable 144 are
spaced on the first lead pitch 174, but two inter-cable adjacent
leads 126 that are configured to electrically connect to adjacent
conductors 152 of different cables 144 may be spaced farther apart
than the first lead pitch 174. Thus, as used herein, when the
conductive leads 126 are described as being spaced on the first
lead pitch 174 and/or the second lead pitch 176, this description
applies to at least some adjacent leads 126 (for example, the
intra-cable adjacent leads 126) but optionally may not apply to
every pair of adjacent leads 126 in the lead frame 138.
[0030] In an embodiment, the first lead pitch 174 corresponds to a
first wire pitch between adjacent wire conductors 152 of the cables
144 in the first cable harness 104, and the second lead pitch 176
corresponds to a second wire pitch between adjacent wire conductors
162 of the cables 154 in the second cable harness 106. More
specifically, the first wire pitch corresponds to the pitch between
signal conductors 152A in the same cable 144, and the second wire
pitch corresponds to the pitch between signal conductors 162A in
the same cable 154. The first and second lead pitches 174, 176 may
be approximately equal to, or within a designated range of, the
respective first and second wire pitches.
[0031] In an embodiment, the wire conductors 152 of the cables 144
in the first cable harness 104 have a larger wire size than the
wire conductors 162 of the cables 154 in the second cable harness
106. Due to the larger wire size, the first cable harness 104
optionally may be used to provide a longer-distance communication
path than the second cable harness 106 due to the lower electrical
loss characteristics of the first cable harness 104, as described
in the earlier discussion of FIG. 1. The larger wire conductors 152
may have a greater wire pitch between adjacent conductors 152 than
the smaller wire conductors 162 because, for example, the larger
conductors 152 may require more insulation and/or shielding between
adjacent wire conductors 152 than the smaller wire conductors 162.
The portions of the conductive leads 126 at or near the first wire
interface end 130 that terminate to the larger wire conductors 152
are spaced on the first lead pitch 174 that corresponds to the wire
pitch between the wire conductors 152 in the same cable 144 in
order for the wire conductors 152 to terminate to the conductive
leads 126 on pitch without bending the wire conductors 152 towards
or away from one another at the mating interfaces between the wire
conductors 152 and the corresponding conductive leads 126. Changing
the wire pitch between adjacent wire conductors 152 may change the
impedance, which could negatively affect signal integrity.
Likewise, the portions of the conductive leads 126 at or near the
second wire interface end 132 that terminate to the smaller wire
conductors 162 are spaced on the second lead pitch 176 that
corresponds to the wire pitch between the wire conductors 162 in
the same cable 154 in order for the wire conductors 162 to
terminate to the conductive leads 126 on pitch without bending the
wire conductors 162 and changing the impedance.
[0032] In the transition region 168, the conductive leads 126 at
the wide end 170 have the first lead pitch 174 between adjacent
conductive leads 126, and the conductive leads 126 at the narrow
end 172 of the transition region 168 have the second lead pitch
176. As such, adjacent conductive leads 126 have varying distances
(or pitches) between one another along the length of the transition
region 168. In an embodiment, the conductive leads 126 extend
linearly along the transition region 168 between the wide end 170
and the narrow end 172. Therefore, since the distances vary between
linearly-extending adjacent conductive leads 126 along the
transition region 168, the adjacent conductive leads 126 extend at
non-parallel angles relative to one another, as described in more
detail with reference to FIG. 3 below. In an embodiment, the
conductive leads 126 extend parallel to one another along the full
length of the wide span region 164 and along the full length of the
narrow span region 166, such that the conductive leads 126 only
extend non-parallel to one another along the transition region 168.
Thus, the transition region 168 defines the only area of the lead
frame 138 in which the pitch between adjacent conductive leads 126
varies. In addition to the transition region 168, the conductive
leads 126 may extend linearly along the wide span region 164 and/or
along the narrow span region 166.
[0033] In an embodiment, the wide span region 164 of the lead frame
138 includes a cable subsection 180 and a bus bar subsection 182.
The bus bar subsection 182 is disposed along the longitudinal
length of the lead frame 138 between the cable subsection 180 and
the transition region 168. The conductive leads 126 are terminated
to the wire conductors 152 of the first cable harness 104 along the
cable subsection 180. Thus, the termination contact areas 142 are
disposed within the cable subsection 180. The ground leads 126B of
the conductive leads 126 are configured to engage and electrically
connect to a bus bar 186 along the bus bar subsection 182. The lead
frame 138 defines grounding contact areas 188 along the bus bar
subsection 182 in which the ground leads 126B, but not the signal
leads 126A, are exposed through the frame body 140 to engage
contact fingers 190 of the bus bar 186 to electrically common the
ground leads 126B. The narrow span region 166 of the lead frame 138
may also define a cable subsection 192 and a bus bar subsection 194
that is disposed between the cable subsection 192 and the
transition region 168. The conductive leads 126 are terminated to
the wire conductors 162 of the second cable harness 106 along the
cable subsection 192, and the ground leads 126B are configured to
engage and electrically connect to a bus bar 196 along the bus bar
subsection 194. The termination contact areas 143 are therefore
disposed within the cable subsection 192, and the bus bar
subsection 194 includes grounding contact areas 189.
[0034] The bus bars 186, 196 each include contact fingers 190 that
extend from a respective base 208. The bases 208 extend across the
row of conductive leads 126. Although the bases 208 extend along
the lateral axis 136 and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 134
in the illustrated embodiment, the bases 208 may extend at oblique
angles relative to the lateral axis 136 in other embodiments. As
shown in more detail with reference to FIG. 4, the fingers 190 and
the bases 208 may be non-planar such that distal ends of the
fingers 190 and the bases 208 are disposed at different heights
relative to the lead frame 138.
[0035] The cover 122 extends between the first cable end 108 and
the second cable end 110. The cover 122 defines an interior cavity
198 (shown in FIG. 4) that extends through the cover 122 between a
first opening 200 at the first cable end 108 and a second opening
202 at the second cable end 110. In an embodiment, the first and
second openings 200, 202 are oriented parallel to one another such
that the cover 122 has a tube or sleeve-shape. The cables 144 of
the first cable harness 104 are received in the interior cavity 198
(to terminate to the lead frame 138 within the interior cavity 198)
through the first opening 200. The cables 154 of the second cable
harness 106 are received in the interior cavity 198 through the
second opening 202. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the outer jackets
112, 114 (both shown in FIG. 1) of the first and second cable
harnesses 104, 106 are not received through the corresponding first
and second openings 200, 202. The cover 122 defines a wide section
204 and a narrow section 206. The wide section 204 includes the
first cable end 108, and the narrow section 206 includes the second
cable end 110. The wide span region 164 of the lead frame 138
aligns with and is held along the wide section 204 of the cover
122. The narrow span region 166 of the lead frame 138 aligns with
and is held along the narrow section 206.
[0036] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an array 220 of the
conductors 126 (for example, conductive leads 126) of the cable
connector 102 (shown in FIG. 2) according to an embodiment. The
illustrated array 220 may be a subset of the array 124 shown in
FIG. 2, which includes more than the seven conductive leads 126
shown in FIG. 3. The conductive leads 126 extend between the first
and second wire interface ends 130, 132 of the lead frame 138
(shown in FIG. 2) along the wide span region 164, the transition
region 168, and the narrow span region 166. In the illustrated
embodiment, adjacent conductive leads 126 in the row extend
parallel to one another along the wide span region 164 and along
the narrow span region 166, and extend at acute angles relative to
one another along the transition region 168.
[0037] The array 220 defines a center longitudinal axis 222 that
bisects the lateral width of the array 220 between a first outer
lead 224 on a first side of the center longitudinal axis 222 and a
second outer lead 226 on an opposite second side of the center
longitudinal axis 222. The center longitudinal axis 222 is parallel
to the longitudinal axis 134 shown in FIG. 2. The array 220
optionally includes a center lead 228 that is coaxial to the center
longitudinal axis 222. The portions of the conductive leads 126
along the wide span region 164 and along the narrow span region 166
extend parallel to the center longitudinal axis 222. At least most
of the conductive leads 126 extend non-parallel to the center
longitudinal axis 222 along the transition region 168. The only
exception in FIG. 3 is the center lead 228, which is coaxial to the
center longitudinal axis 222 in the transition region 168. In an
alternative embodiment that does not include a center lead, all of
the conductive leads 126 extend non-parallel to the center
longitudinal axis 222 in the transition region 168. For example,
the conductive leads 126 in a first subset 230 of leads disposed on
the first side of the center longitudinal axis 222 (and the center
lead 228) have positive slopes relative to the center longitudinal
axis 222 in the transition region 168. Inversely, the conductive
leads 126 in a second subset 232 of leads disposed on the second
side of the center longitudinal axis 222 have negative slopes
relative to the center longitudinal axis 222 in the transition
region 168.
[0038] In an embodiment, the conductive leads 126 extend
non-parallel to one another along the transition region 168. The
conductive leads 126 in the first and second subsets 230, 232
extend at acute angles relative to the center longitudinal axis
222. For example, the first and second subsets 230, 232 each have
progressively increasing angle magnitudes relative to the center
longitudinal axis 222 with increasing distance of the conductive
leads 126 from the center longitudinal axis 222 in the transition
region 168. As such, the first outer lead 224 of the first subset
230 has the largest angle 240 relative to the center longitudinal
axis 222 of the leads 126 in the first subset 230, and the second
outer lead 226 has the largest angle 242 relative to the center
longitudinal axis 222 of the leads 126 in the second subset 232.
For example, the angle 240 is greater than the angle 244 between
the center longitudinal axis 222 and the conductive lead 126 of the
first subset 230 that is adjacent to the center lead 228. The
angles 240 and 242 may have equal magnitudes and opposite signs
(for example, positive and negative).
[0039] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the cable connector
102 according to an embodiment. The cross-section is taken along
the line 4-4 in FIG. 2. The cross-section extends through a ground
lead 126B, the frame body 140, and an adjacent signal lead 126A of
the lead frame 138, since the conductive leads 126 are jogged along
the transition region 168, as shown in FIG. 2. The ground lead 126B
is terminated to a ground conductor 152B (for example, drain wire)
of one of the cables 144 of the first cable harness 104 (shown in
FIG. 2). The signal lead 126A is terminated to a signal conductor
162A of one of the cables 154 of the second cable harness 106 (FIG.
2).
[0040] The cover 122 defines the interior cavity 198 between the
top cover member 127 and the bottom cover member 128. In an
embodiment, the cover 122 is formed of an electrically conductive
metal material. The cover 122 includes shield interfaces 250 at the
first and second cable ends 108, 110 of the cover 122. The shield
interfaces 250 engage and electrically connect to shield elements
(for example, the shield layers 150, 160) of the cables 144, 154.
Therefore, the cover 122 is configured to be electrically connected
to the shielding elements of the cables 144, 154 of the first and
second cable harnesses 104, 106 (shown in FIG. 2), respectively.
The shield interfaces 250 in the illustrated embodiment are edges
of the top and bottom cover members 127, 128 that define the first
and second openings 200, 202. The openings 200, 202 may be sized
with respective heights that are equal to or slightly smaller than
diameters or heights of the corresponding cables 144, 154 such that
the edges of the top and bottom cover members 127, 128 engage and
slightly compress the cables 144, 154 when the cable connector 102
is assembled. The first opening 200 may be taller than the second
opening 202 to accommodate a size difference between the cables 144
and the cables 154. In alternative embodiments, the shield
interfaces 250 may be projections or tabs that extend from the
cover 122 to engage the shield layers 150, 160, or the shield
interfaces 250 may be a conductive material or adhesive, such as a
solder material, that is applied between the edges of the cover
members 127, 128 and the shield layers 150, 160 to electrically
connect the cover 122 to the cables 144, 154.
[0041] In FIG. 4, the cross-section extends through the contact
fingers 190 and the base 208 of the bus bar 186 that is engaged
with and electrically connected to the ground lead 126B. The
cross-section extends through the base 208, but not the fingers
190, of the bus bar 196, since the bus bar 196 is not configured to
electrically connect to the signal lead 126A. In an embodiment,
both bus bars 186, 196 are configured to be electrically connected
to the cover 122 to provide a ground circuit between the bus bars
186, 196. The bus bars 186, 196 are carried by the cover 122, such
that the bus bars 186, 196 are integral components of the cover 122
or are coupled directly or indirectly to the cover 122 and would
move with movement of the cover 122. For example, the respective
bases 208 of the bus bars 186, 196 may be discrete components that
are directly secured to the top cover member 127 via a mechanical
fastener, a conductive adhesive, or the like. In another
embodiment, one or both of the bus bars 186, 196 may be integral to
the top cover member 127. The contact fingers 190 may extend
directly from the top cover member 127, and optionally may be
stamped and formed out of the metal material of the top cover
member 127.
[0042] It is to be understood that the above description is
intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the
above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in
combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be
made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings
of the invention without departing from its scope. Dimensions,
types of materials, orientations of the various components, and the
number and positions of the various components described herein are
intended to define parameters of certain embodiments, and are by no
means limiting and are merely exemplary embodiments. Many other
embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the
claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing
the above description. The scope of the invention should,
therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims,
along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are
entitled. In the appended claims, the terms "including" and "in
which" are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective
terms "comprising" and "wherein." Moreover, in the following
claims, the terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. are used
merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical
requirements on their objects. Further, the limitations of the
following claims are not written in means-plus-function format and
are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112(f),
unless and until such claim limitations expressly use the phrase
"means for" followed by a statement of function void of further
structure.
* * * * *