Abstract: Electrical connectors for use with high speed signals that tolerate manufacturing variations. A connector includes conductive elements disposed in first and second rows, a spacer disposed between the first and second rows of conductive elements, and a housing holding the conductive elements and the spacer. Each conductive element includes a mating end and a mounting end opposite the mating end and extending out of the housing. The spacer comprises first members contacting the conductive elements at first locations. The connector includes a second member disposed in the spacer and having projections extending beyond the spacer to contact selected conductive elements at second locations. Gaps between the spacer and the first and second rows of conductive elements may be controlled by a difference between lengths of the second member and the spacer, which provides high signal integrity despite variations in manufacturing the connector.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly including an electrical connector and a shell partially surrounding an insulative housing of the electrical connector. The insulative housing has a mating face with a socket formed therein. The socket can receive a first printed circuit board of a first electronic device such as a solid state drive (SSD). The shell includes a die cast body that has an outer shell and an inner shell separated by a slot. The inner shell includes an opening and the insulative housing is disposed within the opening. The slot receives an edge of a housing of the first electronic device. The shell includes features attached to a second electronic device such as a second printed circuit board (e.g., a motherboard). The shell includes a latching mechanism movably mounted to the body. Such configuration enables a robust and reliable electrical connection between the first electronic system and the second electronic system.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an electrical connector. The electrical connector comprises an insulative housing and a plurality of terminals disposed in the insulative housing. The insulative housing comprises a top face, a bottom face opposite to the top face, and a plurality of side faces extending between the top face and the bottom face. A corner portion between at least two adjacent side faces of the side faces is formed as a chamfered surface. Such a configuration reduces the dimension of the electrical connector, enables a more compact arrangement of components on the electronic system, and enables the dimension of the electronic system to be reduced, such that the entire assembly, including the electrical connector and the electronic system, can be manufactured at a lower cost and can be more compact and more lightweight.

Abstract: An electrical connector including a front housing member, signal and ground terminals disposed in a row in the front housing member, a cover member mounted to a rear of the front housing member, and a lossy member disposed in the cover member and contacting the ground terminals. Such a configuration improves signal integrity of the electronical connector while simplifying the manufacture and assembly of the electrical connector and reducing the cost thereof.

Abstract: Card edge connectors that are reliable and robust against impacts by external forces while having narrower widths by industry standards. A connector includes a housing having a body with a slot elongated longitudinally. The housing has a pair of towers extending vertically from opposite ends of the longitudinal slot. Each tower has a slot elongated vertically, and is narrower than the body in a transverse direction. The longitudinal slot and the vertical slots are configured to receive edges of an electronic card. The connector has a pair of reinforcing members. Each reinforcing member is at least partially disposed on a tower and configured to support a joint between the tower and the body of the housing. Such a configuration can increase robustness of the connector at the joints and therefore reduce the risks of deforming or cracking the towers when the connector is impacted by an external force.

Abstract: An electrical connector and a method for mating and unmating the same. The electrical connector comprises a housing, a locking arm, a biasing member, and a sliding member. The locking arm comprises a first end, a second end, and an intermediate portion between the first end and the second end. The first end comprises a locking portion. The intermediate portion is pivotably mounted to the housing about a pivot. The biasing member is engaged with the locking arm to drive the first end in a first direction. The sliding member is slidably connected to the housing and configured to slide in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The electrical connector may be securely locked to a mating electrical connector and has a compact structure, allowing the mating electrical connector to be mounted on a circuit board that has a compact structure.

Abstract: A card edge connector with a latch non-removably retained to a housing so as to improve the connector's reliability. The housing has a slot elongated in a longitudinal direction and is configured to hold conductive elements. Each conductive element has a contact portion exposed in the slot configured for mating with an electronic component, and a tail portion extending out of the housing configured for surface mounting to another electronic component. The housing has an end portion at an end of the slot in the longitudinal direction. The latch is installed to and extends around three sides of the end portion of the housing. The latch has a first retention feature, and the end portion has a second retention feature. When the first retention feature fully engages the second retention feature, the latch cannot be removed from the housing in a non-destructive manner. The latch and the housing may be made of different materials for respective functions.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes an insulating body and one or more reinforcing members. The insulating body comprises a pair of side portions which extend in a longitudinal direction, and a pair of tower portions which are connected to respective ends of the pair of side portions. The pair of side portions and the pair of tower portions form a longitudinal card slot. The ends of the card slot extend into the pair of tower portions respectively. A reinforcing member may be arranged in a tower portion. When an electronic card is inserted into the card slot, the one or more reinforcing members can maintain the shape of the tower portions and prevent deformation or cracking of the tower portions when the electronic card is impacted by an external force.

Abstract: A card edge connector for use with high-speed signals. The card edge connector includes a shielding member held in a base portion of a housing of the card edge connector on a side of a first terminal row of the card edge connector facing away from a second terminal row and spaced apart from the first terminal row. The shielding member is configured to overlap at least intermediate portions of a plurality of pairs of first signal terminals, and to electrically connect a plurality of ground terminals to each other. Such a configuration enables the card edge connector to meet signal integrity requirements in connectors designed for 128 Gbps and beyond, while conforming to a standard that constrains mating and mounting interfaces.

Abstract: A card edge connector with members configured to secure a mating component so as to improve the connector’s reliability. The connector housing may have a slot configured to receive the mating component. The slot has a first portion configured to receive a front edge of the mating component, and second portions extending from opposite ends of the first portion and configured to receive side edges of the mating component. Members are disposed in the housing and have beams curving into respective second portions of the slot. The beams of the members are configured to restrain movement of the mating component when the mating component is inserted into the slot. Such a configuration enables more reliable connections and improves the connector’s shock resistance while being compatible with mating components having a variety of sizes.

Abstract: A card edge connector with latches that improve the connector's reliability. The connector comprises a housing having a slot for receiving a card and latches on opposite ends of the slot for locking the card in the slot. Each latch includes a body and a projection extending in a transverse direction from a side surface of the body. The latch is pivotably connected to the housing by the projection. The latch may rotate about the projection between a locked position and an unlocked position. The body includes a lower body and an upper body wider than the lower body in the transverse direction. The projection is disposed on the lower body. The latch further includes a protrusion extending between the projection and the upper body. Such a configuration restricts the latches from moving in the housing and therefore improves the reliability of the connector.

Abstract: A connector for use with high-speed signals. The connector includes conductors held in a housing having a slot for receiving a mating component. Each conductor has a mating end curving into the slot and a mounting end extending out of the housing. The connector has a conductive shell at least partially enclosing the housing. The conductive shell covers one or more sides of the slot and substantially overlaps the mounting ends viewing from a top of the mounting interface to provide shielding to the mating and mounting interfaces. The conductive shell is coupled to ground through ground conductors of the connector. The connector has a lossy member disposed adjacent the mounting interface and coupled to the ground conductors. Such a configuration meets signal integrity requirements in connectors designed for 32 Gbps and beyond, while conforming to a standard that constrains mating and mounting interfaces.

Abstract: A connector for use with high speed signals. The connector has a housing, which includes a base portion extending in a longitudinal direction and a tongue portion extending from the base portion in a mating direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The housing has slots extending through the base portion to surfaces of the tongue portion and configured to hold terminals. The housing has a lossy material sized and shaped to couple with at least the portions of ground terminals held in the base portion along their lengths. The lossy material may protrude towards spaces between the portions of signal terminals held in the base portion along their lengths. The tail portions of the terminals may jog toward a plane that the lossy material extends. Such a connector may be used to meet signal integrity requirements in connectors designed for 64 Gbps and beyond.

Abstract: A miniaturized card edge connector providing reliable operation. A connector may have a reinforcing member comprising a main body, a first connector engaging portion and a second connector engaging portion. The first connector engaging portion and the second connector engaging portion extend from the main body in a first vertical direction and are spaced apart in a transverse direction. The first connector engaging portion and the second connector engaging portion are configured to be engaged to both sides of a card slot of the electrical connector. The reinforcing member may effectively protect the insulating body of the electrical connector against deformation or even damage. The reinforcing member can strengthen the connection between the electrical connector and the circuit board to ensure their stable connection. Since the reinforcing member itself is multifunctional and is convenient for mounting, the assembly period may be shortened and the product cost may be lowered.

Abstract: A card edge connector for transmitting signal and power simultaneously. The connector has two or more types of conductors held by a housing. First and second types of conductors are configured for transmitting signal and power, respectively. The housing has a slot for receiving a mating component. The housing has first and second types of grooves for holding the first and second types of conductors, respectively, such that the conductors can sustain a similar amount of force generated when mating with the mating component. The conductors have mating ends with contact portions curving into the slot and mounting ends opposite the mating ends and extending out of the housing. The mating and mounting ends of the first and second types of conductors are configured such that they can be deflected by the mating component simultaneously and mounted to a printed circuit board using a same process.

Abstract: An electrical connector for use in a compact system. The connector includes a housing having a pair of towers and an elongated slot between the towers. Each tower has an ejector, a rotator, and a locking member disposed therein. The rotator has a first arm coupled to the ejector and a second arm extending into the slot for coupling to a mating component inserted into the slot. When the first arm is pushed down by the ejector, the second arm pushes up the mating component, causing the locking member to deform so as to release the mating component. When the second arm does not push the mating component, the locking member is in its rest state and locks the mating component in the slot; Such a configuration enables the connector to unmate with a mating component without latches that move outside a perimeter of the connector.

Abstract: A card edge connector for high bandwidth transmission. The connector may include a housing having a groove between two walls. The walls may include slots holding terminals of the connector. The terminals of the connector may each include a mating contact portion, a mounting contact portion opposite the mating contact portion, a bearing portion extending from the mounting contact portion and fixed in the housing, and a beam extending from the bearing portion. The beams may be configured to flex when the mating contact portions make contact with pads on a card. The terminals may each include a curved transition portion between the mating contact portion and the beam so as to prevent the beam from touching the card. The housing may include holes through the walls between mating contact portions of selected adjacent terminals. Such a configuration reduces impedance mismatch at the mating interface and therefore improve signal integrity.

Abstract: A connector for use with high-speed signals. The connector may include a row of conductive elements comprising signal conductors and ground conductors. A signal conductor may include a mating end, a mounting end opposite the mating end, and an intermediate portion extending therebetween. A ground conductor may include a shell at least partially encircling intermediate portions of a group of signal conductors, with openings that expose contact surfaces of the signal conductors at the ends. The ground conductors may include contact members aligned with the mating contact surfaces of the signal conductors. Each shell may be coupled to a ground mounting location on each side of a respective group of signal conductors, with adjacent shells sharing a ground mounting location. Such a configuration may meet signal integrity requirements in connectors designed for 64 Gbps and beyond, while conforming to a standard that constrains mating and mounting interfaces.

Abstract: A miniaturized paddle card assembly that provides high-speed, high-performance transmission. The paddle card has two or more rows of contact pads for mating with complementary conductors, two or more rows of terminals for cable termination, and alternating dielectric layers and metal layers. The two or more rows of terminals are disposed on respective metal layers. Such a configuration enables conductive traces electrically connecting corresponding contact pads and terminals to be substantially straight, and therefore reduces the lengths of the conductive traces. It is also reduced that the size of the paddle card in both a lateral direction parallel to the rows and a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, without changing the thickness of the paddle card. With the paddle card assembly provided herein, the integrity of the signals transmitted therethrough can be maintained and/or improved at higher speed.

Abstract: An electrical connector that connects circuit boards in a coplanar manner. The electrical connector includes a frame comprising a plate, and two platforms extending above the plate and substantially parallel to each other. A housing of the electrical connector holding conductive elements is coupled to the plate of the frame such that a top surface of the housing is substantially flush with top surfaces of the two platforms. The platforms of the frame have threaded holes extending therethrough such that screws can be inserted to hold one of the two platforms of the electrical connector to a first circuit board and the other one of the two platforms of the electrical connector to a second circuit board that is substantially edge aligned to the first circuit board. Such a configuration enables connecting circuit boards of various thicknesses in a coplanar manner.