Patents Assigned to FCI
  • Patent number: 10230178
    Abstract: A connector, such as a cable connector, with terminal contacts including two parallel resilient contact beams and a third resilient beam. Tips of the two parallel resilient beams are forced apart by the third resilient beam. The third beam can also be a resilient contact beam, e.g., extending into a direction opposite to the direction of the other two contact beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Amphenol FCI Asia Pte Ltd
    Inventors: Gert Droesbeke, Gerard Marie Leon Pequignot
  • Patent number: 10218108
    Abstract: An electrical connector is disclosed having a multi-piece connector housing. The housing pieces may be configured to fit together with separation between interior surfaces of the separately manufactured housing pieces. This separation selectively introduces pockets of air adjacent portions of the mating contacts within the connector. The packets of air may be preferentially positioned to provide a more uniform impedance along the length of a mating contact. The separation may be introduced near the mating interface of a receptacle connector, for example, to counter the effects of changes in contact geometry at the mating interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Michael Scholeno, Michael T. Craton
  • Patent number: 10211886
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a wireless communication device and method with low power modes. According to an aspect of the present embodiment, an object is to provide a wireless communication device and method, which may set an accurate timing advance by synchronizing a clock signal provided to a timer with a clock signal provided to a near-field wireless communication circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: FCI INC
    Inventor: Beom Jin Kim
  • Publication number: 20190036251
    Abstract: A card edge connector with an improved manner of creating a preload force on conductive elements held by a housing. The housing may include a member and an opening at a mating end. Each conductive element may have a contact portion curving inwardly relative to the opening and a tip extending from the contact portion towards the mating end. Each contact portion may form an electrical connection with an edge pad of a card to be inserted into the opening. The conductive elements may be configured to have a rest state in order to create a proper force to be exerted on the edge pads. The member may preload the conductive elements by contacting the conductive elements from a location farther from the mating end than the contact portion, which may avoid damage upon insertion of a card into the connector without the need for long tips of the conductive elements. As a result, the connector may operate at high frequencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Christopher J. Kolivoski, Michael Fogg, Charles Copper, William Tanis, Mark Blaine Bruening
  • Publication number: 20190027852
    Abstract: A circuit board connector comprises a housing, at least one signal contact disposed in the housing, and a pair of locking arms attached to the housing. The housing has a slot formed therein, for receiving a circuit board. Each locking arm has a latch movably disposed in the slot. The pair of locking arms are resiliently deformable relative to the housing between a lock position at which the latch is positioned to block the slot, to lock a circuit board to the connector, and an unlock position at which the latch is positioned to form a clearance in the slot, to allow disconnection of the circuit board from the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Applicant: Amphenol FCI Asia Pte Ltd
    Inventors: Masahiko Motoyama, Yasutoshi Kameda
  • Publication number: 20190027869
    Abstract: An electrical connector configured for differential pairs with low in-pair skew. The connector may comprise lead frame assemblies, such as insert molded lead frame assemblies, with adjacent conductors configured for reduced skew by distributing skew correction throughout the transmission path through the lead frame assembly. Elongated air gaps are formed in a side of the housing, exposing the longer conductor of each pair. The elongated air gap may span the entire length of the arc of a longer conductor of each pair. The width of this air gap may be different for different pairs in the lead frame assembly and may be selected to cancel or prevent in-pair skew from arising. The width for each pair may be selected to tune the effective dielectric constant of the longer conductor such that its electrical length matches that of the shorter conductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson, Jan De Geest
  • Publication number: 20190020137
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a dielectric housing, a plurality of electrical signal contacts carried by the dielectric housing, and a ground plate carried by the dielectric housing. The electrical signal contacts are arranged along a first plane, wherein the signal contacts define signal pairs. The signal contacts further define respective mating and mounting ends. The ground plate includes a ground plate body oriented in a second plane that is substantially parallel to the first plane and offset from the first plane. The ground plate body defines first and second opposed surfaces. The ground plate includes at least one rib that defines first and second opposed surfaces, wherein the first surface of the rib projects from the first surface of the ground plate body in a direction toward the first plane between adjacent signal pairs, and the second surface is recessed into the second surface of the ground plate body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Douglas M. Johnescu, Jonathan E. Buck
  • Patent number: 10180580
    Abstract: An optical module can include a beam steering portion and a first side defining an inner surface that faces the beam steering portion. The optical module can further include a second side that defines an inner surface adjacent to the inner surface of the first side. The inner surface of the second side can face the beam steering portion. The optical module can be configured to direct an initial light beam from the first side to the beam steering portion along a first direction. The optical module, and in particular the beam steering portion that can include a beam splitter, can divide the initial beam into a signal light beam and a fractional light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Wojciech Giziewicz, Alexander Eichler-Neumann, Ulrich Keil, Nicola Iwanowski
  • Patent number: 10164361
    Abstract: A separator is configured to separate first and second printed circuit boards that are in electrical communication with each other through first and second pluralities of electrical connectors that are mounted to the first and second substrates, respectively, and mated to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: FCI USA LLC
    Inventor: Steven E. Minich
  • Publication number: 20180366880
    Abstract: A ground shield includes a plurality of contact members configured to contact the ground contacts of a column of contacts of an electrical connector, so as to electrically common the grounds to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2016
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Arkady Y. Zerebilov, Jason John Ellison
  • Publication number: 20180358752
    Abstract: A ground shield includes a plurality of contact members configured to contact the ground contacts of a column of contacts of an electrical connector, so as to electrically common the grounds to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2016
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventor: Jason John Ellison
  • Patent number: 10151202
    Abstract: A mine rib support includes first and second elongate members each having a first end and a second end, a center plate having a body defining a first opening that receives the first elongate member, a second opening that receives the second elongate member, and an installation opening configured to receive a mine bolt, a first end plate defining first and second openings for receiving the first end of the first and second elongate members, respectively, and a second end plate defining first and second openings for receiving the second end of the first and second elongate members, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: FCI Holdings Delaware, Inc.
    Inventors: Dakota Faulkner, John C. Stankus, Travis Mikel Sub
  • Publication number: 20180342822
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, first and second electrical connectors are configured as vertical electrical connectors that are configured to mate to each other so as to define a right angle electrical connector assembly. Ground shields and electrical contacts of various embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Steven E. Minich, Charles Copper
  • Patent number: 10135181
    Abstract: A connector including a latch hingeable about a hinging section. The latch has a latch end at one side of the hinging section and a rear end at the opposite side of the hinging section. The connector includes one or more resilient spring elements engaging the rear end to bias the latch end to a latching position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Amphenol FCI Asia Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Gert Droesbeke, Aymeric Soudy
  • Patent number: 10135165
    Abstract: This application relates to electrical connectors. An electrical connector, according to some embodiments, comprises a housing, a slot formed in the housing, the slot comprising an entrance, and first and second rows of conductive elements arranged in the housing. Each conductive element comprises a mounting end, a mating end opposite the mounting end, and an intermediate portion that extends between the mounting end and the mating end. The mating end comprises first and second contact portions projecting into the slot, and the first contact portion is closer to the entrance than the second contact portion. The first and second contact portions are capable of flexing along a width direction of the slot between a first position and a second position, the second contact portions form a receiving space between the first and second rows of conductive element, and the receiving space is smaller at the first position than the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Amphenol FCI Asia Pte Ltd
    Inventor: Nickor Zuo
  • Publication number: 20180331445
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an electrical connector has a heat dissipation holes, and is configured to be mounted to a substrate having electrical traces that are partially offset from each other, and partially aligned with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Christopher S. Gieski, Michael Blanchfield, Michael Percherke
  • Publication number: 20180317335
    Abstract: A connector for surface mounting with a solder reflow process with closely-spaced solder masses on mounting ends of reference contacts. The solder masses on the reference contacts may fuse for enhanced shielding. The mounting ends of signal and reference contacts may be positioned in rows, configured such that the solder masses of the reference contacts may shield solder masses attached to signal contacts in adjacent rows. The mounting ends of the signal contacts may be disposed in pockets in a surface of the connector housing. In some embodiments, solder balls may be fused to an edge of the signal contact, with the length of the edge extending beyond locations at which the solder ball is fused to. The edge may extend through a wall of the pocket, so as to set a desired impedance in the mounting region of the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Publication number: 20180316106
    Abstract: A connector for surface mounting with a solder reflow process with solder masses fused to mounting ends of contacts exposed in a mounting surface of the connector. The solder masses may be attached to edges of the mounting ends using a pin transfer method to apply flux to the edges. The edges may have a concave shape to both increase the length of the edge to which the solder masses are attached and position the solder masses with respect to the mounting ends. Solder paste may be omitted in attaching the solder balls to the contacts, reducing the capacitance of the contact and promoting uniformity of the impedance of the signal paths through the mounting interface of the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: 10116092
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes an electrical contact assembly that includes an electrical contact and an electrically insulative guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Hung-Wei Lord, Michael Scholeno
  • Patent number: 10109937
    Abstract: Embodiments of an electrical connector assembly are disclosed. The electrical connector assembly can include an electrical connector having a connector housing and a leadframe supported by the connector housing. The leadframe includes an electrically conductive ground plate that includes a drain wire connection tabs that can attach to drain wires of respective electrical cables. The electrical connector assembly can further include a cable clip that supports the plurality of cables. The electrical connector assembly can further include a cable guide that directs the plurality of cables of cables through the cable clip along a desired direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Arkady Zerebilov, Michael Scholeno, Hung Wei Lord, Joshua A. Garman, Charles M. Gross, Jason J. Ellison