Abstract: An LED array is mounted on a base that is thermally coupled to a heat spreader. At least one aperture is provided between the support area and an edge of the heat spreader. The heat spreader may be coupled to a thermal pad which has sufficient thermal conductivity and is sufficiently thin to allow the thermal resistivity between the heat spreader and a corresponding heat sink to be below a predetermined value.

Abstract: An interposer connector is provided that is suitable for translatable connection between a first and second connector. The interposer connector includes a housing with a face that includes an opening and a terminal positioned in the opening. The terminal is configured to pivot about the opening so that when the interposer is caused to couple the first and second connector, the terminal may translate along a first plane to account for misalignment in a first direction between the first and second connector. The housing may further be configured to allow the terminal to translate in a second plane that is substantially perpendicular to the first plane so as to account for misalignment in a second direction.

Abstract: A laminated terminal is provided for an electrical connector and includes a plurality of flat metal layers juxtaposed to form a laminated structure. Each metal layer includes a joining section, a contact section and a terminating section. A plurality of projections on the joining sections of the layers are interengaged within a respective plurality of recesses in adjacent layers to align the layers and provide a strong mechanical and good electrical joint between the layers. Solder tails extend linearly along the bottom edge of each joining section to form a plurality of rows of solder tails, and the terminating portions of the metal layers are bent outwardly to separate the rows of solder tails from each other. The contact section of one metal layer may include a generally planar finger which is coplanar with a planar finger of another of the metal layers.

Abstract: An electrical power connector is mountable on a printed circuit board. The connector includes an outer terminal and an inner terminal, both of which are of generally inverted U-shaped configurations, with the inner terminal nested in the outer terminal. Solder tails project downwardly from bottom edges of side walls of the two terminals. Both terminals have a pair of blade portions projecting forwardly from the respective side walls of the terminals, whereby the blade portions of each terminal are spaced from each other. The blade portions of one terminal are generally coplanar with the blade portions of the other terminal. A dielectric housing is overmolded about the side walls of the outer terminal, leaving the solder tails and the outside surfaces of the blade portions exposed. The housing has a projecting portion extending into the spacing between the blade portions of the two terminals against the inside surfaces of the blade portions, leaving the outside surfaces of the blade portions exposed.

Abstract: A connector assembly is suitable for connecting circuit boards together. The connector assembly includes a series of ground and signal terminal sets assembled in composite wafers that may be held within a housing. The ground terminals include pairs of flat contact blades that are aligned together in abutting contact to form a column of ground contacts blades of double width, and the signal terminals are arranged in sets on opposite sides of the ground terminal blades and the signal terminals have general L-shapes that are arranged in sets of two pairs of contacts to form a cruciform pattern. One of the two connectors has solid L-shaped contacts, while the other of the two connectors has a pair of split contact arms that lie and extend in two different planes project from an associated terminal body in a manner so as to mate with the contact portions of the solid L-shaped contacts. The use of L-shaped contacts provides a redundant contact mating arrangement.

Abstract: A high-density connector utilizes a plurality of terminal assemblies that are assembled together into a block, or single unit, to form a connector. Each terminal assembly of the connector utilizes a plurality of conductive terminals having contact portions for mating with an opposing connector, tail portions for mounting to a circuit substrate and body portions held within an insulative body portion of the assembly. The body portions are supported within a housing in the form of a wafer which is plated with a conductive material so as to provide an all encompassing ground structure that surrounds the terminals and their insulative supporting terminal assemblies. In this manner a reference ground is provided around each signal terminal between its contact and tail portions that emulates a coaxial cable.

Abstract: A connector assembly is suitable for connecting circuit boards together. The connector assembly includes a series of ground and signal terminal sets assembled in terminal assemblies held within a housing. The ground terminals sets include a set of flat contact blades that are aligned together in abutting contact to form a line of ground contacts blades and the signal terminals are arranged in sets on opposite sides of the ground terminal contact blades. The signal terminals have general L-shapes that are arranged in sets of two pairs of contacts to form a cruciform pattern with an associated ground contact blade in the midst of the pattern of four. The terminal assemblies are formed from housings that have interfitting projections on their exterior sides, and the ground terminal housing is plated with a conductive material. This effectively surrounds each signal terminal in its extent through the signal terminal housing.

Abstract: A high-density connector utilizes a plurality of terminal assemblies that are assembled together into a block, or single unit, to form a connector. Each terminal assembly of the connector utilizes a plurality of conductive terminals having contact portions for mating with an opposing connector, tail portions for mounting to a circuit substrate and body portions held within an insulative body portion of the assembly. The body portions are supported within a housing in the form of a wafer which is plated with a conductive material so as to provide an all encompassing ground structure that surrounds the terminals and their insulative supporting terminal assemblies. In this manner a reference ground is provided around each signal terminal between its contact and tail portions that emulates a coaxial cable.

Abstract: A differential signal connector that is used for edge card application has a plurality of differential signal terminals and associated ground terminals arranged in “triplets”, i.e., distinct sets of three conductive terminals, each such triplet including a pair of differential signal terminals and one associated ground terminal. The ground terminal is flanked by the two differential signal terminals and each triplet is spaced apart from an adjacent triplet by a spacing which is greater than any single spacing between adjacent terminals within a triplet. Circuit boards to which such a connector is mounted are also disclosed and they have a particular pattern of termination traces, commonly taking the form of plated vias extending through the circuit board. These vias are arranged in a triangular pattern and the ground reference plane of the circuit board is provided with voids, one void being associated and encompassing a pair of the differential signal vias of a single terminal triplet.

Abstract: A high-density connector utilizes a plurality of terminal assemblies that are assembled together into a block, or single unit, to form a connector. Each terminal assembly of the connector utilizes a plurality of conductive terminals having contact portions for mating with an opposing connector, and body portions held within an insulative body portion of the assembly. The terminal assemblies support arrays of terminals arranged in a specific order of signal-ground-signal arrays. The terminal assemblies have at least two insulative housing portions that support the signal terminal arrays and an intervening ground terminal array, which may or may not be supported by an associated insulative housing. The ground members have a series of grounding tabs formed therewith with extend out from the plane of the ground members, on opposite sides thereof into contact with ground reference terminals of the signal terminal arrays.

Abstract: Connector assemblies having cantilevered contact beams arranged in one or more arrays of terminals have their terminals fixed in place at a first point within insulative connector body portions. The terminals are fixed together by one or more support members within a hollow shroud, at a second point spaced apart from the first point. The present invention pertains to means for fixing the terminals and their support member to the outer shroud. In one embodiment, the shroud is square and has a series of slots formed in two opposing sidewalls. A key member has a plurality of biasing arms, or fingers that extend into the slots and into contact with the terminal support members. In a second embodiment of the inventions, the shroud is provided with a plurality of channels formed on the inner surfaces of two opposing sidewalls thereof.

Abstract: Connector assemblies having cantilevered contact beams arranged in one or more arrays of terminals have their terminals fixed in place at a first point within insulative connector body portions. The terminals are fixed together by one or more support members within a hollow shroud, at a second point spaced apart from the first point. The present invention pertains to means for fixing the terminals and their support member to the outer shroud. In one embodiment, the shroud is square and has a series of slots formed in two opposing sidewalls. A key member has a plurality of biasing arms, or fingers that extend into the slots and into contact with the terminal support members. In a second embodiment of the inventions, the shroud is provided with a plurality of channels formed on the inner surfaces of two opposing sidewalls thereof.

Abstract: A connector uses a plurality of individual terminal assemblies to form a high-density connector. The terminal assemblies all have insulative body portions that support arrays of signal terminals and ground terminals or ground members. The terminals all have their own associated body portions which are supported by the insulative body portions and contact portions that extend out from a front, or mating face, of the assemblies. The terminal contact portions and include flexing portions formed therewith which are disposed between the terminal body and contact portions. The terminals further include insulative support members that are applied tot he terminals and which serve to define the contact and flexing portions of the terminals. The support members are fixed within a carrier, such as a shroud member, which is not attached to any one portion of the connector.

Abstract: A connector assembly is suitable for connecting circuit boards together. The connector assembly includes a series of ground and signal terminal sets assembled in composite wafers that may be held within a housing. The ground terminals include pairs of flat contact blades that are aligned together in abutting contact to form a column of ground contacts blades of double width, and the signal terminals are arranged in sets on opposite sides of the ground terminal blades and the signal terminals have general L-shapes that are arranged in sets of two pairs of contacts to form a cruciform pattern. One of the two connectors has solid L-shaped contacts, while the other of the two connectors has a pair of split contact arms that lie and extend in two different planes project from an associated terminal body in a manner so as to mate with the contact portions of the solid L-shaped contacts. The use of L-shaped contacts provides a redundant contact mating arrangement.

Abstract: A differential signal connector that is used for edge card application has a plurality of differential signal terminals and associated ground terminals arranged in “triplets”, i.e., distinct sets of three conductive terminals, each such triplet including a pair of differential signal terminals and one associated ground terminal. The ground terminal is flanked by the two differential signal terminals and each triplet is spaced apart from an adjacent triplet by a spacing which is greater than any single spacing between adjacent terminals within a triplet. Circuit boards to which such a connector is mounted are also disclosed and they have a particular pattern of termination traces, commonly taking the form of plated vias extending through the circuit board. These vias are arranged in a triangular pattern and the ground reference plane of the circuit board is provided with voids, one void being associated and encompassing a pair of the differential signal vias of a single terminal triplet.

Abstract: A high-density connector utilizes a plurality of terminal assemblies that are assembled together into a block, or single unit, to form a connector. Each terminal assembly of the connector utilizes a plurality of conductive terminals having contact portions for mating with an opposing connector, and body portions held within an insulative body portion of the assembly. The terminal assemblies support arrays of terminals arranged in a specific order of signal-ground-signal arrays. The terminal assemblies have at least two insulative housing portions that support the signal terminal arrays and an intervening ground terminal array, which may or may not be supported by an associated insulative housing. The ground members have a series of grounding tabs formed therewith with extend out from the plane of the ground members, on opposite sides thereof into contact with ground reference terminals of the signal terminal arrays.