3m Innovative Properties Company

Kok Hoe Lee

Saujit Bandhu

YunLong Qiao

Rao L Vittapalli

Vincent Tan

Chin Hua Lim

Dennis L Doye

A multilayer circuit board includes an upper surface and an opposing lower surface. An electrically insulating layer is disposed between the upper and lower surfaces. A plurality of electrically conductive upper and lower rear pads are disposed proximate a rear edge on the respective upper and lower surfaces for termination of a plurality of wires. The upper and lower rear pads include respective upper and lower rear ground pads substantially aligned with each other and configured for termination of ground wires. A plurality of electrically conductive front pads are disposed proximate a front edge for insertion into a connector and electrically connected to the upper and lower rear pads. An electrically conductive via extends from the upper rear ground pad to the lower rear ground pad and makes electrical and physical contact with each of the upper and lower rear ground pads.

Multilayer circuit board

A connector assembly for mounting on and making solderless electrical contact with a printed circuit board includes a plurality of stacked wafer assemblies. Each wafer assembly includes a wafer, a plurality of terminals partially embedded in the wafer where each terminal includes a connecting portion embedded in the wafer, a resiliently compressible mating portion for making solderless contact with a corresponding conductive pad of a PCB and a contact portion. The wafer is molded over the terminals. The wafer assembly also includes a plurality of wires terminated in termination regions at the contact portions of the terminals, and a shield disposed in the recess of the wafer and extending across the wafer. The connector assembly further includes a housing molded over the stacked wafers and the termination regions.

Connector assembly for solderless mounting to a circuit board

An electrical connector assembly includes a housing having an upper housing half removably assembled to a lower housing half via a plurality of fasteners. A circuit board is at least partially disposed in a housing cavity formed by the upper and lower housing halves. The circuit board includes a plurality of conductive front and rear pads electrically connected to each other. Flat cables terminate at the conductive rear pads disposed on upper and lower major surfaces of the circuit board. A plurality of alternating ridges and channels is disposed on a top side of the upper housing half, extending along a length of the housing. Bottom surfaces of the channels along a length of the channels are at a same height or higher than uppermost surfaces of the fasteners in the plurality of fasteners. The channels are configured to transfer heat generated by the connector assembly.

Electrical connector assembly

In a specific embodiment, a connectoris disclosed. The connectorcomprises an insulative housingdefining a rear openingfor receiving a plurality of electrical wiresand a front openingand a circuit boarddisposed in the housingand comprising a mating sectionfor mating with a corresponding mating section of a mating connector. The mating sectionprotrudes outwardly from the front openingand terminates at a front edgedisposed between opposing side edgesof the mating section. The connectorfurther comprises opposing side armsextending forwardly from opposing lateral sidesof the front openingalong, adjacent and beyond corresponding side edgesof the mating sectionwith a maximum separation between each side edgeand the corresponding side armbeing sufficiently small so that when the connectormates with a mating connector, no portion of the mating connector can be inserted between the side edgeand the corresponding side arm. Other exemplary embodiments are also disclosed.

Shielded connector assembly

A connector assembly includes, a housing, a circuit board that includes a conductive front pad and a conductive rear pad electrically connected to the front pad, and a cable that includes an insulated conductor having a conductor surrounded by an insulating material. The conductor has a diameter not greater than 24 AWG. The uninsulated front end of the conductor is terminated at the rear pad and includes a preformed bend. The connector assembly also includes a recess formed in an external surface and on a lateral side of the housing. The recess is designed to receive and house a spring member of a pull tab that is assembled to the housing. The vertical separation between the recess and the circuit board is h, the average thickness of the cable is t, and h&#x2265;3t. The preformed bend may include first and second portions connected by a substantially flattened joint.

High density connector assembly

Connectors or connector assemblies include first and second latching members attached to a housing thereof for latching the connector to a mating connector are provided. When the connector mates with the mating connector in a first/second mating orientation, the first/second latching member, but not the second/first latching member latches the connector to the mating connector.

Reversible cable assembly connector

An electrical connector includes a unitary base elongated along a longitudinal direction. A first tongue extends forwardly from the base and has a uniform thickness along the longitudinal direction. The first tongue comprises a plurality of spaced apart first contacts. A second tongue extends forwardly from the base and comprises a plurality of spaced apart second contacts. The first and second tongues define a gap therebetween that extends from a front edge of one of the first and second tongues toward the unitary base.

Multifunction connector

Connector body

A pick and place cap is configured to facilitate picking and placing a connector when the cap is assembled to the connector. The cap includes a top wall having a first engaging feature for engaging a back side of the connector, and opposing side walls each having a second engaging feature for engaging a bottom portion of the connector. The cap is configured to be assembled to and unassembled from the connector along each of two mutually orthogonal directions.

Pick and place cap

A connector assembly includes first and second connectors. Each connector includes a plurality of terminals Athrough An, n is an integer &#x2265;2, sequentially arranged in a row. The connector assembly also includes a flat cable that includes a plurality of electrical conductors electrically connecting the terminals of the first and second connectors. For each i from 1 to n, terminal Ai of the first connector is electrically connected, via a different electrical conductor of the cable, to the terminal Ai of the second connector. The cable includes a bend greater than about 150&#xb0; around at least two fold lines that extend across the entire width of the cable. Each of the first and second connectors is configured to mate with the same mating connector, such that when each of the first and second connectors mates with the same mating connector in a same plan view, the An terminals are both either on a left or a right side of the Aterminals.

Connector assembly with folded flat cable

An electrically conductive terminal generally extends along a first direction and includes a straight middle portion, a resiliently compressible mating portion extending from a first end of the middle portion for making contact with a conductive pad, and a terminating portion extending from a second end of the middle portion for making contact to a plurality of wires. The terminating portion includes a plurality of electrically connected segments separated by one or more walls and is configured to receive conductive ends of the plurality of wires in a one-to-one correspondence relationship. The terminating portion electrically connects the received wires.

Connector terminal

Electrical connectors are described. More particularly, electrical connectors including a plurality of contacts are described. Both connector plugs and sockets are described. Electrical connectors that are suitable for mounting on a printed circuit board and electrical connectors that include a printed circuit board are described.

Elongated electrical connector for mounting on a printed circuit board

Connector

A connector assembly including a connector and first and second cables is described. The connector includes an insulative housing and a circuit board partially disposed in the housing. The circuit board includes a mating section and a termination section. The mating section includes a plurality of first contact pads and the termination section includes a plurality of second contact pads electrically connected to the first contact pads. The first and second cables include conductors having front ends terminated at the second contact pads. The housing is overmolded onto and encapsulates at least the front ends of the conductors and the termination section of the circuit board. The circuit board includes a back surface at a rear end of the circuit board and the housing includes a back surface at a cable end of the housing which may be substantially coplanar with the back surface of the circuit board.

Connector assembly

Connector assemblies are disclosed. More particularly, connector assemblies including a housing with an inclined wall are disclosed. The inclined wall helps maintain a folded flat cable by contacting substantially its entire fold edge. The housing with the inclined wall may be removably attached to the rest of the connector assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Singapore, Singapore

Kok Hoe Lee