Molex Corporation

Michael J Gardner

Gene Whetstone

Jerry D Kachlic

Hazelton P Avery

Bill B Wilson

David E Dunham

Russell J Leonard

Paul M O'Brien

David L Brunker

Wenzong Chen

Stephen A Colleran

Malcolm H Hodge

Alan S Walse

Mark R Waldron

Lawrence E Geib

Maxwill P Bassler

Scott D Sommers

Dean A Richardson

Steve Wright

Jannick Armand

An optical fiber assembly comprises an optical fiber having a forward end, a ferrule supporting the optical fiber, a beam expanding element aligned with the forward end of the optical fiber, and a thermal expansion compensation element adjacent the optical fiber to compensate for thermal expansion differences between the optical fiber and the ferrule.

Wide temperature range optical fiber connector with thermal expansion compensation

An electrical connector system includes a plug connector and a receptacle connector, each of which include a plurality of terminal receiving cavities for receiving a plurality of terminal lead wires. The electrical connector system further includes a connector link comprising a twisted pair differential cable for providing a data rate high data rate signal transmission transfer with the connector system, in addition to standard power and signal transmission, wherein the connector link is modularly connected within the electrical connector system.

Electrical harness connector system with differential pair connection link

A shielded electrical connector includes a dielectric housing having a forward mating end and a rearward end. A front ESD shield is disposed about the exterior of at least a substantial portion of the forward mating end of the dielectric housing. A rear EMI shield is disposed about the exterior of at least a substantial portion of the rearward end of the dielectric housing. The front ESD shield is electrically isolated from the rear EMI shield by an outwardly projecting portion of the dielectric housing physically separating the shields. The shielded electrical connector is adapted for mating with a complementary mating connector which includes a peripheral metal shield. A latch arm is folded back from a forward end of the peripheral metal shield of the mating connector for engaging a latch member inside the forward mating end of the dielectric housing of the shielded electrical connector.

Electrical connector with electrically isolated ESD and EMI shields

A connector is capable of mating with a backplane. The connector includes a housing having at least a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the housing transmits a first transmission to the backplane and the second portion of the housing transmits a second transmission through the backplane without transmitting the second transmission to the backplane.

Combination connector

An improved mass connector termination assembly reduces mistermination errors and gives dual termination capability for simultaneous termination of selected wires to two different terminals. This simultaneous termination also simplifies the isolation of differential signal wire pairs. Three arrays of terminals are held within a terminal housing and include elongated contact portions that extend within a plug or receptacle portion of the connector housing and insulation displacement portions that extend along a terminating face of the connector. The terminal arrays extend through the connector between these two faces. Multiple contact portions of one of the three terminal arrays are bussed together with a single terminal and these single terminals are aligned with the terminals of the other two terminal arrays.

Selective termination connector assembly

Power connector

Signal connector

Combined signal and power connector

An electrical connector is adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board. The connector includes a dielectric housing having at least one row of terminal-receiving passages. A plurality of terminals are received in the passages and include tail portions in a row for connection to appropriate circuit traces on the printed circuit board. The tail portions of some of the terminals in the row are adapted for insertion into holes in the circuit board. The tail portions of other of the terminals in the row are adapted for surface mounting on the circuit board. Tail portions of some of the terminals extend through holes in the tail aligner while enlarged cutout areas in the tail aligner accommodate the surface mount tail portions of the others of the terminals.

Electrical connector for printed circuit boards

An electrical connector is provided for mating with a complementary connector. The electrical connector includes a dielectric housing having a mating portion. A cross-shaped ground plate structure is disposed in the mating portion of the housing when the electrical connector is mated with the complementary connector. The cross-shaped ground plate structure defines four plate edges and four quadrants. At least one terminal is mounted in the mating portion of the housing in at least some of the quadrants defined by the cross-shaped ground plate structure. A pair of outboard terminals are mounted in the mating portion of the housing outside a pair of the plate edges of the cross-shaped ground plate structure.

Matable electrical connectors having signal and power terminals

A connector apparatus provides an interconnection between an IC pack and a printed circuit board. The apparatus includes a header connector for mounting on the printed circuit board and into which the IC pack is inserted and from which it is ejected. A plurality of terminals on the header connector are adapted for interconnection of the IC pack to electrical traces on the printed circuit board. An electrical switch is provided on the header connector and is actuated in response to movement of the IC pack therewithin. The switch is interconnected to electrical traces on the printed circuit board.

IC pack connector apparatus with switch means

A connector apparatus is disclosed for providing interconnection between two IC packs and a printed circuit board. A header connector is mounted on the printed circuit board and into which the two IC packs are inserted and ejected. Two independent ejector units each have a separate frame to be attached to the header connector and a separate actuator for moving a respective one of the IC packs from its inserted position to its ejected position. Complementary interengaging latches are provided between the separate frames for holding the ejector units in juxtaposition for conjoint attachment to the header connector.

Connector apparatus for IC packs

An electrical connector assembly is provided for a flat flexible cable having an array of flat conductors arranged thereon at intervals generally parallel to one another and terminating near a distal edge at an end of the cable. A dielectric housing has an elongate recess with a plurality of terminals at intervals along the recess. Each terminal has a contact portion for engaging a respective one of the flat conductors of the flat flexible cable when the cable end is inserted into the recess. An adaptor includes a blade portion insertable into the recess in juxtaposition on one side of the flat flexible cable for biasing the cable conductors into engagement with the contact portions of the terminals on an opposite side of the cable. The adaptor includes at least one wing portion outside of and generally coplanar with the blade portion, with a registration boss projecting from the wing portion. The flat flexible cable includes a registration aperture engageable about the registration boss. Therefore, the adaptor and the properly registered cable can be inserted conjointly into the recess, with the conductors biasingly wiping over the contact portions of the terminals. The flat flexible cable also includes at least one notch in the distal edge thereof, and the adaptor includes a projection adapted to engage in the notch.

Electrical connector assembly for flat flexible cable

A wire dress cover is provided for an electrical connector. The connector includes a channel on the rear face into which the wire dress cover is slidably engagable. The wire dress cover includes a rib for slidable engagement in the channel and a locking projection for lockingly engaging the housing after a full seating thereon. The wire dress cover includes a slot extending centrally therein to enable the cover to be pinched for disengaging the locking prjections from the housing. In certain embodiments the wire dress cover is defined by a pair of wire dress cover shells which are lockingly engagable with one another.

Wire dress cover

An improved electrical connector includes a housing extending in an axial direction between a rear conductor entry end and a forward mating end. A plurality of terminal receiving recesses extend between the ends of the housing. A plurality of electrical terminals are slideably insertable into the recesses from the conductor entry end. A terminal lock is supported for movement on the housing between a terminal load position in which the terminal lock does not obstruct the recesses and a lock position in which the terminal lock engages terminals in the recesses. The improvement in accordance with which the terminal lock includes a forward portion disposed adjacent the forward end of the housing and permitting mating of the mating end of the housing only when the terminal lock is in the lock position. An electrical connection assembly includes in combination first and second electrical connectors releasably mateable with one another. Each of said connectors includes a housing supporting a plurality of electrical terminals. The first connector includes a terminal lock movable relative to the housing of the first connector between a released position and a locked position in which the terminal lock engages the terminals of the first connector. The improvement in accordance with which the lock includes a portion engageable with the housing of the second connector, and the second connector housing includes a portion engaged by the portion of the lock for preventing mating of the connectors unless the lock is in the lock position.

Growing community of inventors

Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Michael J Gardner