The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 25, 2000
Filed:
Feb. 17, 1999
David T Humphrey, Collierville, TN (US);
Thomas & Betts Corporation, Memphis, TN (US);
Abstract
The electrical connector assembly includes a female connector portion which is mountable to a first printed circuit board, such as a motherboard, and a male connector portion which is mechanically and electrically connected to a second printed circuit board, such as a daughterboard. The female connector portion includes a plurality of signal contacts arranged in two rows having a ground terminal, or conductive elastomer, positioned between the rows of signal contacts. The male connector portion preferably includes a flexible circuit having a solid groundplane separated by an dielectric insulator from an electrical trace thereon. The distance separating the groundplane from the trace and the width of the trace controls a characteristic impedance of the flexible circuit for matching to specific circuit requirements of the daughterboard and motherboard. Upon mechanical connection of the male connector portion to the female connector portion, the signal contacts electrically engage the trace on the flexible circuit and the groundplane electrically engages the ground terminal. The specific design of the connector assembly provides a controlled impedance, high signal contact density connector having reduced cross-talk and enhanced signal transmission, even at ultra high (UHF) signal transmission speeds.