US-12620739-B2 - Highly repairable, non-soldered USB connector

US12620739B2US 12620739 B2US12620739 B2US 12620739B2US-12620739-B2

Abstract

Embodiments of a highly-repairable, non-soldered Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector are described. In some non-limiting embodiments, a USB connector assembly comprises: a mounting bracket configured to removably attach to a printed circuit board (PCB); and a plurality of spring contacts disposed at least in part within the mounting bracket, wherein the spring contacts are configured to electrically connect to corresponding ones of a plurality of electrical contact pads of the PCB, and wherein an individual spring contact of the plurality of spring contacts applies a contact force to a corresponding one of the electrical contact pads of the PCB upon assembly of the mounting bracket onto the PCB.

Inventors

Richard Eddings
Ernesto Ramirez
Michael David
Junji OOSAKA
Akihiro Matsunaga

Assignees

DELL PRODUCTS, L.P.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230428

Claims (13)

1 . A Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector assembly, comprising: a mounting bracket configured to removably attach to a printed circuit board (PCB); a plurality of spring contacts disposed at least in part within the mounting bracket, wherein the spring contacts are configured to electrically connect to corresponding ones of a plurality of electrical contact pads of the PCB, and wherein an individual spring contact of the plurality of spring contacts applies a contact force to a corresponding one of the electrical contact pads of the PCB upon assembly of the mounting bracket onto the PCB; and a host USB connector port coupled to the mounting bracket and configured to accept a peripheral USB connector plug.
2 . The USB connector assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: an interposer connector comprising the plurality of spring contacts configured to electrically connect the host USB connector port to the PCB.
3 . The USB connector assembly of claim 2 , wherein the mounting bracket is further configured to secure the host USB connector port and the interposer to the PCB by compression.
4 . The USB connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the host USB connector port is mechanically secured within the mounting bracket.
5 . A Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector assembly, comprising: a mounting bracket configured to removably attach to a printed circuit board (PCB); and a plurality of spring contacts disposed at least in part within the mounting bracket, wherein the spring contacts are configured to electrically connect to corresponding ones of a plurality of electrical contact pads of the PCB, and wherein an individual spring contact of the plurality of spring contacts applies a contact force to a corresponding one of the electrical contact pads of the PCB upon assembly of the mounting bracket onto the PCB; wherein the USB connector assembly is configured to removably attach to the PCB without the use of any solder joints.
6 . The USB connector assembly of claim 5 , wherein the mounting bracket comprises one or more screw holes to allow one or more screws to removably attach the USB connector assembly to the PCB.
7 . The USB connector assembly of claim 6 , further comprising: a support bracket configured to removably attach to an opposite side of the PCB than the mounting bracket by the same one or more screws that removably attach the USB connector assembly to the PCB.
8 . The USB connector assembly of claim 5 , further comprising: a locater component configured to self-register the USB connector assembly on the PCB.
9 . The USB connector assembly of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of spring contacts are configured to conduct at least 240 Watts (W) of power when electrically connected to the corresponding ones of the electrical contact pads of the PCB.
10 . The USB connector assembly of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of spring contacts are configured to communicate greater than 40 Gigabits per second of data transfer when electrically connected to the corresponding ones of the electrical contact pads of the PCB.
11 . A printed circuit board (PCB), comprising: a plurality of electrical contact pads on the surface of the PCB for connection to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector; and the USB connector removably attached to the PCB, wherein the USB connector comprises a plurality of spring contacts to electrically connect to corresponding ones of the plurality of electrical contact pads, wherein an individual spring contact of the plurality of spring contacts applies a contact force to a corresponding one of the electrical contact pads, and wherein the USB connector further comprises a host USB connector port configured to accept a peripheral USB connector plug.
12 . The PCB of claim 11 further comprising one or more screw holes, wherein the USB connector further comprises one or more different screw holes, and wherein the USB connector is removably attached to the PCB using one or more screws that extend through the one or more different screw holes of the USB connector and the one or more screw holes of the PCB.
13 . The PCB of claim 12 , wherein the one or more screws are removably attached to a support bracket on the opposite side of the PCB than the USB connector.

Description

FIELD This disclosure relates generally to Information Handling Systems (IHSs), and more specifically, to a highly-repairable, non-soldered Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector. BACKGROUND As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is Information Handling Systems (IHSs). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems. Nowadays, users can choose among many different types of IHS devices. Each type of device (e.g., tablets, 2-in-1s, mobile workstations, notebooks, netbooks, ultra-books, etc.) has unique portability, performance, and usability features; however, each also has its own trade-offs and limitations. For example, tablets have less compute power than notebooks and workstations, while notebooks and workstations lack the portability of tablets. A conventional 2-in-1 device combines the portability of a tablet with the performance of a notebook, but with a small display an uncomfortable form factor in many use-cases. USB connectors are or can be used for both high-speed data and power delivery in the many different types of IHS devices, including tablets, 2-in-1s, workstations, mobile workstations, notebooks, netbooks, ultra-books, etc. USB connectors are mostly soldered directly to printed circuit boards (PCBs). The few designs that are not directly soldered utilize large, more complex and more costly “off-PCB” solutions, both making repair or replacement of these USB connectors complex and costly. SUMMARY Embodiments of a highly-repairable, non-soldered Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector are described. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, a USB connector assembly includes: a mounting bracket configured to removably attach to a printed circuit board (PCB); and a plurality of spring contacts disposed at least in part within the mounting bracket, where the spring contacts are configured to electrically connect to corresponding ones of a plurality of electrical contact pads of the PCB, and where an individual spring contact of the plurality of spring contacts applies a contact force to a corresponding one of the electrical contact pads of the PCB upon assembly of the mounting bracket onto the PCB. In some embodiments, the USB connector assembly further includes a host USB connector port coupled to the mounting bracket and configured to accept a peripheral USB connector plug. In some embodiments, the USB connector assembly further includes an interposer connector comprising the plurality of spring contacts configured to electrically connect the host USB connector port to the PCB. In some embodiments, the mounting bracket of the USB connector assembly is further configured to secure the host USB connector port and the interposer to the PCB by compression. In some embodiments, the host USB connector port of the USB connector assembly is mechanically secured within the mounting bracket. In some embodiments, the host USB connector port further includes: one or more stopper surfaces within the host USB connector port, in the insertion direction of the peripheral USB connector plug, configured to stop the insertion of the peripheral USB connector plug. In some embodiments, the mounting bracket further includes: one or more stopper surfaces in the insertion direction of the peripheral USB connector plug configured to contact against the PCB and provide a counter insertion force from the PCB to the USB connector assembly. In some embodiments, the USB connector assembly removably attaches to the PCB without the use of any solder joints. In some embodiments, the mounting bracket includes one or more screw holes to allow one or more screws to removably attach the USB connector assembly to the PCB. In some embodiments, the USB connector assembly further includes a support bracket configured to removably attach to an opposite side of the PCB than the mounting bracket by the same one or more screws that removably attach the mounting bracket