US-20260129804-A1 - HIGH SPEED, HIGH DENSITY I/O CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY

Abstract

High speed, high density I/O connector assemblies. An I/O connector assembly includes a cage and a heat dissipation member. The cage includes a top wall having an opening and a channel accessible from the front. The heat dissipation member includes a base disposed at the top of the cage, multiple sections separated by gaps, and a contact portion protruding from the base in a first direction into the channel through the opening of the top wall. Each section includes fins protruding from the base in a direction opposite to the first direction. The heat dissipation member comprises a layer of micro thermal interface material at a contact interface. Techniques described herein, including the structure and material composition of components, can provide sufficient heat dissipation to enable high speed, high density I/O connector assemblies that nonetheless can be economically manufactured and meet the dimensional requirements of an OSFP-XD standard.

Inventors

• Xingye Chen
• Omer Khan
• R. Brad Brubaker
• Galen Liu
• Guoxun Huang
• Qigui Xu

Assignees

• AMPHENOL CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251027

Priority Date

20241101

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A connector assembly comprising: a cage comprising walls at a top, bottom, sides and rear, and a port at a front and configured to enable access to a channel, a top wall having an opening; and a heat dissipation member comprising a base disposed at the top of the cage, a plurality of sections separated by gaps, and a contact portion protruding from the base in a first direction into the channel through the opening of the top wall, wherein: each of the plurality of sections comprises a plurality of fins protruding from the base in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and the heat dissipation member comprises a layer of micro thermal interface material at the contact portion.
2. 2 . The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein: the cage has dimensions according to an OSFP-XD standard.
3. 3 . The connector assembly of claim 2 , wherein: each of the plurality of sections has ten fins protruding from the base in the second direction; and both the base and the ten fins comprise die cast metal.
4. 4 . The connector assembly of claim 3 , wherein: each fin has a height in a range of 18 to 22 mm in the second direction.
5. 5 . The connector assembly of claim 4 , wherein: the heat dissipation member extends to the rear of the cage.
6. 6 . The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein: the cage comprises a copper alloy and a nickel silver plating on the copper alloy; and the heat dissipation member comprises an aluminum alloy and a nickel plating on the aluminum alloy.
7. 7 . The connector assembly of claim 6 , further comprising: a clip comprising strips disposed in the gaps between the plurality of sections of the heat dissipation member and bars connecting the strips and attached to side walls of the cage, wherein the clip comprises stainless steel.
8. 8 . The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein: each of the plurality of sections of the heat dissipation member comprises a first segment, a second segment, and a space therebetween, the first segment and the second segment comprising an equal number of fins; the spaces of the plurality of sections of the heat dissipation member are aligned; and the connector assembly comprises a light pipe having a first end disposed at the rear of the cage, a second end extending beyond the heat dissipation member, and a body extending from the first end to the second end through the aligned spaces of the plurality of sections of the heat dissipation member.
9. 9 . The connector assembly of claim 8 , further comprising: a support member attached to a rear wall of the cage and holding the first end of the light pipe.
10. 10 . The connector assembly of claim 9 , wherein: the support member comprises a body having a groove for holding the first end of the light pipe and a latch extending from the body of the support member and hooked to the rear wall of the cage.
11. 11 . The connector assembly of claim 10 , wherein: both the body and the second end of the light pipe comprise extensions disposed on the top wall of the cage.
12. 12 . The connector assembly of claim 8 , wherein: the top wall of the cage comprises a region having a plurality of holes; and the heat dissipation member extends to the region and ends before the rear of the cage.
13. 13 . A connector assembly comprising: a cage comprising outer walls at a top, bottom, sides and rear, inner walls disposed parallel to the outer walls at the sides, and a plurality of ports aligned at a front in a row direction and configured for accessing to a plurality of channels; and a light pipe assembly attached to an outer wall at a side of the cage, the light pipe assembly comprising a plurality of light pipes each having a first end adjacent the bottom of the cage and a second end adjacent the front of the cage, the second ends of the plurality of light pipes aligned in a column direction perpendicular to the row direction, the first ends of the plurality of light pipes aligned in a mating direction perpendicular to both the row direction and the column direction.
14. 14 . The connector assembly of claim 13 , wherein: the light pipe assembly comprises: a first rod connecting the first ends of the plurality of light pipes, a second rod connecting the second ends of the plurality of light pipes, and a third rod extending from a light pipe of the plurality of light pipes and attached to the outer wall at the side of the cage; an outer wall at the top of the cage comprises a plurality of openings above respective channels of the plurality of channels; and the connector assembly further comprises a plurality of heat dissipation members, each of the plurality of heat dissipation members comprising a base disposed at the top of the cage, and a contact portion protruding from the base in a first direction into a respective channel of the plurality of channels through a respective opening of the plurality of openings.
15. 15 . The connector assembly of claim 13 , wherein: The plurality of light pipes of the light pipe assembly comprise clear polycarbonate.
16. 16 . The connector assembly of claim 13 , wherein: the cage has dimensions according to an OSFP-XD standard.
17. 17 . The connector assembly of claim 14 , wherein: the cage comprises a copper alloy and a nickel silver plating on the copper alloy; and each of the plurality of heat dissipation members comprises an aluminum alloy, a nickel plating on the aluminum alloy, and a layer of micro thermal interface material at the contact portion.
18. 18 . The connector assembly of claim 14 , wherein: each of the plurality of heat dissipation members has a plurality of sections separated by gaps, each of the plurality of sections comprising a plurality of fins protruding in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and the connector assembly further comprises a clip comprising strips disposed in the gaps between the plurality of sections of the plurality of heat dissipation members and bars connecting the strips and attached to the outer walls at the sides of the cage.
19. 19 . A connector assembly comprising: a cage comprising a plurality of ports aligned in a row direction; a plurality of heat dissipation members, each of the plurality of heat dissipation members comprising a base disposed at a top of the cage; and a plurality of light pipes, each of the plurality of light pipes comprising a first end aligned in a mating direction, and a second end adjacent the plurality of ports of the cage and aligned in a column direction perpendicular to both the row direction and the mating direction,
20. 20 . The connector assembly of claim 19 , wherein: a number of the plurality of light pipes is configured to be equal to a number of the plurality of ports of the cage.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202422668103.7, filed on Nov. 1, 2024. This application also claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202411554088.1, filed on Nov. 1, 2024. The contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to interconnection systems, such as those including electrical connectors, used to interconnect electronic assemblies. BACKGROUND Electronic devices are often connected, whether to enable those devices to communicate over networks or because those devices form part of the network. For example, servers are often connected to a network to exchange data with other servers or end user devices. Similarly, routers and switches are often connected to form a network or connected to devices that are using the network to exchange data. Often such connections are made through I/O connectors (input/output connectors) inside the devices mated with plug connectors terminating cables. The I/O connectors are configured as receptacle connectors that mount to a circuit board and mate with a plug connector. The receptacle connectors may be mounted near an edge of a circuit board to which components forming the electronic device are attached. That edge may be next to a panel of an enclosure holding the circuit board and possibly other subassemblies that constitute the electronic device. To enable a plug connector to be inserted into a receptacle connector, the panel may have openings through which a plug connector may be inserted to mate with the receptacle connector. Receptacle connectors are often enclosed in a grounded metal structure, referred to as a cage. The cage may have one or more channels, each shaped to receive a plug connector and aligned with both a panel opening and a mating interface of a receptacle connector. The plug connector may be inserted through the panel opening into the channel, such that the plug connector and receptacle connector mate inside the cage. In this state, the cage blocks radiation from inside the device from reaching the panel opening. Further, the plug connector may have a conductive exterior that is also grounded, which blocks radiation from the plug connector or the receptacle connector from exiting the cage through the channel. The cages, plug connectors and receptacle connectors are often made according to industry standards such as an OSFP standard. For making connections that carry data at high data rates, the plug connector may include a transceiver that converts signals in a format transmitted over the cable into a format that may be used inside the device. The transceiver may generate heat, which may be dissipated by a cooling fan, pulling air through or around the cage. SUMMARY Aspects of the present disclosure relate to high speed, high density I/O connector assemblies. Some embodiments relate to a connector assembly. The connector assembly may comprise a cage comprising walls at a top, bottom, sides and rear of the cage, and a port at a front of the cage and configured to enable access to a channel defined by the wall of the cage, the wall at the top of the cage having an opening; and a heat dissipation member comprising a base disposed at the top of the cage, a plurality of sections separated by gaps, and a contact portion protruding from the base in a first direction into the channel through the opening of the wall at the top of the cage. Each of the plurality of sections may comprise a plurality of fins protruding from the base in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and the heat dissipation member may comprise a layer of micro thermal interface material at the contact portion. Optionally, the cage may have dimensions according to an OSFP-XD standard. Optionally, each of the plurality of sections may have ten fins protruding from the base in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and both the base and the fins may comprise die cast metal. Optionally, each fin may have a height in the range of 18 to 22 mm in the second direction. Optionally, the heat dissipation member may extend to the wall at the rear of the cage. Optionally, the cage may comprise a copper alloy and a nickel silver plating on the copper alloy; and the heat dissipation member may comprise an aluminum alloy and a nickel plating on the aluminum alloy. Optionally, the connector assembly may further comprise a clip comprising strips disposed in the gaps between the plurality of sections of the heat dissipation member and bars connecting the strips and attached to the walls at the sides of the cage, and the clip may comprise stainless steel. Optionally, each of the plurality of sections of the heat dissipation member may comprise a first segment and a second segment and a space therebetween; the first segment and the second segment may comprise an eq