Electrical connector and circuit card assembly

Abstract

Described is an electrical connector assembly with an electrical connector having a connector body that includes a receptacle connector portion at a first end and a plug connector portion at a second end opposite the first end. The receptacle connector portion has electrical contacts within an opening for mating with a plug electrical connector at the first end of the connector body. The plug connector portion has electrical contacts within an opening for mating with a receptacle electrical connector at the second end. The connector body has an electrical conductor that is in electrical communication with at least one of the electrical contacts and extends from one side of the connector body. A circuit card is disposed adjacent to that one side of the connector body and is in electrical communication with the at least one electrical contact through the electrical conductor extending from the side of the connector body.

1. An electrical connector assembly comprising:
 an electrical connector body with a first electrical connector at a first end, with a second electrical connector at a second end opposite the first end, and a side surface extending from the receptacle connector portion  first electrical connector at the first end to the plug receptacle portion  second electrical connector at the second end, each electrical connector having a plurality of electrical contacts, the electrical connector body having an electrical conductor that is in electrical communication with at least one of the electrical contacts and extends from the side surface of the connector body;  
 a circuit card having a surface disposed adjacent to and facing the side surface of the connector body, the surface of the circuit card having an electrical conductor that is in electrical communication with the electrical conductor extending from the side surface of the connector body; and  
 means for holding the circuit card adjacent to the connector body.  
 
     
     
       2. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the electrical connectors of the connector body is a plug electrical connector. 
     
     
       3. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the electrical connectors of the connector body is a receptacle electrical connector. 
     
     
       4. An electrical connector assembly comprising:
 an electrical connector having a connector body with a receptacle connector portion at a first end of the connector body, a plug connector portion at a second end of the connector body opposite the first end, and a side surface extending from the receptacle connector portion at the first end to the plug receptacle  connector portion at the second end, the receptacle connector portion having electrical contacts within an opening for mating with a plug electrical connector at the first end of the connector body, and the plug connector portion having electrical contacts within an opening for mating with a receptacle electrical connector at the second end of the connector body, the connector body having an electrical conductor that is in electrical communication with at least one of the electrical contacts and extends from the side surface of the connector body; and  
 a circuit card physically coupled to the connector body, the circuit board  card having a surface disposed adjacent to and facing the side surface of the connector body, the surface of the circuit card having an electrical conductor that is in electrical communication with the electrical conductor extending from the side surface of the connector body, to provide thereby an electrical path from the circuit card to the at least one electrical contact.  
 
     
     
       5. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , wherein one of the electrical contacts of the electrical connector is in electrical communication with the circuit card over an electrical signal path that includes the electrical conductor and terminates at the circuit card. 
     
     
       6. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the circuit card includes circuitry that provides logic signal conditioning. 
     
     
       7. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the circuit card is a flex circuit. 
     
     
       8. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the plug and receptacle connector portions of the electrical connector are SCA-2 standard compliant SCA (single connector attachment) connectors. 
     
     
       9. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , wherein one of the electrical contacts of the plug connector portion is in electrical communication with one of the electrical contacts of the receptacle connector portion over an electrical signal path that includes the electrical conductor and passes through the circuit card. 
     
     
       10. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the electrical signal path carries a 12-volt power supply signal and the circuit card includes circuitry for converting the 12-volt power supply signal into a 5-volt power supply signal. 
     
     
       11. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , wherein one of the connector portions of the electrical connector is configured to mate electrically and physically with an electrical connector of a disk drive. 
     
     
       12. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the circuit card includes circuitry that provides on-off control functionality for the disk drive. 
     
     
       13. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the circuit card includes circuitry that provides soft-start control for the disk drive. 
     
     
       14. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the circuit card includes circuitry that provides current-limit protection for the disk drive. 
     
     
       15. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , further comprising means for holding the circuit board  card adjacent to the one side of the connector body. 
     
     
       16. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the means for holding includes a holder body extending from the connector body and posts extending perpendicularly from one side of the holder body, each post having a notch for holding an edge of the circuit card. 
     
     
       17. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the means for holding, the plug connector portion, and the receptacle connector portion are an integrally formed component. 
     
     
       18. An electronics enclosure comprising:
 a disk drive assembly having a disk drive and a disk drive connector extending from one end of the disk drive;  
 a midplane having a midplane connector extending from one side thereof; and  
 an electrical connector assembly electrically coupling the disk drive assembly to the midplane, the electrical connector assembly comprising: 
 an electrical connector having a connector body with a receptacle connector portion at a first end of the connector body, a plug connector portion at a second end of the connector body opposite the first end, and a side surface extending from the receptacle connector portion at the first end to the plug receptacle  connector portion at the second end, the receptacle connector portion having electrical contacts within an opening for mating with a plug electrical connector at the first end of the connector body, and the plug connector portion having electrical contacts within an opening for mating with a receptacle electrical connector at the second end of the connector body, the connector body having an electrical conductor that is in electrical communication with at least one of the electrical contacts and extends from the side surface of the connector body; and  
 a circuit card physically coupled to the connector body, the circuit board  card having a surface disposed adjacent to and facing the side surface of the connector body, the surface of the circuit card having an electrical conductor that is in electrical communication with the electrical conductor extending from the side surface of the connector body, to provide thereby an electrical path from the circuit card to the at least one electrical contact.  
 
 
     
     
       19. The electronics enclosure of  claim 18 , wherein the circuit card includes circuitry that provides on-off control functionality for the disk drive. 
     
     
       20. The electronics enclosure of  claim 18 , wherein the circuit card includes circuitry that provides soft-start control for the disk drive. 
     
     
       21. The electronics enclosure of  claim 18 , wherein the circuit card includes circuitry that provides current-limit protection for the disk drive. 
     
     
       22. The electronics enclosure of  claim 18 , wherein the circuit card includes circuitry that provides logic signal conditioning. 
     
     
       23. The electronics enclosure of  claim 18 , wherein the circuit card is a flex circuit. 
     
     
       24. The electrical connector assembly  electronics enclosure of  claim 18 , wherein the plug and receptacle connector portions are SCA-2 standard compliant SCA (single connector attachment) connectors. 
     
     
       25. The electronics enclosure of  claim 18 , wherein one of the electrical contacts of the plug connector portion is in electrical communication with one of the electrical contacts of the receptacle connector portion over an electrical signal path that includes the electrical conductor and passes through the circuit card. 
     
     
       26. The electronics enclosure of  claim 25 , wherein the electrical signal path carries a 12-volt power supply signal and the circuit card includes circuitry for converting the 12-volt power supply signal into a 5-volt power supply signal used by the disk drive for operation. 
     
     
       27. The electronics enclosure of  claim 18 , further comprising means for holding the circuit board  card adjacent to the one side of the connector body. 
     
     
       28. The electronics enclosure of  claim 27 , wherein the means for holding includes a holder body and posts extending perpendicularly from one side of the holder body, each post having a notch for holding an edge of the circuit card.