High voltage, low pass filtering connector with multiple ground planes

Claim 1

A low-pass filter electrical connector system for bussing a signal therethrough and for providing a low impedance path to ground, comprising: a connector housing; a first input/output interface device mounted on said housing; a second input/output interface device mounted on said housing; a printed circuit board structure mounted in said connector and having a first printed circuit board layer of insulating material along one of its major surfaces; a plurality of capacitors, each of said capacitors having a first terminal and a second terminal, and each capacitor being mounted on said printed circuit board structure adjacent to said layer; and a set of conductive traces on said first printed circuit board layer, each of said traces being electrically connected between said first input/output interface device and said second input/output interface device so as to be in the direct electrical path of the signal bussed through the connector; each of said conductive traces being operative to pass electrical signals through said connector between said first input/output interface device and said second input/output interface device; a ground plane structure integral with said printed circuit board structure and including a plurality of conductive, substantially mutually-confronting ground planes extending parallel to each other and separated from each other by said layer of insulating material wherein each of said capacitors is in the ground path and contributes a fixed amount of impedance to the ground path by being connected across a separate one of said plurality of traces and said ground plane structure such that said first terminal of each of said capacitors is electrically connected to a one of said set of traces and said second terminal of each of said capacitors is electrically connected to said ground plane structure.