Electrical Cable Connector with Press-Fit PCB Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical cable connectors face challenges in efficiently connecting and securing electrical cables to printed circuit boards, particularly in ensuring reliable electrical communication and mechanical stability, especially when dealing with power and ground cables.
Innovation Solution
The electrical cable connector design includes a dielectric housing with first and second electrical terminals that extend outwards, featuring mounting portions with press-fit tails or surface mounts, allowing for secure attachment to a printed circuit board, and includes a method for inserting and attaching the cables using channels and slots within the housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical cables are connected to printed circuit boards using traditional mounting methods, then electrical communication is established, but mechanical stability and reliability are insufficient due to potential back-out and loose connections
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into distinct functional segments: a housing portion, a terminal portion with mounting portions, and cable attachment portions. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall reliability without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal portion is nested within the housing portion, with mounting portions extending from the terminal. The cable attachment portions are nested within the housing, creating a compact structure that ensures mechanical stability while preventing back-out through interlocking features.
2Ease of operation
If electrical terminals extend out from the connector housing to facilitate mounting, then ease of attachment to printed circuit boards is improved, but the risk of exposed sharp edges and touch hazards increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing portion acts as an intermediary that contains and protects the terminal portion. The housing provides a protective barrier that prevents direct contact with sharp edges of the terminal while still allowing the mounting portions to extend outward for easy attachment to printed circuit boards.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing portion functions as a protective shell that encloses the terminal structure. This shell provides mechanical protection and eliminates touch hazards by covering exposed sharp edges, while still permitting the necessary mounting portions to extend for ease of operation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multiple mounting portions extend from the terminal body, then mechanical stability and resistance to back-out are improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple mounting portions are merged into a single integrated terminal portion that extends from the housing. This unified structure provides mechanical stability and resistance to back-out through multiple contact points while simplifying manufacturing by reducing the number of separate components that need to be assembled.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the connector provides both cable attachment and circuit board mounting functions, then versatility and adaptability are improved, but the overall device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is designed as a universal multi-functional device where the housing portion provides cable attachment functionality, the terminal portion with mounting portions provides circuit board mounting functionality, and both work together to establish electrical communication. This multi-functionality achieves versatility without excessive complexity through integrated design.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical cable connector is provided that can be configured to be mounted to a printed circuit board. The electrical connector includes a connector housing, and a pair of electrical terminals (38,40) that are configured to be mounted to electrical cables (22,30). The electrical terminals (38,40) can be identical to each other in one example.