Card Edge Connector Protective Members for Angled Insertion Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing card edge electrical connectors are prone to damage due to the small thickness and long length of electronic cards, which can cause terminal damage during violent or angled insertion, leading to weakened longitudinal ends of the slots.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector features an insulating housing with protective members made from metal plates extending into slots, creating a stepped structure with elastic terminals and a metal shell for enhanced protection, preventing damage from insertion errors and increasing the holding force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electronic cards are inserted into slots without protective members, then the insertion process is simple, but the terminals and slot ends are prone to damage from rotation or violent insertion
Solution Approach 1:
Protective members are pre-installed in the slots before the electronic card is inserted. These protective members extend into the slots to protect the terminal ends and slot longitudinal ends from damage during insertion, performing the protective function in advance before any potential harm occurs
Solution Approach 2:
Protective members serve as intermediary elements between the electronic card and the slot terminals. During insertion, the protective members absorb and distribute the mechanical stress, preventing direct contact between the card and vulnerable terminal ends, thus mediating the interaction to prevent damage
2Strength
If protective members are added to protect slot ends, then damage from violent insertion is prevented, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The protective structure is segmented into multiple protective members, each responsible for protecting specific regions of the slot. Each protective member is further divided into portions that protect different areas, allowing the protective function to be distributed across multiple smaller components rather than requiring a single complex protective structure
Solution Approach 2:
The protective members are constructed using composite structures combining metal plates with other materials. The metal plates provide structural strength and rigidity to resist violent insertion, while being integrated with the insulating housing and protective member materials to create a composite protective system that balances strength with manufacturing feasibility
3Adaptability or versatility
If the insulating housing has protruding mating faces with multiple slots, then card connection capability is improved, but the longitudinal ends of slots become weaker and more susceptible to damage
Solution Approach 1:
Protective members are strategically positioned at specific locations within the slots, particularly at the longitudinal ends that are most vulnerable to damage. The protective members have varying dimensions and positions tailored to the specific needs of each slot region, providing enhanced protection where it is most needed while maintaining the overall slot structure for card connection
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes: an insulating housing having a first mating face and a second mating face, a first slot through the first mating face, and a second slot through the second mating face, the second mating face protruding beyond the first mating face; a first set of terminals extending into the first slot; a first protective member and a second protective member extending into the first slot and attached to opposite end insides of the first slot; and a third protective member and a fourth protective member extending into the second slot and attached to opposite end insides of the second slot, wherein the second protective member and the third protective member are connected by a first metal plate, the second protective member extends downward from the first metal plate, and the third protective member extends upward from the first metal and then bends into the second slot.