Connector Contact Positioning for Stable Mating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Connectors with reduced insertion and removal force tend to deviate from the proper mating position, leading to bad connections due to a short effective contact length of contacts.
Innovation Solution
A connector design with a housing and internal structural body, featuring contacts with a spring portion and contact point, where the contact accommodation portions open to the front portion, allowing the contact point to be near the insertion opening, thereby elongating the effective contact length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the insertion and removal force is reduced, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to deviation from proper mating position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the contact accommodation portions, specifically making them open to the front portion of the receiving portion. This structural parameter change allows the contact points to be positioned closer to the insertion opening, effectively increasing the effective contact length. The longer contact length provides a larger tolerance range for position deviation, thereby maintaining connection reliability even when insertion and removal forces are reduced.
2Reliability
If the effective contact length of contacts is increased, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the receiving portion into a front portion and a rear portion, with the contact accommodation portions specifically opening to the front portion. This segmentation allows the contact points to be strategically positioned in the front area closer to the insertion opening, extending the effective contact length without requiring a complete redesign of the entire housing structure. The segmented approach achieves reliability improvement with minimal increase in device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The elongated effective contact length ensures stable and reliable connections even when the insertion and removal forces are reduced, maintaining contact with the mating connector despite potential deviations in position.
Implementation Method 1
The spring portion (352) is resiliently deformable
Data Source
AI summary
A connector has a housing and an internal structural body. The housing has a receiving portion while the internal structural body has contacts. The housing has a second upper inner wall surface and a second lower inner wall surface which define a rear portion of the receiving portion. Each of the second upper inner wall surface and the second lower inner wall surface is formed with contact accommodation portions which individually accommodate the contacts. The contact accommodation portions are grooves extending in a mating direction and opening to a front portion of the receiving portion at least in part. Each of the contacts has a spring portion which is resiliently deformable and a contact point supported by the spring portion. The contact point is situated inside the rear portion when the connector is separated from the mating connector.