Connector Flange Notch Design for Flux Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional connectors face issues with short molding and flux adherence to contact parts, leading to conductivity failures and unsaleable products due to thin bottom plate parts and insufficient wall thickness during resin molding.
Innovation Solution
The connector design incorporates a flange with notches and recessed parts to prevent flux adherence, featuring a connector body integrated with terminals through insert molding, where the flange covers terminal surfaces and includes a notch structure to manage flux flow, ensuring proper resin filling and preventing short molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the housing is miniaturized, then the size of the connector is reduced, but the bottom plate part becomes thin causing short molding
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom plate part is divided into a first bottom plate part and a second bottom plate part with different thicknesses. The first bottom plate part has sufficient thickness to prevent short molding, while the second bottom plate part is thinner to achieve miniaturization. This segmentation allows the connector to be both small and manufacturable without defects.
2Volume of moving object
If the bottom plate part is made thin for miniaturization, then the connector size is reduced, but flux adheres to the contact part causing conductivity failure
Solution Approach 1:
A flux prevention protrusion is introduced as an intermediary structure between the bottom plate part and the contact part. This protrusion acts as a barrier that prevents flux from reaching the contact part during soldering, thereby maintaining conductivity reliability even when the bottom plate is thin.
3Volume of moving object
If the bottom plate part has insufficient wall thickness, then the connector can be miniaturized, but the appearance quality deteriorates making products unsaleable
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the bottom plate part are given different thicknesses to satisfy local requirements. The first bottom plate part has sufficient thickness for good appearance quality in visible areas, while the second bottom plate part is thinner to achieve overall miniaturization. This local differentiation allows both miniaturization and acceptable appearance.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector that is easy to manufacture, does not cause short molds, does not cause flux to adhere to the contact part of the terminals, and enables for miniaturization and high reliability. A connector body and a plurality of terminals attached to the connector body are provided; the connector main body is a member integrated with the terminals by insert molding, and includes a protruding part extending in the longitudinal direction thereof that retains the terminals, and a flange protruding outward in the width direction from a side surface of the mounting surface side end of the connector main body. The terminal includes a standing part in which a surface is exposed on a side surface of the protruding part, and a tail part connected to the mounting surface side end of the standing part via a curved connecting part, extending outward in the width direction from the flange, and a tail part soldered to a substrate. The flange includes a notch formed at a location corresponding to each terminal, and the tail part, the curved connecting part, and at least a part of the surface of the standing part are exposed in the notch.