Electrical Connector Grooves for Molding Flash Accommodation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connectors experience molding flashes due to wear and tear in the molding die, causing contact insertion issues and disrupting electrical connections.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector design featuring an insulative housing with a mating tongue and grooves that include wider portions adjacent to the base, allowing for easier contact insertion and accommodating molding flashes through slots on either side of the grooves, preventing collisions with steps formed by worn molding dies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional injection molding is used to form the insulative housing, then the housing can be efficiently produced, but molding flashes occur due to wear and tear in the molding die
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming grooves with wider portions at their rear ends during the injection molding process. This preliminary structural preparation allows contacts to be guided smoothly during insertion, preventing them from colliding with steps caused by molding die wear. The grooves are created in advance as part of the housing structure, so no additional post-processing is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of molding die wear and tear into a beneficial feature. Instead of trying to prevent wear, the design accepts that steps will form in the passageways and uses these steps to define the grooves. The wider portions of the grooves at their rear ends accommodate the steps, transforming the defect into a functional feature that guides contacts and prevents molding flashes.
2Ease of operation
If contacts are inserted into passageways with steps caused by worn molding dies, then contact insertion becomes difficult, but the housing structure remains simple
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating grooves with varying cross-sectional dimensions along their length. Specifically, each groove has a wider portion at its rear end and a narrower portion at its front end. This local variation in geometry provides enhanced guidance and clearance exactly where contacts need it most during insertion, while maintaining a relatively simple overall housing structure.
3Reliability
If molding flashes occur due to contact collision with steps, then electrical connection is disrupted, but the conventional molding process is maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses preliminary action by pre-forming the grooves with wider portions during the injection molding process itself. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that contacts will be guided smoothly during subsequent insertion operations, preventing collisions with steps and eliminating molding flashes that would disrupt electrical connections.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes an insulative housing defining a mating port with a mating tongue exposing therein and a base from which the mating tongue extends forwardly. A plurality of grooves is arranged in the mating tongue and extends along a front-to-back direction through the base. A plurality of contacts defines mating sections received in the grooves. Each of the grooves defines a wider portion adjacent to the base.