Connector Ground Plate Welding via Window Section
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Solution Overview
Problem
In small connectors with a thin ground plate inside a metal shell, existing laser welding methods risk damaging internal components due to the need for high-power laser beams to weld the thicker metal shell, which can also melt the thinner ground plate.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a ground plate with a folded shell fixing section that contacts a window section within the metal shell, allowing for laser welding between the periphery of the window section and the shell fixing section using a lower output laser beam, thereby avoiding damage to internal components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If high-power laser light is used to weld the metal shell and ground plate, then the welding strength is sufficient, but the thin ground plate and internal components are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The ground plate is divided into two functional sections: a thin main body portion that maintains electrical connectivity, and a thicker shell fixing section that receives the laser welding. This segmentation allows the welding operation to affect only the fixing section while preserving the thin ground plate and internal components.
Solution Approach 2:
The shell fixing section acts as an intermediary element between the metal shell and the thin ground plate. It absorbs the laser welding energy and mechanical stress, protecting the thin ground plate and internal components from damage while ensuring reliable electrical connection.
2Device complexity
If the ground plate is made thin to reduce weight and complexity, then the connector is more compact, but laser welding from outside the metal shell becomes impossible without damaging internal components
Solution Approach 1:
The shell fixing section extends in the thickness direction (z-dimension) to create a multi-layer structure. This dimensional extension allows the laser to weld through the metal shell to the fixing section without affecting the thin ground plate body, solving the manufacturing difficulty while maintaining a compact overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The shell fixing section is pre-formed as an integrated part of the ground plate with a specific geometry designed for laser welding. This preliminary structuring enables the subsequent welding process to be performed safely and effectively from outside the metal shell.
3Strength
If the metal shell thickness is increased to provide sufficient mechanical strength, then the structural integrity is improved, but the laser welding process requires higher power that damages the thin ground plate
Solution Approach 1:
The ground plate exhibits local quality variation: the main body remains thin for weight reduction and compactness, while the shell fixing section has increased thickness locally to accommodate the laser welding process. This localized thickening allows standard laser power levels to be used without damaging the overall thin structure.
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
Enables reliable electrical connection between the metal shell and ground plate without damaging internal connector components, using a lower power laser to weld the thicker shell fixing section without melting the thinner ground plate.
Implementation Method 1
irradiating laser light from outside the metal shell to a contacting portion between the periphery of the window section and the shell fixing section of the ground plate so that the periphery of the window section and the shell fixing section are laser-welded
Data Source
AI summary
A connector includes at least one contact, a ground plate formed of a metal plate of a predetermined thickness, an insulator that holds the at least one contact and the ground plate, and a metal shell that covers an outer periphery portion of the insulator, the metal shell having a window section formed facing the ground plate and having a thickness greater than the thickness of the metal plate which forms the ground plate, the ground plate having a shell fixing section formed by folding and overlapping the metal plate and located to contact the window section from inside the metal shell, a periphery of the window section of the metal shell and the shell fixing section of the ground plate being welded to each other inside the window section of the metal shell.