Multilayer Connector Locking Structure to Prevent Hook Abrasion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors made of epoxy resin suffer from abrasion and reduced electrical reliability when repeatedly mated and unmated with metal hooks, leading to abrasion dust and poor connectivity.
Innovation Solution
A connector with a multilayer wiring substrate and conductive exposed portions that are thicker than the hooks' lock portions, preventing abrasion by allowing hooks to lock onto these portions instead of the substrate, thus avoiding direct contact and abrasion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the connector is made of epoxy resin or similar material, then it provides good electrical insulation and manufacturing ease, but it suffers from abrasion when repeatedly mated with metal hooks, producing abrasion dust and degrading reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The connector combines epoxy resin (for insulation and manufacturing) with metal conductive layers (for abrasion resistance). The multilayer structure integrates materials with complementary properties: epoxy resin provides electrical insulation and ease of manufacture, while the metal conductive layers provide hardness and resistance to abrasion from hook engagement, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and reliability.
2Strength
If the hooks are made of metal harder than the connector material, then they provide strong locking capability, but they abrade the connector substrate and produce abrasion dust that degrades electrical continuity
Solution Approach 1:
The connector applies local quality by having different material properties in different regions. The bulk connector body uses epoxy resin for insulation, while the conductive exposed portions use hard metal layers specifically at the locations where hooks engage. This localized metal reinforcement provides abrasion resistance exactly where needed (at the lock portions) without requiring the entire connector to be metal, thus preventing abrasion dust generation while maintaining strong locking capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the connector undergoes repeated lock and unlock operations, then it provides operational versatility, but the hooks repeatedly slide on the connector side surfaces causing cumulative abrasion and reliability degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The connector performs preliminary action by pre-applying metal conductive layers to the side surfaces at locations where hook sliding occurs during lock/unlock operations. This preliminary protective coating is applied before any abrasion can occur, creating a durable interface that withstands repeated operational cycles. The metal layers are positioned in advance to coincide with the exact paths of hook movement, ensuring that cumulative abrasion is prevented from the first operation, thus maintaining reliability despite operational versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector is mateable with a mating connector in a front-rear direction. The connector has a main portion which is formed of a multilayer wiring substrate. The multilayer wiring substrate includes a first metal conductive layer and a second metal conductive layer. The second metal conductive layer has two conductive exposed portions. The conductive exposed portions are exposed to an outside of the connector at opposite side surfaces, respectively, of the main portion. The conductive exposed portions correspond to hooks, respectively, of the mating connector. Each of the conductive exposed portions has a thickness greater than a thickness of a lock portion of the corresponding hook of the mating connector. The lock portion of each of the hooks is brought into contact with the corresponding conductive exposed portion when the lock portions lock a mated state where the mating connector and the connector are mated with each other.