Electrical Connector With Integrated Insulating Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors face challenges in maintaining high electrical performance at increased frequencies and densities while minimizing signal degradation, contact fragility, and inaccurate positioning of resilient parts, leading to reduced contact normal force and increased failure rates.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector housing incorporates integrally formed electrically insulating plates that support and securely position thin mating contacts, maintaining a constant pitch and geometry, and features spacers and supporting ribs to enhance mechanical stability and prevent dust ingress, ensuring reliable and high-performance signal transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the pitch between signal pins is reduced to decrease connector size or increase pin density, then the connector size is reduced or pin density is increased, but the signal pins become thinner and more fragile, leading to increased likelihood of bending or breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The contact structure is divided into modular components: contact members with resilient ends, housing elements with integrated support structures, and ground shields as separate protective elements. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the resilient ends provide mechanical strength while the housing provides structural support, enabling reduced pitch without sacrificing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The connector employs composite construction combining electrically conductive materials for signal transmission with electrically insulating housing materials. The housing elements provide mechanical strength and structural support while the contact members provide electrical conductivity. This composite approach allows thin signal pins to be supported by a robust housing structure, reducing fragility while maintaining small pitch dimensions
2Quantity of substance
If the pitch between signal pins is reduced to increase pin density, then the signal carrying capacity is increased, but the impedance and electrical properties become difficult to control, challenging high electrical performance
Solution Approach 1:
The connector design implements local quality variations through ground shields positioned adjacent to signal contacts and resilient ends with specific geometric configurations. These localized features are strategically placed to control impedance and electrical properties in high-density regions, allowing each contact region to be optimized for its specific electrical requirements while maintaining overall high pin density
Solution Approach 2:
The design utilizes parameter variations in the resilient ends and ground shield configurations to control electrical properties. By adjusting the geometry, position, and dimensions of these components, the connector maintains controlled impedance and electrical performance across high-density pin arrangements, enabling increased pin density without sacrificing electrical performance
3Reliability
If ground shields are added to reduce interference or crosstalk, then signal quality is improved, but the connector size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ground shields are merged with the housing structure, forming an integrated assembly where the housing elements and ground shields work together as a unified structure. This integration reduces the number of separate components and simplifies assembly while maintaining the signal quality benefits of ground shielding
Solution Approach 2:
The housing elements serve multiple functions: providing structural support, electrical insulation, and integrating ground shields for signal protection. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated ground shield components, thereby reducing overall connector complexity while maintaining signal quality
4Ease of operation
If resilient parts are made more compliant to accommodate positioning variations, then ease of assembly is improved, but contact normal force decreases due to stress relaxation or deformations
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient ends are pre-loaded during assembly to establish an initial contact normal force that compensates for subsequent stress relaxation and deformations. This pre-cushioning approach ensures that even as the resilient parts deform over time or during handling, the contact normal force remains sufficient to maintain reliable electrical contact
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an electrical connector housing (1, 21 ) comprising a contact module insertion face for inserting a plurality of contact modules (5, 25) into the electrical connector housing (1, 21 ), thereby forming an electrical connector (10, 20), wherein each contact module (5, 25) comprises a plurality of first mating contacts (2, 22) for mating with a plurality of second mating contacts (2, 22) of a corresponding electrical connector (10, 20), and a mating face for introducing said plurality of second mating contacts (2, 22) of said corresponding electrical connector (10, 20) into said electrical connector housing (1, 21 ), thereby allowing said first mating contacts (2, 22) and second mating contacts (2, 22) to mate with each other. In order to provide a particularly reliable electrical connector having reduced contact failures, a plurality of electrically insulating plates (6, 26) are formed integrally with the electrical connector housing (1, 21 ) and are adapted to support said first mating contacts (2, 22).