Electrical Connector Low Permittivity Shielding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electrical connectors for high-frequency data signal transmission face challenges in achieving optimal signal integrity, minimizing jittering, and reproducible impedance matching while maintaining low production costs and effective shielding against external electromagnetic fields, due to limitations in conductive plastic materials and complex sheet metal processing.

Innovation Solution

The electrical connector design features a housing with a base and cover part forming a tunnel, where the electrical lead is embedded in a surrounding material with a relative permittivity less than 2, preferably air, and supported by insulating elements, allowing for improved signal propagation and impedance matching, and enhanced shielding with a conductive inner tunnel wall and optional metalized components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a housing is made of conductive plastic material to reduce production costs, then manufacturing cost decreases, but shielding quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction costVSAvoidshielding quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is made of conductive plastic material combined with metal inserts or coatings. The conductive plastic provides cost benefits and ease of manufacturing, while the metal components enhance the shielding properties. This composite structure allows the housing to achieve both low cost and good shielding quality simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a housing is made of sheet metal to improve shielding properties, then shielding quality improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshielding qualityVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is divided into multiple components: conductive plastic parts and separate metal shielding elements. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured using simpler, more cost-effective processes, while the assembly of these components provides the necessary shielding. The complex shielding function is achieved through modular assembly rather than monolithic complex processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Object-affected harmful factors

If aperture size is reduced to improve shielding, then shielding quality improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshielding qualityVSAvoidaperture size control
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of requiring uniformly small apertures throughout the housing, the invention applies shielding measures locally at critical areas where electromagnetic field ingress is most likely. The conductive material is strategically positioned at apertures and openings to provide shielding without requiring precise control of aperture dimensions throughout the entire structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

4Object-affected harmful factors

If sophisticated bending or deep drawing techniques are used to reduce aperture size, then shielding quality improves, but production costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshielding qualityVSAvoidproduction cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention uses relatively simple, cost-effective manufacturing techniques to create the housing structure, accepting that some apertures may be larger than ideal. Instead of investing in expensive sophisticated bending or deep drawing equipment, the solution employs simpler processes combined with strategic placement of conductive materials to achieve adequate shielding at lower production costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

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

This design reduces signal path length, minimizes impedance mismatch effects, enhances signal-to-noise ratio, and improves shielding, resulting in improved signal integrity and reproducible manufacturing with reduced production costs.

Implementation Method 1

at least a portion of the electrical lead is embedded in a surrounding material having a relative permittivity which is less than 2

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectRelative permittivity: Dielectric Permittivity

Implementation Method 2

at least a portion of the housing of the electrical connector is made of a conductive material, with the housing acting as a Faraday cage

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFaraday cage: Faraday Cage

Data Source

PatentEP3703191B1Electrical connector
Publication Date: 2022.11.09 APTIV TECHNOLOGIES LTD
  • EP3703191B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2b
  • EP3703191B1 patent drawingFigure 3a~3d
  • EP3703191B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The invention is directed to an electrical connector for high frequency data signal transmission comprising a housing, at least one tunnel extending through the housing and at least one electrical lead extending through the at least one tunnel, wherein, in the at least one tunnel, at least a portion of the electrical lead is embedded in a surrounding material having a relative permittivity which is less than 2.