Electrical Connector Middle Shielding Groove Snap-Fit Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical connectors experience unstable snap-fit due to abrasion between plastic and metal materials, leading to signal interference issues, especially at high frequencies.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector design featuring a middle shielding sheet with grooves that buckle a metal elastic sheet, preventing forward displacement and ensuring stable snap-fit without the need for a metal elastic sheet on the casing, while isolating terminals to prevent signal interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal elastic sheet is disposed on a metal casing to achieve stable snap-fit, then snap-fit stability is improved, but signal interference increases due to holes or slots required in the metal casing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the snap-fit function from the metal casing by placing the metal elastic sheet on the insulation body instead. This allows the metal casing to remain intact without holes or slots, eliminating signal interference while maintaining snap-fit stability through the metal elastic sheet's engagement with grooves in the insulation body
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation body serves as an intermediary carrier for the metal elastic sheet, allowing the snap-fit mechanism to function without requiring modifications to the metal casing. The metal elastic sheet acts as a mediator between the insulation body and mating connector, providing stable connection while preserving the integrity of the metal casing for electromagnetic shielding
2Ease of manufacture
If plastic material is used for both insulation body and mating connector, then manufacturing ease is improved, but abrasion resistance deteriorates leading to unstable snap-fit
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite structure combining plastic insulation body with a metal elastic sheet. This composite approach leverages the ease of plastic manufacturing while adding metal's superior abrasion resistance to the snap-fit interface, ensuring long-term connection stability without sacrificing manufacturing simplicity
3Strength
If metal material is used for mating connector, then snap-fit strength is improved, but abrasion resistance deteriorates when cooperating with plastic insulation body
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies homogeneity by using metal material for both the mating connector and the metal elastic sheet on the insulation body. This ensures that the snap-fit interface involves metal-to-metal contact, providing uniform abrasion resistance and consistent mechanical properties throughout the connection interface
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
The design achieves stable buckling and prevents abrasion, ensuring reliable snap-fit and shielding effects without signal interference, even at high frequencies.
Implementation Method 1
a metal elastic sheet is disposed on a metal casing... the groove is buckled by the metal elastic sheet to stop forward displacement of the metal elastic sheet
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector for mating with a mating connector having a metal elastic sheet. The electrical connector includes an insulating body, a middle shielding sheet and a metal casing. The insulating body includes a base, a tongue extending forward from the base, and an upper row and a lower row of terminals. Each upper and lower row terminals has a contact portion exposed from upper and lower surfaces of the tongue respectively. The middle shielding sheet is disposed in the tongue and located between the upper row and lower row of terminals. The middle shielding sheet includes a groove exposed from a side of the tongue, for being buckled by the metal elastic sheet to stop forward displacement of the metal elastic sheet. The metal casing wraps a periphery of the insulation body to form a mating cavity, for the mating connector to be entered therein.