Electrical Connector O-Ring Injection Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors face issues with misalignment and incomplete sealing of o-rings during assembly, leading to inadequate waterproofing between the connector and electronic devices due to excessive force.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector design featuring an outer frame with an annular groove and dispensing holes, where an o-ring is injected into the groove after the connector is assembled, ensuring better sealing of the gap between the shielding shell and the outer frame, enhancing the waterproof effect.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an o-ring is attached to the insulative shell before assembly, then the sealing function is provided, but the excessive force during assembly causes the o-ring to be misaligned or not completely fill the gap
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the annular groove and dispensing holes in the insulative shell before assembly. The o-ring material is prepared and positioned in the groove in advance, so that during final assembly, the material is simply injected through the pre-positioned holes to fill the groove and seal the gap, eliminating misalignment issues from excessive force.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical o-ring attachment method (which relies on physical fitting and compression) with an injection-based method. Liquid or semi-solid sealing material is injected through dispensing holes to form the o-ring in place, substituting mechanical assembly forces with a controlled material deposition process that precisely fills the groove without misalignment.
2Reliability
If an o-ring is attached to the insulative shell, then waterproofing is provided, but the o-ring may not completely fill the gap between the electronic device and the electrical connector
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical o-ring attachment with injection-molded sealing material deposition. The material is injected under controlled pressure through dispensing holes directly into the annular groove, ensuring complete filling of the gap between the electronic device and electrical connector without the misalignment problems of mechanical assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the state of the sealing material from pre-formed solid o-ring to injectable liquid or semi-solid material. This parameter change allows the material to flow and completely fill the annular groove and gap areas, ensuring complete gap filling that cannot be achieved with rigid pre-assembled o-rings subjected to excessive assembly forces.
3Manufacturing precision
If the o-ring is formed after filling the electrical connector into the outer frame, then the gap sealing is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the o-ring formation step with the final assembly step. The annular groove and dispensing holes are formed as integral features of the insulative housing during its molding process, and the sealing material is injected during assembly, combining what would otherwise be separate operations into an integrated process that simplifies overall manufacturing despite the innovative sequencing.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector assembly includes an electrical connector and an outer frame receiving the electrical connector. The electrical connector includes an insulative housing, a number of conductive terminals affixed to the insulative housing, and a shielding shell enclosing the insulative housing. The insulative housing includes a base portion and a tongue portion. There exists an annular groove between an outer surface of the shielding shell and an inner wall of the outer frame. The outer frame includes a number of dispensing holes penetrating the inner wall and an outer wall thereof and communicating with the annular groove. An o-ring is injected into the annular groove through the dispensing holes by the insulative materials sealing a gap between the shielding shell and the outer frame. Since the o-ring is formed after assembling the electrical connector to the outer frame, the gap is better sealed.