Connector Partition Walls Reduce Stray Capacitance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors with narrow contact pitches face issues of misalignment and increased signal reflection due to higher capacitance and reduced impedance between adjacent contacts, leading to signal loss.
Innovation Solution
The connector design features bar-shaped contacts with a coupling part providing springiness, and an insulating housing with grooves and partition walls of varying heights and widths to reduce stray capacitance and misalignment, while maintaining high impedance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the contact pitch is narrowed to meet miniaturization requirements, then the connector size is reduced, but misalignment of contacts occurs and capacitance between adjacent contacts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing grooves and partition walls at specific locations within the housing. The grooves are positioned to receive and guide the lower portions of contacts, while partition walls are strategically placed between adjacent contacts to prevent lateral movement. This localized structural enhancement maintains contact alignment accuracy in the narrowed pitch connector without increasing overall connector size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the housing into distinct functional regions using grooves and partition walls. The grooves create individual channels for each contact, while partition walls divide the space between adjacent contacts. This segmentation isolates each contact's movement, preventing misalignment from affecting neighboring contacts even when the overall pitch is reduced.
2Volume of moving object
If the contact pitch is narrowed, then the connector size is reduced, but capacitance between adjacent contacts increases and impedance reduces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by strategically positioning grooves and partition walls to modify the electromagnetic field distribution between adjacent contacts. The grooves receiving the lower portions of contacts and the partition walls between contacts create localized insulation that reduces stray capacitance. This localized structural modification maintains higher impedance between contacts even when the overall pitch is narrowed, thereby reducing signal reflection and loss.
3Reliability
If partition walls are added to prevent misalignment, then contact alignment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of grooves and partition walls into a single integrated housing structure. The grooves and partition walls are formed as continuous features of the housing, simultaneously providing contact guidance and lateral restraint. This merging approach achieves improved contact alignment accuracy while minimizing the increase in device complexity by avoiding separate components.
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 effectively suppresses misalignment and signal reflection, enhancing signal integrity by maintaining high impedance and reducing signal loss even at narrow contact pitches.
Implementation Method 1
a coupling part having springiness, and coupling between an intermediate portion of the first contact part in the longitudinal direction and an intermediate portion of the second contact part in the longitudinal direction
Data Source
AI summary
Housing includes: insertion part into which a connection target is inserted; a plurality of first grooves provided inside insertion part so as to align along an alignment direction being perpendicular to the insertion direction of the connection target, first contact parts being respectively disposed in first grooves; a plurality of second grooves provided inside insertion part so as to oppose to first grooves, second contact parts being respectively disposed in second grooves; first partition wall partitioning adjacent first contact parts; and second partition wall partitioning adjacent second contact parts. At least one of first partition wall and second partition wall has a height dimension in a direction perpendicular to both the insertion direction and the alignment direction, the height dimension being smaller at least at one end in the alignment direction than at a portion between opposite ends in the alignment direction in order to reduce capacitance between contact parts.