Board-Attached Connector Housing for Pre-Fit Buckling Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors with press-fit pins often buckle during mounting on circuit boards, leading to detection only after the connector is already mounted, resulting in discarded substrate products and reduced productivity.
Innovation Solution
A board-attached connector design that includes a housing with extending portions and press-fitted portions, allowing for detection of potential buckling before mounting by ensuring press-fit terminals are inside holes without contacting the mounting surface in a temporarily mounted state, eliminating the need for post-mounting inspection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If press-fit terminals are press-fitted into through holes of a circuit board, then electrical connection is achieved, but buckling may occur during mounting which can only be detected after mounting, leading to discarded substrate products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by designing the housing with an extending portion that allows the press-fit terminals to be temporarily positioned in a state where their tips are inside the through holes but not yet press-fitted. This preliminary positioning enables inspection of terminal alignment and potential buckling risks before actual press-fitting occurs, allowing defective connectors to be identified and replaced before mounting on the circuit board, thereby preventing waste of substrate products while maintaining productivity
2Reliability
If through window is provided in the press-fit member to detect buckling, then buckling detection capability is improved, but detection can only occur after mounting which reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The extending portion of the housing enables preliminary positioning of press-fit terminals before mounting, allowing alignment inspection to occur before the connector is permanently attached to the circuit board. This eliminates the need for post-mounting detection through windows and prevents time loss by identifying potential buckling issues in advance
Solution Approach 2:
The extending portion acts as an intermediary structure that facilitates preliminary positioning and inspection. It serves as a mediator between the press-fit terminals and the circuit board, allowing the terminals to be temporarily held in the correct position for inspection without requiring actual mounting, thus enabling buckling detection before permanent attachment
Data Source
AI summary
A board attached connector includes a circuit board including first press-fitting holes and a second press-fitting hole and a connector to be mounted on a mounting surface of the circuit board. The connector includes a plurality of press-fit terminals to be press-fitted into the first press-fitting holes, and a housing holding the plurality of press-fit terminals. The housing includes an extending portion extending along a first direction in which the press-fit terminals are press-fitted into the first press-fitting holes, and provided with a press-fitted portion to be press-fitted into the second press-fitting hole. The board attached connector is configured such that in a temporarily mounted state in which the press-fitted portion is in contact with an edge of the second press-fitting hole, each of tips of the plurality of press-fit terminals in the first direction is located inside the first press-fitting holes without contacting the mounting surface.