Electrical Connector Relay Portion Shortens Signal Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors for circuit boards face challenges in ensuring sufficient electrical characteristics, particularly for high-speed signals, due to the long and complex shape of the elastic portion, which can lead to high impedance and poor signal transmission.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector design incorporates a relay portion that constitutes a signal transmission path shorter than the total length of the elastic portion, allowing for improved signal flow and maintaining contact even when the movable housing floats, by using relay pieces or a relay member that are elastically deformable and in contact with the elastic portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the elastic portion is made long and complex to ensure sufficient floating amount, then the floating capability is improved, but the electrical characteristics deteriorate due to high impedance and poor signal transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal is divided into distinct functional segments: a connecting portion for circuit board attachment, an elastic portion for floating movement, a relay portion for signal transmission, and a contact portion for connector engagement. This segmentation allows the elastic portion to be long for floating capability while the relay portion provides a short electrical path for good signal transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The relay portion acts as an intermediary element between the connecting portion and the contact portion. It provides a dedicated short electrical conduction path that mediates signal transmission, separating the mechanical floating function (handled by the long elastic portion) from the electrical signal transmission function (handled by the short relay portion).
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 configuration ensures a sufficient floating amount and electrical characteristic for signal transmission, as the signal is more likely to flow through the shorter signal transmission path, maintaining contact and reliability even during movable housing movement.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic portion located between the stationary-side retained portion and the movable-side retained portion and elastically deformable
Implementation Method 2
The relay portion short-circuits a part located at a position closer to the one end than the elastic portion is and a part located at a position closer to the other end than the elastic portion is
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector for circuit boards includes: a terminal including a connecting portion for connection to a circuit board, the connecting portion being disposed on one end of the terminal, and a contact portion for contact with a counterpart connector element, the contact portion being disposed on the other end of the terminal; and a housing retaining the terminal and including a stationary housing for mounting to the circuit board through the terminal and a movable housing movable relative to the stationary housing and receiving the contact portion of the terminal. The terminal includes a stationary-side retained portion retained by the stationary housing, a movable-side retained portion retained by the movable housing, an elastic portion located between the stationary-side retained portion and the movable-side retained portion and elastically deformable, and a relay portion constituting a signal transmission path shorter than a total length of the elastic portion.