Electrical Connector Shielding Shell Spot-Welded Fixing Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors lack a durable construction that ensures the insulative housing is securely affixed to the shielding shell, which affects the connector's rigidity and longevity.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector design featuring a shielding shell formed by metal injection molding and a metal shielding plate spot-welded to the shell, where the fixing plate is twice as thick as the shielding shell at the welding spot, providing enhanced rigidity and a secure affixation of the insulative housing within the shielding shell.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a thin fixing plate is used to attach the insulative housing to the shielding shell, then the manufacturing cost and complexity are reduced, but the connection strength and structural rigidity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding shell is designed with local thickness variation: the shell wall is thin overall to reduce complexity and cost, but the shell bottom is locally thickened to provide a robust welding surface. This local quality enhancement ensures strong spot-welding connection between the fixing plate and shielding shell without increasing the overall shell thickness or device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The shielding shell bottom is pre-formed with a thickened section during the metal injection molding process, before the spot-welding operation. This preliminary action ensures that when the fixing plate is later spot-welded to the shell, there is already sufficient material thickness at the welding location to provide strong mechanical bonding and structural integrity.
2Device complexity
If a thin shielding shell is used, then the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty are reduced, but the rigidity and durability of the connector deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding shell employs local quality enhancement by maintaining thin walls for most of the structure (reducing complexity) while having a locally thickened bottom section (increasing rigidity). This differential thickness design provides structural stability where needed without unnecessarily increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The shielding shell is formed using metal injection molding, creating a composite structure that combines metal particles with a binder material. This composite material approach allows for complex thin-walled structures with controlled local thickening, achieving both low overall complexity and high local rigidity for the connector assembly.
3Ease of manufacture
If a thin fixing plate is used, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the spot-welding durability and connection reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding shell has local quality enhancement at the bottom where the fixing plate attaches. While the fixing plate itself remains thin for ease of manufacture, the shell bottom is locally thickened to provide sufficient material for durable spot-welding, ensuring connection reliability without complicating the fixing plate fabrication process.
Solution Approach 2:
The thickened shell bottom acts as an intermediary element between the thin fixing plate and the rest of the shielding shell structure. It provides a robust welding surface that mediates the connection, allowing the thin fixing plate to be easily manufactured while still achieving durable spot-welding through the thicker shell material at the attachment point.
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 ensures a robust and long-lasting connection by maintaining the spot-welding effect even after repeated use, enhancing the connector's structural integrity and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a shielding shell (5) formed by metal injection molding
Implementation Method 2
The fixing plate is spot-welded onto the shielding shell for forming a welding spot
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes an insulative housing, a number of conductive terminals affixed to the insulative housing, a metal shielding plate affixed to the insulative housing and including a fixing plate, and a shielding shell formed by Metal Injection Molding and enclosing the insulative housing for forming a receiving room. The fixing plate is spot-welded onto the shielding shell for forming a welding spot. The thickness of the shielding shell spot-welded onto the welding spot is twice as thick as the fixing plate at least. The shielding shell has more than twice the rigidity of the fixing plate.