Electrical Connector Shielding Shell Soldering Legs

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electrical connectors lack effective shielding and mounting solutions that simplify the integration with printed circuit boards (PCBs) while ensuring reliable contact and structural integrity.

Innovation Solution

The electrical connector design features a housing with contacts arranged in front and rear rows, a shielding shell with rear mounting legs, and additional soldering legs at the outer sides of the front row contact tail portions, which are bent to facilitate secure soldering to the PCB, enhancing shielding and simplifying the mounting process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a shielding shell with rear mounting legs is used, then the shielding effect is improved, but the mounting complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshielding effectVSAvoidmounting complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The shielding shell is segmented to include distinct rear mounting legs and front soldering legs, allowing separate mounting functions to be performed independently. The rear mounting legs provide structural support and shielding, while the front soldering legs enable electrical connection, dividing the mounting process into simpler sequential steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The front soldering legs act as intermediary elements between the shielding shell and the PCB, providing dedicated soldering points that facilitate electrical connection without requiring complex integration of the rear mounting legs for both mechanical and electrical functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Strength

If multiple mounting legs are provided, then the structural integrity is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidease of manufacture
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting structure is divided into rear mounting legs for structural support and front soldering legs for electrical connection. This segmentation allows each set of legs to be optimized for its specific function while using the same basic formation process, maintaining ease of manufacture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Both the rear mounting legs and front soldering legs are formed through the same bending process from the shielding shell, using universal manufacturing steps. Although they serve different functions, they are created using the same production methodology, preserving manufacturing simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If soldering legs are added to the shielding shell, then the reliability of contact is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of contactVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The soldering legs are merged with the shielding shell as a single integrated component, formed by bending portions of the shell itself. This combination eliminates the need for separate soldering leg components, maintaining reliability while avoiding the complexity of additional parts and assembly steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The shielding shell serves dual purposes: providing electromagnetic shielding and providing soldering legs for electrical connection. The shell material itself is used to create the soldering legs, allowing the same component to perform multiple functions without requiring additional specialized parts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS10333258B2Electrical connector with soldering legs extending from shell rear edge and retained to inner edge of PCB
Publication Date: 2019.06.25 FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LTD
  • US10333258B2 patent drawing
  • US10333258B2 patent drawing
  • US10333258B2 patent drawing

AI summary

An electrical connector includes: a housing having a base and a tongue, the base having a mounting face; plural contacts arranged in the housing and exposed to the tongue, each contact having a contacting portion, a tail portion, and an intermediate portion between the contacting portion and the tail portion, the tail portions of the plural contacts being arranged in a front and rear rows at the mounting face of the housing base; and a shielding shell enclosing the housing and having a pair of rear mounting legs; wherein the shielding shell has a pair of soldering legs at two opposite outer sides of the front row of contact tail portions, respectively, forwardly and inwardly of the pair of rear mounting legs.