Electrical Connector Carrier for Spring-Loaded Pin Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Spring-loaded pins used in electrical testing are expensive, with the sleeves accounting for a significant portion of the cost, and existing methods require individual handling and soldering, which is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
The development of an electrical connector with selectively severed contacts and a carrier system that allows for flexible electrical coupling of contacts, using elastic beams to secure spring-loaded pins and accommodate different wire types, reducing the need for individual sleeve handling and soldering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual sleeves are used for each spring-loaded pin, then reliable electrical contact is achieved, but manufacturing cost and assembly complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual sleeves are merged into a single integrated carrier structure that holds multiple spring-loaded pins. The carrier is stamped from a single piece of metal and provides both mechanical support and electrical connectivity for multiple contacts, eliminating the need to handle and assemble separate sleeves for each pin.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support for multiple spring-loaded pins, maintains precise positioning, provides electrical connectivity between pins and wire, and enables selective severing for different electrical configurations. This multi-functional design reduces overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If individual sleeves are soldered to wires, then secure electrical connection is achieved, but assembly time and labor cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple wire connections are merged into a single wiring operation. The carrier structure allows all wire connections to be made simultaneously through the single carrier component, rather than requiring separate soldering operations for each individual sleeve, significantly improving assembly productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If selective electrical coupling is implemented, then programming flexibility is achieved, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier structure is designed with selective severing capabilities that divide the electrical pathways into segments. This allows different electrical configurations to be created by selectively cutting or leaving intact specific connection points during manufacturing, enabling programming flexibility through a simple addition to the manufacturing process.
4Quantity of substance
If stacked headers are used, then contact density is increased, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple contact arrays are merged into a single integrated stacked header assembly. The carrier structure maintains precise relative positioning of contacts across multiple stacked headers, ensuring proper alignment and electrical connectivity while enabling high contact density in a compact form factor.
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 solution reduces the cost and complexity of electrical connector assembly by allowing selective electrical coupling of contacts, eliminating the need for individual sleeve handling and soldering, and enabling efficient termination of multiple pogo sites in a two-dimensional array.
Implementation Method 1
Electrical contacts each have one or more pairs of elastic beams for receiving spring-loaded pins
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector is made up of a series of stacked headers. The headers may all be made from similar contact arrays initially held together by carriers, with the contact arrays and the carriers stamped from a single piece of sheet metal. After the stamping a header body is overmolded onto the contacts of a header. For some of the headers the carrier is then separated from all of the contacts, and is removed. For other of the headers the carrier remains secured to some of the contacts, while being separated from other of the contacts. The retained carrier functions to electrically connect together all of the contacts that remain secured to it, for example for use as a common ground. The contacts may have beams or clips, bent portions that are used for receiving spring-loaded pins.