Connector Spring Piece Dimensionality Change
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional board-to-board connectors face challenges in reducing size and profile while maintaining pliant, reliable, and durable spring pieces, as increasing length inhibits size reduction and thickness or width limitations are reached.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a shell with a spring piece comprising an elongated part, a base part, an intermediate part, and a contact tip, where the intermediate part is spaced away from the sidewall and the contact tip is positioned inward, allowing for increased length and elasticity while maintaining a low profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the spring piece length is increased to improve pliancy and reliability, then the connector size and profile cannot be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The spring piece transitions from a conventional linear extension to a three-dimensional configuration with the intermediate part spaced away from the sidewall. This spatial repositioning allows the spring piece to achieve greater effective length and elasticity without increasing the connector's overall profile height, resolving the contradiction between reliability and compact size.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring piece is divided into distinct functional segments: base part, intermediate part, and contact tip. The intermediate part is positioned independently away from the sidewall, creating a segmented structure that optimizes each portion's function while maintaining compact overall dimensions.
2Strength
If the spring piece thickness or width is increased to improve durability, then the connector size reduction is inhibited
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing thickness or width to improve durability, the design utilizes the third dimension by spacing the intermediate part away from the sidewall. This creates additional effective length and structural integrity without increasing the connector's cross-sectional area or volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the geometric parameters of the spring piece by positioning the intermediate part at a distance from the sidewall, optimizing the spring piece's mechanical properties through spatial configuration rather than dimensional scaling.
3Volume of stationary object
If the connector size is reduced to save mounting space, then the spring piece cannot maintain adequate pliancy
Solution Approach 1:
The spring piece achieves adequate pliancy within a compact connector volume by utilizing three-dimensional space. The intermediate part is positioned away from the sidewall, creating an optimized spring path that maintains flexibility and reliability without requiring increased overall connector size.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring piece structure is efficiently nested within the connector housing, with the intermediate part positioned in the available space away from the sidewall. This nested configuration maximizes the spring piece's functional length within the constrained connector volume.
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
Enables the creation of pliant, reliable, and durable spring pieces within a compact connector profile, facilitating size and profile reduction while ensuring effective electrical connectivity.
Implementation Method 1
a spring piece (63) adapted to contact a ground contact (80') of the mating connector (200). The spring piece (63) includes a base part (63a) protruded from the elongated part (61)... an intermediate part (63b) extended from the front end of the base part (63a)... and a contact tip (63c) extended from the front end of the intermediate part (63b)
Data Source
AI summary
A connector includes a housing, contacts arranged and held in the housing, and a shell attached around the housing. The shell is made from a plate and includes an elongated part extending along a sidewall of the housing and a spring piece adapted to contact a ground contact of a mating connector. The spring piece includes a base part protruded from the elongated part in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the elongated part extends and bent so that its front end is positioned inward from the sidewall, an intermediate part extended from the front end of the base part in the direction in which the elongated part extends, and a contact tip extended from a front end of the intermediate part in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the elongated part extends. The intermediate part is spaced away from an inner surface of the sidewall and the contact tip is positioned further inward from the inner surface than the intermediate part and a front end of the contact tip is directed to the side from which the mating connector is inserted. The spring piece of the shell can be made pliant even though the profile of the connector is low. Thus, connector profile reduction can be achieved.