Electrical Connector Translucent Mating Port Light Guidance

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electrical connectors for audio transmission with LEDs and light guiding rings face challenges in cost and mechanical durability, as the light guiding ring material is more expensive and inferior mechanically compared to the insulative housing.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates a cylindrical mating port with a majority opaque part and a minority translucent or transparent part, where the translucent part is used for light guiding and made from the same material as the housing, allowing efficient light transmission while maintaining mechanical integrity, and is assembled using molding techniques.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If a light guiding ring is used to guide LED light, then light transmission is improved, but material cost increases and mechanical strength decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight transmissionVSAvoidmaterial cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making only the minority part of the mating port translucent or transparent for light transmission, while the majority part remains opaque and made from the same material as the housing. This localized approach provides light guiding functionality exactly where needed (at the front face) while maintaining mechanical strength and cost-effectiveness in the structural portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The mating port is segmented into two distinct parts: a majority opaque part for structural integrity and a minority translucent/transparent part for light transmission. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between light transmission and mechanical strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Illumination intensity

If a light guiding ring is used to guide LED light, then light transmission is improved, but mechanical strength decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight transmissionVSAvoidmechanical strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making only the minority part of the mating port translucent or transparent for light transmission, while the majority part remains opaque and made from the same material as the housing. This localized approach provides light guiding functionality exactly where needed (at the front face) while maintaining mechanical strength and cost-effectiveness in the structural portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The mating port is segmented into two distinct parts: a majority opaque part for structural integrity and a minority translucent/transparent part for light transmission. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between light transmission and mechanical strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Strength

If the mating port is made entirely from housing material, then mechanical strength is maintained, but light transmission capability is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical strengthVSAvoidlight transmission

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making only the minority part of the mating port translucent or transparent for light transmission, while the majority part remains opaque and made from the same material as the housing. This localized approach provides light guiding functionality exactly where needed (at the front face) while maintaining mechanical strength and cost-effectiveness in the structural portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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 design provides an economically viable and mechanically durable electrical connector with efficient light guidance, enhancing user experience in low-light conditions without increasing material costs.

Implementation Method 1

the minority part is essentially translucent or transparent for light transmission/guiding and intimately confronts the LED

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight transmission: Refraction

Data Source

PatentUS11381043B2Electrical connector with LED transversely neighboring partial light guiding ring

Publication Date: 2022.07.05 FOXCONN (KUNSHAN) COMPUTER CONNECTOR CO LTD

AI summary

An electrical connector includes an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts assembled in the housing, a plurality of cylindrical mating ports located on and forwardly extending from a front face of the housing, and a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) disposed in the housing behind the front face thereof. The mating port includes a majority part and a minority part engaged with each other wherein the majority part has the material same with or similar to that of the housing and is spaced away from the LED while the minority part is essentially translucent or transparent for light transmission/guiding and intimately confronts the LED.