Circuit Board Connector Preventing Width Upsizing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing circuit board connectors experience upsizing issues in the width direction due to the design of guide members and reinforcing members, leading to increased noise in high-frequency signals and potential breakage during mating.
Innovation Solution
A circuit board connector apparatus with a housing that includes a protruding wall and a peripheral wall, featuring a reinforcing fitting with first and second portions that extend along the length portion of the peripheral wall, where the second portion is mounted closer to the mounting surface than the first portion, and an elastic contact portion that can come into contact with the counterpart connector, preventing upsizing by integrating the terminal and reinforcing fitting with the housing and using a plate-shaped metal sheet for the reinforcing fitting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If guide members and reinforcing members are assembled into the holding member by insert molding, then the connector structure is strengthened, but the width direction size increases leading to upsizing
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member and reinforcing member are merged into a single integrated component. The guide member includes guide portions for guiding the counterpart connector and reinforcing portions for strengthening the holding member, both functions combined in one piece that is molded integrally with the holding member, eliminating the need for separate assembly of multiple components
Solution Approach 2:
The guide member serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides guiding surfaces for the counterpart connector during mating, reinforces the holding member structure against deformation, and maintains a compact width direction profile. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate guide members and reinforcing members
2Strength
If the connector width direction size increases, then structural strength is improved, but noise in high-frequency signals increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing portions are strategically positioned at specific locations within the guide member where structural support is most needed, rather than uniformly increasing the width direction size. This localized reinforcement provides necessary strength while maintaining a compact overall profile that minimizes noise generation in high-frequency signals
3Ease of manufacture
If guide members and reinforcing members are assembled separately into the holding member, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but the connector may break during mating
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member and reinforcing member are merged into a single integrated component that is molded as one piece with the holding member. This integration ensures that the reinforcing portions are firmly anchored and cannot become dislodged during mating operations, preventing breakage while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through single-step molding
Data Source
AI summary
A circuit board connector apparatus includes a housing, a terminal, and a reinforcing fitting. The housing includes a protruding wall that protrudes in a height direction, a peripheral wall that protrudes in the height direction and surrounds the perimeter of the protruding wall, and a receiving portion between the protruding wall and the peripheral wall, the receiving portion being recessed in the height direction. The reinforcing fitting includes a first and a second portion extending toward the terminal along at least a length portion of the peripheral wall in a state of each being connected to an end portion placed in a width portion of the peripheral wall and in a state of being spaced apart in the height direction from each other. The second portion is located on a side closer in the height direction to a mounting surface than the first portion, and at the same position as an outer end of the first portion, or inward of the outer end in the housing, in a width direction.