Electrical Contact Solder Attachment via Peg and Beveled Hole
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for attaching solder to electrical contacts limit the miniaturization of electrical connectors due to fixed distances and unreliable solder attachment, leading to increased stack height and pitch, and vulnerability to dislodgment during handling.
Innovation Solution
An electrical contact design featuring a peg with beveled sides and a hole in the tail, where the solder member engages the peg, providing secure attachment and allowing for smaller pitches and stack heights, with the solder member fused to both the tail and a printed circuit board.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solder is attached by inserting between opposing arms and crimping, then solder attachment is achieved, but the contact cannot be inserted further into the connector core and stack height increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from attaching solder on the sides of the contact (lateral dimension) to attaching solder at the bottom of the tail (vertical dimension). The tail is extended downward and solder is attached at this extended portion, allowing the contact to be inserted deeper into the connector core without increasing overall stack height.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent separates the solder attachment location from the contact body shoulders. By extending the tail and attaching solder at the extended tail portion rather than at the contact body, the design extracts the solder attachment function to a different location that does not interfere with connector core insertion depth.
2Ease of operation
If contacts are attached at shoulders with breakoffs, then contact removal from ribbon is enabled, but width and pitch cannot be smaller than fixed distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the breakoff function from the contact body shoulders and relocates it to the extended tail portion. This allows the contact body to be miniaturized with smaller pitch while the extended tail with breakoffs remains intact for ribbon removal functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the breakoff structure from the horizontal plane (contact body shoulders) to the vertical dimension (extended tail), allowing pitch reduction in the horizontal direction while maintaining ribbon removal capability through the vertically extended tail.
3Ease of manufacture
If solder is inserted into aperture and cold-formed, then solder is secured on one side, but solder can rotate and dislodge easily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetric features including a non-circular aperture and a key protrusion on the solder element that engages with the aperture. This asymmetric design prevents rotation of the solder element while maintaining ease of manufacture through simple geometric features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies localized engagement features (key protrusion and corresponding aperture) at specific locations on the solder element to prevent rotation, while the rest of the solder element maintains its simple geometry for easy manufacturing and attachment.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical contact including a head, a tail including an opposing pair of major surfaces and a hole, a body connected at one end thereof to the head and at another end thereof to the tail, a peg arranged adjacent to the hole and to extend perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to one of the opposing pair of major surfaces and including at least one beveled side, and a solder member attached to the tail such that the peg creates and fits in a protrusion in a surface of the solder member when the solder member is attached to the tail, such that a portion of the solder member extends into the hole, and such that the solder member engages the at least one beveled side of the peg.