Flat Terminals in Electrical Connector Receptacles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors, such as USB connectors, suffer from damage due to abnormal usage, leading to high repair costs and poor radio frequency shielding, causing interference with devices like wireless mice and Bluetooth gadgets.
Innovation Solution
A receptacle and plug design featuring a metal housing with a plastic main body and flat terminals, where the terminals have a fixing, contacting, and soldering part, and a shielding plate to minimize damage and interference, with a reverse alignment sequence for terminals and a dual in-line package or surface mount technology for secure soldering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If elastic terminals or tongue of plastic body are used in receptacle, then the receptacle can be easily assembled, but the terminals are easily damaged due to abnormal usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical form of terminals from elastic to flat rigid terminals. This parameter change in terminal structure provides both ease of assembly through standardized insertion and high damage resistance due to the rigid flat structure that cannot be easily deformed or damaged by abnormal usage.
2Device complexity
If poor shielding structure is used in housing, then the device complexity is reduced, but radio frequency interference occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material structure for shielding, combining metal housing with copper foil shielding layers and conductive rubber seals. This composite approach provides effective radio frequency interference protection while maintaining reasonable structural complexity through the integration of multiple functional materials.
3Reliability
If flat terminals with fixing, contacting, and soldering parts are used, then the terminal reliability is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the terminal into three distinct functional parts: fixing part for secure mounting, contacting part for electrical connection, and soldering part for circuit board attachment. This segmentation improves reliability by optimizing each part for its specific function while allowing independent manufacturing and assembly of each component.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat terminal structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: the fixing part provides mechanical retention, the contacting part enables electrical connection, and the soldering part allows permanent mounting. This multi-functionality in a single component design improves reliability while streamlining the overall manufacturing process through component integration.
Data Source
AI summary
A receptacle for an electrical connector includes a metal housing body, a plastic main body positioned in the metal housing body, and flat terminals. The plastic main body incorporates with the metal housing body to form an accommodating space for being plugged into by a plug. First and second tongue parts disposed on the plastic main body are respectively close to upper and lower sides of the metal housing body. Each flat terminal includes a fixing part, a contacting part formed in a flat shape, and a soldering part. The contacting parts are respectively disposed on first and second tongue parts and respectively are exposed to the accommodating space in downward and upward directions. A tongue of a plastic body of the receptacle, i.e. first and second tongue parts, and the flat terminals are thus minimally damaged, to prevent the expensive cost of repairing a damaged receptacle.