Guided Electrical Connector Structure for Reliable Blind Mating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connectors face challenges in maintaining structural strength and reliability, especially during blind mating operations, where improper alignment and force application can lead to damage and instability, affecting signal integrity and service life.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector design incorporates guiding features such as guide holes, guide grooves, and mating grooves with inclined surfaces and stepped structures, allowing for proper alignment and secure contact without direct visual inspection, and includes a vent hole for heat dissipation, enhancing robustness and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the electrical connector is made compact and lightweight to accommodate modern electronic device designs, then the connector can fit smaller spaces and reduce device weight, but the structural strength is weakened making the connector more fragile and susceptible to damage during blind mating operations
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into multiple functional segments: a housing, a terminal assembly, guiding structures (guide posts and guide grooves), and mating features. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the housing can be made lightweight while the guiding structures and mating features provide localized structural reinforcement where needed during connection operations.
2Device complexity
If conventional electrical connectors are used without specialized guiding structures, then the device complexity is reduced, but misalignment and off-axis forces during blind mating operations increase leading to damage and unstable connections
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding structures (guide posts and guide grooves) perform preliminary alignment actions before the actual mating connection is made. During a blind mating operation, the guide posts insert into the guide grooves first, establishing proper alignment and guiding the connector into the correct position before the terminal contacts engage, thereby preventing misalignment and off-axis forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide posts and guide grooves act as intermediary elements between the operator and the terminal assembly. These intermediaries facilitate the connection process by providing tactile feedback and mechanical guidance, allowing the operator to achieve proper alignment through touch alone during blind mating operations, without needing to see the connector.
3Ease of manufacture
If the electrical connector lacks a vent hole structure, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but heat dissipation capability is reduced affecting signal integrity during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The vent hole structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides heat dissipation pathways for thermal management, acts as a structural feature that can be integrated into the housing design, and may serve as a registration feature during assembly. This multi-functionality allows heat dissipation to be achieved without adding separate dedicated cooling components, maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes: an insulating housing; a first terminal assembly disposed at least partially in the housing; a plurality of guide holes disposed in the housing and extending in an insertion direction; a guide groove disposed in the housing and extending in the insertion direction; at least one mating groove disposed in the housing and extending in the insertion direction; and, optionally, a first vent hole disposed in the housing. The guide holes, the guide groove, and the mating groove may each include an inclined wall to facilitate mating with a mating connector. The guide holes may extend from a mating surface of the housing or may extend from guide posts protruding from the mating surface of the housing. The mating groove may have a plurality of heights.