Interchangeable Connector Housing for Horizontal and Vertical PCB Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors require different shapes and configurations for horizontal and vertical mounting on circuit boards, reducing versatility and increasing manufacturing costs due to the need for distinct housing and mounting mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A connector housing with perpendicular mounting surfaces and a unified mounting mechanism that allows interchangeable mounting on a circuit board, enabling the same mounting mechanism to secure the connector both horizontally and vertically, using a cuboid-shaped body with specific contact surfaces and a mounting portion that engages with the circuit board via a surface mount technology or dual in-line package technology.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If different shapes and configurations are used for horizontal and vertical mounting, then the connector can be mounted in different orientations, but the housing complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting portion is designed with a universal structure that can accommodate both horizontal and vertical mounting orientations. The mounting surfaces are arranged perpendicular to each other, allowing the same mounting mechanism to engage with either orientation, thus eliminating the need for different housing configurations for different mounting directions.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector housing employs an asymmetric design where the mounting surfaces are positioned at right angles to each other, creating a configuration that can adapt to different mounting orientations without requiring symmetric variations. This asymmetric arrangement allows a single housing design to serve multiple mounting purposes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If different mounting mechanisms are used for horizontal and vertical mounting, then the connector can be securely mounted in different orientations, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single mounting mechanism is designed to perform both horizontal and vertical mounting functions. The mounting portion's geometry allows the same mechanism to engage with the connector housing in different orientations, eliminating the need to manufacture and inventory multiple specialized mounting mechanisms, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the mounting portion is positioned at equal distance from both contact surfaces, then the connector can be interchangeably mounted in different orientations, but the housing design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting portion is positioned asymmetrically within the housing body, specifically at equal distance from both contact surfaces in a three-dimensional arrangement. This asymmetric positioning creates a balanced configuration that enables interchangeable mounting in different orientations while maintaining structural integrity and electrical connection reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector housing comprises a body, an outside surface of the body having a pair of opposite mounting surfaces, a first contact surface, and a second contact surface, and a mounting portion disposed on each of the mounting surfaces. The mounting surfaces, the first contact surface and the second contact surface are perpendicular to each other. A distance between the mounting portion and the first contact surface is equal to a distance between the mounting portion and the second contact surface. The connector housing is interchangeably mounted with the first contact surface on a circuit board or with the second contact surface on the circuit board by a same mounting mechanism engaging the mounting portion.