Interface Card Connector With Notched Space Zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing interface card connectors occupy excessive space on main boards due to increased length, leading to design challenges and potential misalignment issues, which can result in oxidation of gold fingers and reduced product yield.
Innovation Solution
An improved interface card connector design featuring a connector body with a transverse slot and terminal accommodating holes, where the bottom surface is divided into a terminal zone and a space zone, allowing for reduced footprint and simplified assembly without precise alignment, accommodating both high-level and low-level interface cards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the length of the slot of the interface card connector is increased to accommodate higher processing speeds and more functions, then the capability of the interface card is improved, but the volume of the connector is inevitably enlarged, occupying more space on the main board
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a multi-layer structure with terminal zones and space zones arranged in different dimensions. The terminal accommodating holes are positioned in terminal zones while leaving space zones below for main board component arrangement, effectively utilizing three-dimensional space to reduce the footprint on the main board while maintaining the required slot length for high-capability interface cards
2Area of stationary object
If a lower-level connector with a notch is used to reduce the occupied area of the circuit board, then the main board space is improved, but a portion of the gold finger unit of the interface card is exposed, making it more likely to be oxidized
Solution Approach 1:
The connector body is segmented into multiple terminal zones and space zones along the longitudinal direction. Each terminal zone contains terminal accommodating holes positioned above corresponding space zones. This segmentation allows the entire gold finger unit to be inserted into the slot and protected within the connector structure, preventing oxidation while still reducing the overall occupied area through the space zone design
3Ease of manufacture
If the connector and supporting piece are designed separately to reduce complexity, then the manufacturing flexibility is improved, but they may be easily misaligned with each other due to assembly errors, affecting the stability and smoothness of the interface card insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the connector body structure to integrate both the slot and terminal accommodating holes into a single unified component. The terminal zones and space zones are integrated within the same connector body, eliminating the need for separate supporting pieces and ensuring precise alignment between terminals and the interface card during insertion, thereby improving both manufacturing efficiency and assembly precision
Data Source
AI summary
A structure of an interface card connector includes a connector body and a plurality of terminals provided on the connector body. The bottom surface of the connector body is divided into a terminal zone and a space zone along the transverse direction. The distal ends of the terminals project from the terminal zone toward the bottom surface of the connector body. The space zone is recessed toward the connector body to form a notch portion, so that the bottom surface formed by the space zone is higher than that formed by the terminal zone. The space zone is used to provide a space for arranging the electronic components on the main board, so that more space on the main board is spared for the circuit layout. With this arrangement, the problem of the insufficient space and area of the main board can be solved.