Inverted Connector Assembly Reducing Profile for LED Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional connectors have a large height profile that obstructs light emission in LED devices and are not suitable for densely packed electronic systems, where a reduced connector height is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A connector assembly with a housing that extends through a substrate from the rear side to the front side, featuring a poke-in contact with a wire trap and mounting leg, allowing for direct wire termination from the rear side without obstructing the light path or increasing the connector height, thus maintaining a low profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional connectors are mounted on the top side of the circuit board, then electrical connectivity is achieved, but the height profile becomes too large and obstructs light emission
Solution Approach 1:
The connector assembly is inverted relative to conventional designs: instead of mounting the connector body on the front side with contacts protruding upward, the housing extends through the substrate from front to rear, with the contact channel and wire trap positioned on the rear side. This inversion allows the connector to maintain electrical connectivity while reducing the profile on the light-emitting side.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire termination function is moved from the vertical dimension (top side mounting) to the depth dimension (rear side wire loading through the substrate). The wire trap receives wires from the rear side of the substrate, extending through the housing body, which redistributes the connector's spatial requirements and reduces the height profile above the circuit board.
2Productivity
If connector height is reduced for dense packing, then device density increases, but wire termination complexity may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wire trap is nested within the housing body, with the contact channel extending through the housing to receive the wire from the rear side. The mounting leg with mounting surface is integrated into the housing structure, allowing wire termination to occur within the existing housing volume rather than requiring additional external components.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure provides self-contained wire termination functionality through the integrated contact channel and wire trap. The mounting leg with its mounting surface automatically provides the interface for securing the connector to the substrate, eliminating the need for separate mounting mechanisms and simplifying the overall wire termination process.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector system includes a substrate having a front side and a rear side with an opening therethrough, and a connector assembly coupled to the substrate. The connector assembly includes a housing having a body at a bottom and a head at a top that extends along the front side with the body extending through the opening to the rear side. The housing has a contact channel extending therethrough. A poke-in contact is received in the contact channel through the top of the housing. The poke-in contact has a wire trap configured to receive a wire therein in a wire loading direction through the bottom of the housing. The poke-in contact has a mounting leg extending from the head and mounted to the front side of the substrate.