Overmolded Electrical Contact Array Tail Alignment Housing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Manufacturers of Advanced Mezzanine Card connectors face challenges in cost-effectively controlling the positioning and straightness of mounting ends (contact tails) due to the large number of individual insert molded leadframe assemblies required, which complicates the assembly process.

Innovation Solution

A tail-alignment housing is introduced, which includes a housing body and tail supports extending around the contact tails to control their position and absorb press-fit forces, integrated with overmolded leadframe assemblies and edge card housings to ensure accurate alignment and secure mounting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If manufacturers use multiple individual insert molded leadframe assemblies to create connectors with 80 or more contact columns, then the connector can accommodate the required number of contacts, but the complexity of controlling positioning and straightness of contact tails increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of contact columnsVSAvoidpositioning and straightness of contact tails

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The connector is divided into multiple leadframe assemblies, each containing a subset of contacts. This segmentation allows each assembly to be manufactured and positioned independently, making it easier to control the positioning and straightness of contact tails within each smaller assembly rather than attempting to control all 80+ contacts as a single unit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A tail alignment housing is introduced as an intermediary component that receives and aligns the mounting ends of contacts from multiple leadframe assemblies. This housing provides a common reference structure that ensures proper positioning and straightness of contact tails across all assemblies, solving the positioning control problem without requiring complex direct control of each individual contact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If manufacturers propose insert molding contacts into horizontal arrays to reduce the number of assemblies, then the number of individual leadframe assemblies decreases, but the cost-effectiveness of controlling contact tail positioning and straightness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of leadframe assembliesVSAvoidcost-effectiveness of controlling contact tail positioning

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Rather than creating one large horizontal array that is difficult to manufacture and control, the connector uses multiple smaller leadframe assemblies arranged horizontally. This segmentation maintains the reduced assembly count while making each individual assembly easier and more cost-effective to manufacture with proper contact tail control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The tail alignment housing serves as a cost-effective intermediary that provides positioning and straightness control for contact tails across multiple horizontal assemblies. By using this common housing structure, manufacturers achieve accurate contact tail alignment without requiring expensive specialized tooling or processes for each individual assembly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Quantity of substance

If a large number of individual insert molded leadframe assemblies are used, then the required number of contacts can be achieved, but the assembly process becomes more complicated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of contactsVSAvoidassembly process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple leadframe assemblies are merged into a single connector structure through the tail alignment housing, which provides a common mounting interface. This merging simplifies the assembly process by allowing all contact assemblies to be integrated through a single housing component rather than requiring complex multi-step assembly procedures to join numerous separate assemblies.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The tail alignment housing performs multiple functions: it aligns contact tails from different leadframe assemblies, provides structural support, and serves as the mounting interface for the entire connector. This multi-functionality reduces assembly complexity by consolidating what would otherwise require multiple separate components and assembly steps into a single universal housing structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS7744380B2Overmolded electrical contact array

Publication Date: 2010.06.29 FCI AMERICAS TECHNOLOGY LLC

AI summary

The invention provides a connector incorporating an overmolded housing that may control the position of the mounting ends of the connector and may provide a structure to help transfer the forces for press fit of the connector to the printed circuit board (PCB). Such a connector may include a first leadframe assembly having a plurality of contacts, a second leadframe assembly having a plurality of contacts, an edge card, and a tail alignment housing. Each contact may include a lead portion and a mounting end. The lead portions of the contacts may engage the edge card. The tail alignment housing may include a housing body and a plurality of tail supports extending from the housing body. The tail alignment housing may be overmolded onto at least a portion of the mounting ends.