Pick-Up Cap Design for Electrical Connector PCB Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors with pick-up caps mounted on printed circuit boards (PCBs) often extend beyond their housing boundaries, limiting the available space around the connector and hindering the utilization of neighboring regions on the PCB.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a pick-up cap with a pair of first side walls and a housing featuring corresponding side faces with locking recesses, latches, and spring arms that remain within the housing boundaries, ensuring the cap does not extend beyond the connector's edges, allowing for efficient use of space by using offset operation sections and hooks for secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pick-up cap extends beyond the housing boundary for grasping, then the ease of operation is improved, but the area of stationary object is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pick-up cap transitions from a two-dimensional top-view extension to a three-dimensional vertical structure. The cap extends upward from the housing top surface rather than outward from the side boundaries, allowing grasping operation while maintaining horizontal compactness within the housing footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The pick-up cap is segmented into distinct functional zones: a grasping section with external threads at the top for hand operation, a middle section covering the housing top surface, and a lower section integrating with the housing structure. This segmentation allows the grasping function to be isolated vertically without horizontal extension.
2Device complexity
If the pick-up cap structure is simplified, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of mounting is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The pick-up cap incorporates nested functional elements within its structure. The external threads are nested within the cap body, and the locking mechanism with hooks and locking protrusions is nested within the cap-housing assembly. This nesting provides multiple engagement points and locking features without requiring a complex external structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The pick-up cap includes a self-locking mechanism where the hooks automatically engage with locking protrusions on the housing during assembly. The spring element provides automatic tension to maintain the locked state, eliminating the need for additional fastening operations or complex adjustment mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration maximizes the available space on the PCB by preventing the pick-up cap from encroaching on neighboring regions, facilitating efficient assembly and disassembly while ensuring secure mounting without obstructing adjacent areas.
Implementation Method 1
Each latch includes a spring arm, and a hook located at the end of the spring arm and engaged within the corresponding locking recess
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector assembly includes an electrical connector and the pick-up cap assembled upon the housing of the electrical connector. A plurality of contacts are disposed in the housing and covered by the pick-up cap. The pick-up cap includes a pair of first side walls, and the housing includes a pair of first side faces corresponding to the pair of corresponding first side walls. Each first side face forms a pair of locking recesses. Each first side wall includes an operation section and a pair of latches. The operation section includes a cavity in the first side wall and a raised section above the cavity. Each latch includes a spring arm, and a hook located at the end of the spring arm and engaged within the corresponding locking recess. The latch is located within the boundary of the housing without extending beyond the corresponding side face.