Plastic-Lined Interconnect Receptacle for Color Customization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Interconnect receptacles in computing devices often clash with the device's color scheme due to their metallic finish, limiting color options to metallic colors like silver or black, while maintaining compliance with standards such as USB or HDMI specifications.
Innovation Solution
A plastic-lined interconnect receptacle with a metal shell and a fiber-reinforced plastic liner, where the liner covers at least three inner walls, allowing for non-metallic colors while maintaining electrical and signal integrity compliance with USB or DISPLAYPORT specifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metallic finish or plating is applied to the interconnect receptacle to maintain electrical shielding and compliance, then electrical shielding and signal integrity are improved, but cosmetic appearance and color customization are worsened due to clashing with non-metallic device exteriors
Solution Approach 1:
The receptacle is divided into two functional segments: a metal shell that provides electrical shielding and signal integrity, and a plastic liner that provides cosmetic appearance and color customization. This segmentation allows each component to independently fulfill its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The receptacle uses a composite structure combining metal and plastic materials. The metal shell maintains electrical shielding properties while the plastic liner provides non-metallic cosmetic appearance. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by integrating materials with complementary properties into a single functional assembly.
2Shape
If a plastic liner is added inside the metal shell to provide color customization and cosmetic appearance, then cosmetic appearance and color options are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic liner is nested inside the metal shell, with the liner fitting within the shell's interior cavity. This nesting arrangement allows the cosmetic component to be integrated into the structural component without requiring separate mounting mechanisms or complex assembly procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic liner acts as a thin film or shell that lines the interior of the metal shell. This thin-film approach allows the cosmetic layer to be added without significantly increasing the overall size or complexity of the receptacle structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the plastic liner is made thin to maintain compliance with USB or DISPLAYPORT specifications, then adaptability and specification compliance are improved, but durability and resistance to environmental factors are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic liner is formed from composite materials that provide enhanced durability and environmental resistance while maintaining thin dimensions. The composite structure allows the liner to withstand high temperatures, UV exposure, and mechanical stress despite its thin profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical and chemical parameters of the plastic liner material are optimized to achieve the desired balance between thickness and durability. Material properties such as thermal resistance, UV stability, and mechanical strength are adjusted through parameter changes to ensure the thin liner meets both compliance and durability requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a plastic-lined interconnect receptacle configured to receive a plug therein. The interconnect receptacle may include a tongue with pins applied thereon for electrical contact with the plug, a metal shell comprising a plurality of inner walls configured to surround at least a portion of the tongue, and a plastic liner positioned inside the metal shell to cover at least three of the inner walls. With such an interconnect receptacle, a color of the plastic liner may be an external color of a computing device in which the interconnect receptacle is installed while maintaining compliance with a UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS or DISPLAYPORT specification.