Plug Connector Contact Organizer for Precise Pin Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connector designs face challenges in accurately aligning contacts, leading to intermittent or unstable connections, and are often complex and costly to manufacture.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a plug connector with a contact organizer that includes guide features and caps to center pin contacts within bores, ensuring precise alignment with sockets during mating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If precise machining techniques are used to align contacts, then alignment accuracy is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a contact organizer as an intermediary component between the contact array and the housing. This contact organizer includes alignment features that mechanically guide and center the pin contacts within bores during the molding process, eliminating the need for precise post-machining alignment while ensuring accurate contact positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment features are built into the contact organizer structure before the molding process begins. The guide features and centered bores are pre-configured to automatically align contacts during insertion, performing the alignment action in advance rather than requiring precision machining after assembly
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional connector designs are used without alignment features, then manufacturing is simpler, but contact alignment accuracy deteriorates leading to intermittent connections
Solution Approach 1:
The contact organizer serves as a mediator component that provides alignment functionality without complicating the overall manufacturing process. It is molded as a separate piece that integrates alignment features, combining the benefits of simple manufacturing with improved alignment accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The connector is divided into separate functional components: the housing, the contact organizer, and the contacts. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently using simple processes, while the assembled structure provides the necessary alignment precision through the contact organizer's guide features
3Ease of manufacture
If contacts are improperly aligned, then manufacturing is easier, but connection reliability deteriorates and contact damage occurs during mating
Solution Approach 1:
The contact organizer's guide features and centered bores provide a cushioning effect by mechanically guiding the pin contacts into proper alignment before they engage with the socket contacts. This prevents misalignment damage and ensures reliable connections from the moment of mating
Solution Approach 2:
The contact organizer acts as a protective intermediary that prevents direct misalignment between pin and socket contacts during mating. It absorbs and corrects alignment errors through its guide features, protecting the delicate contact surfaces from damage while ensuring stable electrical connection
Data Source
AI summary
A plug connector includes a plug housing extending between a front and a rear. The front configured to be mated with a header housing. The plug housing includes contact channels extending longitudinally between the front and the rear. The plug connector includes contacts received in the contact channels. The contacts include sockets at mating ends of the contacts configured to receive pin contacts of the header housing. The contacts are arranged in an array has multiple rows and multiple columns. The plug connector includes a contact organizer coupled to the front of the plug housing. The contact organizer has bores therethrough aligned with the corresponding contact channels. The contact organizer has guide features configured to center the pin contacts in the bores to align the pin contacts with the sockets.