Insulative Power Connector Layout for Low-Profile PCB Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional electrical connectors with blade-shaped power terminals have a high center height, making it difficult to assemble and mount them on printed circuit boards efficiently, as the soldering legs of upper power terminals can obstruct the assembly of lower power terminals and require additional adapters for connection.
Innovation Solution
The design features an insulating housing with a contact module comprising power contacts arranged in pairs with retaining, contacting, and soldering portions, where the retaining portions are aligned in the height direction, contacting portions in the transverse direction, and soldering portions in the front-and-back direction, allowing for a lower center height and easier assembly by bending the soldering legs in advance and assembling them into the insulative component before the housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If power terminals are arranged vertically in a stacked manner to carry higher current, then the current carrying capacity is improved, but the center height of the electrical connector becomes higher than the motherboard height requiring additional adapters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a vertical stacked arrangement to a horizontal planar arrangement of power terminals within the insulating housing. The contacting portions extend in the transverse direction while soldering portions are arranged in the front-and-back direction, effectively distributing terminals across multiple dimensions horizontally rather than stacking them vertically, thus reducing center height while maintaining current carrying capacity through increased terminal density in the planar space.
2Device complexity
If the height of electrical connector is reduced to connect directly with motherboard, then the need for adapters is eliminated, but it becomes difficult to assemble power terminals and bend soldering legs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pre-formed soldering legs on the power terminals before assembly into the insulating housing. The soldering portions are extended and shaped in advance during terminal fabrication, allowing direct insertion and soldering without requiring post-assembly bending operations. This preliminary preparation simplifies the assembly process while maintaining the low-profile design.
3Power
If upper power terminals are assembled first with soldering legs bent downward, then current carrying capacity is improved, but the soldering legs become obstacles preventing lower power terminals from being assembled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent spatially separates the soldering legs of upper and lower power terminals by arranging them in different depth positions along the front-and-back direction. The soldering portions are positioned at different distances from the front face of the insulating housing, creating a staggered three-dimensional layout that prevents interference between upper and lower terminal assembly operations while maintaining high current carrying capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes an insulating housing having a mating cavity and a contact module. The contact module comprises at least one contact group and an insulative component, the one contact group has a first power contact and a second power contact, each one of the first power contact and the second power contact has a retaining portion, at least one contacting portion and at least one soldering portion. The retaining portions of the first power contact and the second power contact in one contact group are arranged in a height direction in the insulative component, the contacting portions of the first power contact and the second power contact in one contact group are arranged in a transverse direction of the insulating housing, the soldering portions of the first power contact and the second power contact in one contact group are arranged in a front-and-back direction.