Rotating Metal Shell Electrical Connector Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors with rotating metal shells have complex structures that complicate the assembly process, reducing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector design featuring a metal shell with a locking portion and stopper portion, where the stopper exceeds the mounting face to prevent the engaging portion from deflecting during assembly, allowing for easier and secure engagement with the PCB.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the top shell and bottom shell have a complicated structure to securely engage with the insulating housing, then the engagement reliability is improved, but the assembly complexity increases and assembly efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The metal shell is divided into two separate parts: a bottom shell that remains fixed and a top shell that rotates. The engaging portion is segmented into a locking portion on the bottom shell and a corresponding portion on the top shell. This segmentation allows each part to have a simpler, more focused structure while maintaining secure engagement through their interaction during rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The top shell is designed to rotate from an open position to a closed position, transforming the static engagement structure into a dynamic one. During rotation, the engaging portion moves from a state where it can be inserted through the gap to a locked state where it secures the insulating housing. This dynamic mechanism simplifies the overall structure compared to complex multi-component locking systems.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the top shell and bottom shell engage with each other before the insulating housing is assembled, then the structural stability is improved, but the assembly efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom shell is pre-assembled with the insulating housing, with the locking portion already in position. The gap is pre-configured to align with the engaging portion. This preliminary arrangement allows the top shell to be simply rotated into place without requiring complex pre-alignment or separate engagement steps, thereby improving assembly efficiency while maintaining structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement action is merged with the rotation motion of the top shell. Instead of requiring separate steps for positioning and locking, the rotation of the top shell simultaneously achieves both the alignment of the engaging portion with the gap and the secure locking of the insulating housing. This merging of actions streamlines the assembly process.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes: an insulating housing defining a mounting face for being mounted on a PCB and a pair of engaging portions at two opposite ends of the insulating housing; a number of contacts retained in the insulating housing; a metal shell assembled on the insulating housing along an assembly direction slanting to the mounting face, the metal shell having a locking portion with a gap through which the engaging portion is inserted in the locking portion and a stopper portion. The stopper portion exceeds the mounting face when the metal shell assembled on the insulating housing along the assembly direction before the electrical connector is mounted on the PCB, while the stopper portion is pressed by the PCB to offset the assembly direction when the electrical connector is mounted on the PCB so as to prevent the engaging portion from deflecting from the locking portion through the gap.