Sealed Electrical Connector Housing Without Soldered Interposers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connectors require additional processing like soldering, which increases time and cost, and poses reliability risks when connecting assemblies inside and outside a casing.
Innovation Solution
An integrated electrical connector with a housing having conductive elements and a support member, where the conductive elements have mating ends on both sides of the housing, and the support member is embedded in the outer portion to provide a sealed and reliable connection without the need for soldering or welding, using a two-step injection molding process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional electrical connectors use soldering or welding to connect assemblies inside and outside a casing, then the electrical connection reliability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrical connection function with the structural housing into a single integrated component. The housing itself contains embedded conductive elements that provide both mechanical support and electrical connectivity, eliminating the need for separate soldering or welding operations to attach connectors to a PCB interposer. This integration resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable electrical connections while dramatically simplifying the manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a housing with embedded conductive elements as an intermediary structure between the interior and exterior assemblies. This housing serves as both a protective enclosure and an electrical connection medium, replacing the traditional PCB interposer that requires soldering. The conductive elements within the housing provide the necessary electrical pathway without requiring additional joining processes.
2Reliability
If conventional electrical connectors require soldering or welding, then electrical connections are established, but the manufacturing cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive elements are pre-positioned and embedded within the housing structure during the molding process, before final assembly. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming post-assembly operations like soldering or welding. The electrical connection pathways are established in advance as part of the housing fabrication, thereby maintaining connection stability while reducing manufacturing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal/mechanical joining processes (soldering, welding) with a mechanical embedding process during injection molding. The conductive elements are mechanically integrated into the housing through the molding process itself, substituting complex thermal- mechanical joining operations with a simpler mechanical embedding operation that is already part of the housing fabrication process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a PCB is used as an interposer to support connectors on both sides, then separable connections are enabled, but the device complexity and sealing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the functions of the PCB interposer and the connectors into a single housing structure. The housing provides both the mechanical support that would otherwise require a PCB and the electrical connection pathways that would require separate connectors. This merging eliminates the multi-layer complexity of PCBs with mounted connectors while maintaining the separable connection capability through mating interfaces on the housing.
4Reliability
If connectors are mounted on a PCB interposer, then electrical connections between interior and exterior assemblies are achieved, but additional processing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential functions of the PCB interposer and mounted connectors and consolidates them into a single housing component. By taking out only the necessary electrical connection and structural support functions and embedding them directly in the housing, the design eliminates the need for separate PCB fabrication, connector mounting, and soldering processes, thereby maintaining connection reliability while greatly simplifying manufacturing.
Data Source
AI summary
Reliable electrical connectors that enable simple architectures for systems in which connections are made through an opening of a casing. A connector may have a housing with an inner portion and an outer portion at least partially surrounding the inner portion. The inner portion may have first and second mating interfaces. The connector may have conductive elements each with first and second mating ends disposed in the first and second mating interfaces respectively. Intermediate portions of the conductive elements may be held by the inner portion of the housing to provide sealed electrical paths between the first mating interface and the second mating interface. The outer portion may be mounted against the casing with the first mating interface inside and second mating interface outside. The outer portion may have a support member embedded therein to improve its strength for an improved seal to the casing.