Single Carrier Electrical Connector Contacts with Integral Latching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors face challenges in efficiently and accurately arranging contacts within an insulative housing to ensure proper mating and electrical transmission, particularly in USB Type C receptacle connectors, where traditional designs often result in uneven contact positioning and potential misalignment due to middle shielding plates.
Innovation Solution
The method involves forming contacts from a single contact carrier with reversely-symmetrically oriented contacting portions and integral latching portions, followed by insert-molding with a first insulator, severing the carrier strip, and over-molding with a second insulator to embed the contact ends, ensuring all contacts are at the same level within the tongue, eliminating the need for a middle shielding plate and enhancing alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional designs with middle shielding plates are used, then electrical shielding is provided, but contact positioning becomes uneven and misalignment occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the middle shielding plate from the insulative housing tongue, extracting the problematic component that caused contact misalignment. The shielding function is replaced by the insulative housing structure itself, eliminating the source of positioning errors while maintaining electrical isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the contact arrangement into two symmetrical groups: first contacts with contacting portions exposed to a first surface, and second contacts with contacting portions exposed to a second surface. This segmentation allows independent positioning of each contact group, ensuring uniform alignment without interference from a middle shielding plate.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate contact carriers are used, then contact arrangement flexibility is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple contact carriers into a single integrated contact carrier that holds both first contacts and second contacts. This single carrier is inserted into the insulative housing as one unit, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining the flexibility to arrange contacts in symmetrical patterns on opposite surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The single contact carrier serves multiple functions: it positions first contacts on one surface, positions second contacts on the opposite surface, provides structural support, and enables symmetrical arrangement. This multi-functional design reduces the number of components needed while maintaining arrangement flexibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If contacts are formed from separate carriers, then contact orientation can be adjusted, but alignment precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs reversely-symmetrical arrangement of contacts: first contacts and second contacts are positioned mirror-image to each other on opposite surfaces of the tongue. This symmetrical design ensures that all contacts align at the same level, improving manufacturing precision while maintaining the ability to orient contacts for different electrical connections.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of making a contact module of an electrical connector which includes a tongue and plural contacts exposed to two opposite surfaces of the tongue is characterized by the steps of: forming the contacts from a single contact carrier to have one contact thereof with a first contacting portion oriented reversely-symmetrically with respect to a second contacting portion of another contact thereof and to have two outermost contacts each with a respective integral latching portion; insert-molding the contacts with a first insulator while exposing front ends thereof and the latching portions; severing a carrier strip from the front ends of the plurality of contacts; and over-molding a second insulator to the first insulator and embedding the front ends of the plurality of contacts.