Stackable Connector Housing With Pin Support and Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current housing designs for electrical components cannot be stacked stably with their connectors in place, risking damage to exposed compliant pin ends during shipping and adding manufacturing complexity and cost due to overmolding processes.
Innovation Solution
A housing design featuring a pin support structure with alignment elements on the exterior surface that allows for stable stacking by engaging with corresponding features on adjacent housings, protecting the connectors and pins from damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the connector body is molded over the conductive pins within the housing, then proper positioning and adequate support of pins is ensured, but manufacturing complexity and expense increase and stitch and fold manufacturing techniques are eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The pin support function is segmented from the connector body overmolding process. Instead of molding the entire connector body over the pins, a separate pin support structure with cavities is provided within the housing to support individual pins or pin arrays. This segmentation allows pins to be positioned and supported without requiring complex overmolding operations.
2Productivity
If housings are stacked together to save space during shipping, then manufacturing efficiency and cost reduction are achieved, but stable stacking is not possible and connector damage risk increases due to relative housing movement
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment elements are pre-formed on the exterior surfaces of the housing at locations that will engage with corresponding alignment elements of adjacent housings when stacked. This preliminary provision of alignment features enables stable stacking configuration before shipping, preventing relative movement that could damage connectors while maximizing shipping space utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical device housing comprises a body defining a component space, a pin support structure, and an alignment element. The pin support structure is arranged within the component space and defines a plurality of openings sized to receive and support a plurality of conductive pins of a connector to be secured to the housing. The alignment element is formed on an exterior surface of at least one of a top or bottom side of the housing and is located to engage with a corresponding alignment element formed on the other one of the top or bottom side of another one of the housings.