Stacked Wafer Connector Flexible Arm Latch Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stacked type wafer connectors face challenges in operability for insertion and removal, as the cover is required for mating, making the process cumbersome and difficult to perform efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A stacked type wafer connector with a latch engaging member featuring a flexible arm that moves between latch engagement and disengagement positions, allowing for independent insertion and removal without the need for a cover, and a fitting connector with varying disengagement distances for different wafer connectors to facilitate easy integration and separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cover engages with the mating connector in stacked type wafer connectors, then the connector can be securely fitted, but the insertion and removal operation becomes cumbersome and cannot be performed easily
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into modular wafer units that can be independently handled. Each wafer connector includes its own latch engaging member that can engage with adjacent wafers or the fitting connector, allowing individual wafers to be inserted or removed without requiring the cover to be attached. This segmentation enables independent operation of each wafer unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch engaging member on each wafer connector automatically engages with the fitting connector or adjacent wafers through its own flexible arm mechanism. This self-service capability eliminates the need for the cover to perform the engagement function, allowing the wafer connector to secure itself without external assistance during insertion and removal operations.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the cover is always required to perform insertion and removal, then the connector maintains structural integrity, but the workability of insertion and removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The connector system is segmented into independent wafer units, each capable of engagement and disengagement operations. This segmentation allows individual wafers to be handled separately while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the assembled connector through the latch engaging mechanisms that secure each wafer in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible arm of the latch engaging member provides dynamic engagement capability, allowing the wafer connector to adapt during insertion and removal operations. The flexible arm can deform to accommodate the engagement motion and then secure the wafer in its final position, maintaining structural integrity while enabling easy operation.
3Device complexity
If all wafer connectors use the same disengagement distance, then the design is simplified, but the adaptability to different receiving cavity configurations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The disengagement distance is customized for each receiving cavity based on its specific configuration and position. Each latch engaging member can be adjusted or designed with different flexible arm lengths and engagement geometries to match the local requirements of each receiving cavity, optimizing the engagement performance for each specific location rather than using a uniform design.
Solution Approach 2:
The disengagement distance parameter is varied across different wafer connectors to adapt to different receiving cavity configurations. By changing this critical parameter, the connector system can accommodate various cavity depths, positions, and geometries while maintaining reliable engagement, demonstrating parameter-based adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the workability of insertion and removal operations by allowing all wafer connectors to be easily pulled out or inserted by setting one to an unlatched state, improving the ease and efficiency of the process.
Implementation Method 1
including a flexible arm configured to move between a latch engagement position at which the wafer connector is latch-engaged to the fitting connector and a latch disengagement position at which the wafer connector is unlatched from the fitting connector
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a connector assembly and a fitting connector capable of improving workability of insertion and removal.In the wafer connector according to one embodiment, in a case where the first wafer connector is stacked with the second wafer connector including the second flexible arm, when the first flexible arm moves between the latch engagement position and the latch disengagement position in a state where the first engaging portion of the first wafer connector is engaged with the engaging portion of the second wafer connector, the second flexible arm also moves between the latch engagement position and the latch disengagement position.