Tall-Card Electrical Connector With Extended Tower Latch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connectors designed for standard DDR cards are inadequate for tall cards, requiring larger dimensions that compromise compatibility with industry standards, leading to increased mounting areas and reduced heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector with a housing and a tower extending beyond standard card notches, featuring a second tower portion made of stronger material and a latch mechanism that pivots to secure tall cards while maintaining compatibility with industry standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the connector is designed with larger dimensions to accommodate tall cards, then the mechanical strength and engagement reliability are improved, but the mounting area increases and heat dissipation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the tower structure vertically beyond the standard card height to engage with tall cards, utilizing the vertical dimension rather than increasing horizontal footprint. This allows the connector to accommodate taller cards while maintaining a compact mounting area consistent with industry standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector is divided into distinct functional segments: a housing body for standard card compatibility and an extended tower portion for tall card engagement. This segmentation allows each part to optimize its function without compromising the other, enabling reliable engagement with both standard and tall cards within the same mounting footprint.
2Reliability
If the tower height is increased to engage tall cards, then the engagement reliability is improved, but the compatibility with industry standards is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The connector design achieves multi-functionality by incorporating both a standard housing body that interfaces with conventional card notches and an extended tower portion that engages with tall card edges. This universal design allows a single connector to reliably engage both standard and tall cards while maintaining compatibility with industry standard mounting configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution resolves the compatibility issue by extending engagement in the vertical dimension through the tower structure rather than modifying horizontal dimensions. This allows the connector to engage tall cards beyond their notch position while maintaining the standard housing footprint and mounting hole locations required by industry standards.
3Strength
If a second tower portion made of stronger material is added, then the mechanical strength is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connector employs composite construction by integrating a second tower portion made of stronger material (such as metal) with the housing body. This composite approach concentrates enhanced strength precisely where needed for tall card engagement while keeping the overall structure relatively simple and manufacturing-efficient.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than making the entire connector from strong material, the patent applies enhanced material properties locally to the tower portion that requires maximum strength for engaging tall cards. This localized quality enhancement provides necessary mechanical strength while minimizing added complexity and cost.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector for economic and reliable operation of systems, such as systems having tall cards. The connector has a housing body, a tower extending from an end of the housing body and beyond a position that a notch of a standard card would be in a height direction, and a latch configured to cooperate with tall cards. The tower can have a first portion extending from the end of the housing body and a second portion coupled to the first portion. The latch can have a first member pivotable about an end of a second member so as to move the second member up and down when the latch moves between a locked position and an unlocked position. Such a configuration enables the connector to provide reliable connections for tall cards, while compatible with physical requirements of industry standards, for example, in length/width directions.