Unitary Connector Shell Integrating Frame and Inserts
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing ARINC 600 connector assemblies are complex and difficult to manufacture due to their multi-part structure, requiring numerous individually assembled components.
Innovation Solution
A connector shell with a unitary housing that integrates the frame, dividing wall, and connector inserts, which are molded as a single piece from dielectric or composite plastic material, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing the number of parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components (frame, dividing wall, connector inserts) are assembled together to form the connector shell, then the connector can be manufactured using conventional processes, but the assembly complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the frame, dividing wall, and connector inserts into a single unitary housing formed by injection molding. This combining of multiple separate components into one integrated structure eliminates the need for assembly operations, directly resolving the technical contradiction by improving ease of manufacture while the perceived device complexity is managed through the molding process design.
2Productivity
If multiple separate components are assembled together to form the connector shell, then each component can be optimized independently, but the assembly time and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The unitary housing is formed in a single injection molding operation, eliminating all assembly steps between the frame, dividing wall, and connector inserts. This directly improves productivity by producing the complete connector shell in one manufacturing cycle, while the molding process itself handles what would otherwise be complex assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection molding process performs preliminary formation of all structural elements (frame, dividing wall, inserts with cavities) during the initial molding operation. Contact retention clips are also pre-loaded into cavities before the molding cycle completes, further reducing subsequent assembly requirements and improving production efficiency.
3Ease of manufacture
If the connector shell is formed as a single unitary structure, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the design flexibility and modularity may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The unitary housing incorporates locally differentiated features through the injection molding process, including varying wall thicknesses, integrated cavities at specific locations, and positioned contact retention clips. This allows the single structure to provide different functional characteristics in different regions, maintaining design flexibility while achieving manufacturing simplicity through the unified molding approach.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector shell includes a frame, a dividing wall and a plurality of connector inserts. The frame surrounds a periphery of the shell. The dividing wall is homogeneously formed with the frame and separates a plurality of recesses. The connector inserts are homogeneously formed with the frame and the dividing wall. The inserts are disposed with one or more of the recesses. Each insert includes a body and a plurality of cavities. Each body is configured to hold a plurality of contacts that protrude from each of a mating and a loading side. The contacts are configured to be mounted to a circuit board in a location proximate to the loading side and to mate with a plurality of other electrical connectors in a location proximate to the mating side.