Unitary Weld Tab for Connector Wafer Retention and Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Right-angle connectors face alignment inaccuracies and twisting issues due to separate weld tabs, leading to poor electrical connections and manufacturing challenges, as they do not provide secure alignment or retention of wafers within the connector body.
Innovation Solution
A unitary weld tab with arms and legs that engages with the connector body and circuit board, featuring slots and lugs for interlocking wafers, preventing withdrawal and twisting, and ensuring accurate alignment and secure mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate weld tabs are used to secure the connector to the circuit board, then the connector can be mounted, but alignment inaccuracies occur and manufacturing tolerances must be large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate weld tabs into a single unitary weld tab structure that integrates alignment features and retention functions. This unified structure eliminates alignment inaccuracies between separate components and reduces cumulative manufacturing tolerances while maintaining ease of manufacture through a single mounting operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The unitary weld tab structure performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mounting attachment to the circuit board, ensures precise alignment through integrated alignment features, and secures the wafer through retention mechanisms. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate alignment pins and retention structures.
2Ease of manufacture
If separate weld tabs are used, then the connector can be mounted, but the wafers are not retained within the connector body
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates wafer retention features directly into the unitary weld tab structure. The weld tab includes protrusions or engagement features that simultaneously secure the wafer to the connector body during the same mounting operation that attaches the connector to the circuit board, eliminating the need for separate retention mechanisms.
3Temperature
If the connector body has a tendency to twist during soldering, then high temperatures are applied, but alignment of wafer legs is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The unitary weld tab structure with integrated alignment features and interlocking wafer retention creates a rigid, twist-resistant assembly before soldering occurs. The interlocking geometry of the weld tab and connector body prevents thermal distortion during high-temperature soldering, maintaining wafer leg alignment despite the applied heat.
4Device complexity
If adjacent wafers do not interlock, then the structure is simple, but the connector body twists along its longitudinal axis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates interlocking features directly into the wafer structures themselves, which then interlock with each other and with the unitary weld tab. This creates a unified, rigid assembly that resists twisting while maintaining relatively simple individual wafer designs. The interlocking geometry provides structural stability without requiring complex mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector includes a connector body, a plurality of wafers arranged within the connector body, and a weld tab defined by a unitary member that includes a plurality of weld tab legs and a plurality of weld tab arms. The plurality of weld tab arms are arranged to engage with corresponding weld tab arm holes included in the connector body, and the plurality of weld tab legs are arranged to engage with a circuit board when the connector is mounted to the circuit board. The weld tab prevents the plurality of wafers from withdrawing from the connector body when the plurality of weld tab arms are engaged with the corresponding weld tab arm holes.