Waterproof USB-C Connector Glue Groove Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing process of waterproof USB Type C connectors is complicated due to the need for precise orientation and additional metallic brackets, making it labor-intensive and difficult to achieve a reliable waterproof structure.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector design featuring a glue groove exposed in an upward vertical direction within the housing, allowing for easy injection of liquid glue without the need for upside-down orientation, and a metallic shield with a hidden opening for glue injection, which simplifies the manufacturing process and ensures effective sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the connector is oriented upside-down to expose the rear face of the housing for glue injection, then the waterproof seal can be formed, but the manufacturing process becomes complicated and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of orienting the connector upside-down to expose the rear face for glue injection, the patent inverts the approach by forming a glue groove on the front face of the housing that communicates with the interior cavity. This allows glue injection from the front in a normal upright position, eliminating the need for complex rotational operations while maintaining waterproof seal reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a rear-face injection approach to a front-face injection approach by creating a glue groove that extends from the front face into the housing interior. This dimensional reconfiguration allows glue to be injected through the front opening rather than requiring access to the rear face, simplifying the manufacturing orientation requirements
2Reliability
If additional metallic brackets and rear shields are added to the Type C connector, then shielding and mounting functions are improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into the existing metallic shield structure: it provides electromagnetic shielding, structural support for mounting, and a protective enclosure for the glue groove. By making the shield multi-functional, additional separate components like brackets and rear shields become unnecessary, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining shielding effectiveness
3Ease of manufacture
If the glue groove is exposed in the upward vertical direction, then glue injection becomes easier without special orientation, but the sealing structure must be redesigned
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing structure is segmented into multiple functional zones: the glue groove provides the injection pathway, the waterproof seal member provides the sealing function, and the metallic shield provides structural support. This segmentation allows the glue groove to be exposed for easy injection while the sealing functions are distributed to specialized components that maintain integrity regardless of orientation
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 design simplifies the manufacturing process by allowing glue injection in a normal standing position, reducing labor and improving the reliability of the waterproof seal, while maintaining effective shielding and mounting on a printed circuit board.
Implementation Method 1
through which the liquid type glue is injected into the glue groove and solidified therein
Implementation Method 2
a waterproof part encloses the retention sections in the first groove... an annular second sealing part received in the second groove to seal circumferential gaps between the housing and the shield
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes an insulative housing and a plurality of contacts retained in the housing to commonly form a terminal module, a metallic shield enclosing the terminal module and forming a mating cavity, and a glue groove formed in a base of the housing and located behind the mating cavity, in which a glue part is received. The shield forms an opening communicating with the glue groove, through which the liquid type glue is injected into the glue groove and solidified therein.