USB-C Connector Terminal Layout for Higher Current and Lower Heat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional USB Type-C connectors face limitations in carrying high current due to specifications of ground and power terminals, leading to difficulty in rapid charging and increased temperatures.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector design includes widened ground and power terminals with increased widths at the second contact portions, accompanied by corresponding variations in the housing dimensions to accommodate these terminals without altering the plugging structure, allowing for higher current capacity and improved heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the width of ground terminals and power terminals is increased to carry high current, then the current carrying capacity is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal is divided into multiple contact portions (first contact portion and second contact portion) with different widths. The first contact portion has a smaller width for plugging compatibility, while the second contact portion has a larger width for high current carrying capacity. This segmentation allows the terminal to simultaneously achieve both small form factor for compatibility and large current carrying capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal width variation is implemented along the length direction rather than uniformly across the entire terminal. By changing the dimension in the length direction (from first contact portion to second contact portion), the design achieves different functional requirements at different positions without increasing the overall width of the connector housing.
2Temperature
If the width of ground terminals and power terminals is increased to improve heat dissipation, then the temperature control is improved, but the housing width must be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal structure is segmented into different width portions along its length. The first contact portion maintains a smaller width for compact housing, while the second contact portion expands to provide larger heat dissipation surface area. This allows improved temperature control without increasing the overall housing width.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing the housing width uniformly, the terminal width is varied along the length direction. This dimensional change along the length axis allows the second contact portion to have larger cross-sectional area for heat dissipation while the housing width at the plugging end remains compact.
3Reliability
If the terminal widths are varied to accommodate widened terminals, then the current carrying capacity is improved, but the intervals among terminals must be adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
Different terminals are assigned different width characteristics at different locations. Ground terminals and power terminals have their second contact portions widened locally to handle high current, while signal terminals maintain smaller dimensions. This local quality differentiation allows optimized current carrying capacity for power-critical terminals without unnecessarily increasing the complexity of all terminals.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes a housing having a front end and a rear end, an insulator including a tongue portion disposed at the front end and a base disposed at the rear end, and plural terminals including plural ground terminals, plural power terminals and plural signal terminals. Each of the plural terminals has a first contact portion, a second contact portion and a connection portion connecting the first contact portion with the second contact portion. The first contact portions are disposed on surfaces of the tongue portion in a widthwise direction perpendicular to a direction from the front end to the rear end, and the second contact portions are extended out from the base. Widths in the widthwise direction of the second contact portions of the plural ground terminals and the plural power terminals are larger than a width of the first contact portion respectively thereof.