USB 3.1 Receptacle Connector with Integrated Fixing Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing USB 2.0 connectors are insufficient in providing the required bandwidth for newer devices and media formats, necessitating the development of faster interfaces like USB 3.0, which demands a new architecture for connectors that balances performance, cost, and size while maintaining ease of use.
Innovation Solution
The electrical receptacle connector features a metallic shell, insulated housing, conductive terminals, and a fixing base with optimized terminal configurations and a unique groove design in the fixing base to reduce material costs and improve signal transmission speed, including differential signal terminals arranged to minimize interference and enhance grounding performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a positioning base is added to the insulated housing to position the contact terminals, then the positioning stability is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the positioning base directly into the insulated housing as an integrated structure, eliminating the need for a separate positioning base component. The insulated housing itself provides positioning features for the contact terminals through its molded structure, combining the housing and positioning base functions into one piece, thereby reducing part count and assembly complexity while maintaining positioning stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulated housing serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical insulation, structural support, contact terminal positioning, and mechanical strength. By making the housing multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for dedicated positioning bases, reducing overall device complexity while achieving the required positioning stability.
2Area of stationary object
If the contact terminals are densely arranged to fit more pins, then the space utilization is improved, but the manufacturing precision and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the contact terminals into two separate rows (upper-row and lower-row) with distinct positioning structures. Each row has its own set of positioning features within the insulated housing, allowing for modular assembly and reduced positioning complexity. This segmentation enables dense arrangement of terminals while maintaining manufacturability through standardized positioning mechanisms for each row.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulated housing incorporates localized positioning features specifically at each contact terminal location, such as molded-in positioning ribs or recesses that guide terminal insertion. These local positioning structures ensure precise terminal placement without requiring high-precision manufacturing throughout the entire housing, thereby achieving dense terminal arrangement with manageable manufacturing precision requirements.
3Ease of operation
If the legs of contact terminals are extended out of the rear part of the insulated housing, then the connectivity is improved, but the overall size of the connector increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the contact terminal legs to be received within a metallic shell that encloses the rear part of the insulated housing. The legs extend into the metallic shell's internal cavity and are positioned there, rather than protruding externally. This nesting arrangement maintains electrical connectivity while containing the overall connector size, as the metallic shell provides a compact enclosure for the terminal legs.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical receptacle connector includes an insulated housing, conductive terminals, and a fixing base. The insulated housing defines a connecting space therein. The insulated housing includes a tongue portion extending into the connecting space and a base portion arranged at the rear part of the tongue portion. The base portion has a rear wall, two lateral walls extended backward from the rear wall, and an assembling space defined by the rear wall and the two lateral walls. The fixing base is received in the assembling space and defines first through holes and second through holes. The pins of the conductive terminals are passing through the first through holes and the second through holes. The fixing base has a rear wall surface defining grooves communicating with the respective first through holes. The width of the groove is less than the width of the corresponding first through hole.