Waterproof Audio Jack With Segmented Housing And Sealing Plate

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing waterproof audio jacks face challenges in economic manufacturability due to their robust structure and reliable waterproof mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

An audio jack design featuring an insulative housing with contacts, a mating port and cavity, passageways for contact reception, a bottom cover with notches for soldering legs, and a waterproof plate to seal gaps, ensuring humidity prevention while maintaining ease of manufacturing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a robust waterproof mechanism is implemented in existing audio jacks, then waterproof reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewaterproof reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is divided into a main body and a separate bottom cover that can be easily attached and detached. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of individual parts while maintaining the overall waterproof structure when assembled together.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A waterproof plate is introduced as an intermediary component between the main body and bottom cover. This plate provides the waterproof sealing function without requiring complex integrated designs, thereby simplifying manufacturing while ensuring waterproof reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If a robust waterproof mechanism is implemented in existing audio jacks, then waterproof reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewaterproof reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the housing into modular components (main body and bottom cover), each part can be manufactured independently using standard processes, reducing overall manufacturing cost while maintaining waterproof performance through the assembled structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The waterproof plate serves as a simple, inexpensive sealing component that can be easily replaced if needed. This approach uses a cost-effective solution rather than expensive integrated waterproof designs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Reliability

If multiple components are used to achieve waterproofing, then waterproof reliability is improved, but assembly complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewaterproof reliabilityVSAvoidassembly complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bottom cover and waterproof plate are designed to be pre-assembled or easily combined with the main body through simple attachment mechanisms. This merging reduces assembly complexity while maintaining the multi-component waterproof structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS10826225B2Waterproof audio jack

Publication Date: 2020.11.03 FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LTD

AI summary

An audio jack includes an insulative housing, and a plurality of contacts retained to the housing. The housing forms a main body, a mating port with a mating cavity therein. The main body forms a plurality of contacts receiving passageways extending from a bottom side of the housing and transversely communicating with the mating cavity. The contact has a contacting section extending into the mating cavity, and a soldering leg extending outside of the housing. A bottom cover is attached upon the bottom side of the housing. A waterproof plate is applied upon a bottom face of the bottom cover to seal the gaps among the housing the bottom cover and the soldering legs.