Waterproof Electrical Connector with Insert-Molded Metal Shell
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors fail to effectively prevent water or vapor from entering their interior, leading to potential short circuits and are not convenient or economical to manufacture.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector design featuring an insulative housing with a frame portion, tongue portion, and a metal shell with a window, where the insulative housing is insert-molded with the metal shell to create a sealed structure, preventing liquid or vapor ingress through the rear wall sealing the window.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an insulative housing covers holes in the inner shell, then water or vapor can still enter into the electrical connector
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sealing function with the structural framework by making the rear wall an integral part of the metal shell structure. The rear wall is formed as a continuous extension of the side boards and bottom board, creating an inherent seal rather than requiring separate sealing components. This merging of structural and sealing functions achieves effective waterproofing while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a single-piece metal shell formation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the insulative housing and assigns it to the metal shell structure. By removing the sealing responsibility from the insulative housing (which only provides mechanical coverage) and placing it in the metal shell's rear wall, the design achieves effective sealing without complicating the insulative housing structure or manufacturing process.
2Reliability
If a metal shield with locking holes and waterproof belt is used, then waterproofing is improved, but manufacturing becomes inconvenient and uneconomical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function into the fundamental structure of the metal shell itself. The rear wall is formed as a continuous integral part of the side boards and bottom board, eliminating the need for separate waterproof belts or complex locking hole arrangements. This structural integration achieves effective sealing while maintaining manufacturing simplicity and economy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the complex waterproof belt and locking hole system from the design. By extracting these separate sealing components and replacing them with a simplified rear wall structure that is inherently sealed, the design achieves waterproofing without the manufacturing inconvenience and economic drawbacks of the previous approach.
3Reliability
If the rear wall seals up the window, then water and vapor are prevented from entering, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function with the structural framework by making the rear wall an integral part of the metal shell structure. The rear wall is formed as a continuous extension of the side boards and bottom board, creating an inherent seal rather than requiring separate sealing components. This merging of structural and sealing functions achieves effective waterproofing while maintaining structural simplicity.
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
The design effectively seals the connector from water and vapor, preventing short circuits while simplifying the manufacturing process and enhancing the connector's waterproofing capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
the top wall is pasted to the top board, the side walls are pasted to the respective side boards and the bottom wall is pasted to the bottom board
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector (100) includes an insulative housing (1) having a frame portion (11) and a tongue portion (12) extending forwardly from the frame portion (11), a number of terminals (2) retained in the tongue portion (12), and a metal shell (3). The frame portion (11) includes a top wall (111), a pair of side walls (112), a rear wall (113) and a bottom wall (114). The metal shell (3) includes a top board (31), a pair of side boards (32), a bottom board (34) and a window (30) defined in a rear end. The insulative housing is insert-molded with the metal shell and the terminals so that the rear wall seals up the window.