Water resistant electrical connector
View Patent ↗Electrical connectors with improved water resistance. A connector may have an outer shell and an inner shell disposed in the outer shell. The inner shell may extend beyond the outer shell in a mating direction. A portion of the inner shell that extends beyond the outer shell in the mating direction may have a surface roughness higher than portions of the inner shell such that a seal can be securely attached to the rough portion of the inner shell. The seal can be made of an adhesive shaped and cured when disposed on the rough portion. The seal can be spaced from the outer shell such that the seal can abut a mating component when the connector is pressed, in the mating direction, against the mating component, blocking ingress of environmental contaminants. The seal may also block any path between the mating ends of the inner and outer shells.
1 . An electrical connector comprising:
a lead assembly;
an inner shell disposed outside the lead assembly and comprising a mating end, the mating end comprising a rough portion that has a surface roughness higher than that of portions of the inner shell;
an outer shell disposed outside the inner shell and comprising a mating end offset from the mating end of the inner shell in a mating direction; and
a seal attached to the rough portion of the mating end of the inner shell.
2 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the surface roughness of the rough portion of the inner shell is obtained with Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) in a range of 8 to 12.
3 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the rough portion of the mating end of the inner shell comprises a pattern.
4 . The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein:
the pattern comprises stripes in opposite directions.
5 . The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein:
the pattern comprises at least one of star-shaped symbol, H-shaped symbol, or X-shaped symbol.
6 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the rough portion of the mating end of the inner shell extends from a mating edge of the inner shell in the mating direction by a distance in a range of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.
7 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the seal is an elastically deformable component and extends around the mating end of the inner shell.
8 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the seal is adhered to the rough portion.
9 . An electrical connector comprising:
an outer shell comprising a mating end;
an inner shell disposed in the outer shell and comprising a mating end extending beyond the mating end of the outer shell;
a lead assembly disposed in the inner shell; and
a seal disposed at the mating end of the inner shell and spaced from the outer shell so as to block a path from the mating end of the inner shell to the mating end of the outer shell, wherein:
the mating end of the inner shell comprises a flange portion; and
the seal comprises a mating end surface attached to the flange portion and a bevel portion extending outwardly from the mating end surface.
10 . The electrical connector of claim 9 , wherein:
the flange portion extends around the inner shell to form a corner portion with the portion of the mating end of the inner shell.
11 . The electrical connector of claim 10 , wherein:
the seal is disposed at the corner portion, and
the seal comprises a first surface contacting of the mating end of the inner shell, a second surface contacting the flange portion of the mating end of the inner shell, and a third surface connecting the first surface and second surface.
12 . The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein:
the bevel portion extends at an angle in a range of 20 degrees to 40 degrees with respect to the mating end surface.
13 . The electrical connector of claim 9 , wherein:
the mating end of the inner shell comprises a portion that has a surface roughness higher than that of portions of the inner shell; and
the seal is adhered to the portion of the mating end of the inner shell.
14 . The electrical connector of claim 13 , wherein:
the portion of the mating end of the inner shell comprises a pattern that is visually observable.
15 . The electrical connector of claim 9 , wherein:
the electrical connector is a USB type-C electrical connector.
16 . An electronic device comprising:
a chassis comprising an opening; and
the electrical connector of claim 9 inserted into the opening of the chassis such that the seal of the electrical connector abuts the chassis.
17 . The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein:
the seal deforms in a direction perpendicular to an insertion direction into the opening of the chassis.
18 . The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein:
a portion of the mating end of the inner shell that contacts the seal has a surface roughness higher than portions of the inner shell.
19 . The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein:
the portion of the mating end of the inner shell extends in a mating direction by a distance in a range of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.
20 . A method for manufacturing an electrical connector, comprising:
providing a lead assembly;
disposing an inner shell outside the lead assembly, wherein the inner shell comprises a rough portion that has a surface roughness higher than that of portions of the inner shell;
disposing an outer shell outside the inner shell and the lead assembly;
applying an adhesive at the rough portion of the inner shell; and
shaping and curing the adhesive to form a seal.