Patent Grant
12176650
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Taiwan Application No. 110116298 filed in the Taiwan Patent Office on May 5, 2021, Taiwan Application No. 110205078 filed in the Taiwan Patent Office on May 5, 2021, Taiwan Application No. 110205079 filed in the Taiwan Patent Office on May 5, 2021. These three priority applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector and a connection method for the electrical connector, in which the electrical connector has a configuration that is able to provide a reliable and secure connection to a mating connector in a “blind” mating operation (i.e., without requiring an operator to observe whether an alignment is proper between the electrical connector with the mating connector during the mating operation). More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an electrical connector and a connection method for the electrical connector, in which the electrical connector has a guiding structure and/or a mating groove that facilitates a reliable and secure connection to a mating connector in a blind mating operation.
In order to be able to receive and/or transmit electrical signals and power, electronic devices of all kinds (e.g., smartphones, tablet computers, desktop computers, notebook computers, digital cameras, etc.) have used electrical connectors. For example, to receive and/or transmit electrical signals and/or power from an external device, an electronic device may utilize an electrical connector to interconnect the devices. In another example, to receive and/or transmit signals within an electronic device, e.g., between circuit boards located at different regions of the electronic device, an electrical connector that fits within the electronic device's body may be utilized. In general, the term “electrical connector” may refer broadly to all devices for connecting elements together and carrying electrical signals and/or power between the connected elements.
An electrical connector may be a bridge for transferring signals to/from key components of an electronic device. Therefore, the quality of the electrical connector may affect the reliability of electrical transmissions (e.g., current, voltage, power, signals), and such reliability may be closely linked to reliability of operation of the electronic device. Further, because electrical connectors may function to interconnect multiple electronic devices to form a complete system, reliable operation of an entire system may be affected by the reliability of any one or more of the system's electrical connectors. Thus, it can be seen that electrical connectors that operate reliably are elements that are indispensable to electronic devices and that enable electronic devices to carry out their predetermined functions.
Electrical connectors may have many different types of structures, which have been adapted to accommodate the variety of different uses and/or mounting positions demanded by the electronic devices in which the signal connectors are deployed. For example, when a main unit of an electronic device (e.g., desktop computer, servo, on-board computer, etc.) has a relatively large volume, or when a mounting position is complex or concealed, manufacturers may opt to use a wired connector-design structure so that the bendable property of wires can be used advantageously to enable flexibility in the length(s) of the wire(s) used to connect an electronic device to another electronic device reliably. When available space is not a concern, the use of wires may provide flexibility in enabling interconnection of a component (e.g., a circuit board) in the electronic device to another component in the electronic device or in other electronic device, so as to be enable signal and/or power transmission between the components.
However, as designs of electronic devices of all kinds become more and more compact and lightweight, the structures of electrical connectors of all types have become more and more compact and lightweight, and consequently the features of the electrical connectors have become more and more precise. As the size of electrical connectors of all types becomes smaller and more precise, a concern is that the structural strength of these electrical connectors could be weakened, i.e., they could become more fragile, which could affect their transmission performance by increasing the possibility of an unstable connection. An additional concern is that, with their increased fragility, the service life of the electrical connectors could be shortened by incorrect handling causing weaking or damage to the structural integrity of the electrical connectors. For example, in the process of plugging and unplugging a conventional plug connector with a corresponding receptacle connector (especially in blind mating operations), a user could apply force improperly, and/or there could be a deviation from a correct direction or orientation when force is applied during plugging, and/or there could be a deviation from a proper alignment angle between the plug and receptacle connectors, and/or there could be a shift from a proper alignment position between the plug and receptacle connectors. Such erroneous handling could cause deformation and damage to an insulating body or housing of the connector. Thus, solving the question of how to effectively avoid the abovementioned problems is an important task.
With an understanding of the challenges of conventional electrical connectors and the need for improvement, and also with an understanding of the concerns of a fiercely competitive market, the inventors have recognized and appreciated designs for an electrical connector that facilitates proper mating of electrical connectors in situations where a user may not have a direct view of the electrical connectors during mating operation and therefore may need to perform a blind mating operation.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided that may be comprised of: an insulative housing; a first terminal assembly disposed at least partially in the housing; a plurality of first guide features supported by the housing, each of the first guide features extending parallel to an insertion direction; a second guide feature supported by the housing and extending parallel to the insertion direction; and a first mating feature supported by the housing and extending parallel to the insertion direction, the first mating feature being configured to contact a first contact portion of a mating connector and to enable the first contact portion to contact the first terminal assembly.
In some embodiments of this aspect, each of the first guide features may extend from a mating surface of the housing such that a surface edge of each of the first guide features coincides with the mating surface of the housing.
In some embodiments of this aspect, the electrical connector may further be comprised of a plurality of guide posts protruding from a mating surface of the housing. The first guide features may be guide holes respectively disposed in the guide posts such that a surface edge of each of the guide holes coincides with a mating surface of a corresponding one of the guide posts.
In some embodiments of this aspect, each of the first guide features may be comprised of an end portion that includes an inclined wall. In some embodiments, the inclined wall may have a frustoconical shape.
In some embodiments of this aspect, each of the first guide features may be spaced apart from the first mating feature.
In some embodiments of this aspect, the first mating feature may be positioned between and contiguous with two of the first guide features.
In some embodiments of this aspect, the second guide feature may be comprised of a plurality of inclined surfaces located at an outer edge of the second guide feature. Each of the inclined surfaces may be inclined relative to a mating surface of the housing.
In some embodiments of this aspect, an edge of a mating surface of the housing may have a stepped structure comprised of at least three steps of different heights.
In some embodiments of this aspect, a dimension d1 of the first guide features in a direction parallel to the insertion direction may be different from a dimension d2 of end sections of the first mating feature. In some embodiments, a dimension d3 of the second guide feature may be different from d1 and different from d2.
In some embodiments of this aspect, the electrical connector may further be comprised of a plurality of third guide features supported by the housing, each of the third guide features extending parallel to the insertion direction. The first mating feature may be positioned between two of the third guide features. In some embodiments, the first mating feature may be elongated in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the insertion direction; the first mating feature, the first guide features, and the two of the third guide features may have a common first centerline extending in the longitudinal direction; and the first mating feature and the second guide feature may have a common second centerline extending in a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and perpendicular to the insertion direction.
In some embodiments of this aspect, the insulative housing may be comprised of a mating surface having an edge. The first mating feature may be a mating groove extending into the mating surface. The second guide feature may be a second groove extending into the mating surface adjacent the edge.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided that may be comprised of: an insulative housing; a first terminal assembly disposed at least partially in the housing; a plurality of guide holes disposed in the housing, each of the guide holes extending parallel to an insertion direction; a guide groove disposed in the housing and extending parallel to the insertion direction; a first mating groove disposed in the housing and extending parallel to the insertion direction, the first mating groove being configured to receive a first contact portion of a mating connector and to enable the first contact portion to contact the first terminal assembly; and a first vent hole disposed in the housing, wherein a portion of the first terminal assembly is directly exposed through the first vent hole. The first mating groove may be comprised of a central section positioned between two end sections, with a height of the central section in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction being smaller than a height of each of end sections.
In some embodiments of this aspect, an edge portion of each of the end sections of the first mating groove may have a curved shape adjacent the mating surface of the housing.
In some embodiments of this aspect, each of the end sections of the first mating groove may be comprised of at least one inclined wall.
In some embodiments of this aspect, the electrical connector may further be comprised of: a second terminal assembly disposed at least partially in the housing; and a second mating groove disposed in the housing and extending parallel to the insertion direction. The second mating groove may be configured to receive a second contact portion of the mating connector and to enable the second contact portion to contact the second terminal assembly.
In some embodiments of this aspect, the electrical connector may further be comprised of a plurality of guide posts protruding from a mating surface of the housing. The guide holes may be respectively disposed in the guide posts such that a surface edge of each of the guide holes coincides with a mating surface of a corresponding one of the guide posts.
In some embodiments of this aspect, a portion of each of the guide holes may be located between the first and second mating grooves.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of connecting electrical connectors is provided. The method may be comprised of: bringing together first and second electrical connectors such that an end of a first protrusion of the first connector is within an outer perimeter of a first opening of the second connector; performing a first alignment by causing the end of the first protrusion of the first connector to slide along an inclined wall adjacent the outer perimeter of the first opening of the second connector, to align the first protrusion of the first connector in the first opening of the second connector; after the first alignment, performing a second alignment by causing an end of a second protrusion of the first connector to be centered with a second opening of second connector; causing a third protrusion of the first connector to engage with a third opening of the second connector; and applying a mating force in an insertion direction to seat the first protrusion in the first opening, to seat the second protrusion in the second opening, and to seat the third protrusion in the third opening.
In some embodiments of this aspect, the performing of the first alignment may cause the first and second connectors to shift in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction by approximately 2 mm or less.
In some embodiments of this aspect, the first protrusion posts may extend a distance D1 from a mating surface of the first connector, the second protrusion may extend a distance D2 from the mating surface, with D2 being less than D1, and the third protrusion may extend a distance D3 from the mating surface, with D3 being less than D2.
In some embodiments of this aspect, the performing of the second alignment may be comprised of causing an inclined wall of the second protrusion to move relative to an inclined wall of the second opening, and the causing of the third protrusion to engage with the third opening may be comprised of causing an end of the third protrusion to move relative to an inclined wall of the third opening.
The foregoing features may be included or may be used, separately or together in any combination, in any of the embodiments of the invention discussed herein.
Various aspects and embodiments of the present technology disclosed herein are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be appreciated that the figures shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Items appearing in multiple figures may be indicated by the same reference numeral. For the purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure.
The inventors have recognized and appreciated various design techniques for electrical connectors that enable an electrical connector (e.g., a receptacle connector) to connect with a mating connector (e.g., a plug connector) such that the mated pair may be connected together properly, reliably, and safely in a blind mating operation, which may occur when the two connectors are to be connected together in a region of an electrical device where it may be difficult for a user to view the two connectors during mating. For an electrical connector that may be compact in size, the difficulty in performing a blind mating operation correctly may be amplified. However, although the electrical connector may be relatively small, a user may properly connect the electrical connector with the mating connector easily and reliably due to design features that make the electrical connector robust and user-friendly as well as compact. The robustness and ease of use of the electrical connectors according to various embodiments of the present invention may provide users with a level of assurance that routine mating operations will be unlikely to cause damage. For example, in some embodiments, features of the electrical connector may minimize or prevent misalignment and/or misorientation, and may enable users to easily ascertain that the electrical connector is properly aligned before a mating force is applied to seat the electrical connector and the mating connector in a mated position. In some embodiments, asymmetry in one or more structural components of an electrical connector may enable a user to determine easily whether the connector is not oriented properly relative to a mating connector (e.g., facing backwards when the connector should be rotated 180° to face frontwards). For example, a position of a component (e.g., a post, a recess, etc.) may be asymmetrically located on a top side of a connector towards a front face of the connector, which may enable a user to feel the position of the component by touch and to manipulate the connector to a proper orientation for connecting to a mating connector by touch. In another example, a pair of components (e.g., first and second holes) may be asymmetrically located with respect to, e.g., edges of a connector, where one component is located relatively closer to a first edge of the connector, and where the other component is located relatively farther from an opposite edge of the connector. The relative closeness of the component near the first edge of the connector may be readily seen by a user and used to determine, e.g., which is the front side of the connector. This relative closeness also may be readily determined without the user seeing the connector, by the user feeling the asymmetrical positions of the pair of components relative to the edges of the connector. Such asymmetry may facilitate blind mating operations by enabling a user to determine proper orientation and/or proper alignment by touch.
The inventor has further recognized and appreciated that compact electrical connectors may be more likely to be damaged by some forces than other forces as a result of their miniaturized size. For example, in mating a plug connector with a receptacle connector, although it may be preferred to have a force be applied in a direction parallel to an axial direction of the receptacle connector, in practice, however, a user may not pay special attention to an angle at which the plug connector is oriented with respect to the receptacle connector, or the location of the receptacle connector may be such that user may not be able to see whether the angle at which the plug connector is oriented is aligned with the axial direction of the receptacle connector. Thus, the receptacle connector may be subjected to an applied external force that is not parallel to the axial direction of the receptacle connector. Such off-axis forces can impact the receptacle connector in ways that impact the integrity of signals passing through the receptacle connector. Off-axis forces, for example, may cause the receptacle connector to tilt. In some situations, an off-axis force may be sufficient to break solder joints connecting metal terminals of the receptacle connector to a PCB. In other scenarios, an off-axis force may deform the metal terminals, shift their positions, or otherwise alter their signal paths through the receptacle connector in ways that degrade the integrity of signals passing through the receptacle connector.
Damage may also result if a user attempts to press the plug connector into the receptacle connector with the wrong orientation or with the plug connector misaligned (e.g., laterally shifted) with respect to the receptacle connector. For example, when a user attempts to insert a misaligned plug connector, the receptacle connector may be subjected to a large force, such as 55 N or more. In addition to the potential damage to the solder connections of the metal terminals, discussed above, the force may be sufficient to deform or break one or more portions of an insulating body of the receptacle connector, including a portion bounding a receiving portion in which the plug connector is to be seated when properly mated with the receptacle connector. The receptacle connector may then cease to be able to hold the plug connector snugly and reliably, thus creating the possibility of intermittent disconnection between the plug and receptacle connectors. Consequently, the receptacle connector may lose its functionality and, in turn, normal operation of an electronic device employing the receptacle connector may cease.
The above-noted risks of damage are greater for compact connectors, such as those with metal terminals spaced, center to center, at 0.6 mm or less, such as connectors with a terminal spacing of 0.5 mm or less, or 0.4 mm or less, or 0.35 mm or less.
Some aspects of the present technology described herein may reduce or eliminate the possibility of improper orientation of a plug connector during a blind mating operation with a receptacle connector. Some aspects may reduce or eliminate the possibility of misalignment between the plug and receptacle connectors. Some aspects may minimize or eliminate the application of damaging forces during a blind mating operation.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a housing of a receptacle connector may have a recessed portion on only one of two sides of a housing, to receive a corresponding tab portion of a plug connector in only one orientation, and therefore to prevent backwards mating of the plug connector to the receptacle connector. Such a structure may facilitate situations where blind mating takes place, by letting a user know there is a misalignment before the user uses significant force to push the connectors together. For example, a user may not be able to see that the plug connector is facing backwards relative to the receptacle connector and may attempt to erroneously mate these connectors in a reverse or backwards orientation. The tab portion may project from the plug connector and may function to prevent a terminal board of the plug connector from being inserted in a mating groove of the receptacle connector if the plug connector is backwards. The tab portion also may enable a user to sense a front portion of the plug connector by using touch to feel the tab portion, when the tab portion cannot readily be seen.
Turning now to the drawings,
In some embodiments of the present invention, the electrical connector 1 may be a horizontal-type board-end connector, and may be structured to receive and electrically connect to a circuit board inserted horizontally into a mating groove 10 in an insertion or mating direction M, which may be along the Y direction. The circuit board may be, e.g., a terminal board. The electrical connector 1 may include mounting posts 12 extending in a Z direction (e.g., parallel to the Z arrow). The mounting posts 12 may be used to mount the electrical connector 1 onto a substrate (not shown). For example, the electrical connector 1 may be mounted on and electrically connected to a printed circuit board (PCB). In some other embodiments, instead of being a board-end connector, the electrical connector 1 may be a terminal connector, in which terminals of the electrical connector 1 respectively contact mating terminals of a mating connector, or may be another type of connector. In some other embodiments, instead of being a horizontal-type connector, the electrical connector may be a vertical-type connector or another type of connector, provided that one or more structures described herein that facilitate and/or enable blind mating are included.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the electrical connector 1 may be comprised of an insulative housing 14 and a terminal assembly 30 (see
In some embodiments of the present invention, the guide groove 18 and the hole 20 may have a “T” shape when the housing 14 is viewed from a top perspective (e.g., as depicted in
In some embodiments of the present invention, top and bottom surface edges of the central portion 10a of the mating groove 10 may each have an inclined wall 10c (e.g., a chamfer, a facet), such that a height of the central portion 10a in the Z direction at the front surface 14f of the housing 14 is greater than a height of the central portion 10a at an interior portion of the central portion 10a of the mating groove 10. As depicted in
In some embodiments of the present invention, each of the end portions 10b of the mating groove 10 may have a generally square or rectangular cross section and may have a curved shape at an outer perimeter portion, which may have an arch-like appearance in a front view of the electrical connector 1. In some embodiments, the generally square or rectangular cross section may have rounded corners, as depicted in
In some embodiments of the present invention, the ledge 14a forming a portion of the guide groove 18 may have a height between H3 and H1. In some embodiments, the height of the ledge 14a may be between H2 and H1. In some embodiments, the guide holes 16 may be positioned below the second top portions 14t-2 of the top surface 14t of the housing 14, and each guide hole 16 may have a diameter that is less than H2. In some embodiments, the diameter of each guide hole 16 may be greater than H1 and less than H2.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, a maximum height H4 of the central portion 10a of the mating groove 10 may be less than a maximum height H5 of each of the end portions 10b of the mating groove 10. Such a height difference may enable a relatively thinner circuit board of a mating connector to be provided with relatively thicker support structures, with the thicker support structures being accommodated in the end portions 10b of the mating groove 10 when the mating connector is mated with the electrical connector 1.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, a center of each of the guide holes 16, a center of each of the end portions 10b of the mating groove 10, and a center of the central portion 10a may be aligned along a common first line extending parallel to the X direction. In some embodiments, the common first line may be a first centerline CL1, as shown in
In some embodiments of the present invention, the terminal assembly 30 may be comprised of a first terminal subassembly 30a, a second terminal subassembly 30b, and a fixing base 33 in contact with the first and second terminal subassemblies 30a, 30b. For example, the fixing base 33 may be sandwiched between the first and second terminal subassemblies 30a, 30b. The first terminal subassembly 30a may be comprised of a plurality of terminals 31 attached to an insulative first terminal base 32a. Similarly, the second terminal subassembly 30b may be comprised of a plurality of terminals 31 attached to an insulative second terminal base 32b. In some embodiments, the first and second terminal bases 32a, 32b may be formed of plastic, and the terminals 31 may be lodged in the plastic. For example, plastic forming the first terminal base 32a may be molded around a row of terminals 31 to form the first terminal subassembly 30a and, similarly, plastic forming the second terminal base 32b may be molded around a row of terminals 31 to form the second terminal subassembly 30b. In another example, the terminals 31 may be mounted on the first and second terminal bases 32a, 32b without being molded in the first and second terminal bases 32a, 32b.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the fixing base 33 may be comprised of a plurality of fixing-base seating portions 331 configured to seat with one or more terminal-base seating portions 321 on each of the first and second terminal bases 32a, 32b, to enable the first terminal subassembly 30a, the second terminal subassembly 30b, and the fixing base 33 to have a set position relative to each other when the terminal assembly 30 is fully assembled. In some embodiments, the fixing base 33 may be physically attached or fixed to the first and second terminal subassemblies 30a, 30b. In some other embodiments, the fixing base 33 may set the relative positions of the first and second terminal subassemblies 30a, 30b via the seating portions 331, 321 without being fixedly attached to the first and second terminal subassemblies 30a, 30b.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the housing 14 may include the fixing base 33. For example, the fixing base 33 may be formed of plastic and may be formed integrally with the housing 14 or may be fixedly attached to the housing 14. In some embodiments, the terminal assembly 30 may be assembled by sliding the first and second terminal subassemblies 30a, 30b into a rear opening (not shown) of the housing 14 on opposite sides of the main section 33a, such that the seating portions 331, 321 seat together and are pressed-fit to be immovable in the housing 14. Optionally, the first and second terminal bases 32a, 32b may be comprised of latches (not shown) configured to latch to internal surfaces of the housing 14 when the first and second terminal subassemblies 30a, 30b are seated properly with respect to the fixing base 33.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the terminals 31 may be comprised of ground terminals 31a and signal terminals 31b. In some embodiments, a pair of signal terminals 31b may be positioned between consecutive ground terminal 31a, as shown in
Instead of the terminal assembly 30, the electrical connector 1 may be comprised of a terminal assembly 40 that does not include a central connector such as the fixing base 33.
Returning to
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the circuit board 86 of the plug connector 2 may be comprised of a contact array 88, as shown in
According to some embodiments of the present invention, an insertion end 90a of each support rib 90 may be comprised of a plurality of inclined walls 90b such that the insertion end 90a may have an pyramidal shape, as shown in the perspective view of
As shown in
In some embodiments of the present invention, the top surface 14t′ of the housing 14′ also may be provided with one or more guide posts 160′. For example, a pair of guide posts 160′ may be positioned respectively on opposite sides of the top surface 14t′ (e.g., on left and right sides), as shown in
In the embodiments of the present invention, the guide groove 18′ of the electrical connector 1′ may not be connected to any of the mating grooves 10′, unlike the guide groove 18 of the electrical connector 1 discussed above. Instead, the guide groove 18′ of the electrical connector 1′ may be a recess in the top surface 14t′ of the housing 14′ and may be configured to receive a mating tab of a mating connector inserted in the mating direction M′. For example, the plug connector 2′ may include a tab 82′ configured to be seated in the guide groove 18′ when the plug connector 2′ and the electrical connector 1′ are mated together. In some embodiments, the guide groove 18′ may be located at or near the front side 14f ‘ of the housing 14f’ and may be used to identify the front side 14f ‘of the electrical connector 1’ relative to a rear side of the electrical connector 1′.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a vent hole 19′ may extend from the front side 14f ‘ of the housing 14’ to the mating groove 10′ nearest the front side 14f ‘, such that part of a terminal assembly of the electrical connector 1’ may be seen through the hole 19′. The hole 19′ may serve as a heat conduit that enables heat generated by terminals of the terminal assembly to escape from the housing 14′ through the hole 19′, similar to the hole 20 of the electrical connector 1 discussed above. In some embodiments, the hole 19′ may be provided for each mating groove 10′ of the electrical connector 1′. Optionally, in some embodiments, an inner end of the guide groove 18′ may be connected to the hole 19′
In some embodiments of the present invention, a surface edge of the guide groove 18′, adjacent the top surface 14t′ of the housing 14′, may be comprised of an inclined wall 18c′, such that a width of the guide groove 18′ at the surface edge may be greater than a width of the guide groove below the surface edge. For example, the inclined wall 18c′ may be a chamber (e.g., a bevel). The wider width of the guide groove 18′ at the surface edge may facilitate initial positioning of a mating connector's mating tab (e.g., the tab 82′) in the guide groove 18′ prior to applying pressure to cause the mating tab to be fully seated in the guide groove 18′, which may be advantageous in a blind mating operation. Similarly, a surface edge or end portion of each guide hole 16′ may be comprised of an end portion 16a′ that includes an inclined wall, which may facilitate initial positioning of a mating connector's mating protrusions (e.g., the protrusions 80′) in the guide holes 16′ prior to applying pressure to cause the mating protrusions to be fully inserted in the guide groove holes 16′ and therefore may be advantageous in a blind mating operation. In some embodiments, a bottom or depth of the guide groove 18′ in the Z direction, relative to the top surface of the housing 14′, may be different from a bottom or depth of the guide holes 16′, which may deter inadvertent disconnection of a mating connector that is fully mated with the electrical connector 1′.
As shown in
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the guide holes 16″ may be configured to receive mating protrusions 80″ of the plug connector 2″, as depicted in
Returning to
In some embodiments of the present invention, a surface edge or end portion of each guide hole 16″ may be comprised of an end portion 16a″ having a frustoconical shape, which may facilitate initial positioning of a mating connector's mating protrusions (e.g., the protrusions 80″) in the guide holes 16″ prior to applying pressure to cause the mating protrusions to be fully inserted in the guide groove holes 16″ and therefore may be advantageous in a blind mating operation. In some embodiments, the frustoconically shaped end portions 16a″ may provide a sliding surface for a slightly misaligned conically shaped end 80a″ of the mating protrusion to slide into alignment with the guide hole 16″, as discussed above.
It is to be understood that the foregoing features may be used, separately or together in any combination, in any of the embodiments discussed herein.
Further, although advantages of the present technology may be indicated, it should be appreciated that not every embodiment of the present technology may include every described advantage. Some embodiments may not implement any feature described herein as advantageous. Accordingly, the foregoing description and attached drawings are by way of example only.
Variations of the disclosed embodiments are possible. For example, various aspects of the present technology may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing, and therefore they are not limited in application to the details and arrangements of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. Aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments.
Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the description and the claims to modify an element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one element over another, or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one element or act having a certain name from another element or act having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the elements or acts.
All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.
The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”
As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.
As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the term “equal” or “the same” in reference to two values (e.g., distances, widths, etc.) means that two values are the same within manufacturing tolerances. Thus, two values being equal, or the same, may mean that the two values are different from one another by ±5%.
The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B,” when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.
As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e., “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.”
Finally, it is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to claims recited below or the embodiments described herein and shown in the drawings. It is to be understood that the scope of the invention and the claims includes equivalent modifications and variations that can be conceived by one of ordinary skill in the art based on the disclosure of the present technology.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 110116298 | May 2021 | TW | national |
| 110205078 | May 2021 | TW | national |
| 110205079 | May 2021 | TW | national |
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