Cable Adapter Panel Retention Clip Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cable connection panels suffer from gaps and clearance between adapters and holes, leading to wobbling, rattling, and inadequate retention force, which results in noise, debris, and unintentional adapter removal due to manufacturing tolerances and mechanical vibrations.
Innovation Solution
A novel retention clip design that accommodates manufacturing variations in plate thickness and hole dimensions by using angled and distal tabs to increase retention force and reduce wobbling, featuring left and right frames with wings and distal tabs that engage with adapter facets and hole edges to prevent splaying and enhance self-centering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional retention clips are used to retain adapters in panel holes, then installation is facilitated, but the adapters wobble and rattle due to gaps and clearance between the adapters and hole periphery
Solution Approach 1:
The retention clip is divided into multiple functional segments: a body portion for engagement with the panel, wing portions for contacting adapter facets, and tab portions for engaging hole edges. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function independently, providing both easy installation and stable adapter retention without wobbling or rattling.
2Force
If retention clips are designed to engage with hole edges, then retention force is improved, but the clips bend or splay under removal forces
Solution Approach 1:
The retention clip features localized reinforcement at critical stress points, particularly at the roots of the tab portions and wing portions. This local quality enhancement provides additional structural strength where bending and splaying forces are most severe, allowing the clip to maintain high retention force without structural failure.
3Ease of manufacture
If panel thickness and hole dimensions vary within manufacturing tolerances, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but retention clip performance becomes inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The retention clip incorporates flexible or resilient portions that can dynamically adapt to variations in panel thickness and hole dimensions. These dynamic elements allow the clip to maintain consistent retention performance across different manufacturing tolerances by adjusting its engagement geometry rather than requiring precise fixed dimensions.
4Ease of operation
If gaps exist between adapters and hole periphery, then adapter installation is easier, but mechanical vibrations cause wobbling, rattling, and noise
Solution Approach 1:
The retention clip acts as an intermediary element between the adapter and the panel hole. It provides controlled contact points that eliminate excessive gaps and clearance, preventing wobbling and rattling while still allowing for straightforward adapter installation. The clip mediates the interaction between adapter and hole to eliminate harmful vibrations and noise.
Data Source
AI summary
A clip for retaining a connection adapter within a hole in a cable connection panel is disclosed. The clip includes left and right frames for engaging left and right facets of the body of the connection adapter, and a back span adjoining the left and right frames together. The clip also includes left and right wings that adjoin and angle externally away from the left and right frames, respectively. Each wing comprises a distal tab that angles back towards its respective frame and that is configured to protrude between an internal edge of the hole and a facet of the adapter body. Each wing further comprises a distal tab that angles externally away from its respective frame generally like the wing itself.