Angled Connector Seal Structure for Liquid Ingress Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Angled connectors, such as those used in airbag squib connectors, face challenges in sealing to prevent contamination from liquids, which can cause shorts, particularly at the interface between covers and wire insertion points.
Innovation Solution
A seal with a planar plate-shaped configuration and a rim wall enclosing a central opening, featuring multiple sealing passages that extend from outside the seal into the central opening, providing a continuous sealing interface and enhanced compression features like ribs and sealing lips to ensure effective sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a seal is designed to prevent liquid ingress at wire insertion points and cover interfaces, then sealing reliability is improved, but the structural complexity of the connector increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into multiple functional sections: a planar plate-shaped body with rim wall, multiple sealing passages for individual wire sealing, compression ribs for axial sealing, and sealing lips for radial sealing. Each segment performs a specific sealing function, allowing the seal to address multiple sealing requirements simultaneously while maintaining a unified component structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal integrates multiple sealing mechanisms within a single component structure. The compression ribs and sealing lips are nested within the planar plate-shaped body, with sealing passages extending through the rim wall. This nested arrangement allows multiple sealing functions to be contained within one seal component, reducing the need for separate sealing elements.
2Reliability
If compression features like ribs and sealing lips are added to enhance sealing performance, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The compression ribs and sealing lips are integrated into the planar plate-shaped seal body as unified features. The ribs extend from the plate surface while the sealing lips are formed as continuous structures from the rim wall. This merging of features into a single molded component simplifies manufacturing compared to assembling separate sealing elements, while still providing enhanced sealing performance through the combined action of multiple compression features.
Data Source
AI summary
A seal for an angled connector includes a rim wall enclosing a central opening and a sealing passage extending from outside the seal through the rim wall into the central opening. The seal has a planar plate-shaped configuration.