Angled 3D Graphic Identifier Presentation Block for Electrical Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors with machine-readable graphic identifiers often fail to be read due to limited tool clearance and specific orientation requirements, leading to false negatives in assembly environments.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector design featuring a presentation block with angled, three-dimensional graphic identifiers and a connector position assurance device that conceals and exposes the identifiers based on mating status, allowing reading across a broader range of angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the graphic identifier is placed on a flat surface of the housing, then the manufacturing is simple, but the reader device cannot read the identifier due to limited tool clearance and orientation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The graphic identifier is moved from a flat two-dimensional surface to a three-dimensional presentation block that protrudes from the housing. This dimensional change allows the identifier to be positioned in space where it can be read from multiple angles and orientations, overcoming the limited tool clearance issue while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through integral molding of the presentation block with the housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The presentation block is designed with angled and curved surfaces rather than flat planes. Specifically, the display surface is angled relative to the housing surface, and the presentation block may include rounded edges or corners. This curvature and angling enable the graphic identifier to be readable from a broader range of angles by the reader device, directly addressing the readability problem.
2Ease of operation
If the graphic identifier is always exposed, then the reader device can always read it, but the system cannot indicate connector mating status
Solution Approach 1:
The CPA device introduces dynamic control over the visibility of the graphic identifier. The identifier transitions between exposed and concealed states based on the connector's mating status. When the connector is properly mated, the CPA device moves to expose the identifier for reading; when unmated or improperly mated, the identifier remains concealed. This dynamic behavior simultaneously ensures readability when needed and communicates mating status through the presence or absence of the identifier.
Solution Approach 2:
The CPA device acts as an intermediary between the graphic identifier and the reader device. It controls whether the identifier is visible to the reader based on connector mating status. This intermediary mechanism allows the system to selectively reveal information (the identifier) only when the connector is properly mated, thereby preventing false reads while maintaining ease of operation when the identifier is exposed.
3Measurement precision
If the reader device is positioned at specific angles, then accurate reading is achieved, but the assembly process is slow due to positioning requirements
Solution Approach 1:
By elevating the graphic identifier to a three-dimensional presentation block with multiple angled surfaces, the system provides multiple viable reading positions. Instead of requiring the reader device to be positioned at one specific angle on a flat surface, the angled faces of the presentation block offer several orientations from which the identifier can be read, thereby maintaining measurement precision while improving productivity through increased positioning flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The presentation block is designed with asymmetric angled surfaces rather than symmetric flat planes. This asymmetry creates distinct reading zones at different angles, allowing the reader device to accurately read the identifier from various orientations. The asymmetric design ensures that at least one surface is optimally positioned for reading regardless of the approach angle of the reader device, thus maintaining accuracy while speeding up the assembly process.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electrical connector (102) includes a housing (118) and a presentation block (140). The presentation block is mounted to the housing along an outer surface (204) of the housing. The presentation block has a three-dimensional shape with a display surface (302) that is angled transverse to an area of the outer surface of the housing on which the presentation block is mounted. The presentation block includes a graphic identifier (112) that is computer-readable and disposed on the display surface.