Asymmetrical Hourglass Connector for High-Pin Mating Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical connectors with high pin counts, such as those used in catheters with 100 or more electrodes, face challenges in achieving precise alignment and mechanical strength to withstand repeated connection and disconnection cycles without pin damage.
Innovation Solution
An hourglass-shaped electrical connector assembly with recessed pins in a female housing and a matching hourglass-shaped protrusion with sockets in a male connector, ensuring precise alignment and mechanical strength through a tight fit and asymmetrical peripheral areas to prevent misalignment and bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a high pin count is used to accommodate 100 or more electrodes, then the connector can support more electrodes, but alignment precision and mechanical strength deteriorate making pins susceptible to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The connector employs an hourglass-shaped cavity with asymmetrical peripheral areas that are not symmetrical about the central area. This asymmetrical geometry provides inherent alignment guidance for the pins, ensuring precise positioning even with high pin counts of 100 or more electrodes, thereby resolving the contradiction between quantity and alignment precision
Solution Approach 2:
The hourglass shape utilizes curved surfaces with a central constricted area that naturally guides pin insertion and maintains alignment. The curved geometry provides mechanical strength while ensuring precise alignment of multiple pins, preventing misalignment and pin damage during repeated connection cycles
2Quantity of substance
If a high pin count is used to accommodate 100 or more electrodes, then the connector can support more electrodes, but mechanical strength deteriorates leading to pin damage during repeated connections
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetrical hourglass shape with non-symmetrical peripheral areas creates a structurally robust design that distributes mechanical stresses evenly across the connector body, maintaining mechanical strength even with 100 or more pins subjected to repeated connection and disconnection cycles
Solution Approach 2:
The curved hourglass geometry provides inherent mechanical strength and flexibility, allowing the connector to withstand repeated insertion and removal forces without damaging the pins, thereby maintaining mechanical integrity with high pin counts
3Ease of operation
If pins are exposed for easy connection, then ease of operation improves, but pin damage risk increases due to misalignment and bending
Solution Approach 1:
The hourglass-shaped cavity with asymmetrical peripheral areas performs preliminary alignment guidance before pin contact occurs. The geometry pre-positioned the pins correctly as the male connector approaches, ensuring accurate alignment and preventing misalignment-related damage during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The curved hourglass surfaces provide gentle guidance that naturally directs pins into proper alignment during insertion, reducing the risk of bending or damage while maintaining ease of operation through intuitive connection
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector assembly includes a female connector, which includes a female connector housing defining a cavity having an hourglass shape and a first array of electrically-conductive pins disposed within the cavity. The electrical connector assembly further includes a male connector that includes a male connector housing having an hourglass-shaped protrusion dimensioned to be inserted into and fit tightly within the cavity and a second array of electrically-conductive sockets, which are contained within the protrusion and are dimensioned and aligned so that upon insertion of the protrusion into the cavity, each of the pins is introduced into and makes electrical contact with a respective one of the sockets.