Breakaway Mobile Device Port for Vehicle Safety

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Solution Overview

Problem

Vehicle occupants are at risk of injury or discomfort due to unintended contact with protruding male connectors in mobile device connection ports during collisions or movements within the vehicle, as these connectors are typically rigid and lack adequate impact protection.

Innovation Solution

A breakaway mobile device connection port featuring a ball-type female connection housed within flexible retention fingers, which can rotate or retract upon impact, reducing the force exerted on occupants by allowing the male connector to move away from the point of contact.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a rigid male connector is used in a mobile device connection port, then the connection stability and electrical contact reliability are improved, but the injury risk to vehicle occupants during collision or unintended contact increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection stabilityVSAvoidinjury risk to occupants

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the male connector movable rather than fixed. The connector is designed to rotate about a pivot point and translate along the cable axis, allowing it to dynamically respond to impact forces. This movement capability enables the connector to reduce injury risk during collision while maintaining stable electrical contact during normal use through its spring-loaded contact mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the physical state and positional parameters of the male connector. By enabling rotation and translation movements, the connector's position and orientation parameters become variable rather than fixed. This allows the system to transition from a rigid, hazardously protruding state to a retracted or rotated state that minimizes injury risk while preserving connection functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the male connector is made movable to reduce injury risk, then the safety for vehicle occupants is improved, but the connection reliability and contact stability may deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinjury risk reductionVSAvoidelectrical contact stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the potential harm of connector movement into a beneficial feature. The spring-loaded mechanism normally exerts force to maintain stable electrical contact, but under impact conditions, the same spring mechanism enables the connector to move away from the impact point, reducing injury risk. The movement that could compromise connection stability is instead designed to activate only under excessive force conditions, thereby converting a potential reliability issue into a safety feature

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary anti-action by pre-configuring the male connector with a spring-loaded mechanism that opposes impact forces. The spring is pre-compressed to exert a holding force that maintains stable contact during normal use, while being designed to yield under impact conditions. This preliminary setup ensures that when collision occurs, the connector automatically moves in the opposite direction of the impact force, counteracting the harmful effect before significant injury can occur

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution significantly reduces the risk of injury or discomfort to vehicle occupants by minimizing the contact force and duration between occupants and protruding male connectors, transforming a potentially hazardous rigid protuberance into a rotatable and retractable one, thereby enhancing vehicle safety.

Implementation Method 1

a bearing positioned partially within the socket; a female connector positioned within a portion of the bearing located outside the socket... where the bearing is configured to swivel on at least one axis within the socket

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBall bearing rotation: Ball Bearing

Implementation Method 2

the socket is formed by one or more flexible retention members coupled to the surface... an impact force on the first male connector that exceeds a first threshold value causes the bearing to be pushed completely into the socket

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS11462923B2Breakaway mobile device connection port

Publication Date: 2022.10.04 TOYOTA MOTOR ENG & MFG NORTH AMERICA INC

AI summary

Disclosed is a breakaway mobile device connection port for a vehicle. The breakaway mobile device connection port includes a socket within a surface of a vehicle, formed by one or more flexible retention members coupled to the surface. The port further includes a ball-type bearing positioned partially within the socket, a female connector positioned in the bearing outside the socket and configured to receive a male connector, and a harness cable coupled to the bearing, linking the female connector to an electrical system or data system of the vehicle. The bearing is configured to swivel on at least one axis within the socket, and an impact force on the male connector that exceeds a first threshold value causes the bearing to be pushed completely into the socket.