Bridge Contact Insert for Compact Industrial Plug Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing contact inserts for industrial plug connectors face hazards due to insufficient space for bridging conductors, leading to potential electrical faults when mechanical connections fail, especially in harsh environments like data centers where neutral conductors need to be divided among server units.
Innovation Solution
A compact contact insert design with a bridge contact featuring a metal plate with multiple contact regions for safe and efficient division of electrical currents, utilizing crimp connections and identical socket contacts for reduced production costs and enhanced safety, including a PE contact element for grounding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conductors are bridged inside the plug connector housing, then the neutral conductor can be divided among individual server units, but sufficient space must be present and a correspondingly sized housing must be selected, increasing device complexity and hazard potential
Solution Approach 1:
The contact insert is divided into a connection side with n connection openings for individual conductors and a contact side with m contact openings for mating plug connector elements. The bridge contact segments the neutral conductor current path, allowing division among multiple server units while maintaining a compact structure without requiring enlarged housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact insert utilizes a three-dimensional arrangement where contact elements are positioned at different depths and orientations. The bridge contact extends from the connection side through the body to the contact side, creating a compact spatial solution that achieves conductor division without increasing housing footprint.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conductors are bridged inside the plug connector housing, then the neutral conductor can be divided among individual server units, but the mechanical connection of the bridged conductors may fail, causing current-carrying conductors to reach the plug connector housing, increasing safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge contact acts as an intermediary element that electrically connects the neutral conductor to multiple contact elements. This mediator component provides a reliable, dedicated electrical connection path that is mechanically secured within the contact insert, preventing direct exposure of current-carrying conductors to the housing and eliminating the safety hazards associated with inadequate mechanical connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridging function is extracted from the housing interior and consolidated into the contact insert as a dedicated bridge contact component. This extraction isolates the bridging connection within the protected environment of the contact insert, removing the hazard potential of exposed conductors in the housing while maintaining the neutral conductor division capability.
3Reliability
If a compact contact insert design is used, then space is saved and hazards are reduced, but the ability to bridge conductors may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge contact is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides electrical connection for the neutral conductor and enables division among multiple contact elements. The contact insert structure universally accommodates both individual conductor connections and bridging functions within a compact design, maintaining both safety and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridging function is merged into the contact insert as an integrated bridge contact component rather than a separate housing element. This merging consolidates the conductor division capability within the compact contact insert structure, maintaining space efficiency while preserving the ability to bridge conductors for neutral conductor division among server units.
Data Source
AI summary
A contact insert for an industrial plug connector is provided. The contact insert has a connection side for connecting individual conductors of a multi-wire cable and a contact side for electrically connecting to a mating plug connector or a socket, wherein n connection openings for respective conductors of the multi-wire cable are provided on the connection side, m contact openings for accessing a mating contact element of a mating plug connector or a socket are provided on the contact side, and n and m are natural numbers, m being greater than n. A system for a plug connector housing and a contact insert are also provided.