Shielded Cable Connector Orthogonal Flex Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shielded electrical cable connectors in automotive applications experience fretting corrosion due to mechanical shock and vibration, which existing technologies have not adequately addressed.
Innovation Solution
An electrical cable assembly with a female exterior shield and a male exterior shield featuring flexible protrusions and contacts that snap into apertures, providing a positive retention locking feature to inhibit relative motion and reduce fretting corrosion, with the flexible protrusions and contacts flexing orthogonally to interact independently with the female shield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional shield connectors are used in automotive applications, then electrical connection is achieved, but fretting corrosion occurs due to mechanical shock and vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible protrusions and flexible contacts that can dynamically adapt to mechanical shock and vibration through elastic deformation. The flexible protrusion includes a beam that flexes to absorb vibration energy, while the flexible contact allows for dynamic maintenance of electrical contact pressure. This dynamic flexibility prevents the rigid connection from developing fretting corrosion under automotive vibration conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The aperture and protrusion geometry is designed to create a pre-compression or interference fit condition that cushions against subsequent vibration and shock. The aperture in the female shield is sized to receive the protrusion with a predetermined interference, creating a friction-fit connection that cushions against relative motion before vibration occurs. This pre-engineered cushioning prevents fretting corrosion by eliminating micro-motion at the contact interface.
2Strength
If rigid shield connections are used, then mechanical strength is maintained, but micro-motion occurs under vibration causing fretting corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes flexible beam structures within the protrusion and contact elements. The flexible protrusion incorporates a thin beam that can elastically deform to accommodate vibration while maintaining connection integrity. This flexible element acts as a vibration isolator, allowing the connection to maintain both strength and stability by absorbing mechanical energy through controlled elastic deformation rather than rigid resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical parameters of the connection by introducing controlled flexibility through the beam geometry and material selection. The protrusion and contact elements are designed with specific flexural rigidity parameters that allow them to stiffen under normal conditions for strength while flexing under vibration for stability. This parameter optimization enables the connection to adapt its mechanical properties based on loading conditions.
3Reliability
If flexible protrusions and contacts are added to the shield connector, then fretting corrosion is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into the protrusion and contact elements. The flexible protrusion simultaneously provides mechanical retention (through the beam's elastic deformation), electrical connection (through conductive material), and vibration damping (through controlled flexibility). The aperture in the female shield serves both as a retention feature for the protrusion and as a pathway for electrical continuity. This functional merging reduces the need for separate components, thereby limiting the increase in complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible protrusion and contact elements are designed to perform multiple functions: mechanical retention, electrical conduction, vibration isolation, and corrosion prevention. By making these elements universal and multi-functional, the patent avoids adding dedicated separate components for each function. The same flexible beam structure that provides retention also serves as the electrical contact and vibration damper, thereby minimizing the overall complexity increase.
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 effectively inhibits micro-motion caused by mechanical shock and vibration, reducing the likelihood of fretting corrosion and ensuring reliable electrical and mechanical connections in high-voltage, high-current automotive applications.
Implementation Method 1
The flexible protrusion and the flexible contact flex along axes that are generally orthogonal to one another so as to interact with the female exterior shield substantially independently of one another
Data Source
AI summary
A shielded, or coaxial, electrical cable assembly including a female shield connected to the outer conductor, or shield, of the cable. The female shield is configured to mate with a male shield to maintain the continuity of the shield in a connection. The male shield includes a flexible protrusion that is designed to align with and snap into an aperture defined in the female shield, thereby providing a mechanical connection between the male and female shields. The male shield also defines a flexible contact adapted to closely engage an interior surface of the female exterior shield, thereby providing an electrical connection between the male and female shields. The flexible protrusion and the flexible contact flex along axes that are generally orthogonal to one another so the flexible contact interacts with the female exterior shield substantially independently of the flexible protrusion.