Coax Contact Assembly With Cantilevered Fingers and Wire Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical coax contact systems face challenges in maintaining peak performance under harsh environmental conditions such as high temperatures, mechanical stress, and electromagnetic interference, which can lead to degraded energy transfer capabilities in high-power applications.
Innovation Solution
The development of a hybrid power coax pin and socket contact design with cantilevered fingers and a wire sealing grommet, which provides multiple contact surfaces for alignment and stability, and a sealed environment to minimize arcing and ensure reliable performance under extreme conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional electrical coax contact systems are used, then the structure is simple, but the performance degrades under harsh environmental conditions such as high temperatures, mechanical stress, and electromagnetic interference
Solution Approach 1:
The contact system is divided into multiple cantilevered fingers instead of a single contact element. Each finger acts as an independent contact surface, providing multiple parallel conduction paths that improve reliability under harsh conditions while distributing mechanical stress across multiple points.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire sealing grommet is nested within the contact system structure, providing a sealed environment for the electrical contacts. This nested configuration protects the internal components from environmental factors such as moisture and electromagnetic interference without adding external complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple contact surfaces are added for alignment and stability, then the alignment precision improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cantilevered fingers are designed with flexible mounting that allows them to dynamically adjust and self-align during the mating process. This dynamic capability enables precise alignment through elastic deformation rather than requiring complex precision machining of multiple rigid contact surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple cantilevered fingers automatically self-align through their elastic properties during connection. The flexible mounting allows the fingers to bend and conform to the mating contact, achieving precise alignment without requiring external alignment mechanisms or complex manufacturing tolerances.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a sealed environment is created to minimize arcing, then the protection against electromagnetic interference improves, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire sealing grommet utilizes a flexible elastomeric material that forms a sealing barrier around the electrical contacts. This flexible film approach provides effective sealing against electromagnetic interference and environmental factors while being simpler to manufacture than rigid sealed enclosures, as the elastomeric material can be molded into the required shape and provides sealing through its inherent elasticity.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector including an electrically conductive shell sized to receive and retain an electrically insulating housing insert, where the housing insert includes a cavity for receiving and retaining a wire-terminating electrical contact therein. The shell and housing insert each including keying features designed to cooperate with one another to resist independent rotation of the housing insert within the shell. The electrical connector further includes a wire sealing grommet coupled to the housing insert to improve connector performance and minimize arcing issues.