Compact Electrical Disconnect with Push-In Terminals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical disconnects for high current applications are bulky and inefficient in terms of space and material usage, and often require crimp connections that are inconvenient to use, especially for low current applications.
Innovation Solution
A compact electrical disconnect design featuring push-in connections with male and female terminals arranged in a radial configuration, utilizing springs and busbars to ensure secure engagement and alignment of wires, allowing for high current handling up to 20 amps while minimizing the overall size and material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If crimp connections are used to secure incoming wires, then reliable electrical connection is achieved, but the housing becomes bulky and space is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into two separate enclosures (first enclosure with male terminal, second enclosure with female terminal) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation allows each enclosure to be compact while maintaining reliable crimp connections within its own housing, eliminating the need for a single large housing to accommodate all connection mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The male and female terminals are arranged in a radial configuration with blades spaced arcuately around a central axis, utilizing three-dimensional space more efficiently. This radial arrangement allows the terminals to be closely positioned without requiring excessive linear space, reducing the overall housing volume while maintaining reliable electrical connections.
2Volume of stationary object
If terminals are arranged in a compact radial configuration, then space and material are minimized, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the connector into two enclosures with male and female terminals respectively, the manufacturing precision requirements for each individual enclosure are reduced. Each enclosure can be manufactured as a separate component with standard tolerances, and the radial alignment is achieved through the engagement geometry of the male and female terminals rather than requiring precise single-piece manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The male and female terminals are designed to self-align when the enclosures are joined together. The radial configuration with arcuate spacing allows the terminals to automatically position themselves correctly through the mechanical engagement of the enclosures, reducing the need for high-precision manufacturing while maintaining compact dimensions.
3Ease of operation
If push-in connections are used instead of crimp connections, then ease of operation is improved, but current handling capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the advantages of both push-in and crimp connections by incorporating a push-in access feature that allows wires to be inserted easily, while internally maintaining crimp-style contact portions that provide reliable high-current handling. The spring fingers apply continuous pressure to the inserted conductor, creating a secure electrical connection capable of handling 20 amps or more while retaining the operational simplicity of push-in connections.
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 design provides a compact, efficient, and convenient means of connecting electrical wires, enabling safe and easy replacement of circuit devices while handling higher currents, and reducing material waste and space requirements.
Implementation Method 1
The springs include flexible spring fingers adjacent an inserted conductor or wire. The spring fingers press the conductor into engagement with the associated contact portion.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical disconnect has a pair of selectably engageable enclosures each including a housing and one or more terminals supported therein. The terminals each have a spring finger at an outer end opposite wire ports in the cap to receive a stripped end of a wire in a push-in engagement. The terminals are releasably engageable in overlapping relation in an engagement zone. The housings have wire receiving receptacles therein which reside in the engagement zone when the enclosures are joined.