Conductor Terminal Housing for Self-Aligning Contact Insert Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing conductor terminals face challenges in achieving cost-effective manufacturing while ensuring high reliability, long service life, and easy handling, particularly due to the difficulty in precisely aligning the contact insert within the insulating housing.
Innovation Solution
A conductor terminal design featuring a multi-part insulating housing with plug and mating plug contours that allow for a receiving chamber to be narrowed during assembly, facilitating easy insertion and precise positioning of the contact insert through elastic deformation of side walls, and a spring-force clamping connection for secure conductor attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If narrow tolerances are used to ensure precise alignment of the contact insert in the insulating housing, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to production engineering challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating housing is divided into two separate parts: a first housing part containing the receiving chamber and a second housing part with the plug contour. This segmentation allows the contact insert to be easily positioned in the first housing part with larger tolerances, while the second housing part provides the narrowing action during assembly to achieve final precise alignment without requiring narrow tolerances in the manufacturing of individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact insert is pre-positioned in the first housing part with clearance before the final assembly step. The second housing part is designed to perform the alignment function during the assembly process itself, narrowing the receiving chamber to secure the contact insert in its final precise position. This eliminates the need for pre-machined narrow tolerances.
2Reliability
If the contact insert is precisely aligned in the insulating housing to ensure reliable connecting operation, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases due to narrow tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The second housing part is designed with elastic deformable side walls that dynamically narrow the receiving chamber during the assembly process. This dynamic action ensures the contact insert is securely positioned and aligned in the final assembled state, guaranteeing reliable connecting operation without requiring the housing components to be manufactured with narrow static tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The second housing part performs the alignment function automatically during the plug-in connection process. As the second housing part is connected to the first housing part, its side walls elastically deform to narrow the receiving chamber and secure the contact insert in its correct position, eliminating the need for complex external alignment mechanisms or precision manufacturing.
3Ease of manufacture
If the receiving chamber is narrowed to fix the contact insert in position, then manufacturing ease is improved, but the chamber width must be reduced which may affect conductor insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls of the receiving chamber are designed to be elastically deformable rather than rigid. During the assembly process, the second housing part causes these side walls to narrow and secure the contact insert. During conductor insertion and normal operation, the side walls return to their original wider configuration, maintaining adequate chamber width for conductor access and insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving chamber width undergoes periodic changes: it is narrow during the assembly phase to secure the contact insert, and wide during the operational phase to accommodate conductor insertion and removal. This periodic transformation is achieved through the elastic deformability of the side walls that can be temporarily compressed and then recover.
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
Enables efficient, reliable, and easy assembly of conductor terminals with precise alignment of the contact insert, combining economic manufacturing with reliable operation and secure conductor connections.
Implementation Method 1
at least partially deforming and/or displacing at least one side wall of the receiving chamber of the first housing part
Data Source
AI summary
A conductor terminal, which includes an insulating housing and a contact insert for connecting an electrical conductor. The insulating housing includes a first housing part, which has a plug contour, and a second housing part. The first housing part has a receiving chamber with two side walls situated opposite each other for receiving the contact insert. A distance between the side walls situated opposite each other defining a chamber width of the receiving chamber. The mating plug contour of the second housing part is designed to reduce the chamber width of the receiving chamber, at least in sections, during the establishment of a plug connection between the plug contour of the first housing part and the mating plug contour of the second housing part by at least partially deforming and/or displacing at least one side wall of the receiving chamber of the first housing part.