Connector Aligning Member Through Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire harness and connector systems face difficulties in accurately aligning and fitting connectors in a manner that prevents incorrect fitting, especially when connectors are arranged in a line intersecting the front-rear direction.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a wire harness with connectors that have a through portion allowing an aligning member, such as an electrical wire, to pass through, ensuring correct alignment and fitting by restricting movement and providing a shaft function to maintain straightness, thus preventing incorrect fitting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If connectors are arranged in a line along the direction intersecting the front-rear direction, then the fitting work can be performed with multiple connectors, but it becomes difficult to select the correct counterpart connector and incorrect fitting may occur
Solution Approach 1:
An aligning member is introduced as an intermediary tool to facilitate correct connector fitting. The aligning member includes a through portion that passes through corresponding connectors and counterpart connectors, providing a physical guide that ensures accurate alignment and prevents incorrect fitting while enabling efficient batch fitting operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the reliance on operator judgment and manual alignment with a mechanical guidance system. The through portion of the aligning member creates a mechanical constraint that automatically ensures correct positioning, substituting human error-prone selection with a deterministic mechanical alignment mechanism
2Device complexity
If no aligning member is used, then the connector structure is simple, but it is difficult to ensure correct alignment and prevent incorrect fitting
Solution Approach 1:
The aligning member serves as a simple intermediary tool that provides alignment functionality without significantly complicating the connector structure. The through portion is designed to pass through existing connector features, adding minimal structural complexity while achieving the desired alignment precision
Data Source
AI summary
An incorrect fitting of a connector (40) is prevented, and a fitting work is enabled to be performed smoothly. A plurality of connectors (40), each having a housing (41) capable of fitting with its counterpart housing (71), is arranged in a line. Upon fitting of the housings (41, 71), a front face of each housing (41) is arranged so as to face a direction facing its counterpart housing (71), and an aligning direction of the connectors (40) is set to be a direction intersecting a front-rear direction. Through portions (52, 52E) are provided in the housings (41), and upon fitting of the housings (41, 71), each connector (40) is arranged at a position capable of facing its counterpart connector (70) by an aligning member (80, 100) that is passed through the respective through portions (52, 52E).