Connector With Tilted Cam Surface And Center Pin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional connectors face difficulties in aligning plugs and sockets, leading to uneven rotation, sticking, and wear due to biased contact and stiction phenomena, especially when mounted on electronic devices where visibility is limited.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a tilted cam surface on the plug and a cam follower on the socket, with a center pin and cylindrical portions for alignment, allowing smooth rotation and automatic positioning regardless of initial rotational direction, preventing biased contact and stiction, and enhancing waterproof and dustproof properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If positioning projection and positioning groove are used to keep rotating direction stationary, then positioning accuracy is improved, but alignment difficulty increases when plug and socket are mounted on back of electronic device
Solution Approach 1:
The connector employs self-aligning features including a funnel-shaped opening in the guideway that automatically guides the guide element into correct orientation during insertion. The tilted cam surface and cam follower mechanism automatically rotate the plug or socket to the correct angular position without requiring manual alignment, enabling the connector to self-position even when mounted on the back of an electronic device where visibility is limited.
Solution Approach 2:
The guideway with funnel-shaped opening performs preliminary alignment of the guide element before the main connection is established. This preliminary guiding action prepares the connector for subsequent automatic rotation and final positioning, ensuring correct orientation is achieved before electrical contact is made.
2Extent of automation
If tilted cam is used for automatic positioning, then positioning automation is improved, but rotation smoothness deteriorates due to biased contact and stiction phenomenon
Solution Approach 1:
The cam follower acts as an intermediary between the tilted cam surface and the rotating component. It distributes the contact force along the tilted surface, preventing concentrated biased contact that causes stiction. The cam follower's rolling or sliding contact smooths the rotation process while maintaining the automatic positioning function.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector design incorporates dynamic elements where the cam follower moves along the tilted cam surface during rotation, transitioning from one contact point to another. This dynamic contact pattern prevents static friction (stiction) from locking the rotation, allowing smooth continuous movement while still achieving automatic positioning at the target angle.
3Measurement precision
If multiple connection attempts are made to achieve proper alignment, then positioning accuracy is improved, but wear in sliding-contact portion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The self-aligning mechanism with tilted cam and cam follower ensures that the connector achieves correct positioning in a single insertion attempt. By automatically rotating the plug or socket to the proper angular position during the insertion process itself, the system eliminates the need for repeated connection attempts, thereby preventing cumulative wear in the sliding-contact portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment and rotation actions are performed preliminarily during the insertion process itself, before final electrical contact is made. This preliminary positioning ensures that subsequent connection and disconnection cycles do not involve misalignment friction, reducing wear on the sliding-contact surfaces over the product lifetime.
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
Ensures reliable and smooth connection of plugs to sockets in any rotational direction, reducing wear and improving operational efficiency and sealing against water and dust.
Implementation Method 1
the tilted cam surface slides on the cam follower, so that they are relatively rotated around an axis
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention provides a connector in which a plug is fitted to a socket in any rotational direction around an axis and is guided to a normal position smoothly thereby providing proper connection by a simple structure. On opposite surfaces of the plug 1 and the socket 2, there are provided a tilted cam surface 17 and a cam follower 30 with which the plug 1 and the socket 2 are slidably contacted to each other, rotated and positioned in a rotational direction around the axis when the plug 1 is fitted onto the socket 2 axially. At the center of one of the opposite surfaces of the plug 1 and the socket 2, a pin-receiving hole 18 is formed, and a center pin 31 at the center of the other fits into the pin-receiving hole 18 before the tilted cam surface 17 comes in contact with the cam follower 30.