Connector Cover Protruding Terminal Forward Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Miniaturization of connectors has led to issues with inserting terminals into accommodating portions of thin electric wires, as buckling occurs, making it difficult to achieve a regular insertion position.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a plate-like housing with a ceiling wall and a cover that includes a protruding portion to press the terminal forward, allowing it to be moved from a primary locking position to a regular insertion position during assembly, and an inclined assembly process to enhance detection accuracy and ensure proper insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the connector is miniaturized and the electric wire diameter is reduced, then the connector size is reduced, but the electric wire becomes prone to buckling during terminal insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with an opening portion at the upper part of the rear portion of the terminal accommodating portion, allowing the terminal to be preliminarily inserted to a temporary position (primary locking position) before final insertion. This preliminary action enables the terminal to be positioned without requiring the thin electric wire to be fully inserted from the front, preventing buckling while achieving miniaturization.
2Ease of operation
If the terminal is inserted from the rear end of the housing by holding the electric wire, then the terminal can be inserted, but buckling occurs in thin electric wires making it difficult to reach the regular insertion position
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal insertion process is segmented into two stages: first, the terminal is inserted to a primary locking position through the opening portion at the rear of the housing; second, the cover is assembled to press the terminal forward to the regular insertion position. This segmentation allows the thin electric wire to be handled more easily in the first stage while ensuring precise final positioning in the second stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover acts as an intermediary mechanism that presses the terminal from the primary locking position to the regular insertion position. The protruding portion on the cover provides the necessary pushing force to move the terminal forward without requiring direct manipulation of the thin electric wire, thereby maintaining both ease of operation and positioning precision.
3Reliability
If the upper part of the terminal accommodating portion is blocked, then the terminal is protected, but it becomes difficult to insert the terminal to the primary locking position
Solution Approach 1:
The housing has different structural characteristics at different locations: the front portion of the terminal accommodating portion has a ceiling wall portion for protection, while the rear portion has an opening portion for easy insertion. This local differentiation allows the terminal to be easily inserted through the open rear portion while the front ceiling wall provides protection once the terminal is in position.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector includes a terminal configured to be connected to a wire, a plate-like housing has a terminal accommodating portion configured to accommodate the terminal, the housing having a ceiling wall portion that blocks an upper of a front portion of the terminal accommodating portion and an opening portion which is opened at an upper of a rear portion of the terminal accommodating portion, and a cover configured to cover the opening portion of the terminal accommodating portion when the cover is assembled to the housing. A protruding portion is provided on a front end portion of the cover. The protruding portion presses the terminal located in a primary locking position forward in the front-rear direction to move the terminal from the primary locking position to a regular insertion position when the cover is assembled to the housing.