Connector Grommet Visual Locking Indicator
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Solution Overview
Problem
It is difficult to visually confirm the locking state of a connector with a grommet attached to a vehicle panel, as the bulging of the grommet is not easily visible, requiring manual confirmation which can be challenging in narrow spaces.
Innovation Solution
A connector design with a sensing member that is pushed outwards when the locking projection is locked, allowing for visual confirmation of the locked state, featuring a flexible arm and a grommet with a panel contact part that covers the flange and comes into tight contact with the panel edge, enabling easy and reliable visual verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the sensing piece is covered with the thin part of the grommet, then the grommet structure is compact and simple, but the locking state cannot be visually confirmed
Solution Approach 1:
A sensing member is introduced as an intermediary element between the sensing piece and the grommet thin part. The sensing member includes a sensing tip that contacts the sensing piece and a visual indication part that protrudes from the grommet outer surface, mediating the transmission of locking state information from the internal sensing mechanism to the external visual indicator.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions the locking state indication from a two-dimensional internal bulging motion of the sensing piece to a three-dimensional visual indicator that protrudes from the grommet outer surface. This dimensional change allows the locking state to be observed from the outside without complicating the overall grommet structure.
2Device complexity
If manual touch is required to confirm locking, then no additional visual indicator is needed, but confirmation becomes difficult in narrow work spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The grommet system performs self-indication of its locking state through the visual indication part of the sensing member. The system automatically displays whether it is properly locked without requiring external manual inspection or additional tools, enabling operators to quickly confirm proper installation from a distance.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the sensing member protrudes significantly, then visual confirmation is easy, but the receiving part must be larger increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving part is designed with localized features including a recessed portion and an elastic portion rather than uniformly increasing the entire receiving part structure. The visual indication part protrudes only to the extent necessary for clear visibility, with the recessed portion providing a reference level and the elastic portion accommodating the protrusion without requiring a large overall receiving part volume.
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 easy and reliable visual confirmation of the locking state without the need for manual touch, ensuring proper locking without increasing assembly force and maintaining waterproof performance.
Implementation Method 1
the housing is provided with a flexible arm which is resiliently deformable, the flexible arm is provided with the locking projection, the sensing member moves between a locking surface of the locking projection to be locked to the panel and a wall of the receiving part
Data Source
AI summary
A connector with a grommet includes a housing, a grommet, and a sensing member. A panel hooking portion, a flange, and a locking projection are formed on an outside of the housing. The sensing member includes a part received in a receiving part of the grommet and senses a locked state of the locking projection. The housing is provided with a flexible arm. The flexible arm is provided with the locking projection. The sensing member moves between the locking surface of the locking projection and a wall of the receiving part. When the locking projection is locked to the panel, the sensing member is pushed out by the panel in an anti-locking direction by a thickness of the panel.