Connector Assembly With Dual Hinged Cover For Secure Terminal Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors in the automotive sector fail to securely fix female terminals, leading to movement and disconnection issues due to insufficient pressure retention, causing the male terminals to become disconnected during use.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a second hinged cover that expands the female terminals when the male terminals are inserted, providing constant pressure and secure fitting within the housing, preventing disconnection and ensuring a stable connection between the terminals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single cover is used to house female terminals, then the connector structure is simple, but the female terminals can move and disconnect during use
Solution Approach 1:
The single cover is divided into two separate hinged covers (first cover and second cover) that face each other. The first cover houses the female terminals while the second cover presses against them to prevent movement. This segmentation allows independent functionality of each cover, with the first providing housing and the second providing retention pressure, thereby solving the contradiction between structural simplicity and connection stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The second cover acts as a counterbalancing element that applies continuous pressure on the female terminals from the opposite direction of the first cover. This counter-pressure mechanism prevents the female terminals from moving or disconnecting during use, effectively using the second cover as a mechanical counterweight to maintain connection stability without significantly increasing overall complexity.
2Reliability
If female terminals are housed in a fixed housing, then the structure is stable, but the terminals cannot expand to maintain constant pressure on male terminals
Solution Approach 1:
The female terminals are designed with elastic properties that allow them to expand dynamically when male terminals are inserted. The second hinged cover provides a movable pressing mechanism that maintains continuous contact and constant pressure on the female terminals, enabling them to adapt their shape and size to ensure reliable electrical connection while maintaining overall structural stability through the hinged cover mechanism.
3Reliability
If the housing area is minimized, then the connector is compact, but there is insufficient space for female terminals to expand
Solution Approach 1:
The female terminals are nested within the housing space defined by the first and second hinged covers. The covers create a compact enclosed space that accommodates the female terminals in their compressed state, while allowing them to expand outward when male terminals are inserted. This nesting arrangement enables the female terminals to have sufficient expansion space without significantly increasing the overall housing footprint, maintaining compactness while ensuring connection reliability.
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
The expanded female terminals maintain a constant pressure on the male terminals, preventing disconnection and ensuring a reliable connection, while the dual locking mechanism and side tabs secure the female terminals in place, preventing movement and damage.
Implementation Method 1
female terminals expand when the male terminals inserted inside them wherein the area of the housing is greater than the area occupied by the female terminals prior to expanding
Implementation Method 2
said second hinged cover...when closed it blocks the side tabs and defines a base and female terminals
Data Source
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AI summary
Electrical installation used for connecting male terminals with female terminals. The installation comprises a connector with a body and input openings connected to a housing used for receiving the male terminals. The installation also comprises output openings through which the female terminal wiring is passed, separation walls, side tabs and a first cover hinged to the connector and characterised in that it incorporates a second hinged cover on the aforementioned connector that is facing the first cover, which blocks the side tabs when closed and defines a base, and female terminals made of an electrical conductive material and housed in the connector housing. The female terminals expand when the male terminals are inserted inside them and the area of the housing is greater than the area occupied by the female terminals prior to expanding.