Electrical Connector Housing for Thin-Wire Terminal Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors face difficulties in assembling terminals with thin electrical wires due to the requirement for a buckling load greater than the plugging force, especially in lightened, downsized, and high-density equipment applications.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector design includes a terminal with a primary and secondary latch mechanism and a housing with an opening region that allows the terminal to be inclined and caught by a lance, reducing the plugging force required and preventing wire buckling, enabling the use of thin wires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a thin electrical wire is employed in the connector, then the weight and size of the connector is reduced, but the plugging force required exceeds the electrical wire buckling load
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into two separate parts: a main body and a front portion. This segmentation allows the front portion to be detached, providing access to the cavity for assembling the terminal while avoiding the need to apply excessive plugging force through the electrical wire. The terminal can be directly inserted into the cavity from the front, bypassing the lance deflection requirement.
Solution Approach 2:
The lance is designed as a separate intermediary component that can be detached from the housing front portion. This allows the terminal to be assembled directly into the cavity without requiring the electrical wire to deflect the lance, thus eliminating the plugging force issue while maintaining the lance's terminal-catching function.
2Reliability
If the terminal is plugged into the cavity by deflecting the lance, then the terminal is securely caught, but the plugging force required exceeds the buckling load of thin electrical wires
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into a main body and a detachable front portion. This allows the terminal to be assembled directly into the cavity from the front opening, eliminating the need to deflect the lance during assembly. The lance remains in place to catch and secure the terminal after assembly, maintaining reliability without requiring excessive plugging force.
Solution Approach 2:
The lance is pre-positioned in the cavity to protrude toward the front, ready to catch the terminal. The detachable front portion is designed to be removed before assembly, creating direct access to the cavity. This preliminary arrangement allows the terminal to be inserted directly without forceful lance deflection, and the lance automatically secures the terminal upon insertion.
3Volume of moving object
If the housing is made compact for downsized equipment, then the connector size is reduced, but the assembly space for terminals with thin wires is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The housing front portion is segmented as a detachable component, creating a temporary assembly access point. This allows sufficient space for terminal assembly during manufacturing while maintaining compact dimensions in the final assembled product. The front portion can be removed to provide access to the cavity, enabling easy assembly of terminals with thin wires, then reattached to restore the compact form.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing transitions from a static compact structure to a dynamic assembly state where the front portion can be detached. This dynamic configuration provides sufficient assembly space during manufacturing while maintaining compact dimensions for the final product. The detachable front portion enables easy access to the cavity for terminal assembly, then is reattached to achieve the compact downsized form factor.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector comprises a terminal and a housing. The terminal includes a terminal portion extending in a mating direction in which the terminal is mated with a mating terminal, and an electrical wire joining portion extending rearward behind the terminal portion and adapted to be joined to an electrical wire. The housing includes a cavity receiving the terminal therein along the mating direction with a front end of the terminal facing frontward, and a wall supporting the terminal. A catching portion of the housing protrudes into the cavity and secures the terminal within the cavity. The housing defines an opening formed opposite to the catching portion in a protruding direction of the catching portion.