Electrical Connector Latch with Pivot Actuator for Orientation Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connector latching devices with different orientations can lead to mistaken interchangeability and interference during mating with receptacle connectors, particularly due to variations in design and orientation, which complicates secure engagement and disengagement.
Innovation Solution
An electrical cable connector with a pivotally mounted latch featuring an upward locking hook and a back-and-forth moveable actuator, where the actuator's T-shaped lug engages with a latch slot to pivot the latch, allowing the locking hook to be lowered for disengagement from a metallic cage's locking hole, ensuring secure and orientation-specific mating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If latching devices with different orientations are used to mate with different latching structures on the cage, then adaptability to various receptacle connectors is improved, but mistaken interchangeability and interference during mating occur
Solution Approach 1:
The latch is designed with an asymmetric T-shaped lug that engages with a correspondingly asymmetric latch slot in the locking hole. This asymmetric geometry ensures that the latch can only be properly engaged in the correct orientation, preventing mistaken interchangeability while maintaining adaptability to different receptacle connectors.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch incorporates a movable actuator that allows dynamic transition between locked and unlocked states. The actuator enables the latch to adapt to different mating conditions while the asymmetric design ensures proper orientation, resolving the contradiction between versatility and reliability.
2Ease of operation
If a pulling tab is used to actuate the latch for disengagement, then ease of operation is improved, but the complexity of the actuator mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is designed to be manually operated directly by the user without requiring additional tools or complex mechanisms. The pulling tab allows the user to directly actuate the latch for disengagement, achieving ease of operation while minimizing actuator complexity through straightforward manual operation.
3Reliability
If the locking hook is made moveable in vertical direction for unlatching, then reliability of secure engagement is improved, but the complexity of the latch structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking hook is designed to be moveable in the vertical direction, transitioning between an engaged position (secured in the locking hole) and a disengaged position (withdrawn from the locking hole). This dynamic capability ensures reliable secure engagement while the moveable design allows for controlled disengagement when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch structure is segmented into distinct functional components: the locking hook for engagement, the actuator for operation, and the T-shaped lug for actuation. This segmentation allows the locking hook to be optimized for reliable engagement while the other components handle operation and control functions.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical cable connector includes a case forming a front receiving cavity, and a rear receiving cavity. An upward room is formed in an upper face of the case. A latch is pivotally mounted in the room with an upward locking hook at a front end thereof in an up-and-down moveable manner. An actuator is engaged with the latch to actuate the latch to be unlatched from the locking hole in the cage via a rearward pulling. An engagement between the latch and the actuator is performed by a latch slot in the latch and a T-shaped lug on the underside of the actuator moving along the latch slot. A curve structure is formed on the latch along a front-to-back direction so as to have the latch to be pivoted during rearward pulling the actuator, thus having the upward locking hook downward moved for unlatching.