Connector Housing Dual Latch Single-Finger Unlocking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connector designs face difficulties in unlocking latches, particularly when the pressing parts are small or spaced too far apart, making it hard for operators to unlock them, especially when they cannot see the latch or need to unlock multiple latches simultaneously with a single finger.
Innovation Solution
The connector housing features extension portions on the pressing parts of the latches, reducing the distance between them to less than 30 mm, allowing for simultaneous unlocking with a single finger and expanding the pressing area, facilitating easier operation even in the absence of visual guidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the pressing part of the latch is made small in size, then the latch structure becomes more compact, but it becomes difficult for the operator to touch and unlock the latch
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing part is segmented into two functional zones: a small original pressing area for latch actuation, and an added extension portion for operator contact. This segmentation allows the pressing part to serve dual purposes - maintaining compact latch structure while providing adequate contact area for easy operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The extension portion protrudes from the original pressing part in a direction perpendicular to the housing top surface, adding a vertical dimension to the pressing area. This dimensional extension increases the accessible surface area without expanding the horizontal footprint, resolving the contradiction between compact size and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If two latches are provided side by side on the housing, then the locking reliability is improved, but the distance between pressing parts exceeds single finger width making simultaneous unlocking difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The extension portions of the two latches are positioned and dimensioned to overlap or abut each other, merging the pressing areas into a unified contact zone. This merging allows a single finger to simultaneously contact both extension portions and activate both latches, maintaining reliability while improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The extension portions change the pressing area parameters by increasing surface area and reducing the effective distance between operable points. By extending the pressing parts vertically and positioning them within 30mm horizontally, the parameters are adjusted to enable single-finger operation while preserving the dual-latch reliability.
3Area of stationary object
If the distance between pressing parts of two latches is large, then each latch has sufficient operating space, but it requires multiple fingers or hands to unlock both latches
Solution Approach 1:
By extending the pressing parts in the vertical direction rather than increasing horizontal spacing, the operating space is effectively increased without compromising unlocking efficiency. The extension portions create overlapping vertical zones that can be contacted simultaneously by a single finger.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing area parameters are changed by adding vertical extension portions, transforming the pressing surface from a flat horizontal area to a three-dimensional structure with increased surface area. This parameter change allows sufficient operating space while maintaining the ability to unlock both latches efficiently with one finger.
Data Source
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AI summary
A connector comprising a housing and at least a contact received in the housing, a first latch and a second latch for locking a case of a mating connector are provided side by side on a top surface of the housing, the first latch comprises a first pressing part, the second latch comprises a second pressing part, the first latch and the second latch are unlocked by pressing down the first pressing part and the second pressing part, a first extension portion and a second extension portion adjacent to each other are formed on the first pressing part and the second pressing part, respectively, so that the first latch and the second latch are capable of being unlocked at the same time by pressing down the first extension portion and the second extension portion with a single finger of an operator. Thereby, the present invention decreases the difficulty of unlocking the latches, and increases the efficiency of unlocking the latches.