Connector Lever With Integrated Wire Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connectors with levers provide mechanical assistance for mating but lack a built-in wire guide, leading to increased costs and assembly time due to separate components and difficulty in positioning wires.
Innovation Solution
A single-piece lever and wire guide member integrated into the connector housing, which is rotatable to facilitate both mechanical assistance for mating and proper wire positioning, reducing the need for additional parts and simplifying assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a conventional lever is used to provide mechanical assist for mating, then mating force is reduced, but separate wire guide covers are required increasing cost and assembly time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the lever and wire guide cover into a single integrated component. The lever body includes an integrated wire guide cover portion that forms a receptacle for receiving the wire, eliminating the need for a separate wire guide cover and reducing assembly steps while maintaining both mechanical assist function and wire guidance function
2Volume of moving object
If the plug connector is formed to project only a small portion from the mating connector to save space, then space is saved, but disengagement becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a rotatable lever mechanism that transitions between positions to provide dynamic assistance. The lever rotates from a first position where it engages the plug connector to facilitate insertion, to a second position where it engages the disengagement tab to assist with removal, enabling easy operation despite minimal projection distance
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple contact elements are used to achieve high pin count, then connectivity is improved, but considerable force is required for plugging and releasing
Solution Approach 1:
The lever is divided into distinct functional segments: a lever body portion that engages the plug connector body, a disengagement tab engagement portion, and an integrated wire guide cover. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function efficiently, distributing the mechanical assistance across multiple engagement points to reduce overall engagement force
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector having a connector housing and a lever. The connector housing has a first wall, a second wall and side walls which extend between the first wall and the second wall. Multiple contacts are positioned in contact receiving cavities of the housing. The multiple contacts have wires which extend therefrom. A lever is rotatably mounted relative to the connector housing. The lever has lever arms and a lever handle. The lever arms extend from the side walls of the housing and the lever handle extends between the lever arms. A wire guide is positioned on the lever. The lever is rotatable between a pre-insertion position and an insertion position. When the lever is in the insertion position, the wire guide engages the wires which extend from the housing to direct the wires to a designated position.