Connector Lock Arm Segmentation for Design Freedom
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors lack design freedom due to the continuous upper surface of the deflection piece and thick extending portion, resulting in limited space for additional structures and low freedom in design, while ensuring the integrity of the lock arm and detector during deflection.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a lock arm with a contact portion that stands up from the locking arm and projects forward, allowing for displacement with the lock arm, and a movement regulating portion that overlaps with the contact portion in the height direction, enhancing design freedom without increasing the connector's height, and ensuring the integrity of the lock arm and detector during deflection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the upper surface of the extending portion is continuous at the same height and the extending portion is made relatively thick to ensure integrity, then the integrity of the lock arm and detector is ensured, but the opening dimensions of the guide space become large and design freedom is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The extending portion is divided into a first extending portion and a second extending portion with different heights. The first extending portion has an upper surface at a first height while the second extending portion has an upper surface at a second height lower than the first height. This segmentation allows the guide space opening dimensions to be reduced while maintaining structural integrity through the distributed configuration of multiple extending portions.
2Device complexity
If the upper surface of the extending portion is continuous at the same height over the entire length, then structural simplicity is maintained, but there is little space to add new structures and design freedom is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The extending portion is segmented into multiple sections (first and second extending portions) with different heights. This creates vertical space differentiation that allows additional structures to be added in the space between the first extending portion and the lock arm, thereby increasing design freedom while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a single-height extending portion to a multi-height configuration. By utilizing the vertical dimension with different heights for different extending portions, the invention creates additional design space without significantly increasing overall structural complexity, allowing new structures to be incorporated.
Data Source
AI summary
It is aimed to provide a connector capable of ensuring the integrity of a lock arm and a detector in the process of deflecting the lock arm and enhancing a degree of freedom in designing the lock arm. A detector (60) movable in a front-back direction between a standby position and a detection position is assembled with a housing (10). The detector (60) includes a contact portion (78) displaceable together with a front end part (27) of a lock arm (23) during the interference of the front end part (27) of the lock arm (23) and a mating lock (44) contacting the front part (27) of the lock arm (23) in a height direction intersecting with the front-back direction at the standby position. The contact portion (78) stands up in the height direction from a front end part of the locking arm and then projects forward.