Electrical Connector Locking Arms Vibration Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connector assemblies experience insufficient retention forces between the blade type male contact and the clip type female contact during severe vibration, as seen in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2019/0237889.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector assembly features a plug connector with blade type male contacts and a receptacle connector with clip type female contacts, where the female contacts sandwich the male contacts' primary mating planes and side locking planes, and a metallic locking piece with locking arms that sandwich the side locking planes, enhancing retention through alignment ribs and locking notches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If only clip type female contacts are used to retain blade type male contacts, then the structure is simple, but the retention force is insufficient under severe vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines clip type female contacts with a separate locking piece to create a dual-retention system. The female contacts provide primary retention through sandwiching the male contact, while the locking piece adds secondary retention through locking arms that engage with locking planes on the male contact, achieving sufficient retention force under vibration without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The retention function is segmented into two independent components: the clip type female contacts that sandwich the primary mating planes, and the separate locking piece with locking arms that sandwich the side locking planes. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific retention function while working together to provide overall retention strength
2Reliability
If multiple retention mechanisms are added to prevent disengagement, then the retention force increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking piece integrates multiple retention functions into a single component structure. It combines the locking arms that engage with locking planes on the male contact with the overall locking mechanism, providing enhanced reliability while minimizing the number of separate parts and assembly steps
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector assembly includes a plug connector and a receptacle connector. A plug connector includes an insulative plug housing and a plurality of blade type male contacts retained in the plug housing. Each of the blade type male contacts includes a contacting section composed of two opposite primary mating planes and two opposite side locking planes. Correspondingly, a receptacle connector includes an insulative receptacle housing and a plurality of clip type female contacts retained in the receptacle housing. Each of the clip type female contacts includes a pair of contacting portions sandwiching the two opposite primary mating planes of the corresponding blade type male contact therebetween in a first horizontal direction. A metallic blade type locking piece retained in the receptacle housing, includes a pair of locking arms sandwiching the two opposite side locking planes therebetween in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction.