Plug-in Connector Locking Clips With Alignment Bar
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric plug-in connectors face issues with misalignment of housing halves during locking, leading to increased wear and tear of contact elements due to shearing forces and compromised sealing against environmental factors like dust and water.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates U-shaped locking bars with lateral shields that cover bearing and locking pins, ensuring precise alignment and protection, and a projecting alignment bar for stable assembly, along with a sealing collar and modular fastening frames for versatile applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If locking bars are used to ensure reliable locking of housing halves, then reliability of connection is improved, but misalignment during locking causes increased wear and tear of contact elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing guide bars that align the housing halves before the locking bars engage. The guide bars are inserted into guide recesses during the assembly process, ensuring precise alignment is established prior to the locking action occurring. This prevents misalignment-induced wear on contact elements while maintaining reliable locking.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide bars act as intermediary elements between the housing halves during the assembly process. These intermediaries facilitate proper alignment and positioning before the final locking engagement, mediating the connection process to prevent direct misalignment contact between the locking bars and contact elements.
2Reliability
If locking bars are used to press housing halves against each other, then reliable electric contact is ensured, but sealing against environmental factors is compromised due to misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The guide bars perform preliminary alignment of the housing halves before the locking bars engage. This pre-alignment ensures that when the locking bars press the housing halves together, they are already properly positioned, enabling the sealing ring to form an effective seal against environmental factors while maintaining reliable electric contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide bars serve as intermediary components that facilitate proper positioning of the housing halves. By mediating the assembly process, they ensure both the sealing surfaces and contact elements are correctly aligned, allowing the sealing ring to effectively protect against dust and water while maintaining electrical connectivity.
3Reliability
If spring elements are implemented in locking bars to apply force, then locking reliability is improved, but excessive stretching during misalignment causes quick loss of spring force
Solution Approach 1:
The guide bars perform the alignment function before the locking bars with spring elements engage. This preliminary alignment prevents excessive stretching of the spring elements during misalignment, allowing the springs to maintain their force over a longer duration and ensuring sustained locking reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an electrical plug-in connector, comprising a first and a second housing half, the first housing half (2) having two opposite U-shaped locking clips (8), which are each pivotably retained on both sides on bearing journals (12) and which each have locking projections (9) on both sides, the locking projections having a recess (11), wherein said recesses act on locking pins (13) of the second housing (3) when the locking clips (8) are closed so that the two housing halves (2, 3) are pressed against each other, characterized in that the first housing half (2) has at least one web (4), which penetrates a recess (6) of the second housing half (3) intended therefore when the two housing halves (2, 3) are joined so that the housing halves lie against each other in an accurately fitting manner, and in that the locking clips (8) have lateral shields (7), which cover the bearing journals (12) of the first housing half (2) and the locking pins (13) of the second housing half (3) in the locked state of the system plug-in connector, wherein each shield (7) has a straight edge (17) between the bearing journal receptacle (22) and the locking pin (13).