Electrical Connector Locking Mechanism with Offset Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical connectors in aerospace and harsh environments face challenges with inadvertent disconnection and difficulty in disassembly for maintenance, requiring a robust and secure yet easily releasable locking mechanism that can withstand environmental stressors like moisture, vibrations, and mechanical shock.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector system incorporates a locking mechanism with offset locking and unlocking grooves and coiled springs that provide secure engagement and easy decoupling, utilizing a C-shaped collar and heat shrink tubing for insulation and protection, allowing for secure power transfer while facilitating easy disassembly with reduced force requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking mechanism is designed to be very secure to prevent inadvertent disconnection in harsh environments, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates because it becomes difficult to disassemble for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is segmented into distinct locking and unlocking grooves positioned at different angular locations on the connector. The locking grooves engage with locking levers to secure the connection, while separate unlocking grooves engage with unlocking levers to release it. This segmentation allows the connector to provide both strong locking security and easy unlocking operation through different mechanical pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
Spring-loaded locking and unlocking levers act as intermediary elements between the user's manual input and the connector's locking/unlocking state. The springs provide mechanical advantage and store energy to ensure positive engagement during locking while requiring controlled force for unlocking. This intermediary mechanism translates simple user actions into reliable locking and easy unlocking operations.
2Reliability
If a locking mechanism uses complex components like multiple levers and springs to ensure secure engagement, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking and unlocking functions are merged into a single rotational movement of the connector body relative to the housing. By positioning locking and unlocking grooves at specific angular intervals, a single rotational action can sequentially engage or disengage both locking levers and unlocking levers. This merging reduces the number of independent components and simplifies the overall mechanism while maintaining reliable locking security.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector body serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, enables locking through engagement with locking levers, enables unlocking through engagement with unlocking levers, and provides environmental sealing. The spring-loaded levers serve dual purposes of providing locking force and indicating engagement status. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures secure and reliable power transfer in harsh conditions while enabling easy disassembly and maintenance, reducing the risk of damage during decoupling and improving environmental sealing and mechanical performance.
Implementation Method 1
a locking mechanism with offset locking and unlocking grooves and coiled springs that provide secure engagement and easy decoupling
Data Source
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AI summary
An electrical connector system (100) includes mating pin (105) and socket connectors (160) each designed for improving the mechanical locking capabilities of the electrical connector system (100). A first connector (105) includes a pin contact (110) having a head portion (125) with grooves (130, 140, 230, 240) formed thereon, and a second connector (160) includes a cavity (205) dimensioned for receiving the pin contact (110). A pair of channels (180, 190) are formed along an interior wall (185) of the contact-receiving cavity (205), with a coiled spring (195, 200) seated within each of the channels (180, 190). When the connectors (105, 160) are mated, one or both of the coiled springs (195, 200) engages one of the grooves (130, 140, 230, 240) of the head portion (125) of the pin contact (110) to latch the first and second connectors (105, 160) together in a locked configuration.