Electrical Connector Piercing and Clamping Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connectors require time-consuming soldering or welding processes for connecting multiple terminals, leading to potential inaccuracies in piercing through cable materials, resulting in poor electrical connections due to the small cross-section of piercer portions and dense terminal arrangements.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector design featuring a limiting member with clamping structures and a piercer hole, where the terminal's piercing section can precisely penetrate the cable material, and the clamping structures securely hold the cable, facilitating easier assembly and improved connection quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If soldering or welding process is used to connect terminals to cable material, then electrical connection is achieved, but assembly time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal/mechanical soldering or welding process with a mechanical piercing and clamping system. The piercer portion mechanically penetrates the cable material to contact the conductor, while the clamping structure secures the connection through mechanical pressure, eliminating the need for soldering or welding operations.
2Productivity
If piercer portion cross-section is made small to fit dense terminal arrangements, then device density increases, but piercing precision decreases leading to poor electrical connection
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the terminal structure into functionally independent components: the piercer portion for penetrating the cable material and the clamping structure for securing the connection. This segmentation allows the piercer to be optimized for precision (larger cross-section) while the overall terminal arrangement maintains high density through efficient space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamping structure acts as an intermediary that compensates for minor piercing deviations. By providing a clamping mechanism that secures the cable material around the piercer, the system tolerates small positioning variations and ensures reliable electrical connection even when piercing precision is not perfect.
3Manufacturing precision
If clamping structure is added to secure cable material, then piercing precision and connection quality improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping structure is integrated with the terminal body as a unified component rather than a separate assembly. The clamping portions are formed as extensions or features of the terminal housing, combining the functions of structural support, positioning, and cable clamping into a single molded piece, thereby minimizing additional complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes a limiting member having upper and lower sides and a piercer hole formed therethrough; two spaced-apart clamping structures formed on the upper side of the limiting member in parallel manner and sandwiching the piercer hole therebetween, each clamping structure including a protrusion projecting upward from the upper side and having a top portion, a cross-section width gradually larger toward the top portion and a recess adjacent to the protrusion; and a terminal disposed on the lower side of the limiting member, and having a piercing section extending into the piercer hole to pierce through a cable material so as to be exposed from the upper side of the limiting member. A gap defined by an adjacent pair of the protrusions is smaller than an adjacent pair of the recesses in order for clamping the cable material.