Connector Plug Bosses Prevent Contact Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industry standard connector receptacles with open-contact patterns are prone to damage when a mating plug is inserted midspan, and existing polarization features do not effectively prevent backward or incorrect insertion, leading to potential contact damage.
Innovation Solution
The combination of uniquely positioned bosses on the plug and slots in the receptacle connector, along with polarization keys, ensures proper alignment and prevents damage by acting as stops and alignment guides, with bosses protruding to prevent incorrect insertion and polarization keys on opposite sides to differentiate types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If polarization features are provided to prevent backward insertion, then insertion direction control is improved, but they do not prevent partial insertion at wrong locations leading to contact damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric boss-receiving slot configurations where the slots are positioned at specific locations and oriented at particular angles relative to the receptacle opening. This asymmetric arrangement ensures that only plugs with correspondingly positioned bosses can be inserted, preventing both backward insertion and partial insertion at wrong locations. The asymmetric geometry creates a unique mechanical interface that allows correct alignment while blocking all incorrect insertion orientations.
2Manufacturing precision
If bosses protrude to prevent incorrect insertion, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple alignment functions into a single integrated feature: the boss-receiving slots simultaneously provide alignment guidance, prevent backward insertion, and block partial insertion at wrong locations. By merging these multiple protective and alignment functions into one structural element (the slot-boss interface), the design achieves high alignment precision without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The boss-receiving slot structure serves multiple purposes: it acts as an alignment guide for correct insertion, a mechanical stop preventing over-insertion, and a selective interface that blocks incorrect orientations. This multi-functional design allows a single structural feature to address several potential insertion errors, reducing the need for multiple separate components and thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Uniquely positioned slots are provided in the receptacle and uniquely positioned bosses are provided in the plug of a connector pair. These features are designed to prevent the plug from being inserted midspan and damaging the exposed contacts of the receptacle. The bosses may be located near outside corners of the plug, and may protrude sufficiently from the face of the plug to prevent the corners of the plug from being inserted into the receptacle, except when the bosses are aligned with the boss-receiving slots in the receptacle.