Low Profile Connector Position Assurance Device for Automotive Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional coaxial cable connectors in automotive applications often face challenges in ensuring secure and full mating, making it difficult to diagnose and repair open circuits due to their small size and shielded conductors, which can lead to errors in conductive pathway breaks.
Innovation Solution
A connector assembly with a primary locking lever and a connector position assurance (CPA) device, where the CPA device is movable from an initial to a final position only when the connectors are fully mated, engaging a secondary striker to prevent disengagement of the primary latch from the primary striker, ensuring secure locking and preventing unintentional unmating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a locking mechanism with primary latch and striker is used to secure connectors together, then the connectors can withstand forces that tend to pull them apart, but it becomes difficult to determine whether the connectors are fully mated due to small size and shielded conductors
Solution Approach 1:
A CPA device acts as an intermediary indicator between the primary locking mechanism and the user. The CPA device includes a CPA lever with a secondary latch that engages a lateral ridge on the primary latch, providing visual confirmation of full mating without interfering with the primary locking function. The CPA device translates the internal locking state into an externally observable position.
Solution Approach 2:
The CPA device utilizes visual position changes (analogous to color changes in providing distinct visual states) to indicate mating status. The CPA lever has distinct positions (engaged and disengaged) that are visually distinguishable, allowing assemblers to easily determine whether connectors are fully mated without disassembling or closely inspecting the primary locking mechanism.
2Volume of moving object
If the connectors are made small for automotive applications, then space is saved and integration is improved, but the ability to diagnose and repair open circuits becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The CPA device serves as an intermediary diagnostic tool built into the connector assembly. It provides clear visual indication of mating status, enabling technicians to quickly identify improperly connected connectors during diagnosis without needing to trace complex electrical pathways or disassemble the small connector components.
Solution Approach 2:
The CPA device enables self-diagnosis functionality built into the connector system itself. The visual indication of mating status allows end-users or technicians to independently verify connection integrity without requiring specialized equipment or expertise, simplifying the repair process for small connectors in automotive applications.
3Reliability
If a secondary latch on the CPA device engages the lateral ridge on the primary latch, then the CPA device prevents disengagement of the primary latch, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The CPA device is nested within the existing connector structure. The CPA lever is positioned within the connector housing and interacts with the primary latch through the lateral ridge. This nesting approach allows the secondary safety mechanism to be integrated into the existing design without requiring separate external components, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The CPA device combines multiple functions into a single integrated component. The CPA lever simultaneously provides visual indication of mating status, engages the lateral ridge to prevent premature disengagement, and works in conjunction with the primary locking mechanism. This merging of functions reduces the need for separate indicators and safety mechanisms, limiting complexity growth.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector assembly including a first connector having a primary locking lever pivotably mounted to the first connector. The primary locking lever defines a pair of beams extending to a primary latch. The primary latch defines a ridge along a rearward edge providing a secondary striker. The second connector includes a primary striker that with the primary latch locks the first and second connectors together. The assembly further includes a CPA device slideably mounted to the first connector and a CPA lever defining a secondary latch. The secondary latch engages the lateral ridge to inhibit movement of the CPA device from an initial position to a final position until after the first and second connectors are fully mated. The secondary latch of the CPA device engages the secondary striker when the CPA device is moved to the final position, thereby preventing disengagement of the primary latch from the primary striker.