Connector Retainer Guide Structure to Prevent Locking Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The risk of retainer displacement and separation from the housing due to inclination in conventional connectors, which can lead to improper locking and terminal movement.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a retainer with parallel upper and lower walls, a linking portion, and a housing with protrusions and guide grooves, allowing controlled movement between temporary and full locking positions, and incorporating guide ribs and ribs to prevent inclination and separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the holding wall is bent to enable retainer movement between locking positions, then the retainer can move between temporary and full locking positions, but the retainer may be displaced with respect to the housing to be inclined from the attachment direction
Solution Approach 1:
The guide groove and guide rib act as intermediary elements that mediate between the retainer and housing. The guide groove is formed in the housing, and the guide rib is formed on the retainer, creating a guiding mechanism that ensures proper alignment during retainer movement while allowing the holding wall to bend for locking position transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution introduces a guiding dimension by adding the guide groove and guide rib structures. These elements constrain the retainer's movement path in the attachment direction, preventing lateral displacement and inclination while still allowing the necessary bending motion of the holding wall for locking operations.
2Ease of operation
If the retainer is allowed to move freely for locking operations, then locking functionality is achieved, but the retainer may separate from the housing
Solution Approach 1:
The guide groove and guide rib serve as intermediary structures that maintain reliable connection between the retainer and housing. By providing a guided path for movement, these elements ensure the retainer remains properly positioned and connected to the housing throughout the locking operation, preventing separation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If guide structures are added to prevent retainer displacement, then retainer alignment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide function is segmented into two separate components: the guide groove formed in the housing and the guide rib formed on the retainer. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while working together to provide the guiding function, reducing overall complexity compared to a single integrated guide structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding complex external guide mechanisms, the solution uses the existing retainer and housing structures themselves to provide guidance. The guide groove and guide rib are formed as integral parts of the housing and retainer, respectively, utilizing the existing components in reverse - they not only perform their primary functions but also provide mutual guidance.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector 11 includes a retainer 14 attached to a housing 13 in an attachment direction intersecting an insertion direction X1 of a terminal 12. The retainer 14 has an upper wall 14a, a lower wall 14b, a base end linking wall, and a linking portion 14d, and is movable between a temporary locking position and a full locking position. The housing 13 has a first protrusion, the upper wall 14a has a first locking portion provided at an end portion that is opposite to the linking portion 14d, and the first locking portion is capable of moving over the first protrusion due to the upper wall 14a bending upward. The housing 13 has a guide groove 13d extending along the attachment direction, and the upper wall 14a has a guide rib 44 that extends along the attachment direction and fits into the guide groove 13d.