Connector Device Rotational Alignment Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional connector devices face challenges in achieving reliable electrical connections due to the difficulty in aligning housing parts, which can lead to twisted wires and inferior fitting workability, especially when the rotational position of the sensor side connector is non-constant.
Innovation Solution
A connector device with a rotatable third housing part and a rotational position return mechanism, including guide rails and pins, that ensures proper alignment and prevents wire twisting by returning the first housing part to its initial rotational position upon connector release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the sensor side connector is screw fastened to the threaded hole of the cylinder head, then the connector can be securely installed, but the rotational position of the housing part becomes non-constant and cannot be visually recognized, causing difficulty in alignment and inferior fitting workability
Solution Approach 1:
A guide pin is introduced as an intermediary element between the first housing part and the third housing part. The guide pin fits into a guide groove to provide visual alignment guidance during the fitting operation, mediating between the need for secure installation and the need for ease of alignment. The guide pin acts as a reference marker that becomes visible when the connectors are properly aligned, solving the problem of non-constant rotational position recognition.
2Ease of operation
If the first housing part rotates to align with the second housing part during fitting, then proper alignment is achieved, but the wire connected between the first terminal and the third terminal becomes twisted
Solution Approach 1:
The wire is pre-configured with sufficient slack and routing flexibility before the fitting operation. The wire path is designed in advance to accommodate the rotation of the first housing part without becoming twisted. By preparing the wire routing beforehand with adequate clearance and proper routing channels, the harmful effect of wire twisting is prevented while still allowing the necessary rotation for alignment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the third housing part is made rotatable to the first housing part, then adaptability for different orientations is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the rotational mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The connector device is segmented into distinct rotatable and fixed components. The third housing part is designed as a separate rotatable module that can be independently adjusted relative to the first housing part. This segmentation allows the rotatable portion to be optimized for adaptability while the fixed portions maintain structural simplicity, reducing the overall complexity of the rotational mechanism by isolating it to a specific modular section.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector device includes a wire harness side connector including a first housing, and a sensor side connector including a second housing. The first connector includes a third housing provided so as to be freely rotatable in the first housing. The first housing rotates with respect to the third housing and is fitted to the second housing. The first housing is freely movable with respect to the third housing in the axial direction between a pre-fitting position and a fitting completion position and has a force applied thereto by a spring on the pre-fitting position side. A rotational position return mechanism is provided that returns, when the connector fitting is released, the rotational position of the first housing to an initial rotational position during a process in which the first housing is moved from the fitting completion position to the pre-fitting position by an elastic force of the spring.