Connector Seal Ring with Grooved Ear Protrusions for Inclination Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors face a challenge in balancing the inclination prevention between housings and reducing connection resistance, as increasing the size of flanges to enhance inclination prevention leads to higher connection resistance due to increased resilient restoring forces.
Innovation Solution
The connector employs a seal ring with ear-like protruding portions divided by grooves in the circumferential direction, which reduces the volume of the compressively deformed area, and includes protrusions and accommodation recesses to distribute deformation evenly, preventing buckling and reducing connection resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the flanges are made longer in the circumferential direction to enhance inclination preventing function, then the inclination prevention between housings is improved, but the connection resistance in the final stage of connecting increases due to increased volume and resilient restoring forces
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is divided into multiple pressure receiving portions by grooves in the circumferential direction. This segmentation reduces the continuous volume of the flange while maintaining its inclination prevention function, as the grooves create discrete contact areas that still provide sufficient rotational stability without the excessive resilient force of a solid continuous flange.
Solution Approach 2:
The flange structure transitions from uniform thickness to variable thickness with thinner regions at the grooves and thicker regions at the pressure receiving portions. This local quality variation allows the flange to provide inclination prevention where needed while reducing overall volume and resilient restoring forces in non-critical areas.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the projection distance of pressure receiving portions is increased to improve inclination prevention, then the stability against inclination is enhanced, but the pressure receiving portions may buckle during compression
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure receiving portions are segmented by grooves, creating discrete structural elements rather than a continuous long projection. This segmentation reduces the effective length of each individual pressure receiving portion, thereby reducing the risk of buckling while maintaining inclination prevention through the distributed arrangement of multiple segmented portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves introduce curvature and non-linear geometry into the flange structure. This curved geometry helps distribute compressive loads more evenly across the pressure receiving portions and prevents the straight-line buckling mode that would occur in long, uniform projections.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration effectively improves inclination prevention while minimizing connection resistance by distributing deformation and reducing the volume of the compressively deformed area, ensuring stable and efficient housing alignment.
Implementation Method 1
rattling in a connecting direction of the two housings is regulated by resilient restoring forces of the flanges resiliently compressively deformed between the back end surface of the connection space and a tip part of the receptacle
Implementation Method 2
an area of the ear-like protruding portion to be held in contact with the receptacle is divided in the circumferential direction into the plurality of pressure receiving portions by the groove. Thus, an increase of the volume of a part of the ear-like protruding portion to be compressively deformed can be suppressed by as much as the groove
Data Source
AI summary
A connector includes a substantially rectangular seal ring (30) with four corners formed by arcuate portions (34). Ear-like protruding portions (36) are formed on the seal ring (30) to extend along the arcuate portions (34) on the four corners and project toward an outer periphery. The ear-like protruding portions (36) are configured to regulate rattling in a connecting direction of first and second housings (10, 20) by being resiliently compressed between a back end surface (16S) of a connection space (16) of the first housing (10) and a tip surface (22S) of a receptacle (22) of the second housing (20) with the first and second housings (10, 20) connected. Pressure receiving portions (38A, 38B) project from surfaces of the ear-like protruding portions (36) facing the receptacle (22) and are divided in a circumferential direction by grooves (39).