Connector Sleeve Front Protrusions Contact Tilt Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors face challenges in controlling the tilt of a contact with respect to a sleeve member, as it is difficult to manufacture the sleeve member's front-end surface perpendicular to its longitudinal direction, leading to potential inclination of the terminal metal.
Innovation Solution
The connector features a sleeve member with three or more front protrusions that can be adjusted independently to maintain contact alignment, making it easier to control the tilt of the contact by adjusting the protruding dimensions of these protrusions rather than the entire front-end surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the front-end surface of the sleeve member is made perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, then the terminal metal can be aligned straight along the longitudinal direction, but it is very hard to achieve due to production variability
Solution Approach 1:
The front-end surface of the sleeve member is segmented into multiple front protrusions (three or more) that can be independently adjusted. This segmentation allows each protrusion to be positioned precisely to compensate for manufacturing variations, making it easier to achieve the required perpendicularity and alignment without demanding high precision across the entire front-end surface.
2Ease of manufacture
If the front-end surface of the sleeve member is not perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, then production variability is reduced, but the terminal metal becomes inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the front-end surface into multiple independently adjustable front protrusions, the system can accommodate manufacturing variations in each protrusion's position while maintaining overall alignment. The segmented structure allows the terminal metal to remain properly aligned even if the overall front-end surface is not perfectly perpendicular, as the individual protrusions can be adjusted to compensate.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the front-end surface (individual front protrusions) can have different properties and positions. Each protrusion can be locally adjusted to achieve optimal alignment with the terminal metal, rather than requiring uniform perpendicularity across the entire front-end surface. This local adjustment capability maintains alignment stability while being tolerant of manufacturing variations.
Data Source
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AI summary
A connector comprises a housing, a holder, a contact, an electrical wire and a sleeve member. The contact is accommodated in a contact accommodation portion of the housing at least in part. The holder is attached to the housing and defines a rear end of the contact accommodation portion. An electrical wire is connected to the contact and extends outside thorough a through hole of the holder. The sleeve member has a main portion and three or more front protrusions. The main portion extends in a front-rear direction and has a C-chape section in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Each of the front protrusions protrudes forward from a front end of the main portion. The sleeve member is attached to the contact to accommodate a part of the contact and a part of the electrical wire in the main portion and located between an abutment portion and the holder. At least three of the front protrusions are brought into abutment with the abutment portion of the contact.