Electrical Connector With Spring Clip And Helical Spring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors are sensitive to lateral vibrations and have a limited operating stroke due to their design, which restricts the maximum insertion position of the hollow piston.
Innovation Solution
The electrical connector features a barrel with a cap, a hollow piston, and a helical spring where the spring clip provides electrical continuity between the barrel and the piston, with the helical spring's first end housed in the piston and the second end bearing on the cap, allowing increased piston insertion and guiding the sliding movement with a spring clip that extends beyond the barrel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the hollow piston is mounted on the rod by means of a spring clip with the elastic spring mounted around the hollow piston, then the electrical continuity and elastic return function are provided, but the maximum insertion position is limited by the rod and the connector is sensitive to lateral vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cap as an intermediary element between the barrel and the hollow piston. The cap receives the helical spring and provides a contact surface for the piston, allowing the piston to travel further into the barrel without being constrained by the rod length. This mediator enables extended stroke while maintaining structural integrity and vibration resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a rod-based linear constraint to a cap-based three-dimensional constraint system. The helical spring is housed within the cap structure, allowing the piston to move axially beyond what the rod length would permit, effectively utilizing the cap's internal volume to extend the operating stroke in the axial dimension.
2Length of moving object
If the rod is used to support the hollow piston, then the electrical continuity is maintained, but the maximum insertion position is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the limiting function from the rod by removing the rod entirely from the piston support structure. Instead, the hollow piston is directly mounted in the barrel using a spring clip, with the cap serving as the upper constraint. This extraction eliminates the rod's length limitation on insertion depth while simplifying the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap serves multiple functions: it houses the helical spring, provides a contact surface for the piston, maintains electrical continuity, and constrains the piston movement. This multi-functional design replaces the rod's single function of supporting the piston, enabling greater insertion depth without increasing structural complexity.
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 design enhances the operating stroke of the electrical connector, improving its resistance to lateral vibrations and allowing greater insertion depth while maintaining reliable electrical contact.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic means such as a helical spring is mounted between the barrel and the hollow piston to provide the elastic return function of the hollow piston
Implementation Method 2
a spring clip mounted between the barrel and the hollow piston so as to provide electrical continuity between the barrel and the hollow piston
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Invention is related to an electrical connection (1) device comprising - a barrel (10) comprising a first end (11) on which a cap (20) is mounted, - a hollow piston (40) comprising an open end (41)and a blind end (42), the hollow piston (40) being slidably mounted in the barrel (10) so that the blind end (42) extends beyond a second end of the barrel (10) - and a helical spring (60) characterized in that the electrical connection device comprises a spring clip (50) mounted between the barrel (10) and the hollow piston (40) so as to provide electrical continuity between the barrel (10) and the hollow piston (40), the first end (61) of the helical spring (60) being housed in the hollow piston (40) and a second end (62) of the helical spring (60) bearing on the cap (20) so that the maximum insertion position of the hollow piston (40) into the barrel (40) is obtained when the open end (41) of the hollow piston (40) comes into contact with the cap (20).