Connector Device Terminal Contact Elastic Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connector devices for flat circuit bodies, such as flexible flat cables, face reliability issues due to shape deformation of synthetic resin housing at high temperatures, leading to potential contact failures between terminals and circuit bodies, especially in reduced size designs where dimension margins are compromised.
Innovation Solution
A connector device design featuring a connector housing with a slider fitting chamber and elastically deformable terminal contact portions, where the terminal pressing portion includes a tapered surface to gradually increase displacement and a straight surface to ensure reliable contact, even when the terminal contact portion protrudes into the slider fitting chamber, thereby preventing contact failures and enhancing fitting reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the connector housing is made of synthetic resin to reduce weight and cost, then ease of manufacture and cost are improved, but the housing deforms at high temperatures causing contact failures
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal contact portion is designed with elastic deformability, allowing it to change its physical state from rigid to flexible under thermal stress. This parameter change enables the contact portion to adapt to housing deformation while maintaining reliable electrical contact, resolving the contradiction between using synthetic resin for ease of manufacture and ensuring contact reliability under thermal conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal contact portion is pre-designed with elastic properties to cushion against potential contact failures. This beforehand cushioning capability allows the terminal to absorb thermal deformation stresses before they can cause contact failure, maintaining reliability while using synthetic resin housing for ease of manufacture.
2Reliability
If the terminal contact portion protrudes toward the slider fitting chamber to ensure contact, then contact reliability is improved, but the tip end may abut on the flat circuit body causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal contact portion's elastic deformability parameter is utilized to control the insertion process. As the slider insertion guide portion enters the slider fitting chamber, the terminal contact portion elastically deforms to accommodate the insertion, then gradually returns to its original position, ensuring reliable contact without causing damage to the flat circuit body.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal contact portion is designed to be dynamically deformable rather than statically fixed. This dynamic property allows it to adapt its position during insertion, protruding to ensure contact reliability while retracting to prevent damage to the flat circuit body, resolving the contradiction between contact reliability and preventing harmful effects.
3Productivity
If the connector size is reduced to meet miniaturization requirements, then productivity and compactness are improved, but dimension margins are compromised leading to contact failures
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic deformability parameter of the terminal contact portion compensates for reduced dimension margins in miniaturized designs. By allowing controlled elastic deformation, the system maintains reliable contact even with smaller tolerances, enabling compact connector designs without sacrificing contact reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic terminal contact portion provides beforehand cushioning against contact failures in miniaturized designs. This cushioning effect compensates for the reduced dimension margins inherent in compact connectors, ensuring reliable contact is maintained despite the smaller size and tighter tolerances.
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
The design ensures reliable contact between the flat circuit body and terminal, maintaining high fitting reliability by preventing displacement of the terminal contact portion and ensuring consistent contact, even under thermal deformation, and allows for smaller size designs with adequate safety factor considerations.
Implementation Method 1
the terminal contact portion is elastically deformed in the depth direction of the terminal accommodation chamber by the pressing force
Data Source
AI summary
A connector device includes a connector and a slider inserted into the connector. A terminal pressing portion of the slider is configured to press a terminal contact portion of a terminal of the connector before a tip end of a flat circuit body of the slider reaches a position of a tip end of the terminal in an insertion process of the terminal pressing portion into a slider fitting chamber of the connector.