Quick Connector Assembly Check With Retractable Verification Tab
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Solution Overview
Problem
Quick connectors in the automotive industry often have pre-installed assembly checks that can become dislodged during shipment, preventing visual verification of a secure connection, necessitating an improved solution for secure and reliable assembly verification.
Innovation Solution
A separate assembly check with a pull tab and shielding portion is integrated into the quick connector, which retracts upon male connector insertion and can be manually removed to reveal machine-readable verification indicia, ensuring secure connection verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pre-installed assembly check is used in the quick connector, then visual verification of secure connection is provided, but the assembly check can become dislodged during shipment
Solution Approach 1:
The assembly check is designed as a separate, removable component that can be independently handled. It includes a pull tab for easy removal and a shielding portion that can be detached to reveal verification indicia. This segmentation allows the assembly check to be securely stored during shipment and only activated when needed, preventing dislodgment while maintaining verification functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The shielding portion acts as an intermediary element that protects the verification indicia during storage and transport. It can be removed to reveal the underlying verification code, providing a controlled way to access the verification information only when the assembly is complete and ready for verification, thus preventing premature or accidental dislodgment.
2Measurement precision
If a separate assembly check is used that can be manually removed, then accurate assembly verification is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The assembly check is designed as a disposable component with a pull tab that is intended to be removed after verification. This simple, low-cost design provides accurate verification functionality without requiring complex reusable mechanisms. The pull tab enables easy removal after serving its verification purpose, keeping the overall device complexity low while maintaining high verification accuracy.
3Reliability
If the assembly check remains installed in the quick connector, then continuous protection is provided, but it interferes with reading the verification indicia
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding portion is designed to be extracted or removed from the assembly check to reveal the verification indicia. This extraction action allows the verification code to be read clearly without interference from the shielding structure, while the shielding portion itself continues to provide protection when in place. The pull tab facilitates this extraction process, making it easy to access the verification information when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
An improved quick connector is provided. The quick connector includes an assembly check that is partially received within an input end of a connector body. The assembly check includes a pull tab and a shielding portion. Upon insertion of a male connector within the input end of the connector body, assembly check retracts from the input end of the connector body and can be manually removed via the pull tab. Once removed from the connector body, a machine readable verification indicia can be read. The verification indicia is visible on an underside of the shielding portion or visible on the connector body once the shielding portion is removed.