Flexible Connector Conductor Layout to Reduce Vibration Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional connectors for devices in vehicles experience wear particle generation due to the sliding of connection conductors on insulating walls made of glass fiber-filled synthetic resin, which have high hardness and are prone to wear when in contact with each other due to vehicle vibrations.
Innovation Solution
A device connector design featuring a housing body with terminal portions and a connection conductor that includes an insulation wall made of talc-containing reinforced resin, which has a lower Mohs hardness than the housing unit, reducing wear by allowing the connection conductor to deform and absorb external forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If glass fiber-filled synthetic resin is used for the housing and insulation wall, then the housing has sufficient strength and insulation properties, but the connection conductor wears out and generates wear particles due to high hardness and sliding contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material properties to different parts of the housing: the housing unit uses glass fiber-filled synthetic resin for strength, while the insulation wall uses a material with lower Mohs hardness to reduce wear on the connection conductor. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between housing strength and wear particle generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter (Mohs hardness) of the insulation wall compared to the housing unit. By selecting a material with lower hardness for the insulation wall, the patent reduces the wear effect on the connection conductor while maintaining the overall structural integrity through the housing unit's high-strength material.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the connection conductor and partition wall are separated to prevent contact, then wear particle generation is reduced, but the connector increases in size in the separation direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a localized material property change in the insulation wall (lower hardness) to prevent wear without requiring increased separation distance. This allows the connector to maintain a compact size while still protecting the connection conductor from wear particles.
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 use of talc-containing resin for the insulation wall alleviates wear particle generation and maintains the connector's size stability by absorbing external forces, ensuring a stable mating connection despite vehicle vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
the connection conductor absorbs change in the distance by expanding and contracting in the axial direction
Implementation Method 2
the connection conductor may wear out and generate wear particles
Data Source
AI summary
A device connector 1 includes a pair of terminal portions 2, 2 facing a mating device and a housing body 3 made of synthetic resin containing the pair of terminal portions, wherein each of the terminal portions includes a device-side terminal 21 configured to engage with the mating device, an electric wire-side terminal 22 connected to an electric wire, and a connection conductor 23 having a flexibility and configured to connect the device-side terminal and the electric wire-side terminal, wherein the connection conductor is formed to have an extra length portion 23C and extend toward the device-side terminal, the housing body includes a housing unit 4 containing the pair of terminal portions, and an insulation wall 5 located in the housing unit to insulate the connection conductors from each other, and the insulation wall configured to include a material with a lower Mohs hardness than the housing unit.