Connector Housing Window for Cable Insertion Depth Verification

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Users face difficulties ensuring proper insertion of cables into connectors, leading to unreliable electrical connections due to under-insertion, which affects the performance of the connector.

Innovation Solution

A connector housing with a window extending through its side walls, allowing visibility of the cable's insertion end, ensuring proper depth insertion and secure mechanical and electrical connection with contacts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the housing is made opaque to protect internal contacts, then protection is improved, but visibility of insertion depth is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection of internal contactsVSAvoidvisibility of insertion depth

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The housing wall is segmented into opaque and transparent portions, allowing different sections to serve different functions: the opaque portion protects internal contacts while the transparent window portion enables visibility of cable insertion depth

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The housing has non-uniform optical properties with most walls being opaque for protection and a specific local region (window portion) being transparent for visibility, allowing each area to optimize its specific function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of operation

If the housing is made transparent to enable visibility of insertion depth, then ease of operation is improved, but protection of internal contacts is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisibility of insertion depthVSAvoidprotection of internal contacts

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The housing wall is divided into transparent and opaque sections, with the transparent window portion providing visibility and the surrounding opaque portions maintaining protection of internal contacts

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The housing exhibits spatially varying optical properties where the window region is transparent for observation while other regions remain opaque for protection, optimizing both visibility and protection simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Strength

If no window is provided in the housing, then structural integrity is maintained, but ability to verify insertion depth is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrity of housingVSAvoiddetection of cable insertion depth

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The housing wall is segmented to include a window portion that allows optical transmission for depth verification while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the housing through proper reinforcement and design of the window edges

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS11876316B2Connector having a housing with a window

Publication Date: 2024.01.16 TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GMBH

AI summary

A connector includes a housing having a contact receiving passageway extending through a mating end of the housing in a longitudinal direction and a contact disposed in the contact receiving passageway. The housing has a window extending through a wall of the housing in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The contact has a mating section disposed at the mating end and a contact section extending from the mating section. An exposed portion of the contact section is exposed to an area exterior of the housing through the window.