Contact Pin Structure With Split Rigidity to Reduce Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing contact pins and connectors in electrical machines, particularly in automotive electronics, face challenges in withstanding high mechanical and thermal stresses due to relative movements and limited installation space, leading to wear and assembly issues.
Innovation Solution
A contact pin design with a first component longitudinal section having greater rigidity and a second component longitudinal section with lower stiffness, featuring tapered and recessed structures to accommodate elastic deformation under load, ensuring minimal wear and favorable assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the contact pin is designed with high rigidity throughout, then assembly strength is improved, but wear in the contact zone increases due to inability to accommodate relative movements
Solution Approach 1:
The contact pin is designed with non-uniform rigidity distribution: the first longitudinal component section (insertion region) has high rigidity for strong assembly, while the second longitudinal component section (contact region) has low rigidity to accommodate relative movements and reduce wear. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between assembly strength and contact zone durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact pin is divided into multiple longitudinal component sections with different rigidity characteristics. The first section is designed to be rigid for press-fit assembly into the carrier plate, while the second section is designed to be flexible to absorb thermal expansion and mechanical movements, thereby reducing contact zone wear.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the contact pin is designed with high rigidity throughout, then structural stability is improved, but adaptability to thermal and mechanical loads decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the contact pin have different rigidity properties tailored to their specific functions: the first section maintains high rigidity for structural stability during assembly, while the second section has low rigidity to adapt to thermal expansion and mechanical loads during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact pin transitions from a static, uniformly rigid structure to a dynamic structure where the second longitudinal component section can elastically deform in response to thermal and mechanical loads, allowing the contact pin to adapt to changing operating conditions while maintaining overall structural integrity.
3Ease of manufacture
If the contact pin uses uniform stiffness, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but assembly properties and wear resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The contact pin features local quality variation with different stiffness characteristics in different sections. The first section is designed with high stiffness for easy press-fit assembly into the carrier plate, while the second section has low stiffness to accommodate relative movements and reduce wear during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact pin is segmented into multiple longitudinal sections with differentiated mechanical properties. This segmentation allows optimization of each section for its specific function: rigid insertion section for easy assembly and flexible contact section for wear resistance.
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 minimizes contact zone wear and enhances assembly properties by allowing elastic deformation, effectively managing mechanical and thermal stresses while maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
The second component longitudinal section of the contact pin is less stiff than the first component longitudinal section and can deform elastically depending on the loads acting on it (e.g. mechanical loads due to relative movements between components connected to the contact pin or thermal loads due to heat transfer from the connected components to the contact pin).
Data Source
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AI summary
In order to create favorable structural conditions, the invention provides for at least one first component longitudinal portion (28) and a second component longitudinal portion (29), the first component longitudinal portion (28) having greater rigidity than the second component longitudinal portion (29), thereby reducing contact zone wear and at the same time creating favorable mounting characteristics.