Contoured Contact Beam Socket for Pin Alignment and Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical sockets suffer from reduced performance and service life due to deformation of socket contacts, misalignment of mating pins, and skiving of pin contacts, leading to suboptimal performance.
Innovation Solution
The design features a cylindrical body with rotatably offset end rings that twist contact beams into a hyperbolic geometry, creating a teardrop-shaped contour for improved contact with mating pins, enhancing durability and resilience through a larger contact area and reduced risk of mechanical overstressing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional electrical sockets use straight contact beams, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the contact beams deform under load reducing service life
Solution Approach 1:
The contact beams are formed with a hyperbolic curvature instead of being straight, creating a teardrop-shaped cross-section. This curved geometry allows the contact beam to flex and absorb mechanical stresses during insertion and withdrawal cycles, preventing deformation and extending service life while maintaining manufacturability through specialized forming processes
2Reliability
If conventional electrical sockets use simple circular contact beams, then manufacturing is easy, but misalignment of mating pins causes poor contact
Solution Approach 1:
The contact beam features a non-uniform teardrop-shaped cross-section with a larger diameter at one end and a smaller diameter at the other. This asymmetric local geometry provides alignment guidance for the mating pin during insertion while maintaining overall structural integrity and electrical conductivity throughout the beam
3Reliability
If conventional electrical sockets use sharp-edged contact beams, then manufacturing is straightforward, but skiving of pin contacts occurs reducing performance
Solution Approach 1:
The contact beam is formed with a teardrop-shaped cross-section that has fully radiused surfaces without sharp edges. This curved geometry distributes mechanical stresses evenly during pin insertion and withdrawal, preventing skiving (shearing) of the contact surfaces and maintaining consistent electrical performance over time
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical socket includes a socket body defining a longitudinal axis and including a plurality of contact beams that are spaced from each other and that extend between a first end section and a second end section, the plurality of contact beams including a middle section positioned between the first end section and the second end section. Each of the plurality of contact beams has a contour extending between the first end section and the second end section such that a cross-section of the middle section of the plurality of contact beams taken in a plane oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis has a curved shape extending toward an interior of the socket body. The socket body is configured to receive a mating pin. The middle section comprises an inner contact area configured to contact the mating pin.