Train Coupling Plug Contact Sealing Without Pivotable Flaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric train coupling designs face complications in structural design and inadequate sealing against dust, dirt, and moisture due to the kinematics of cover elements, which can lead to unreliable contact protection.
Innovation Solution
An electric pull coupling plug contact with an electrically insulating sleeve surrounding the plug or socket, featuring a cover element that closes the plug opening when uncoupled, and a sealing ring for dust-tight and waterproof protection, eliminating the need for a pivotable flap and simplifying the structural design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pivotable flap is used to cover electrical contacts when uncoupled, then protection against unwanted contact and ingress of dust, dirt, and moisture is improved, but device complexity increases due to the kinematic mechanism required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the cover element from the housing structure and attaches it directly to the plug or socket. This removes the need for complex pivotable mechanisms connected to the housing, simplifying the overall device while maintaining protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having a fixed housing with a movable flap, the invention inverts the approach by making the cover element move with the plug or socket itself. The cover is now attached to the movable component rather than the stationary housing, reversing the traditional kinematic arrangement.
2Reliability
If a pivotable flap mechanism is implemented for cover movement, then contact protection is achieved, but structural design becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The cover element is extracted from the housing integration and repositioned as an attachment to the plug or socket. This extraction eliminates the need for complex housing-integrated pivot mechanisms, simplifying both structural design and manufacturing processes.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If sealing against dust, dirt, and moisture is enhanced through complex kinematics, then protection is improved, but the mechanism becomes less reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a sealing ring as a flexible element between the cover element and the plug/socket. This flexible seal maintains effective sealing against harmful factors while accommodating the simple linear movement of the cover, avoiding the reliability issues associated with complex kinematic sealing mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an electric train coupling plug contact having at least one electrically conducting plug and/or at least one electrically conducting socket; with an electrically insulating sleeve enclosing the plug and/or the socket in the circumferential direction, which sleeve has a plug opening positioned at the front end of the plug and/or the socket; with an electrically insulating cover element which closes the plug opening and is positioned at the front end of the plug and/or socket. The electric train coupling plug contact according to the invention is characterized in that the sleeve can be displaced along the cover element and along the plug and/or the cover element can be displaced along the sleeve and along the socket, in order to expose an electrical contact area on the plug and/or in the socket extending in an axial direction on the outside of the plug or inside the socket.