Dual Row Low Profile High Voltage Connector with TPA and CPA Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a high voltage connector with minimal height that meets high voltage requirements while ensuring secure locking and low profile orientation of terminals, with effective creepage and clearance to prevent shorting currents.
Innovation Solution
A dual row low profile high voltage connector design featuring a male and female housing with a terminal position assurance (TPA) device and connector position assurance (CPA) device, which includes a TPA device that locks on the sides of the female housing and a CPA device with a ramp-like lock member to secure the male and female housings together, ensuring proper alignment and locking of terminals and preventing removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the connector uses a traditional locking mechanism for terminals, then the terminal locking is secure, but the connector height increases and profile is no longer low
Solution Approach 1:
The TPA device locks terminals from the sides of the female housing rather than from above, changing the locking direction from vertical to lateral. This side-locking mechanism achieves secure terminal retention while maintaining a low profile connector height, resolving the contradiction between locking security and minimal height.
2Reliability
If the connector increases creepage and clearance to prevent shorting currents, then high voltage requirements are met, but the connector complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The TPA device serves multiple functions simultaneously: it locks terminals in position, increases creepage distance between adjacent terminals through its wall members, and provides structural support. By combining terminal locking and creepage enhancement into a single integrated component, the design meets high voltage requirements without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The TPA device is designed as a multi-functional element that performs terminal positioning, terminal locking, and creepage enhancement. This universal component addresses multiple technical requirements (mechanical retention and electrical insulation) with a single structure, avoiding the need for separate components for each function.
3Ease of manufacture
If the connector uses a simple housing design, then manufacturing is easier, but secure locking of male and female housings cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The CPA device incorporates flexible members that can deform during the locking process and then maintain a locked position. The ramp-like lock member interacts with the flexible members to create a dynamic locking action that secures the male and female housings together while allowing for manufacturing tolerances and assembly variations.
4Length of stationary object
If the terminal orientation is optimized for low profile, then connector height is minimized, but terminal insertion and locking becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The TPA device automatically locks terminals when they are inserted into the female housing. The terminal insertion action itself triggers the locking mechanism, as the terminal pushes against the TPA device which then engages with the terminal's locking features. This self-locking capability eliminates the need for separate manual locking operations, maintaining ease of operation despite the optimized low-profile terminal orientation.
Data Source
AI summary
A dual row low profile high voltage connector, having a minimal height and meeting high voltage requirements and a method of assembling thereof, includes a male housing and a female housing, and further includes a terminal position assurance (TPA) device and a connector position assurance (CPA) device, the TPA device ensuring that a terminal, housed within the female housing, provides a secondary lock, so as to ensure that the terminal is secured or locked within the female housing. The CPA device assures that the male and female housings remain locked. The terminal is housed within the female housing to meet a minimal height requirement and having dual rows of terminals inserted therein the female. The TPA device and the CPA device function in pre-lock or full-lock positions. A method also improves clearance and creepage by allowing a clearance or electrical path to extend around an inserted TPA between terminals.