Elastic Electrical Contact Elements for Plug-and-Socket Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical plug-in devices with flat contacts face variability in connection force due to manufacturing and processing tolerances, leading to wear and potential electrical contact issues, including resistance and risk of thermal damage or fire, especially when strain relief reduces mobility and causes uneven force distribution.
Innovation Solution
The electrical plug-in device employs elastic electrical contact elements made from materials like bronze alloys or copper beryllium, allowing perpendicular displacement without movable mounting or spring elements, with a detachable attachment and overmoulded housing for reduced tolerances and enhanced strain relief, enabling secure connections and disconnections without damaging the device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical contact elements are movably mounted in the housing with leaf springs, then the contacts can be plugged over elevations and achieve spring-loaded interaction, but the mobility of contacts leads to wear of bearing seats and increase in clearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the movable mounting mechanism and leaf springs from the housing, extracting the source of wear. Instead, the contact elements are rigidly mounted and rely on their own elastic deformation capability to accommodate elevations during plugging, eliminating bearing seat wear and clearance increase while maintaining contact reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter of the contact elements by selecting materials with high elastic resilience (such as beryllium copper or phosphor bronze) that allow significant elastic deformation. This enables the rigidly mounted contacts to deflect over elevations without requiring movable mounting, thus preventing wear while ensuring reliable electrical contact
2Strength
If strain relief is used to protect electrical supply lines, then the lines are protected from damage, but the mobility of electrical contact elements is reduced, making plugging-on or disconnecting significantly more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the need for traditional strain relief mechanisms by rigidly mounting the contact elements and allowing them to deflect elastically. This eliminates the conflict between strain relief protection and plugging ease, as the contact elements can move independently through elastic deformation without being constrained by cable strain relief
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the mechanical deformation function from the electrical contact function. The contact elements are designed to handle all mechanical deformation through elastic deflection, while the housing and cable assembly focus on strain relief protection. This separation allows both functions to optimize independently
3Ease of manufacture
If manufacturing and processing tolerances are not minimized, then production cost and complexity are reduced, but connection force varies greatly and is not reproducible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters of the contact elements by selecting materials with high elastic resilience and controlled mechanical properties. This allows the system to accommodate manufacturing tolerances in other components while maintaining reproducible connection force through the elastic deformation characteristics of the contact elements themselves
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic elasticity into the contact elements, allowing them to adapt to varying geometric conditions caused by manufacturing tolerances. The elastic deformation capability enables the contacts to self-adjust to different elevation heights and contact surfaces, ensuring consistent connection force despite variations in other component dimensions
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
This solution provides a more variable and reliable electrical plug connection with reduced manufacturing tolerances, ensuring secure contact and preventing thermal damage during disconnection, while allowing for easy adaptation to different mating devices and improved manufacturability.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one electrical contact element is made of a material that allows displacement approximately perpendicular to the plug-in direction under the action of the electrical mating plug-in element with elastic deformation
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates an electrical plug-and-socket device (100) for establishing an electrical connection by being plugged into a mating plug-and-socket device, comprising a housing (11), at least one electrical contact element (1, 2), which comprises a first end (7, 8) connected to an electrical supply line (3, 4) comprising an insulating sheath (9, 10) and a second end (16, 17) that leads in the plugging direction, said electrical contact element being supported in the housing (11) and being movable perpendicularly to the plugging direction under the effect of the application of an electrical mating contact element of the mating plug-and-socket device, wherein the electrical contact element (1, 2) is made of a material that permits the movement under the effect of the electrical mating plug-and-socket element under elastic deformation.