Electrical Contact Sealing Web Flow Blocking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electrical contacts face challenges in securely retaining sealing material between the conductor and housing, leading to potential leaks and assembly difficulties due to the lack of effective flow blocking mechanisms and inconsistent sealing across all lateral faces.

Innovation Solution

The electrical contact features transverse webs protruding from the conductor, forming a flow blocking member that abuts the housing, allowing for secure sealing material retention and assembly, with optional grooves for enhanced sealing resistance and material flow management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If sealing material is applied between the conductor and housing, then sealing performance is improved, but the sealing material flows into unauthorized regions causing assembly difficulties

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidassembly difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The conductor is segmented by adding transverse webs that divide the conductor body into sections. These webs create flow blocking members that segment the path of sealing material, preventing it from flowing into unauthorized regions while maintaining sealing effectiveness in designated areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The transverse webs act as intermediary flow blocking members between the sealing material and the housing. These webs intercept the sealing material flow, redirecting it to appropriate regions and preventing it from entering unauthorized areas, thus facilitating easier assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the conductor is tightly fitted in the housing, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but assembly becomes difficult and damage risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing effectivenessVSAvoidassembly ease
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The conductor is designed with non-uniform cross-section through the addition of transverse webs. This creates local quality variations where certain regions have increased thickness to provide flow blocking, while other regions maintain the original conductor thickness for proper fitting and assembly, thus achieving both sealing effectiveness and assembly ease.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If sealing material is applied to all lateral faces, then comprehensive sealing is improved, but sealing material flow control becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomprehensive sealingVSAvoidflow control complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Transverse webs are selectively added to specific lateral faces of the conductor based on sealing requirements. This segmentation approach allows flow blocking to be implemented only where necessary, maintaining comprehensive sealing while simplifying flow control by avoiding unnecessary complexity on faces that don't require additional blocking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2845271B1Electrical contact with sealing web
Publication Date: 2023.03.29 TE CONNECTIVITY GERMANY GMBH
  • EP2845271B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2845271B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2845271B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

Electrical contact (19) having a housing (2) in which an electrical conductor (1) is embedded, the housing (2) having a recess (3), the electrical conductor (1) being inserted into the recess (3), an intermediate space (20) between the conductor (1) and the housing (2) being filled with a sealing material (21), the conductor (1) extending in the longitudinal direction through the housing (2), the conductor (1) having a web (15, 16), the web (15, 16) extending transversely relative to the longitudinal direction around the conductor (1), the web (15, 16) protruding by a predetermined height beyond a lateral face (6, 7) of the conductor (1), the sealing material (21) being arranged at one side of the web (15, 16).