Flat Cable Connector With Integrated Slider And Locking Projections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional connectors for flat connecting members require multiple components and involve a multi-step assembly process, which can lead to assembly inefficiencies and reliability issues.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a terminal with assembly holes and a resin slider with locking projections that allows for one-step assembly, where the terminal penetrates through the slider and fits along with penetration, ensuring secure engagement and reduced component count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional connector uses a slider and a cover besides the terminal, then the terminal can be securely fixed, but the number of component parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cover and slider into a single integrated slider component. The slider now directly provides both the terminal penetration function and the covering function, eliminating the separate cover component. This integration reduces the total number of parts while maintaining the security of terminal fixation through the slider's built-in structure.
2Reliability
If a conventional connector assembly is performed in two steps (mounting terminal on slider, then fitting cover), then proper assembly can be achieved, but the number of assembly steps increases
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the cover and slider into one component, the patent reduces the assembly process from two separate steps to a single step. The terminal is mounted directly on the integrated slider in one operation, eliminating the need for a subsequent cover fitting step, thereby improving assembly speed and productivity.
3Reliability
If the slider has locking projections that bend the terminal sides, then the terminal is securely retained, but the terminal structure is more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The locking projections on the slider automatically bend the terminal sides during the assembly process itself, without requiring additional operations or components. The terminal's own flexibility is utilized to engage with the locking projections, and the bending action occurs naturally as the terminal is inserted and secured, making the system self-servicing.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector for a flat connecting member having a plurality of circuits includes a terminal provided at an end portion of the flat connecting member and a resin slider that can be assembled to the terminal. When the terminal penetrates through the slider, in the process of this penetration, assembly holes of the terminal are fitted with locking projections of the slider and the assembly of the connector is completed.