Floating Connector Meander Contact Compactness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floating connectors with two contact points tend to be large in size due to the need for long resilient arms, which limits their compactness in the mating direction.
Innovation Solution
A floating connector design featuring a fixed housing, a movable housing, and contacts with resiliently deformable portions shaped in a meander configuration, allowing for reduced size in the mating direction while maintaining spring characteristics, and enabling movement relative to the fixed housing along both the upper-lower and horizontal planes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the contact is made long in the mating direction to ensure reliable contact with mating contact, then the contact reliability is improved, but the connector size in the mating direction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The resiliently deformable portion is configured to extend primarily in the width direction rather than the mating direction, with contact points arranged to face each other in the width direction. This dimensional reorientation allows the contact to achieve reliable engagement through lateral deformation while maintaining a compact profile in the mating direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact geometry is changed from a long linear structure extending in the mating direction to a meander-shaped structure where the resiliently deformable portion extends in the width direction. This parameter change in orientation and configuration enables the contact to maintain reliability through elastic deformation while reducing the connector's footprint in the mating direction.
2Length of moving object
If the resilient arm is made short to reduce connector size, then the connector compactness is improved, but the spring characteristics and contact reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The resiliently deformable portion is configured to extend primarily in the width direction rather than the mating direction, with contact points arranged to face each other in the width direction. This dimensional reorientation allows the contact to achieve reliable engagement through lateral deformation while maintaining a compact profile in the mating direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The meander-shaped resiliently deformable portion is designed to dynamically deform elastically in the width direction during mating and separation. This dynamic configuration allows the contact to maintain spring characteristics through lateral flexing while keeping the overall connector size compact in the mating direction.
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
The design achieves a compact size in the mating direction while maintaining effective contact points, enhancing the connector's usability and flexibility without compromising its spring characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the resiliently deformable portions is resiliently deformable and has an accommodated portion
Data Source
AI summary
A connector comprises a fixed housing, a movable housing and a plurality of contacts. The fixed housing has a housing-accommodation portion. The movable housing is, at least in part, accommodated in the housing-accommodation portion and is movable relative to the fixed housing. The movable housing has a plurality of contact-accommodation portions which correspond to the contacts, respectively. Each of the contacts has a resiliently deformable portion which is resiliently deformable. Each of the resiliently deformable portions has an accommodated portion which is accommodated in the corresponding contact-accommodation portion. Each of the resiliently deformable portions is provided with a first contact point and a second contact point. The first contact point and the second contact point of each of the contacts face each other in a width direction (X-direction).