Floating Connector Spring Structure for Pin Misalignment Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connectors struggle with alignment deviations, leading to permanent deformation and reduced contact area when inserting conductive pins with horizontal or skew deviations, resulting in blackout issues under high current loads.
Innovation Solution
A floating electrical connector design featuring a tubular housing with a conductive member and spring structures that absorb alignment deviations through elastic deformation, allowing for better alignment tolerance and maintaining electrical contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a contact spring with fixed ends is used, then the electrical connector can adapt to slight horizontal deviations, but the deformable range is small and cannot handle large horizontal or skew deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The contact spring is transformed into a floating conductive member that can dynamically adjust its position and orientation. The conductive member includes floating terminals with spring structures that are not fixed at both ends, allowing them to move and deform freely to accommodate large horizontal and skew deviations while maintaining electrical contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact spring is divided into multiple floating terminals, each with its own spring structure. This segmentation allows each terminal to independently deform and adapt to alignment deviations, increasing the overall deformable range and adaptability of the electrical connector.
2Ease of operation
If the conductive pin is forcibly inserted to overcome alignment deviation, then insertion is achieved, but the contact spring permanently deforms and contact area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The floating conductive member is designed with sufficient deformable range to absorb alignment deviations before insertion occurs. The spring structures are pre-configured to elastically deform within safe limits, cushioning the insertion process and preventing permanent deformation that would reduce contact area.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring structures are designed with optimized material properties and geometric parameters that allow them to undergo large elastic deformations without permanent set. The spring constant and wire diameter are carefully selected to provide adequate compliance while maintaining contact pressure and area.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the contact area is reduced due to permanent deformation, then the electrical connector can still function, but blackout problems occur under high current loads
Solution Approach 1:
The floating conductive member maintains dynamic adaptability to alignment deviations while preserving full contact area. The spring structures continuously adjust their deformation state to accommodate misalignment without permanent set, ensuring that the contact area remains sufficient to handle high current loads without blackout problems.
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 floating electrical connector effectively adapts to horizontal and skew deviations, maintaining a stable electrical connection and preventing permanent deformation, thus preventing blackout issues under high current loads.
Implementation Method 1
the spring structures elastic deforms with the compression of the spring structures on a side and the expansion of the spring structures on the other side
Data Source
AI summary
A floating electrical connector includes a housing with a tubular portion. An axis is defined in a center of the tubular portion. Several floating terminals are arranged around the axis and are partially connected. Each floating terminal has an inner terminal sheet on an inner side and a spring structure on an outer side. Each spring structure is connected to one of the inner terminal sheets. A portion of the inner terminal sheet is inserted into the tubular portion and arranged along an inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion. The portion of each inner terminal sheet located in the tubular portion has an electronic contact bulging inward. Several external pins are electrically connected around the floating terminals. When a conductive pin is inserted into the tubular portion, the spring structures could elastically deform, allowing the tubular portion to adapt to a horizontal deviation or a skew deviation of the conductive pin, providing a greater tolerance for alignment deviations.