Floating Contact Coupling for Load Carrier Tolerance Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing load carrier systems for motor vehicles face challenges in establishing a reliable electrical connection between the load carrier and the vehicle due to tight tolerances required for plug-in contacts, leading to difficulties in compensating for dimensional deviations between the vehicle holder and the fastening arm.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates floating contacts on a contact carrier or housing with play along and/or transverse to the plug-in axis, along with guide means and sealing arrangements, to compensate for tolerances and ensure a secure, form-fitting connection between the vehicle contacts and load carrier contacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tight tolerances are maintained for plug-in contacts to ensure reliable electrical connection, then electrical connection reliability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase and assembly difficulty worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The contact carrier is designed to be movable relative to the housing, allowing the contacts to dynamically adjust their position. This dynamic capability enables the system to compensate for dimensional deviations during assembly while maintaining reliable electrical connections, resolving the contradiction between connection reliability and manufacturing precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for parameter changes in the contact position through the movable contact carrier. By enabling the contact carrier to shift position within the housing, the system can adapt to variations in plug-in dimensions without compromising electrical connection reliability, thus reducing the stringency of manufacturing precision requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If floating contacts with play are introduced to compensate for dimensional deviations, then adaptability to tolerances is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact unit is segmented into a housing and a separate movable contact carrier. This segmentation allows the contact carrier to independently move within the housing, providing tolerance compensation capability. The modular segmented structure achieves adaptability while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through functional separation.
3Reliability
If guide means are added to ensure proper alignment during plug-in, then assembly reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Guide means are incorporated into the contact unit structure to preliminarily align the contact carrier with the housing during the plug-in process. This preliminary alignment action ensures proper positioning before the final assembly step, improving assembly reliability while integrating the guidance function into the existing contact unit design.
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 design provides a reliable and secure electrical and/or optical connection by compensating for dimensional deviations, ensuring a stable and efficient communication between the vehicle and load carrier systems, even with slight misalignments, and protecting the contacts from environmental influences.
Implementation Method 1
The load carrier contacts and/or the vehicle contacts are floating, so to speak, so that any tolerances or dimensional deviations between the vehicle holder and the fastening arm are compensated for
Data Source
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AI summary
The coupling has a vehicle-holder (13k) fastened at a rear of a motor vehicle and a fastening arm (51k) of a carrier (50k) fastened at the vehicle-holder. A fastening medium is provided for fastening a vehicle-contact with a play longitudinal or cross-sectional to a stud axle (20) at the vehicle-holder or carrier-contact (371) at the fastening arm. The vehicle contact has a vehicle contact unit (340).