Anti-rotational Fuse End Cap with Recessed Retention Body
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical fuses often experience inadvertent rotational and angular displacement during assembly, leading to misalignment of adapters and preventing secure coupling to the assembly, which complicates proper securing and can result in failure to engage mating features.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a recessed retention body on the end cap with retention walls and an engagement surface that extend outwardly and divergently, preventing rotational displacement by engaging with the shoe of the contact assembly, and includes visual indicators for proper alignment, ensuring secure and aligned positioning of the fuse assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adapters are coupled to ends of the fuse during assembly, then the fuse can be electrically coupled to the assembly, but rotational and angular displacement occurs leading to misalignment of adapters
Solution Approach 1:
The retention body is pre-formed on the end cap with retention walls positioned to engage the shoe at specific locations. This preliminary configuration ensures that when the adapter is coupled to the fuse, the retention walls automatically engage the shoe to prevent rotational and angular displacement, eliminating the need for additional alignment steps or complex adjustment mechanisms during assembly.
2Manufacturing precision
If the fuse is secured to the assembly with adapters, then electrical coupling is achieved, but misalignment prevents proper engagement of mating features
Solution Approach 1:
The retention body on the end cap performs a self-service function by automatically engaging the shoe through its retention walls. This self-engaging mechanism ensures that the adapter maintains proper alignment with the fuse without requiring external alignment tools, complex adjustment procedures, or additional fastening steps, thereby simplifying the assembly process while maintaining manufacturing precision.
3Stability of the object's composition
If retention walls extend outwardly from the end cap, then rotational displacement is prevented, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The retention body is merged with the end cap structure, forming an integrated component rather than a separate attachment. The retention walls are formed as part of the end cap itself, combining the functions of electrical contact support and rotational prevention into a single unified structure. This integration reduces the number of separate parts and simplifies the overall device complexity while maintaining rotational stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A fuse assembly having an end cap that includes a recessed retention body. The recessed retention body can include first and second retention walls and an engagement surface. The first and second retention walls can extend at least in a generally outwardly direction from the retention surface to an outer surface of the end cap, and extend between first and second ends of the first end cap in a direction that is generally parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the fuse assembly. The engagement surface can have one or more walls that downwardly and outwardly extend in divergent directions from an apex of the engagement surface and toward a corresponding one of the first or second retention walls. The apex can be positioned at a central location between the first and second retention walls, and extends in a direction that is generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis.