Ground Terminal Contact Spring Geometry for Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional connectors with narrow elongated contact springs experience concentrated bending loads and stress due to the mating connector, leading to inefficient load distribution and potential mechanical failure.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a C-shaped or ring-shaped ground terminal with contact springs that have a wide portion with a larger width dimension, allowing load distribution along the width direction and elastic deformation, with corners that abut or are spaced relative to the inner wall of the tube, reducing stress concentration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If narrow elongated contact springs are used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the stress concentration increases leading to reduced reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The contact spring is designed with varying width along its length, creating local quality differences. The wide portion at the apex has a larger width dimension to distribute stress, while the end portions have smaller width dimensions. This non-uniform width distribution allows different sections of the contact spring to have different mechanical properties, resolving the contradiction by maintaining structural simplicity while improving stress distribution and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The width parameter of the contact spring is changed along its length rather than remaining constant. The width dimension varies from the end portions to the wide portion at the apex, creating a gradient structure. This parameter change allows the contact spring to achieve better stress distribution and load bearing capacity without significantly increasing device complexity.
2Stress or pressure
If contact springs with wide portions are used, then load distribution is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact spring incorporates a localized wide portion at the apex rather than uniformly increasing the width throughout. This local quality enhancement focuses the stress distribution improvement exactly where it is most needed (at the apex where bending moments are highest) without unnecessarily complicating the overall structure or increasing material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact spring geometry is extended into the width dimension by creating a wide portion at the apex. This dimensional change allows the structure to distribute loads more effectively across a broader area, improving stress distribution while maintaining a relatively simple overall form that can be manufactured using conventional processes.
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 effectively distributes loads along the width of the contact springs, enhancing stability and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) characteristics while restricting excessive elastic deformation and stabilizing the electrical connection.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the contact springs curves or bends such as to project to an inner side in a corresponding one of second directions... in a state where each contact spring is elastically deformed to the outer side in the corresponding second direction
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 1E
AI summary
The invention provides a ground terminal that allows distribution of loads applied to contact springs of the ground terminal. A ground terminal 100 includes a first ring 110 of a C-shape or a ring shape and a plurality of contact springs 120. The contact springs 120 extend from the first ring 110 in a first direction D1 and are spaced from each other in the circumferential direction R of the first ring 110. Each contact spring 120 curves or bends such as to project to an inner side in a corresponding one of second directions D2. The first direction D1 is an axial direction of the first ring 110. The second directions D2 are substantially orthogonal to the first direction D1. The inner side in each second direction D2 is a side nearer the axial center of the first ring 110. Each of the contact springs 120 includes a first end portion 121 on a side nearer the first ring, and a wide portion 122 including at least an apex portion of the contact spring 120 and has a width dimension that is larger than a width dimension of the first end portion 110.