Housing Guide Portion for Retainer Insertion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing housings with spacers for terminal accommodation often interfere with attached seal members, leading to damage and compromised sealing performance when the spacer is inserted incorrectly.
Innovation Solution
A housing design featuring a guide portion at the edge of the opening portion to guide the retainer into the retainer accommodating hole, with window portions for visual verification of the seal member and a positioning protruding portion for accurate locking, preventing interference with the seal member and ensuring secure sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the spacer is inserted without guidance, then the insertion operation is simple, but the spacer may interfere with the packing and cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The guide portion acts as an intermediary element between the spacer and the packing. It provides a controlled path for the spacer to follow during insertion, preventing direct contact and damage to the packing while maintaining simple insertion operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide portion is extracted as a separate functional element from the housing body. This dedicated guiding structure isolates the spacer's insertion path from the packing area, allowing the spacer to be inserted without interfering with the sealing function of the packing.
2Ease of operation
If the opening portion is made larger to facilitate retainer insertion, then the insertion is easier, but the seal member becomes more vulnerable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The guide portion serves as a protective intermediary that channels the retainer through the opening portion. This allows the opening to be sufficiently large for easy retainer insertion while the guide portion prevents the retainer from directly contacting and damaging the seal member.
3Device complexity
If the retainer is inserted without guidance, then the insertion process is simpler, but the positioning accuracy of the terminal locking is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The guide portion provides a predetermined path that ensures the retainer is inserted at the correct angle and position. This simple guiding structure significantly improves the positioning accuracy of the terminal locking without adding complex adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A housing includes a housing main body which has a fitting portion configured to be fitted with a mating housing and having a terminal accommodating chamber, and a hood portion which covers a periphery of the fitting portion. The housing further includes an annular seal member configured to be attached to a base part of the fitting portion, and a retainer configured to be inserted into a retainer accommodating hole to lock a terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber. An opening portion through which the retainer passes to be inserted into the retainer accommodating hole is formed at a position facing the retainer accommodating hole in the hood portion. A guide portion that guides the retainer into the retainer accommodating hole is provided at an edge portion of the opening portion.