Hybrid Socket Segmented Stoppers for Automated Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical sockets for automotive bulbs, particularly those for T20 single-filament or dual-filament bulbs, face challenges in automation and high production costs due to manual assembly requirements and potential issues with resin embedding and sealing, leading to inefficiencies and potential loss of tightness.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid socket design featuring a glass bubble with metallic contacts and an insulating body with specific cavities and stoppers for wire crimping, along with metallic leaf spring contacts and locking hooks for secure engagement, allowing for automated assembly and reduced manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single sealing stopper with three holes is used for wire passage, then waterproofing is achieved, but manual assembly is required which increases production cost and reduces automation capability
Solution Approach 1:
The single sealing stopper is divided into three separate stoppers, each with a single hole for wire passage. This segmentation allows each stopper to be independently prepared and automatically assembled, eliminating the need for manual preparation of a complex multi-hole stopper while maintaining the waterproof sealing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The separate stoppers are pre-assembled with wires and contacts before insertion into the socket body. This preliminary action enables automated assembly equipment to handle pre-prepared components, eliminating the need for manual wire insertion and crimping operations that were required with the single multi-hole stopper.
2Ease of manufacture
If resin embedding is used to fill the cavity and secure wires, then assembly is simplified, but tightness may be lost due to resin lifting under certain conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The resin embedding step is completely removed from the assembly process. Instead of using resin to secure wires and fill cavities, the invention uses mechanical retention through separately assembled stoppers that hold wires and contacts in place without requiring adhesive or embedding materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The chemical bonding mechanism of resin embedding is replaced with a mechanical retention system using stoppers with deformation zones that mechanically secure wires and contacts. This substitution eliminates the reliability issue of resin lifting while maintaining ease of manufacture through automated assembly.
3Extent of automation
If multiple separate stoppers are used for each wire, then automated assembly becomes possible, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple separate stoppers are merged into a single integrated stopper assembly that is inserted as one unit into the socket body. This merging reduces the number of separate assembly operations required while maintaining the advantages of separate wire handling, thereby reducing device complexity while preserving automation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper assembly is designed with universal functionality to accommodate different wire configurations and bulb types. The standardized stopper design with deformation zones can handle various wire sizes and types, reducing the need for multiple specialized components and simplifying the overall device structure.
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
Enables automated assembly and reduced production costs while ensuring secure and reliable electrical connections, improving the efficiency and tightness of the socket assembly process.
Implementation Method 1
The socket consists of a resilient support terminal unit positioned at an inner wall surface of a coupling cavity defined within the socket and used for resiliently supporting the connector inserted in the coupling cavity while producing an electrical connection with the electrical terminals
Implementation Method 2
The socket comprises at least one stopper of complementary cross section to that of the cavity of circular cross section, each one of said stoppers being traversed by a supply wire crimped onto a metallic contact
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a hybrid socket for a single-filament or dual-filament bulb consisting of a body made of an insulating material, exhibiting a front cavity for introducing the bulb, of substantially rectangular shape, complementary to the exterior shape of the base. It comprises at least one stopper of complementary cross section to that of the cavity of circular cross section, each traversed by a supply wire crimped onto a metallic contact of a first type, and a third stopper of complementary cross section to that of the cavity of oblong cross section, crimped onto an earth metallic contact. The socket furthermore comprises a locking hook for the bulb. Application: socket for type T20 blinking indicator lights or side lights.