Insulation Displacement Connector With Segmented Wire Carrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connector assemblies face challenges in accurately locating insulation displacement contact points with conductors during multiple connections due to accumulated molding tolerances, making it cumbersome and inconvenient, especially when dealing with small diameter wires of different diameters.
Innovation Solution
The improved electrical connector assembly features a base and wire carriers that hold two small insulated wires, ensuring accurate alignment and engagement of conductors with metal contact members, using specialized wire passages and three laterally spaced pierce points on the contact members to form reliable insulation displacement connections, which can be manually operated without specialized tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional insulation displacement connections are used with multiple wires, then connections can be established simultaneously, but accumulated molding tolerances cause inaccurate alignment of contact points with conductors
Solution Approach 1:
The wire carrier is divided into individual wire passages, each with its own alignment features. Each passage independently positions a wire and its corresponding contact member, isolating alignment errors to individual passages rather than allowing cumulative tolerances across multiple wires. This segmentation maintains simultaneous connection capability while eliminating alignment accuracy degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
Alignment pins and registration features act as intermediary elements between the wire carrier and base. These intermediaries precisely locate the wire carrier relative to the base, ensuring that contact points align accurately with conductors even when multiple connections are made simultaneously. The intermediaries transfer precise positioning information across the assembly interface.
2Reliability
If special tooling is used for stripping and crimping contact members onto wires, then reliable connections are formed, but the procedure becomes cumbersome and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation displacement contact members are designed to automatically perform both insulation stripping and conductor engagement in a single action. When the wire carrier is inserted into the base, the contact members self-actuate to pierce through the insulation and establish electrical connection with the conductors, eliminating the need for separate stripping and crimping operations with specialized tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The functions of insulation stripping, contact member application, and electrical connection establishment are merged into a single insulation displacement operation. The contact members are integrated with the wire carrier and base assembly, combining multiple previously separate steps into one simultaneous action that maintains reliability while simplifying operation.
3Ease of manufacture
If wire carriers hold multiple wires, then manufacturing cost and real estate requirements are reduced, but accurate engagement of each conductor with its contact member becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The wire carrier is segmented into multiple independent wire passages, each with its own alignment pins and positioning features. This segmentation allows multiple wires to be held and positioned simultaneously with individual precision, ensuring that each conductor aligns accurately with its corresponding contact member while maintaining the cost benefits of handling multiple wires together.
Solution Approach 2:
Each wire passage within the carrier has locally optimized alignment features and dimensions tailored to its specific wire. The passage geometry, alignment pin locations, and contact member positioning are locally adapted to ensure precise conductor-to-contact engagement for each wire position, maintaining manufacturing precision across multiple wires in the same carrier.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electrical connector assembly for forming insulation displacement connections with conductors in small wires includes a wire carrier and a base. Pierce points on the base are slid along opposed walls in a slot in the carrier to align small tips on the ends of the pierce points to form electrical connections with a conductor in a wire in the carrier. The connections are located inwardly of the slot walls.