Inverted U-Shaped Nut Terminal Block Loosening Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional terminal block structures face issues with loosening during assembly, laborious fabrication, and material limitations, leading to instability and potential damage to terminal pins.
Innovation Solution
A terminal block structure featuring a holder with a platform and an inverted U-shaped nut, where the nut's engagement portions mate with the holder's inserts to prevent rotation and loosening, and a fastener secures both components within a terminal recess, forming a stable and secure assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional retaining socket is used in the terminal recess, then the nut can be received, but the fastener tends to rotate and loosen during assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional design by placing the nut outside the terminal recess and the holder inside the recess. This inversion prevents the fastener from rotating and loosening during assembly, as the holder's engagement portions mate with the nut's engagement portions to prevent rotation. The inverted configuration fundamentally resolves the loosening issue while simplifying the assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder acts as an intermediary component between the terminal recess and the nut. It includes engagement portions that mate with corresponding engagement portions on the nut, preventing rotation and securing the assembly. This intermediary structure eliminates the fastener rotation problem while maintaining ease of assembly.
2Ease of manufacture
If the retaining socket is fabricated by trenching in another recess, then the socket can be formed, but the fabrication process becomes time-consuming and laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the retaining socket function into separate components: the holder (with engagement portions) and the nut (with corresponding engagement portions). This segmentation eliminates the need for time-consuming trenching operations to form the retaining socket, as the engagement portions are integrated into these separate components. The segmentation simplifies the fabrication process and reduces manufacturing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement portions are merged into the holder and nut structures, eliminating the need for separate retaining socket fabrication. The holder's engagement portions and the nut's engagement portions work together to secure the assembly, combining the retaining function into the main components and eliminating additional fabrication steps.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the retaining socket is made shallow, then the structure is compact, but the nut cannot be held firmly and tends to loosen
Solution Approach 1:
The holder serves as an intermediary that provides rotational constraint through its engagement portions mating with the nut's engagement portions. This intermediary mechanism secures the nut firmly without requiring a deep retaining socket, maintaining both stability and compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
By inverting the conventional design and placing the nut outside the terminal recess with engagement portions that mate with the holder, the patent achieves firm nut holding without requiring a deep retaining socket. The inverted configuration with engagement portions provides rotational constraint while maintaining a compact overall structure.
4Ease of manufacture
If the holder is made from brass to form the screw hole, then the screw hole can be formed, but the terminal pin bears the screwing force directly and is likely to bend or crack
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the screwing force bearing function from the terminal pin by introducing the holder as a separate component. The holder's body (which can be made from brass) absorbs the screwing force through its engagement portions, protecting the terminal pin from bending or cracking while maintaining ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder acts as an intermediary that protects the terminal pin from bearing the screwing force directly. The holder's body, made from brass, is designed to withstand the screwing force through its engagement portions, while the terminal pin remains protected from excessive stress, preventing bending or cracking.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a terminal block structure which includes a base. The base is provided with one or more terminal recesses thereabove. Inside the terminal recess are a holder and an inverted U-shaped nut. The holder and the inverted U-shaped nut mate and engage with each other, and have to be inserted into the terminal recess by a force. The square shape of the inverted U-shaped nut has a retaining effect on the inverted U-shaped nut positioned inside the terminal recess. Hence, a fastener (a screw or a bolt) penetrating the holder and the inverted U-shaped nut and thereby fixing the holder and the inverted U-shaped nut in position is mechanically counteracted by the inverted U-shaped nut, and thus the holder and the inverted U-shaped nut are unlikely to be released from the terminal recess.