Automotive Joint Connector with Transparent Separation Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing joint connectors for automotive wiring harnesses face challenges in preventing erroneous short-circuiting due to unclear terminal arrangements, leading to increased costs and man-hours, as workers struggle to visually distinguish between terminals for correct insertion without enlarging the connector size.
Innovation Solution
A joint connector design featuring a connector conductor part with distinctively arranged male terminals and an insulating housing with separation walls that differentiate the terminal insertion openings, allowing workers to visually distinguish between insulation and shorting terminals, preventing erroneous insertion without enlarging the connector.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If accommodation spaces are arranged orderly without distinction and opened to the outside, then the connector structure is simple and compact, but workers cannot visually distinguish which terminals should be shorted, leading to erroneous insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only specific separation walls (those between terminals to be shorted) transparent, while other separation walls remain opaque. This localized differentiation allows workers to visually identify which terminals should be shorted without complicating the overall connector structure or requiring additional markings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/mark-based distinction system with an optical system. Instead of using external markings on the housing or complex mechanical indicators, the transparency of specific separation walls provides visual information about which terminals should be shorted, simplifying the overall system while improving reliability.
2Reliability
If marks are applied to the outer surface of the housing to distinguish accommodation spaces, then terminal identification is improved, but manufacturing cost and man-hours increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the identification function from the external housing surface and relocates it to the internal separation walls. By making specific separation walls transparent, the identification information is integrated into the connector's structural components themselves, eliminating the need for separate marking processes and reducing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The separation walls serve dual functions: they provide structural division of accommodation spaces and simultaneously provide visual identification information through their transparency. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate identification markings, reducing manufacturing steps and costs.
3Reliability
If intervals between terminals of different groups are made extremely larger, then terminal distinction is improved, but the entire connector size is enlarged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces transparency as an intermediary property of the separation walls to convey distinction information. This allows terminals of different groups to be clearly distinguished without requiring increased physical spacing, as the visual cue (transparency) provides distinction information independent of spatial separation.
Data Source
AI summary
A joint connector includes a connector conductor part and an insulating housing for holding the connector conductor part and wire-side terminals to be connected to the connector conductor part. The insulating housing includes an outer wall (45) enclosing an accommodation space for accommodating wire-side terminals and separation walls dividing the accommodation space into terminal accommodating chambers (41). The separation walls include first separation walls (71) between the terminal accommodating chambers for respectively accommodating the wire-side terminals to be insulated without being shorted to each other and second separation walls (72) interposed between the terminal accommodating chambers for respectively accommodating the wire-side terminals to be shorted to each other. The first and second separation walls (71, 72) are shaped so that outer ends (71a) of the first separation walls (71) and outer ends (72a) of the second separation walls (72) are different in appearance.