Lever-Equipped Connector Prevents Inward Collapse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lever-equipped connector units experience inward collapse of the lever, hindering the driven pin's entry into the cam hole due to the reinforcing piece's dimension mismatch, leading to operational inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a sliding portion on the lever's arm plate that extends towards the counter housing, guided by a peripheral wall with a guiding member, and a second guiding member parallel to it, both with tapered surfaces, allowing the sliding portion to guide the arm plate outward and facilitate smooth pin insertion without inward collapse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the lever is formed by formation process with reinforcing piece at tip portion, then the lever structure is strengthened, but the lever collapses inward and hinders driven pin insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The lever tip portion is segmented into a sliding portion and a reinforcing piece. The sliding portion (dimension: L1) is separated from the reinforcing piece (dimension: L2) by a gap (dimension: L3), allowing the sliding portion to guide the arm plate outward while the reinforcing piece maintains structural strength. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling both lever strengthening and smooth driven pin insertion.
2Volume of moving object
If the dimension between tip portions of arm plates is made less than dimension between center portions, then the lever structure is compact, but the lever collapses inward preventing driven pin entry into cam hole
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding portion acts as an intermediary element between the compact lever structure and the driven pin. It guides the arm plate outward during operation, ensuring reliable driven pin entry into the cam hole while maintaining the compact lever volume achieved through the dimension design (L1 < L2).
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
This configuration prevents inward collapse of the lever, enabling smooth engagement of the driven pin with the cam hole and reducing the operational force required for coupling and decoupling, thus enhancing the connector's operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The peripheral wall of the counter housing has a first guiding member thereon, and the first guiding member is configured to slide the sliding portion of the arm plate which collapse inward thereon, as well as, to guide the sliding portion toward the outside of the peripheral wall
Implementation Method 2
The arm plate of the lever has a sliding portion formed in a tip or end portion of the lever which is situated in its stand-by state and extending toward the counter housing
Data Source
AI summary
The prevent invention provides a lever-equipped connector unit, which comprises a housing being capable of receiving a terminal; a lever rotatably coupled to the housing, and formed in a horseshoe shape; and a counter housing engageable with the housing, wherein the lever has a pair of arm plates configured to sandwich the housing and having a cam portion therein, wherein the counter housing has a peripheral wall engageable with the housing, and a pair of driven pins being slidably engageable with the cam portion and formed in the both outer surfaces of the peripheral wall, and wherein the housing engages with the counter housing as the driven pin proceeds into the cam portion, and the lever rotates from its stand-by state.