Low-Profile CPA Connector Housing for Secure Mating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing male housings lack an effective connector position assurance (CPA) member, which prevents secure engagement with female housings, leading to potential mating issues and damage during shipping and handling.
Innovation Solution
A female housing with a specially designed CPA member and connector latch that can be used with existing male housings without modifications, providing a secure engagement mechanism with an audible 'click' sound, resistance to permanent set, and easy molding features, ensuring proper alignment and retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a CPA member is added to ensure secure engagement, then the reliability of connector engagement is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The CPA member is integrated with the female housing to form a unified structure, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining engagement security
Solution Approach 2:
The CPA member serves multiple functions: it provides engagement assurance, guides alignment during mating, and works with existing male housings without requiring modifications, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If the CPA member is designed to work with existing male housings without modifications, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The CPA member is divided into distinct functional segments: a guide portion for alignment and a locking portion for engagement assurance. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently, improving adaptability while managing manufacturing precision requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The CPA member incorporates resilient or flexible elements that can deflect to accommodate minor dimensional variations in existing male housings, thereby achieving high adaptability without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances
3Reliability
If the connector latch and CPA member provide secure engagement with audible click, then the reliability is improved, but the force required for engagement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement process occurs in distinct stages: initial contact, alignment, and final locking with audible click. This periodic action allows force to be applied incrementally rather than all at once, reducing peak engagement force while ensuring reliable connection
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient CPA member replaces rigid mechanical locking elements, using elastic deformation to absorb engagement force and provide a softer, quieter mating action that requires less force while maintaining connection reliability
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
The solution ensures secure engagement of male and female housings with an audible 'click' sound, prevents damage during handling, and eliminates the need for secondary user operations, providing reliable mechanical strength and easy assembly.
Implementation Method 1
the locking part can be resiliently deflected from a delivery position in the direction of said body part
Implementation Method 2
A terminal position assurance (TPA) member can be inserted into the female housing for assuring that terminals for the electrical connector apparatus are positioned properly
Data Source
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AI summary
Electrical connector with low profile connector position assurance (CPA) member for assuring the engagement of a female housing with a male housing. The female housing forms apertures designed to stably and securely receive the low profile CPA member. Also, the female housing includes a connector latch used to securely hold together the female housing and the male housing.