Electrical Mating Contacts With Seating Detection Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Circuit boards often fail to be fully seated during assembly, leading to disengagement under vibration and temperature cycles, and existing electrical mating systems for line replaceable units (LRUs) do not adequately ensure proper seating.
Innovation Solution
An electrical mating system with a contact module that includes a plurality of contactors of varying lengths, where at least one seating contactor is shorter than the others, to determine proper seating and activate an indicator, such as an LED, to confirm full engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional electrical mating systems are used, then the assembly process is simple, but the circuit boards may not be fully seated and may disengage under vibration and temperature cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an LED indicator that changes state (illuminates or remains off) to provide visual feedback on seating status. This allows operators to immediately identify properly seated connectors without complex measurement equipment, resolving the contradiction by adding simple visual indication rather than mechanical complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a contact module that detects whether the seating contactor is properly engaged and provides feedback through the LED indicator. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable seating detection without requiring complex inspection procedures, addressing the contradiction between reliability and complexity
2Measurement precision
If all contactors are the same length, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but it is impossible to detect proper seating status
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs contactors of different lengths, specifically a seating contactor with a different length than signal contactors. This asymmetric design enables the seating contactor to make contact at a different stage during insertion, allowing detection of proper seating status. The manufacturing complexity increase is minimal compared to the significant gain in seating detection capability
3Reliability
If no seating detection mechanism is implemented, then the system is simpler, but zero-hour returns occur due to improper seating
Solution Approach 1:
The contact module detects the seating status of the connector and provides feedback through the LED indicator. This simple feedback mechanism prevents zero-hour returns by ensuring proper seating is confirmed before operation, resolving the contradiction by adding minimal detection complexity for maximum reliability improvement
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own existing contactors to perform the seating detection function rather than requiring separate external detection equipment. The seating contactor itself provides the detection capability, making the system self-sufficient and avoiding additional complexity while improving reliability
Data Source
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AI summary
An electrical mating system can include an electrical mating surface (101) having a plurality of contactors (103), each contactor at least as long as a first length, the plurality of contactors configured to mate with a plurality of opposing contactors (105) of an opposing mating surface (107). The electrical mating surface (101) can include at least one seating contactor (109) having a second length shorter than the first length. The system can include a contact module (111) configured to determine if the at least one seating contactor (109) is contacting an opposing seating contactor (113) of an opposing mating surface (107). The contact module (111) can be configured to activate an indicator to indicate whether the electrical mating surface (101) and the opposing mating surface (107) are properly seated together.