Movable Contact Holder With Protruding Section

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional contact devices face challenges in miniaturization and improved installing characteristics due to the need for a 90-degree bent distal end of the contact base, leading to thick and large holders, and issues with secure attachment, particularly when the proximal end of the contact base is oriented downward.

Innovation Solution

A contact device design featuring a movable contact with a plate-like base and upstanding contact body, utilizing a holder with first and second holding portions and a disengagement-prevention portion to securely attach the contact base without raised portions or resilient pieces, and a protruding section at the proximal end to prevent detachment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the distal end of the contact base is bent by 90 degrees to create a fixing portion with raised portions and resilient pieces, then the movable contact is securely attached to the holder, but the holder becomes thick and large

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattachment securityVSAvoidholder size

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary 90-degree bent fixing portion from the contact base. Instead, it uses a protruding section that extends in the same direction as the contact base, combined with a retaining groove in the holder, to achieve secure attachment without requiring the contact base to be bent or the holder to be made thick.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Rather than bending the contact base to create attachment features (raised portions and resilient pieces), the invention inverts the approach by creating a protruding section on the contact base that fits into a retaining groove in the holder. This reverses the conventional design logic and achieves secure attachment with a thinner holder.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Volume of stationary object

If the distal end of the contact base is not bent and only a retaining groove is used in the holder, then the holder size is reduced, but the proximal end of the contact base is not fixed and the movable contact may detach

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveholder sizeVSAvoidattachment security

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the attachment function into two distinct parts: a protruding section on the contact base that provides the attachment feature, and a retaining groove in the holder that provides the retention feature. This segmentation allows both the contact base and holder to maintain simple, thin designs while achieving secure attachment through their complementary features working together.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS8878084B2Movable contact holder

Publication Date: 2014.11.04 YAZAKI CORP

AI summary

A movable contact includes a contact base and a contact body upstanding from an end of the contact base. The holder includes a first holding portion constructed to hold the contact base such that the first holding portion is in contact with one surface of the contact base, the surface being opposite an other surface of the contact base from which the movable contact upstands, a second holding portion constructed to hold the contact base such that the second holding portion is in contact with the other surface of the contact base at a distal end of the contact base with reference to the contact body, and a disengagement-prevention portion provided at a proximal end of the contact base with reference to the contact body, on the one side of the contact base, and spaced away from the contact base, and constructed to prevent the movable contact from being detached from the holder.