Multicontact Connector Sliding Locking Cap for Contact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multicontact connectors lack effective protection for contacts before locking with a complementary connector, risking damage during assembly.
Innovation Solution
A multicontact connector design featuring a housing with sockets and a locking cap that projects beyond the housing face, providing protection for contacts when not locked, and allowing sliding between locked and unlocked positions, with a cap width greater than the housing width to ensure complete or partial coverage of contacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cap projects beyond the housing face by a distance greater than the contact projection distance, then contact protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cap is merged with the locking mechanism, combining two functions (protection and locking) into a single component. This eliminates the need for separate protective covers while maintaining contact protection, thereby reducing device complexity despite the extended projection distance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap serves multiple functions: it protects contacts when the connector is not locked, and it enables locking when engaged with the complementary connector. This multi-functionality allows a single component to address both protection and locking needs, resolving the contradiction between improved reliability and increased complexity.
2Reliability
If the cap width is greater than the housing width, then contact coverage is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is integrated with the housing as a single molded piece rather than being a separate component. This merging of components simplifies manufacturing by eliminating assembly steps while allowing the cap to extend beyond the housing width for complete contact coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is designed with an integrated cap structure that segments the protective function from the main body through geometric design rather than physical separation. This allows the cap to overhang the housing edges for complete coverage while maintaining ease of manufacture through single-piece molding.
3Ease of manufacture
If the housing is made as a single piece, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but contact protection capability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cap is merged with the housing structure, creating a single-piece component that provides both structural integrity and contact protection. This integration maintains manufacturing simplicity while ensuring reliable contact protection through the extended cap geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The single-piece housing incorporates multiple functions: structural support, contact receptacle, and protective cap. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate protective components while maintaining ease of manufacture through single-piece molding, thereby resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and protection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A multicontact connector having a housing including cavities; contacts each having a portion received in one of the sockets and another portion projecting beyond a face of the housing; and a locking cap for locking the connector to a complementary connector, the cap being mounted on the housing and configured to slide relative to the housing between a locked position and unlocked position; and the cap projects beyond the face of the housing over a distance greater than the distance whereby the contacts project from the face of the housing.