Offset Electrical Contacts in Single Pin Connectors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spring contact and housing connectors are limited to transferring a single signal due to their size and material constraints, requiring multiple connectors for multiple signals, which increases costs and complicates design.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves offsetting multiple electrical contacts longitudinally within a single pin, using insulation material to separate them, allowing multiple signals to be carried through a single pin while maintaining the connector's width, and utilizing a housing with specific grooves and spring contacts to establish electrical paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple connectors are used to transfer multiple signals, then the number of signals transferred increases, but the overall cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple electrical contacts onto a single pin body, allowing multiple signals to be transmitted through one connector instead of requiring multiple separate connectors. This merging approach reduces the total number of connectors needed while maintaining the capability to transfer multiple signals simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The pin is designed to serve multiple functions by incorporating multiple electrical contacts that can carry different signals. A single pin can simultaneously transmit multiple signals, making it a multi-functional component that replaces what would traditionally require multiple single-function connectors.
2Quantity of substance
If the width of the connector is increased to accommodate multiple contacts, then multiple signals can be transferred, but the connector size increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of arranging multiple electrical contacts side-by-side in the radial direction (which would increase connector width), the patent positions them at different axial locations along the length of the pin. This dimensional reorganization allows multiple signals to be transmitted without increasing the connector's width, utilizing the axial dimension instead.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple electrical contacts are nested along the axial length of the pin, with each contact positioned at a different location along the pin's length. This nesting arrangement allows multiple contacts to coexist within the same radial footprint, maintaining a compact connector width while enabling multiple signal paths.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple electrical contacts are placed on a single pin, then the number of signals transferred increases, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is segmented into multiple functional zones along its axial length, with each segment containing an electrical contact. This segmentation allows for modular manufacturing approaches where contacts can be individually positioned or attached to specific segments of the pin, simplifying the overall manufacturing process compared to creating a fully integrated multi-contact pin in a single operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector assembly having a pin and a housing. The pin having an insulator layer or material separating two adjacent electrical contacts. The electrical contacts can each include a contact band and a tab extending from the contact band. An electrical contact can be established with a spring contact and the contact band can at least partially surrounds the insulator around the lengthwise axis of the pin. Two electrical contacts can be positioned in an axial or longitudinal offset configuration.