Orientable Female Cable Connector With Quarter-Turn Cable Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable connectors, particularly female connectors, face challenges with bulkiness and fragility due to the fixed length of plugs, which restricts orientation and increases the risk of damage from twisting and bending, and existing solutions for male connectors are not adaptable or complex, lacking ease of use and compatibility with female connectors.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable female connector device with a housing and a removable rear flange that can be snap-fastened in various angular positions, allowing for lateral and axial cable orientation, reducing bulk and stress on the cable, and accommodating different cable diameters through interlocking mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the plug is fixed to the end of the cable with a significant length, then the connection is durable and secure, but the bulk of the connector increases and requires a trunking with substantial depth
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into two separate parts: a male connector that remains fixed to the cable, and a female connector that is removable from the trunking. This segmentation allows the cable connection to remain durable while the trunking-mounted portion can be minimized in depth, resolving the contradiction between connection reliability and connector bulk.
Solution Approach 2:
The female connector is extracted from the traditional integrated design and made removable. This allows the essential connection function to be maintained while eliminating the need for a deep trunking housing, as the female connector can be inserted and removed without requiring substantial depth in the trunking structure.
2Volume of moving object
If the cable is bent to the side to reduce space, then the free space on the rear face is reduced, but the cable risks damage from bending
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of bending the cable to the side to save space, the design inverts the approach by allowing the connector orientation to be adjusted. The male connector can be rotated to different angles (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°) relative to the cable axis, enabling the cable to exit in a more favorable direction without bending, thus reducing space requirements while avoiding cable damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector introduces dynamic adjustability through rotational movement, allowing the cable exit direction to be changed according to installation needs. This dynamic capability enables optimal space utilization without subjecting the cable to damaging bends, as the orientation can be adapted rather than forcing the cable into an unfavorable configuration.
3Strength
If the plug is made rigid for durable fixing, then the connection strength is improved, but the junction becomes a point of fragility due to rigidity combined with cable flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the rigid connector component from the flexible cable, with the male connector being removable rather than permanently fixed. This allows the rigid connector to provide strong connection when engaged, while the removable nature prevents stress concentration at a fixed junction point, as the connection can be disengaged to relieve stress from cable movement or installation variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable male connector introduces dynamic capability to the connection system. Rather than a fixed rigid junction that creates stress concentration, the connector can be inserted and removed as needed, allowing the system to adapt to cable movement and installation variations while maintaining strong connection during use, thus improving junction durability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a rotational joint is added to enable cable orientation, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotational orientation capability is segmented into a simple mechanical feature of the male connector rather than a complex rotational joint. The male connector can be manually rotated to different angles (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°) relative to the cable axis, providing adaptability without requiring complex mechanisms, thus achieving cable orientation capability with minimal added complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an orientable female connector device (1) for a communication cable (100), comprising a housing (2) having on the front face a female plug (3) intended to be connected to a cable (100) by an opening formed on the rear face (21); means for snap-fitting a rear flange (4) onto the rear face (21); characterized in that said flange (4) comprises along one of its sides, a lateral opening (40) and a central orifice (41), said snap-fitting means comprising interlocking means (6) formed on two opposite sides of said flange (4), and complementary interlocking means (7) formed on four edges of said opening, the cooperation of which allows snap-fitting of said flange (4) into an angular position every quarter turn.