Overmolded Connector Housing for Gap-Free Parallel Cable Ends
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connector devices face issues with molding failures when forming a housing to cover cable ends due to spaces between adjacent cables, leading to reduced strength and liquid-stopping performance, and the process becomes complicated and costly.
Innovation Solution
The connector device features a design where adjacent cables have flat portions on their outer surfaces that contact each other, eliminating spaces between them, allowing for a housing to be integrated by overmolding, enhancing cable holding strength and liquid resistance while preventing molding failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a resin housing is formed by overmolding to collectively cover the connection part and cable ends, then cable holding strength and liquid-stopping performance are enhanced, but molding failures occur due to spaces between adjacent cables
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by forming a flat portion on the outer circumferential surface of the cover portion of each cable. This asymmetric modification eliminates the circular gap between adjacent cables, preventing resin leakage during overmolding while maintaining cable holding strength and liquid-stopping performance.
2Ease of manufacture
If flat portions are formed on cable cover portions and cables are arranged with contacting flat portions, then molding failures are suppressed and manufacturing is simplified, but cable arrangement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flat portions on adjacent cables serve as self-aligning features that automatically guide proper cable arrangement during assembly. The contacting flat portions create a self-service mechanism where the cables themselves ensure correct positioning, reducing the need for complex external alignment fixtures or procedures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If spaces exist between adjacent cables, then cable independence is maintained, but resin leaks during overmolding causing molding failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by modifying only the specific region where cables contact each other (the outer circumferential surface) while leaving the rest of the cable structure unchanged. The flat portion is locally formed at the contact point to prevent resin leakage, while the cables maintain their independence and original functionality in other regions.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector device includes a connector part, cables extending from the back end portion of the connector part, and a back housing, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the cover portion of each cable is quadrilateral, the front end portions of the cables are arranged in parallel such that there is no space formed by separating the respective cover portions of the two adjacent cables in the cables from each other in a cross section of a whole of the cables, and the back housing surrounds a portion from the back end portion of the connector part to the front end portions of the respective cover portions of the cables and is integrated with the portion by overmolding.