Pivoting Abrasive Arms for Electrical Terminal Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical connectors, especially those exposed to harsh environments, face issues with dirt and corrosion forming high-resistance surfaces, leading to unreliable connections and potentially unsafe driving conditions.
Innovation Solution
A manually configurable electrical terminal cleaner with pivotally coupled arms, each with abrasive-coated flat surfaces, allowing for easy removal of dirt and corrosion from both male and female blade/spade terminals, including those in housings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical connectors are exposed to harsh environments (road, dirt, moisture), then they are positioned near the road for functionality, but dirt and corrosion form high-resistance surfaces on terminals
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning apparatus applies abrasive surfaces to electrical terminals before they become severely corroded or contaminated, performing maintenance in advance to prevent high-resistance buildup. The pivotally coupled arms with abrasive coatings are designed to be manually operated to clean terminals proactively, maintaining low-resistance connections before environmental exposure causes failure.
2Ease of operation
If manual cleaning apparatus is designed with pivotally coupled arms and abrasive coatings, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning apparatus employs pivotally coupled arms that can rotate and adjust their positions relative to each other. This dynamic configuration allows the abrasive surfaces to be manually positioned to access different terminal geometries (blade, spade, housing-mounted), providing versatility without requiring multiple separate tools. The pivot mechanism enables adaptive cleaning angles while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively cleans electrical terminals by abrading surfaces with abrasive-coated arms, maintaining low-resistance connections and preventing corrosion, thus ensuring reliable electrical connections.
Implementation Method 1
The first arm includes a first cleaning portion with a first upper face and a first lower face. Each of the first upper face and the first lower face are substantially flat and coated with an abrasive. In a similar manner, the second arm includes a second cleaning portion with a second upper face and a second lower face. Here again, each of the second upper face and the second lower face are substantially flat and coated with an abrasive.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatus for cleaning electrical terminals. The apparatus comprises a first arm and a second arm. The first arm includes a first cleaning portion with a first upper face and a first lower face. Each of the first upper face and the first lower face are substantially flat and coated with an abrasive. In a similar manner, the second arm includes a second cleaning portion with a second upper face and a second lower face. Here again, each of the second upper face and the second lower face are substantially flat and coated with an abrasive. The second arm is pivotally coupled to the first arm, making the apparatus manually configurable into an aligned configuration in which the first lower face faces the second upper face.