Plug Connector Contact Carrier for Rapid Arc-Safe Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plug connectors face challenges in safe and rapid disconnection, particularly due to arc formation which can cause damage and pose a risk to operators, and existing solutions like pretensioned spring pins are complex to produce and suffer from varying separation forces over time.
Innovation Solution
A plug connector part design featuring a housing, a movable contact carrier with electrical contacts, a slider, and an elastic element that can be tensioned by displacement, allowing for rapid and safe disconnection by moving the contact carrier relative to the housing, independent of user influence, with a locking mechanism ensuring consistent separation force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If pretensionable spring pins or pretensioned contact pins are used to enable rapid disconnection, then the separation speed is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact carrier is separated from the housing and made movable, allowing the contact elements to be detached independently. This segmentation enables the contact carrier to be rapidly pulled away from the housing by the elastic element without requiring complex pretensioned spring pins, thus achieving fast separation while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact carrier is designed to be movable relative to the housing along the separation direction, transforming the static connection into a dynamic one. This allows the contact carrier to automatically separate when the elastic element's pretension force exceeds the connecting force, enabling rapid disconnection without complex mechanisms.
2Force
If elastic pretension is used to initiate separation, then the separation force is improved, but the connecting force decreases over time due to wear leading to varying separation movement
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic element automatically compensates for wear in the contact elements. As the connecting force decreases over time due to wear, the elastic element's pretension ensures that the contact carrier will still separate when the (decreased) connecting force is exceeded. The system self-adjusts to maintain reliable separation despite aging and wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows the separation mechanism to adapt to changing mechanical parameters over time. The elastic element's pretension force remains relatively stable while the connecting force naturally decreases due to wear, creating a growing margin that ensures separation occurs reliably throughout the product's useful life despite parameter changes.
3Speed
If elastic pretension is applied during separation, then the separation speed is improved, but the function is impeded if a user holds the plug housing in hand
Solution Approach 1:
The separation function is extracted from user-dependent manual pulling and made autonomous through the elastic element. The elastic element stores pretension energy that automatically overcomes the connecting force and drives the contact carrier away from the housing, making the separation process independent of user action or holding the housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic element is pre-tensioned during assembly or initial operation to store separation energy in advance. When separation is needed, this pre-stored energy is immediately released to rapidly pull the contact carrier away from the housing, ensuring fast and reliable separation regardless of user intervention or holding conditions.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If rapid disconnection is achieved through movable contact carrier, then arc formation is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection system is segmented into a stationary housing and a movable contact carrier. This segmentation allows the contact elements to be rapidly separated by moving the entire contact carrier away from the housing, minimizing arc duration and damage while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure through functional decomposition.
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
Enables reliable and safe disconnection of electrical connections, reducing the risk of arc-related damage and injury, while maintaining simplicity and robustness in design, allowing for easy operation and secure contact separation.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic element that is supported on the slider and on the contact carrier in such a way that the elastic element is tensionable by a displacement of the slider in relation to the contact carrier
Data Source
AI summary
A plug connector part for electrical connection to a mating plug connector part is provided. The plug connector part includes a housing and a contact carrier that is movable in relation to the housing. The contact carrier includes at least one electrical contact for the mating plug connector part and a slider that is movable in relation to the housing and to the contact carrier. The plug connector part for includes an elastic element that is supported on the slider and on the contact carrier in such a way that the elastic element is tensioned by a displacement of the slider in relation to the contact carrier.