Plug Connector With Elastic Suspension For Tolerance Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for establishing electrical connections between multiple cable ends with different contact elements, such as those in vehicle roof antennas, are complicated and expensive due to the need for manual alignment and connection of individual contact element pairs, which are prone to tolerance-related misalignment issues.
Innovation Solution
The connector design features elastically resilient contact elements connected via insulating spring elements, allowing for perpendicular movement and deflection to compensate for tolerance deviations, ensuring secure electrical contact without mechanical stress, and includes mechanical coding to prevent incorrect plugging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If contact elements are rigidly fixed in the housing, then manufacturing precision is improved, but assembly complexity and cost increase due to manual alignment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The contact elements are made movable within the housing through elastic suspension systems, allowing them to dynamically adjust their positions during assembly and operation. This dynamic capability enables automatic compensation for tolerance deviations without requiring high-precision manual alignment, thereby reducing assembly complexity while maintaining adequate manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs elastic elements and floating mounting structures that allow contact elements to change their positional parameters within certain ranges. This parameter variability enables the system to adapt to tolerance deviations automatically, eliminating the need for rigid fixed positions and reducing both manufacturing and assembly precision requirements
2Stability of the object's composition
If contact elements are rigidly fixed, then structural stability is improved, but tolerance-related misalignment occurs during plugging
Solution Approach 1:
The contact elements are designed with elastic suspension and floating mounting structures that allow them to move and adjust their positions dynamically. This dynamic capability enables automatic compensation for tolerance deviations between mating connectors, ensuring proper alignment during plugging while maintaining structural stability through the elastic support system
Solution Approach 2:
Elastic elements and floating mounting structures serve as intermediaries between the rigid housing and the contact elements. These intermediaries absorb and compensate for tolerance deviations, allowing the contact elements to self-align with complementary contact elements in mating connectors without requiring high manufacturing precision
3Reliability
If manual alignment of individual contact elements is used, then electrical connection reliability is improved, but assembly time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contact elements are designed to automatically self-align and self-adjust to their correct positions through elastic suspension and floating mounting structures. This self-service capability eliminates the need for time-consuming manual alignment operations, significantly reducing assembly time while ensuring reliable electrical connections through automatic position compensation
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic mobility of contact elements within the housing allows them to automatically adjust to their correct positions during the plugging process. This dynamic adaptation ensures reliable electrical contact without requiring manual alignment, thereby reducing assembly time and cost while maintaining connection reliability
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
This design simplifies assembly, reduces manufacturing costs by allowing for larger tolerance deviations, and ensures reliable electrical contact by automatically adjusting for positional discrepancies between contact elements, thereby improving the assembly and electrical connection process.
Implementation Method 1
each electrical contact element is connected in an elastically resilient manner to at least one second electrical contact element via at least one electrically insulating, elastic spring element
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a plug connector (100) with a housing (110) and with at least two electrical contact elements (112), which each have a longitudinal axis and which are arranged so that they are aligned on a plugging side of the housing (110) at predetermined positions and with a respective longitudinal axis parallel to a plugging direction (122) of the plug connector (100). Each electrical contact element (112) is placed inside the housing (100) in a manner that enables it to move in a plane perpendicular to the plugging direction (122), and is connected in an elastically resilient manner to at least one second electrical contact element (112) via at least one electrically non-conductive elastic spring element (114). The elastic spring element (114) is arranged and designed so that the electrical contact elements (112) are pre-positioned at the respective pre-positioned position up to tolerance allowances, and they can be displaced in an elastically resilient manner from this position in the plane perpendicular to the plugging direction (122).