Plug Housing Display Unit with Resilient Bridge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing housings for plugs with display units struggle to securely indicate complete plugging while allowing easy release with minimal force when fully plugged in, and preventing unintentional shifting without complete plugging.
Innovation Solution
A housing design featuring a display unit with a resilient bridge and supporting element, where the bridge is fixed to a guide element and bends in a specific plane, providing high locking force against shifting without altering its rigidity, allowing easy release with minimal force when fully plugged in.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the bridge is made highly rigid to prevent unintentional shifting, then locking stability is improved, but the display unit becomes difficult to release with minimal force
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge is designed with non-uniform cross-sectional thickness, creating locally differentiated rigidity. The thicker region provides high resistance to unintentional shifting in the locked state, while the thinner region allows easy deformation and release when fully plugged in. This local quality variation resolves the contradiction between locking stability and release ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge's rigidity parameter is changed along its length through varying cross-sectional dimensions. By transitioning from a uniform to a non-uniform cross-section, the bridge exhibits different rigidity characteristics in different regions, enabling both stable locking and easy release operations.
2Ease of operation
If the bridge is made flexible to allow easy release, then ease of operation is improved, but locking stability and resistance to unintentional shifting deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge incorporates a thicker region that maintains high rigidity for stable locking, and a thinner region that provides flexibility for easy release. This local differentiation of structural properties resolves the contradiction between flexibility and stability.
3Ease of manufacture
If the bridge cross-section is uniform, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the ability to provide both high locking force and easy release deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge uses a non-uniform cross-sectional design with varying thickness to achieve different mechanical properties in different regions. This allows the single bridge component to provide both high locking force and easy release functionality, enhancing functional adaptability while remaining manufacturable.
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
Ensures stable and secure indication of complete plugging with high resistance to unintentional shifting, allowing easy release when fully plugged in, while maintaining flexibility and efficiency in design.
Implementation Method 1
the free end of the bridge is bent in a bending plane in a direction of the guide element when shifting in the direction of the first stop
Implementation Method 2
a supporting element is arranged between the bridge and the guide element in the bending plane in such a way that when the bridge deform in a direction of the guide element, the bridge is supported of the guide element via the supporting element
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A housing for a plug having a contact space for contacts, wherein the housing is configured in such a way that it may be plugged together with a counter-plug, having a display unit, wherein the display unit is provided to indicate a complete plugging of the counter-plug into the housing, wherein the display unit is borne in a shiftable manner along a longitudinal axis of the housing between an initial position and an assembly position, wherein the display unit comprises a locking element and a guide element, wherein the locking element comprises a resilient bridge, wherein the bridge is fixed to the guide element by one end, wherein in the initial position of the display unit a first stop of the housing prevents the display unit from shifting by abutment of the free end of the bridge on the first stop of the housing, wherein the free end of the bridge is bent in a bending plane in the direction of the guide element when shifting in the direction of the first stop, wherein a supporting element is arranged between the bridge and the guide element in the bending plane in such a way that, when the bridge deforms in the direction of the guide element, the bridge is supported at the guide element via the supporting element and a deformation of the bridge away from the abutment on the first stop is prevented.