Plug-in Connector Form-Fit Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors face challenges in maintaining a permanent, low-contact-resistance connection under tensile forces or vibrations, often requiring clamping that can lead to undesirable changes in electrical properties and mechanical overload.
Innovation Solution
A device with an elastically deformable spring element prestresses the connecting element within a housing for positive contact, using form-fitting contacts to secure the connecting element to the housing, independent of frictional forces, ensuring a secure and reliable connection without clamping forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If clamping forces are used to secure the connecting element, then the connection stability is improved, but the electrical properties deteriorate due to mechanical overload and undesirable changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional clamping mechanism (friction-based mechanical fixation) with a form-fit locking mechanism. The connecting element features a geometric shape (e.g., L-shaped, T-shaped, or keyed profile) that engages with a corresponding receptacle in the housing, creating a positive mechanical lock. This substitution eliminates the need for continuous clamping forces that degrade electrical properties while maintaining secure mechanical attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying continuous compressive clamping forces to maintain connection stability, the invention inverts the approach by using a spring element to apply tensile or outward forces that press the contact elements together. The spring element compensates for wear and thermal expansion, maintaining optimal electrical contact pressure without the harmful effects of traditional clamping on the cable or conductor.
2Ease of operation
If friction-based clamping is used to fix the connecting element, then the installation simplicity is improved, but the connection reliability deteriorates under vibrations and temperature changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the fixation approach by using a spring element to actively maintain contact pressure between the connecting element and contact elements. This spring-based system dynamically compensates for vibrations, thermal expansion, and wear, ensuring reliable electrical connection under varying conditions. The spring force continuously presses the components together, reversing the passive friction-based approach to an active force-maintaining system.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a dynamic element (spring) into the connection system, allowing it to adapt to changing conditions such as vibrations, temperature fluctuations, and wear. The spring element can compress and expand to maintain optimal contact pressure, transforming a static friction-based connection into a dynamic system that actively responds to environmental changes and maintains connection reliability.
3Reliability
If form-fitting contact is used to lock the connecting element, then the connection stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the connecting element into distinct functional segments: a contact portion for electrical connection, a locking portion with a specific geometric profile (L-shaped, T-shaped, or keyed), and a portion that engages with the spring element. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall design modular and manufacturable, offsetting the increased complexity through functional decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges multiple functions into the connecting element: it provides both electrical contact (through conductive material) and mechanical locking (through the form-fit geometric profile). The connecting element simultaneously serves as the electrical conductor, the mechanical lock, and the structural component that engages with the spring element, reducing the need for separate components and offsetting the complexity through functional integration.
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 solution provides a reliable, low-contact-resistance electrical connection that remains stable under tensile forces and vibrations, without the need for clamping, thus preventing mechanical overload and maintaining consistent electrical properties over time.
Implementation Method 1
The device has an elastically deformable spring element, with which the connecting element is prestressed within the housing in the direction of positive contact with the fixing element
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A device (11) for electrically connecting a cable, in particular a plug-in connector part (2), has a housing (48) in which a connecting element (78) can be mechanically fixedly connected to an inner conductor (53) of the cable. The device (11) also includes at least one fixing element (81, 85, 87) for immovably fixing the connecting element (78) and the inner conductor (53) of the cable in the housing (48) by positive engagement when a tensile force occurs.