Plug-and-Socket Connector Dual-Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plug-and-socket connectors lack a reliable mechanism to ensure correct locking of male or female contacts, leading to potential failures in securing electrical connections, especially when manually inserted into plastic housings.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a dual-locking mechanism involving a first catch and a second catch, with the first catch providing a secure limit stop and the second catch ensuring correct alignment and locking, allowing only proper alignment to complete the locking process, while accommodating varying electrical lead thicknesses through adjustable collar diameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual insertion of contacts into plastic housing is used, then ease of assembly is improved, but locking reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The contact is pre-locked in the desired position during insertion into the plastic housing. The first catch engages with the contact at a first location to pre-lock it, ensuring correct positioning before final closing. This preliminary action guarantees that each contact is locked in the correct position, eliminating the reliability issues of manual assembly while maintaining ease of assembly through the self-locking mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is divided into two independent locking processes: a first locking process using the first catch at a first location, and a second locking process using the second catch at a second location. This segmentation provides dual independent locking, preventing any single point of failure and ensuring high locking reliability while maintaining simple assembly through the integrated design.
2Reliability
If dual-locking mechanism is implemented, then locking reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dual-locking mechanism is integrated into a single cover closing action. When the cover is closed, both the first catch and second catch simultaneously engage with their respective contacts, achieving dual locking in one motion. This merging of functions maintains simplicity of operation while providing enhanced reliability through multiple locking points.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover serves multiple functions: it protects the contacts, provides the first locking through the first catch, provides the second locking through the second catch, and enables detection of incorrect assembly. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, maintaining device simplicity while achieving high reliability through dual locking.
3Manufacturing precision
If fixed collar diameter is used, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The collar diameter is made variable rather than fixed. The collar can be adjusted to different diameters to accommodate electrical leads of varying thicknesses. This dynamic adjustment capability maintains precise locking (since the first catch locks at a specific location) while providing adaptability to different lead sizes, resolving the contradiction between precision and versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A plug-and-socket connector (10) has a plastic housing (11) that holds electrical male or female contacts (14) in boreholes (16, 17) next to each other, and whose forward end forms a plug extension (13) or as a socket extension (113) and whose rear end receives and locks the male or female contacts (14) in the housing (11). In a plug and socket connector (10) of this type, in order to lock the male or female contacts in two ways, independently of each other, in the plastic housing (11), at the same time permitting the plastic housing (11) to be shaped using injection molding technology in a relatively simple manner, it is provided that, for receiving a male or female contact (14), a first catch (37) protrudes in the area of each borehole (16, 17) located on the other, rear housing end (12, 112), the catch being arranged on a fixed wall (36) of the rear housing end and engaging a first collar (29) of the male or female contact (14) from behind, and a second catch (41, 51) is provided on a cover (23, 24) so as to allow the radially open rear housing end (12) to be closed and covered, the catch engaging the first collar (29) or a second collar (30) of the male or female contact (14) from behind.