Pre-opened Sealing Insert for Modular Connector Cable Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable sealing solutions require significant manual effort for assembly and production, with high demands for tightness and holding force, and involve additional steps like slitting, increasing costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A pre-opened sealing insert made from elastically deformable material with a slit along the through-opening, allowing automatic opening for easy cable insertion and closure for sealing and strain relief, eliminating the need for external tools and simplifying production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sealing inserts are made from elastic material with a slit for cable insertion, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional slitting process
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing insert is pre-split during manufacturing to create a gap that allows automatic opening upon cable insertion. This preliminary action eliminates the need for on-site slitting tools and manual spreading operations, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining ease of cable insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing insert is divided into two halves by a longitudinal slit, creating a gap that allows the insert to open automatically when a cable is inserted. This segmentation enables the sealing insert to adapt to the cable while maintaining structural integrity and sealing capability.
2Reliability
If manual assembly of sealing inserts is performed with spreading tools, then sealing quality is improved, but productivity decreases due to additional manual effort
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing insert is pre-configured with a gap during manufacturing, eliminating the need for on-site spreading operations. This allows the insert to open automatically upon cable insertion, maintaining sealing quality through precise manufacturing while dramatically increasing assembly speed and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing insert automatically opens and adapts to the cable when inserted, without requiring external spreading tools or manual intervention. The elastic material and pre-created gap enable the insert to self-adjust and seal around the cable, improving both productivity and consistency of sealing quality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If sealing inserts require slitting process during production, then adaptability to different cables is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing insert is pre-split during the molding process using a split core or insert, creating a gap that allows the insert to open automatically. This preliminary action during manufacturing eliminates the need for post-production slitting, maintaining adaptability to different cable sizes while significantly simplifying the production process.
Solution Approach 2:
The width of the pre-created gap can be adjusted during manufacturing to optimize performance for different cable diameters. This parameter change during production allows the sealing insert to adapt to various cable sizes without requiring different slitting operations, simplifying manufacturing while maintaining versatility.
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
Reduces manual assembly effort, eliminates the need for expanding tools, and simplifies production by eliminating the slitting step, while providing enhanced sealing and holding force through a pre-opened design that can be easily integrated into modular connector systems.
Implementation Method 1
The sealing insert is formed from at least one elastically deformable material and has at least one through-opening for at least one cable to be passed through
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
The aim is to insert cables (2, 2') into a housing with minimal manual effort. In particular, the housing can be the housing of a connector that has a modular system. According to the invention, the use of special pre-opened sealing inserts (1, 1') is proposed to facilitate the corresponding assembly effort and even to enable simplified machine assembly.