Push-In Wire Connector With Guide Ribs Preventing Deflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing push-in wire connectors face challenges in simultaneously providing good electrical conduction, mechanical retention, and ease of use while being cost-effective and simple to manufacture, often resulting in wire insertion failures due to sideways deflection or bending of wire ends during connection.
Innovation Solution
The electrical wire connector features a guide and lock mechanism with a separation wall, a resilient spring leg, and a conduction plate that form a wire engagement segment to completely surround the stripped wire end, preventing deflection and ensuring secure insertion, comprising a guide and lock element, a conduction and retention element, and an enclosing element for secure assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single piece clip is used to provide both electrical conduction and mechanical retention, then the design is simple and easy to manufacture, but the material selection is limited and requires compromise between electrical conduction and mechanical strength
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into separate functional components: a resilient clip for mechanical retention and a busbar for electrical conduction. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function without compromise, resolving the contradiction between simple design and material selection flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The busbar serves as a multi-functional element that provides both electrical conduction and structural support, while the resilient clip handles mechanical retention. This functional distribution enables optimal material selection for each component.
2Strength
If the leg of the resilient clip is made more resilient to ensure good mechanical retention, then the wire retention strength is improved, but the resistance to wire insertion increases causing wire end deflection and insertion failure
Solution Approach 1:
Guide ribs are provided on the housing to preliminarily guide and align the wire end during insertion, preventing sideways deflection before the wire engages with the resilient clip. This allows the clip to be sufficiently resilient for strong retention without creating excessive insertion resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide ribs act as an intermediary element between the wire and the resilient clip, facilitating smooth wire insertion by preventing misalignment and deflection, thereby mediating between the need for strong retention and easy insertion.
3Ease of operation
If parallel guide ribs are added to hold wire end in correct orientation, then wire insertion guidance is improved, but the vertical height of ribs was insufficient allowing wire end sideway deflection
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical height of the guide ribs is optimized to provide sufficient guidance while maintaining ease of insertion. The ribs are positioned and dimensioned to effectively prevent wire deflection without creating excessive resistance during insertion.
4Ease of manufacture
If a busbar is used instead of a metallic structure for electrical conduction, then manufacturing cost is reduced and electrical conduction is improved, but additional components increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient clip and busbar are designed to work together as an integrated assembly, with the busbar positioned to receive wire ends guided by the clip. This merging of components achieves improved electrical conduction and cost-effectiveness while maintaining manageable device complexity.
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
The solution provides optimized mechanical retention and electrical connection while ensuring ease of use by preventing wire insertion failures, maintaining cost-effectiveness and simplicity in manufacturing, and ensuring reliable electrical conductivity between wires.
Implementation Method 1
The clip was made in the form of a cantilever spring so that a wire inserted through an aperture in the housing can deflect the spring and be clamped and retained in the housing
Data Source
AI summary
A push-in wire connector for electrically interconnecting multiple wires together is disclosed to have a guide and lock element, which is mated with a conduction and retention element and assembled inside the enclosing space of an enclosing element. Multiple wire insertion channels are provided inside the connector for receiving the insertion of wires. Each of the insertion channels includes a main port section led in by an insertion port for guiding the insertion of a stripped end of a wire. A wire engagement segment follows the main portion section formed by the surrounding of a conduction plate at the bottom, an insertion channel separation wall at one or both sides, and the resilient spring legs on the top. The wire engagement segment prevents the bending or deflection of the inserted wire end thereby ensuring secure and good electrical conduction between the inserted wires.