Rotary Plug Connector Locking for Faster Assembly Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plug connectors with locking devices are cumbersome and time-consuming to assemble due to freely movable locking mechanisms that require manual positioning and alignment during mating, leading to increased assembly costs.
Innovation Solution
A plug connector with a rotatably mounted locking device featuring elastically deformable locking hooks that snap into recesses, allowing automatic alignment and locking only when the mating connector is correctly inserted, eliminating the need for manual positioning and reducing assembly complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the locking device is freely movable on the connector, then the locking device can be manually positioned and held in a predetermined position during assembly, but this makes assembly and locking time-consuming and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device is pre-configured with a retaining element that automatically holds it in the correct position during assembly. This preliminary positioning action eliminates the need for manual positioning operations, allowing the locking device to be correctly positioned automatically as the connector is assembled, thereby increasing assembly speed while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking device incorporates a self-retaining mechanism where the retaining element automatically engages with the locking device to hold it in the predetermined position. This self-service feature eliminates the need for external manual intervention to position and hold the locking device during assembly, improving both assembly speed and operational simplicity.
2Productivity
If the locking device is held in a predetermined position during assembly, then assembly time is reduced, but the locking device must be manually moved and held which increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device uses a self-retaining mechanism where the retaining element automatically engages with the locking device to hold it in the predetermined position. This self-service feature eliminates the need for external manual intervention to position and hold the locking device during assembly, improving both assembly speed and operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining element is designed as a separate, simple component that can be easily integrated into the locking device. By extracting the positioning function into this dedicated retaining element, the overall system becomes more modular and manageable, reducing the complexity burden while maintaining high assembly speed.
3Reliability
If the locking hooks are spring-loaded into locking recesses, then the locking device is automatically fixed in position, but manual positioning is no longer possible
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device employs a dynamic retention system where the retaining element can be manually displaced when needed (during assembly or for removal) and automatically returns to its engagement position with the locking device. This dynamic behavior allows manual positioning capability to be restored when required, while maintaining automatic fixed positioning during normal operation, thus balancing reliability with ease of operation.
4Ease of operation
If the locking device is automatically released by the mating connector, then the plugging process is simplified, but the locking device must be designed to allow automatic release
Solution Approach 1:
The release function is extracted and integrated into the mating connector itself, which contains a corresponding element designed to engage with and disengage the retaining element. This separation of functions allows the locking device to maintain its automatic retention mechanism while the mating connector provides the automatic release capability, simplifying the overall plugging process without significantly increasing the complexity of the locking device structure.
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 enables efficient and cost-effective assembly by ensuring the locking device is fixed in a predetermined position during plugging, automatically releasing and locking the connectors only when correctly aligned, thus simplifying the plugging process and reducing manual intervention.
Implementation Method 1
The locking device forms or has at least one elastically deformable locking hook. Corresponding to the at least one locking hook, the housing has a locking recess for each locking hook.
Implementation Method 2
The locking device can be latched to the housing by means of a spring-loaded locking hook into the respectively associated locking recess in a predetermined rotational position relative to the housing
Data Source
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Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a plug connector with a locking device for locking the plug connector to a mating plug connector which is plugged in an intended manner, wherein the plug connector has a housing on which the locking device is rotatably mounted, and the locking device has at least one elastically deformable latching hook. The housing has a latch recess for each latching hook, and the locking device can be latched and fixed to the housing in a specified rotational position relative to the housing by deflecting each latching hook into the latch recess as soon as the locking device has been actuated into a specified plug position.