Rotatable Rear Casing for Plug Connector Tolerance Compensation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional plug connectors face damage due to excessive squeezing forces caused by thread deviations between the plug and receptacle connectors, leading to unstable locking and potential damage to the plug body.

Innovation Solution

A connector assembly design featuring a rotatable rear casing with a circular arc surface and a guide mounting groove, along with a spring and unlocking elastic piece, allows for flexible assembly and torsion resistance, ensuring the plug body is not excessively pressed and preventing damage from thread size deviations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the protective casing is continuously screwed forward to ensure firm locking, then the locking stability is improved, but the plug body may be damaged due to strong squeezing force

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocking stabilityVSAvoidsqueezing force damage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The rear casing is designed to rotate relative to the front casing, transforming the static rigid connection into a dynamic adjustable connection. This allows the system to adapt to thread size deviations through rotational movement, reducing harmful squeezing forces while maintaining locking stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The circular arc-shaped oriented fitting surface enables parameter change in the form of rotational angle. By changing the angular parameter of the rear casing relative to the front casing, the system accommodates thread deviations and prevents excessive squeezing force on the plug body.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Stability of the object's composition

If the rear casing is rigidly fixed to the front casing, then the structural stability is improved, but the plug body cannot accommodate thread size deviations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidthread tolerance adaptation
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The connection between front casing and rear casing is changed from rigid fixed to rotatable dynamic connection. The circular arc-shaped oriented fitting surface allows controlled rotation, providing adaptability to thread size deviations while maintaining overall structural stability through the guide mounting groove constraints.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The casing is divided into front casing and rear casing as separate rotatable segments. This segmentation allows the rear casing to rotate independently relative to the front casing, enabling adaptation to thread deviations while the guide mounting groove maintains structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If the plug body is floatingly installed with a spring, then compliance with assembly tolerances is achieved, but the plug body cannot prevent damage from excessive squeezing force

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly tolerance complianceVSAvoidexcessive squeezing force
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The rotatable rear casing acts as an intermediary between the plug body and the protective casing. It absorbs and accommodates thread size deviations through rotational movement, preventing these deviations from being transmitted as excessive squeezing forces to the plug body.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The circular arc-shaped oriented fitting surface provides beforehand cushioning by allowing controlled rotation before the protective casing is fully tightened. This pre-adjustment mechanism prevents excessive squeezing force from being applied to the plug body during the locking process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

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 design ensures stable locking without damaging the plug body by allowing the rear casing to move freely and limiting excessive rotation, accommodating different mounting tolerances and preventing internal optical path damage.

Implementation Method 1

a spring configured to apply a forward force to the contact member is disposed inside the plug body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

An oriented fitting surface between the rear casing and the front casing may be a circular arc-shaped surface, and the rear casing may be rotatably assembled in the front casing

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP3671299B1Connector assembly and plug connector and core unit thereof
Publication Date: 2023.02.22 CHINA AVIATION OPTICAL ELECTRICAL TECH CO LTD
  • EP3671299B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3671299B1 patent drawingFigure 3~6

AI summary

The present invention relates to a connector assembly and a plug connector and a core unit thereof. The core unit, with its front end being an inserted end, includes a front casing and a rear casing oriented and assembled in front and rear directions. The rear casing is provided with a guide mounting structure for disposing an optical cable inside the rear casing. The front casing is provided with a plug body at a front end thereof. A limiting structure is arranged between the front casing and the rear casing to limit the positions to which the front and rear casings are separated in the front and rear directions, ensuring that after the plug body is plugged in place, a protective casing and a receptacle casing are locked and fit to each other continuously, such that the rear casing has a certain freedom to move in a forward direction when being pushed by the protective casing, thereby satisfying the need for different mounting tolerances in the receptacle casing, simplifying the structure and preventing the plug body from damage caused by an excessive pressing force.