Round Terminal Low Profile Cap with Radial Engagement Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric connectors, particularly in automotive charging systems, face challenges in reducing size and improving the engagement mechanism of end caps, which affects the overall efficiency and reliability of electrical connections.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a terminal body with a contact base and contact arms, an end cap with a flange and engagement tabs, and a cap opening that allows for improved engagement and securement within the terminal body, preventing movement and enhancing the connection's stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the end cap is designed with a simple structure to reduce manufacturing complexity, then the manufacturing process is easier and cost is reduced, but the engagement reliability and connection stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The end cap is segmented into multiple functional features: a flange with engagement tabs, a cap opening, and a resilient body. The engagement tabs are further segmented with rounded distal ends that fit into corresponding grooves on the terminal body, creating discrete engagement points that enhance reliability while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient nature of the end cap allows it to self-adjust and self-lock into the terminal body through its own elastic properties. The engagement tabs automatically snap into the grooves when the end cap is inserted, and the resilient body maintains constant contact pressure without requiring additional fastening mechanisms, thereby ensuring reliable engagement through self-service
2Volume of moving object
If the connector size is reduced to improve compactness, then the overall dimensions are smaller and space is saved, but the engagement mechanism becomes more difficult to implement reliably
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement tabs are nested within the grooves of the terminal body, with the tabs fitting inside the groove structures. This nested arrangement allows the engagement mechanism to be compact while maintaining functional reliability, as the tabs and grooves interlock within the limited space of the reduced-size connector
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement mechanism utilizes the radial dimension by extending tabs outward from the flange to engage with grooves on the terminal body wall, rather than relying solely on axial or lateral dimensions. This dimensional approach allows for a simple yet reliable engagement mechanism that fits within a compact connector volume
3Reliability
If the end cap opening is made smaller to keep the electric contact trapped inside, then the contact retention is improved, but the insertion of the male pin becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cap opening is designed with specific local qualities: it is positioned and sized to be just large enough to allow male pin insertion while remaining small enough to retain the electric contact. The opening's location on the flange and its dimensions are optimized to provide different functions at different scales - small enough for contact retention but large enough for pin access
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the opening large and using additional retention mechanisms, the design inverts the approach by making the opening small and using the resilient end cap's elastic properties to provide retention while allowing insertion. The resilient body flexes to accommodate pin insertion and then springs back to secure the contact, reversing the traditional large-opening-with-retention-mechanism approach
Data Source
AI summary
An electric connector terminal body defines an interior space that extends along an axis. An electric contact located within the interior space includes a contact base and a plurality of contact arms that extend from the contact base toward an outer end of the terminal body. An end cap located on the outer end of the terminal body includes a cap base that defines a cap opening that is co-axial with the interior space. The end cap also includes a flange that extends from the cap base in an inner direction into the interior space of the terminal body. The flange includes an engagement tab that extends from the flange in a radial direction generally perpendicular to the axis of the interior space and engages a terminal groove located in a wall of the interior space.