Sealed Airbag Connector With External Safety Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Airbag connectors face issues with incorrect connections during assembly, environmental interference, and the need for robust sealing and protection against vibrations and moisture, while existing solutions either lack sealing or do not adequately address security requirements.
Innovation Solution
The connector incorporates a sealed interior space for the short-circuiting means, with a plug-in safety device that is movable and externally mounted, and includes test elements and contact locks to ensure correct mating and secure the connection, while a sealing element protects against environmental influences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the connector is designed with multiple openings for contact elements and activation elements, then the functionality and security are improved, but the sealing becomes more difficult and robustness against environmental influences deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The short-circuiting means is nested within a sealed interior space formed by the plug element and receptacle element. This nesting allows the connector to maintain multiple functional openings while keeping the electrical contacts protected from environmental influences, resolving the contradiction between functionality and sealing robustness
Solution Approach 2:
A sealing element acts as an intermediary between the functional openings and the external environment. The sealing element creates a sealed interior space that allows contact elements and activation elements to pass through while preventing harmful environmental factors from reaching the electrical contacts
2Ease of manufacture
If the plug-in safety device is mounted inside the connector, then the sealing is simplified, but the device complexity and difficulty of assembly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The plug-in safety device is extracted from the internal connector structure and mounted on the external surface of the receptacle housing. This extraction simplifies the internal sealing structure while maintaining the safety function, and the external mounting provides clear visual indication of assembly status
3Strength
If the connector structure is made robust to withstand vibrations and adverse conditions, then the durability is improved, but the sealing complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealed interior space nested within the connector structure provides protection against environmental influences while maintaining a relatively simple overall design. The nesting approach allows robustness to be achieved without proportionally increasing sealing complexity
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The plug connector has a retainer housing (3) with a contact unit, which is short-circuited by a short-circuit unit (11). A plug securing device has an activation unit that extends into the housing, where the short-circuit unit is separated from the contact unit using the activation unit. The plug securing device is movably attached along the housing at an outer side of the connector. A fastening section is inserted into a chamber, and a plugging unit (2) forms an interior chamber in a closed position. An independent claim is also included for a method for inserting a plug connector.