Shield Connector Terminal Insertion Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shield connectors face difficulties in automating the assembly process due to complex steps and short wire lengths exposed from the coating material, which complicates the insertion of terminals into receiving chambers.
Innovation Solution
The shield connector design features an inner housing with dual terminal receiving chambers and a shield terminal, where one chamber has an opening allowing terminal insertion from a side opposite to the other, enabling easy automation by bending and straightening wires to facilitate terminal attachment and insertion without requiring extensive manual manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the length of each electric wire exposed from the coating material is shortened to maintain electromagnetic shielding effect, then the shielding performance is improved, but the difficulty of inserting terminals into receiving chambers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inner housing is divided into multiple receiving chambers, each capable of receiving terminals from different directions. This segmentation allows wires of different lengths to be accommodated independently, with shorter wires entering from one direction and longer wires from another, resolving the contradiction between shielding performance and terminal insertion ease
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving chambers are designed to accept terminals from multiple dimensions/directions. By enabling terminal insertion from both the front surface and side surfaces of the inner housing, the design accommodates wires of varying lengths without compromising shielding effectiveness, as the insertion direction adapts to wire length rather than requiring uniform wire length
2Ease of operation
If the shield connector design requires complex manual manipulation for terminal insertion, then all terminal receiving chambers can be accessed, but the assembly automation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The inner housing is segmented into multiple receiving chambers with different access configurations. Each chamber can receive terminals from optimized directions, allowing automated assembly equipment to access different chambers using standardized insertion motions adapted to each chamber's orientation, thereby enabling automation while maintaining comprehensive terminal receiving capability
Solution Approach 2:
The inner housing design provides universal accessibility for terminal insertion through multiple surfaces (front and side surfaces). This multi-functional access design allows a single automated assembly system to service all receiving chambers using consistent operational principles, making the overall assembly process automatable while ensuring all terminals can be received
3Ease of manufacture
If the inner housing structure is designed with multiple access surfaces for terminal insertion, then the ease of assembly is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inner housing is divided into modular receiving chambers that can be independently formed. Each chamber is designed with specific access characteristics, but they all share common structural features and mounting interfaces. This modular segmentation allows the complex multi-access structure to be manufactured using standardized processes, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining assembly ease
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the inner housing are designed with locally optimized qualities - some chambers have front-access openings while others have side-access openings, depending on the specific terminal and wire configuration requirements. This local differentiation is achieved through systematic design patterns rather than arbitrary complexity, allowing ease of assembly for different terminal types while controlling overall device complexity through reuse of structural motifs
Data Source
AI summary
A shield connector includes an inner housing provided with a first terminal receiving chamber and a second terminal receiving chamber which are configured to respectively receive inner terminals attached to ends of a plurality of wires bundled into a shielded electric wire, and a shield terminal incorporating the inner housing therein. The first terminal receiving chamber is provided with an opening which is opened to a side opposite to a side where the second terminal receiving chamber is placed. The opening is opened, from one end of the first terminal receiving chamber at a side of a terminal insertion port of the second terminal receiving chamber through which one of the inner terminals is inserted, to a wall at the other end of the first terminal receiving chamber, so that another one of the inner terminals is received in the first terminal receiving chamber through the opening.