Sliding Connector Terminal for Fast Hot-Swap Arc Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connector components face challenges in reducing the duration of electric arcs during slow hot insertion or removal, especially when high voltages are involved, leading to potential ablation and other undesirable situations.
Innovation Solution
A connector component design featuring a first and second connector with a sliding terminal, stopper, and force accumulator that allows for deformation and restoration to facilitate quick and reliable connection or disconnection, independent of hand movement speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If the male connector and female connector are inserted or removed at a high speed (more than 2 m/s), then the duration of the electric arc is reduced, but it is difficult to implement in actual operation
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic component is pre-compressed by the stopper before the conductive terminals make contact. This preliminary storage of elastic energy enables the sliding terminal to rapidly move and complete the connection or disconnection action once triggered, achieving high-speed operation without requiring the user to manually move the connectors quickly
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic component automatically drives the sliding terminal to move rapidly after the stopper releases, without requiring external power or control systems. The system uses its own internal elastic energy to achieve the rapid movement needed to reduce arc duration, making the operation self-powered and simple to use
2Duration of action of moving object
If the connector component is designed for quick insertion or removal, then the electric arc duration is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to additional components like force accumulator
Solution Approach 1:
The force accumulation and release function is extracted as a separate elastic component that can be independently designed and optimized. This modular approach allows the rapid movement mechanism to be added without fundamentally redesigning the entire connector structure, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding terminal acts as an intermediary element that carries the conductive terminal and is driven by the elastic component. This intermediary structure allows the elastic force to be transmitted to the conductive terminal without requiring direct mechanical connection, simplifying the overall mechanism while achieving rapid movement
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 effectively reduces the duration of electric arcs during slow hot insertion or removal by utilizing a force accumulator to drive the sliding terminal for rapid connection and separation, enhancing safety and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
the force accumulator is deformed due to an accumulated force; and when the stopper is unfastened relative to the first housing, the force accumulator is restored from the deformation
Implementation Method 2
when a voltage in a circuit is high, an electric arc may be generated in a hot swapping (that is, insertion or removal with powered on) process of the male connector and the female connector
Data Source
AI summary
A connector component and an electronic device related to the field of connector technologies, to resolve a problem that the connector component does not support slow hot insertion or removal. The connector component includes a first connector and a second connector. The first connector includes a first housing and a first conductive terminal. The first conductive terminal is fastened to the first housing. The second connector includes a fastening component and a movable component. The fastening component includes a second conductive terminal. The movable component includes a sliding terminal and a stopper. The sliding terminal is connected to the second conductive terminal in a sliding manner. The stopper is fastened to the sliding terminal. The second connector further includes a force accumulator. The force accumulator is connected to the fastening component and the movable component.