Socket Contact With Lateral Cable Outlet for Stable High-Current Mating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical contact elements for high current transmission, particularly in compact installations, face challenges in reducing contact resistance and preventing wobbling of contact pins due to orthogonal alignment of connection and contact regions, leading to potential overheating and instability.
Innovation Solution
An electrical contact element with a cylindrical connection region forming a crimp connection and a cylindrical passage opening in the contact region, featuring a peripheral contact strip made of beryllium-containing materials like beryllium copper, which reduces contact resistance and prevents wobbling, along with a recess and elevation design for form-fitting alignment, and a silver-coated copper base for enhanced conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the connection region opening and contact region passage opening extend in parallel (conventional design), then the structural alignment is simple, but the contact resistance increases and overheating occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a parallel alignment (same dimension) to an orthogonal alignment (different dimension) between the connection region opening and contact region passage opening. This dimensional change allows the cable to enter from the side rather than from the end, reducing contact resistance while maintaining structural feasibility through the orthogonal geometric relationship.
2Reliability
If a peripheral contact strip is added to reduce contact resistance, then the electrical performance improves, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact strip is integrated directly into the socket contact body as a unified component rather than being a separate part. This merging of the contact strip with the socket contact allows for reduced contact resistance while avoiding the complexity of assembling separate components, as the contact strip forms an integral part of the molded or machined socket contact.
3Volume of moving object
If the contact element is designed for compact installation with orthogonal openings, then the installation space is reduced, but the alignment precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric positioning of the connection region opening relative to the contact region passage opening, with the connection opening located on the side wall rather than centered. This asymmetric design, combined with the orthogonal arrangement, optimizes the use of installation space while the molded features and geometric constraints inherently guide alignment, reducing the stringency of precision requirements.
4Reliability
If beryllium-containing material is used for the contact strip, then the current-carrying capacity increases, but the material cost and processing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beryllium-containing material specifically to the contact strip region where high current density and electrical performance are critical, rather than using this expensive material throughout the entire socket contact. This localized application of high-performance material optimizes current-carrying capacity at the contact interface while reducing overall material cost and processing complexity compared to using beryllium-containing material for the entire component.
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 solution effectively reduces contact resistance and prevents wobbling, ensuring reliable high-current transmission while allowing for compact and stable installation configurations, with the beryllium contact strip and silver-coated copper enhancing the current-carrying capacity and maintaining alignment of contact elements.
Implementation Method 1
Specific contact points between the socket contact and the pin contact are defined by way of the contact strip. As a result, the contact resistance of the plug-in connection is reduced.
Implementation Method 2
The surface of the copper base body of the contact element is coated with a silver or silver alloy layer. As a result, the current-carrying capacity of the contact element is further increased significantly.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical contact element (1) for transmitting high currents has a connection region (A) and a contact region (K). The connection region (A) has a cylindrical opening (2) and the contact region (K) has a cylindrical passage opening (3). The opening (2) and the passage opening (3) are oriented orthogonally relative to each other and a peripheral contact strip (4) is arranged within the cylindrical passage opening (3).