Three-Pin Solar Connector With Offset Pins for Compatibility Identification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users struggle to select the correct solar accessory for their electronic devices due to varying power requirements and similar physical configurations of power connectors, leading to compatibility issues and difficulty in identifying appropriate accessories.
Innovation Solution
A three-pin power connector with offset pins and unique electrical components allows for visual and electrical verification of compatibility, ensuring proper connection and identification of the solar accessory type.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If power connectors have similar physical configurations, then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but compatibility identification and correct selection become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by providing at least one offset pin in the multi-pin power connector. This offset pin creates an asymmetric configuration that distinguishes compatible connectors from incompatible ones. The asymmetric design allows users to easily identify the correct solar accessory by the unique pin arrangement, resolving the contradiction between simplified manufacturing (symmetric designs) and ease of operation (distinctive identification).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making only specific pins (at least one pin) offset while keeping other pins in standard positions. This localized modification provides distinctive identification capability without requiring complete redesign of the entire connector structure, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while enabling compatibility identification.
2Reliability
If multiple pin configurations are used to ensure compatibility, then connection reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric offset pin configuration provides a simple yet effective method to ensure connection reliability. By creating a unique asymmetric pattern, the design guarantees that only compatible solar accessories with matching offset pins can be connected, preventing incompatible connections without requiring complex multi-configuration designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the positional parameter of at least one pin (creating an offset) while maintaining the overall connector structure. This single parameter change is sufficient to ensure compatibility identification and reliable connection, avoiding the need for multiple complex pin configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-pin power connector for a solar accessory is described. In some examples, the power connector has three pins that can be used for identifying a proper solar accessory for an electronic device. In one particular example, a power connector apparatus includes a connector head that is configured to supply power from a solar device to an electronic device. The connector head includes a first electrical connector that is positioned on a first side of the connector head, a second electrical connector that is positioned on a second side of the connector head, and a third electrical connector that is offset from the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector.