Squib Connector CPA Spring Locking Against False Mating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors in motorised vehicles, particularly those used for safety applications like airbag deployment, often experience incomplete or incorrect locking, leading to false positive connections that can fail under vehicular vibrations, posing a risk to safety systems.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector with a spring-formed CPA part that includes engagement rods, configured to provide a locking position assurance through a series of coupling stages, ensuring correct mating and locking by using a wire spring that exerts a biasing force along the mating axis, reducing the risk of false positives and ensuring secure connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an electrical connector is configured without a CPA device, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of the electrical connection deteriorates due to incomplete locking and false positive readings
Solution Approach 1:
The CPA device provides feedback about the locking status of the electrical connector. The indicator member visually indicates whether the locking member is properly engaged with the squib holder, giving operators feedback to ensure correct connection before proceeding with assembly or deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The CPA device acts as an intermediary between the locking mechanism and the operator. It translates the mechanical state of the locking member into a visible indication, mediating the information about connection status between the mechanical components and the human operator who needs to verify proper connection.
2Reliability
If a CPA device is added to the electrical connector, then the reliability of the electrical connection is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The CPA device is segmented into distinct functional components: a locking member that engages with the squib holder, an indicator member that provides visual feedback, and a biasing element that maintains the locking member in the engaged position. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while keeping the overall design manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The CPA device applies local quality by concentrating the reliability-enhancing features at the critical connection point between the electrical connector and squib holder. The locking member and indicator member are positioned exactly where needed to ensure proper engagement and provide local verification, rather than distributing complexity throughout the entire connector assembly.
3Ease of operation
If the locking part is designed to lock automatically, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to inability to ensure correct locking under vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The locking member is designed to automatically engage with the squib holder during the connection process, performing the locking action preliminarily before the operator needs to verify the connection. This preliminary automatic locking action ensures that the basic engagement occurs without requiring manual intervention, while the indicator member subsequently provides verification that the locking is correct and secure.
Solution Approach 2:
The indicator member provides continuous feedback about the locking status, allowing the operator to verify that the automatic locking process resulted in correct engagement. This feedback mechanism ensures that the ease of automatic operation does not compromise reliability, as the operator can confirm proper connection before proceeding.
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 provides reliable electrical connections by eliminating incomplete mating and ensuring secure locking, enhancing the reliability of safety systems like airbags by preventing accidental disconnections due to vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
the spring is configured to exert a biasing force on the CPA part to retain the CPA part in the proximate position
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
An electrical connector for coupling to a squib holder along a mating axis to provide an electrical connection in a motorised vehicle is provided. The electrical connector comprises a connector position assurance, CPA, part configured to provide a locking position assurance. The electrical connector comprises a spring formed by a wire with one or more ends of the wire extending to form a respective one or more engagement rods. The electrical connector comprises a body of the electrical connector. The body of the electrical connector comprises a cover part, a connecting part, and a locking part configured to lock with the squib holder. The locking part is connected to the cover part by the connecting part and the CPA part is configured with the body to move along the mating axis along the connecting part between a position proximate the locking part and a position distal the locking part. The spring is mounted on the CPA part or the cover part such that the engagement rods are configured in a plane defined by the mating axis to engage with an engagement surface of the other of the CPA part or the cover part, and the spring is configured to exert a biasing force on the CPA part to retain the CPA part in the proximate position. The electrical connector is configured in a first coupling stage, in which the CPA part is retained in the proximate position by the biasing force of the spring to prevent the locking part from engaging with the squib holder. The electrical connector is configured in a second coupling stage, in which the CPA part is moved along the mating axis along the connecting part against the biasing force of the spring between the proximate position and the distal position allowing the locking part to engage with the squib holder. The electrical connector is configured in a third coupling stage, in which the CPA part is held in the distal position against the biasing force of the spring which allows the locking part to lock with the squib holder. The electrical connector is configured in a fourth coupling stage, in which the CPA part returns to the proximate position by the biasing force of the spring, which allows the CPA part to provide the locking position assurance of the locking part and the squib holder.