Stacked Combination Terminal Assembly With Integrated Locking Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing combination terminal design requires a separate rivet collar for assembly, leading to an increase in the number of components and cumbersome assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A combination terminal design where each terminal includes a plate-like base portion, a projecting guided portion, and a locking portion, allowing adjacent terminals to be positioned and fixed without a separate rivet collar through a resiliently deformable locking mechanism, which also serves as a guide.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate rivet collar is used to position and assemble terminals, then the terminals can be securely positioned and assembled, but the number of components increases and assembly becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the positioning function into the terminal structure itself by providing a guide portion that fits into a guide groove on the rivet collar. This merging of positioning functionality into the terminal component eliminates the need for separate positioning elements, thereby reducing component count while maintaining positioning accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The guide portion and guide groove act as an intermediary mechanism between the terminal and rivet collar. This intermediary structure enables precise positioning and guiding during assembly without requiring additional separate positioning components, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity
2Reliability
If a separate rivet collar is used for assembly, then terminals can be properly positioned, but assembly time increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the positioning function into the terminal's guide portion that interfaces with the rivet collar's guide groove, the patent eliminates the need for separate positioning components. This reduction in component count directly decreases assembly time while maintaining positioning accuracy through the built-in guide mechanism
3Manufacturing precision
If terminals are stacked with through holes concentric, then alignment is achieved, but a separate rivet collar is still needed for positioning, increasing component count
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the positioning function with the terminal structure by providing a guide portion that fits into the guide groove on the rivet collar. This integration allows the terminal itself to contribute to positioning, eliminating the need for separate positioning components while maintaining alignment precision achieved through concentric through holes
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
This design reduces the number of components needed for assembly, saves time, and prevents incorrect positioning, while simplifying the configuration and reducing costs by allowing terminals to be assembled efficiently without additional positioning members.
Implementation Method 1
a resiliently deformable resilient locking portion to be locked to the locking portion of the other terminal
Data Source
AI summary
It is aimed to provide a combination terminal capable of saving assembly time by preventing an increase in the number of components at the time of assembly. A combination terminal is provided with a plurality of terminals (10A, 10B, 10C) to be stacked on each other. Each of the plurality of terminals (10A, 10B, 10C) includes a plate-like base portion (11), a plate-like guided portion (12) projecting from the base portion (11) and a locking portion (13) formed on the guided portion (12). Further, out of the terminals adjacent in a stacking direction, one (10A, 10C) of the terminals includes a guide portion (14L) to be arranged along the guided portion (12U) of the other terminal (10A, 10B, 10C) and a resiliently deformable resilient locking portion (27L) to be locked to the locking portion (13U) of the other terminal (10A, 10B, 10C).