Stepped Cavity Electrical Connector Terminal Centering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors for airbag systems in motor vehicles face challenges in achieving reliable and compact designs due to space constraints, particularly in installations like steering wheels, where proper terminal fixation and alignment are crucial for ensuring a stable connection.
Innovation Solution
The design features a connector housing with stepped cavity portions and protruding ribs for enhanced terminal stabilization, allowing for reduced cavity length while maintaining proper fixation and alignment, along with flexible spring arms for engaging male pins, facilitating a compact and reliable connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the guiding length of the terminal is increased to improve fixation, then terminal fixation reliability is improved, but the overall connector size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal is divided into two distinct portions: a first terminal portion with a reduced guiding length for compactness, and a second terminal portion with spring arms for engagement. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently, reducing overall size while maintaining fixation reliability through the spring mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fixation mechanism from relying solely on friction along the guiding length to using a spring force mechanism. The spring arms are pre-loaded to exert a gripping force on the male pin, providing reliable fixation without requiring a long guiding length. This parameter change in the fixation approach enables size reduction.
2Volume of moving object
If the guiding length is reduced for compact design, then connector size is reduced, but terminal alignment and fixation stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The spring arms are pre-formed with a curved configuration that exerts a preliminary gripping force on the male pin upon insertion. This preliminary action of the spring mechanism compensates for the reduced guiding length, ensuring proper alignment and stable fixation without requiring a long terminal portion.
3Reliability
If spring arms are made longer to improve engagement, then male pin engagement is improved, but terminal position stability deteriorates due to increased lever effect
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the spring arm length and pre-load force parameters to achieve the right balance. The spring arms are designed with sufficient length for reliable pin engagement but not excessively long, and the pre-load force is calibrated to provide adequate gripping strength while minimizing the lever effect that would cause terminal position instability.
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 ensures stable terminal fixation and alignment within the connector, reducing the overall size of the electrical connector while maintaining reliable electrical connections, even under space-constrained conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The second terminal portion comprises spring arms which are able to flexibly bend in- and outwards so that they can grab the male terminals
Implementation Method 2
The fixation of a terminal inside a cavity is usually caused by friction between the cylindrical shaped upper portion of the terminal and the inner walls of the cavity
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector configured to be mated with a corresponding counter connector to establish an electrical connection is presented. The connector includes a connector housing having at least one terminal cavity for receiving at least one female contact terminal. The cavity defines a first cavity portion and a second cavity portion. A step is arranged between the first and the second cavity portion. A female contact terminal likewise comprises a step arranged between first and second terminal portions such that, in a mounted condition, the respective steps of terminal cavity and female contact terminal engage each other.