Telecom Contact Spring Preventing Unintentional Release

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing contact springs in telecommunications distribution devices face challenges in ensuring reliable connections, especially under high electrical current conditions, which can lead to unintentional disconnection and failure to protect against overvoltage damage.

Innovation Solution

A contact spring design featuring a contact clip that partially surrounds the contact lug, forming a receiving and contact area, with a clamping section connected via lateral sections, ensuring stable contact and preventing unintentional release, even under high overvoltage conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a contact lug is exposed to connect a device, then the device can be connected to the contact spring, but the contact may be unintentionally released under high electrical current conditions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontact reliabilityVSAvoidconnection stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The contact clip is formed adjacent to the contact lug and at least partially surrounds it, creating a nested structure where the contact clip encloses the contact lug. This nesting provides mechanical support and prevents unintentional release while maintaining electrical connection reliability under high current conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The contact spring is segmented into distinct functional parts: the contact lug for electrical connection and the contact clip for mechanical support. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally - the contact lug provides electrical contact while the contact clip provides structural stability and prevents release.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If a contact clip surrounds the contact lug to prevent release, then connection stability is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection stabilityVSAvoidcontact spring structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The contact clip and contact spring are merged into a single integrated component rather than separate parts. The contact clip is formed adjacent to and as part of the contact spring structure, reducing the number of separate components while maintaining the stabilizing function. This merging simplifies the overall device complexity while improving connection stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 guarantees reliable contact between the contact spring and connected devices, such as overvoltage protection devices, across all operating states, including high electrical current scenarios, thereby effectively protecting the distribution device from overvoltage damage.

Implementation Method 1

an opposite, free and resiliently deformable end of the respective contact lug

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2495815B1Contact spring of a distributor device of a telecommunications assembly
Publication Date: 2014.12.24 CCS TECHNOLOGY INC
  • EP2495815B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2495815B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2495815B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The contact spring (10) has connectors (13,14) that are provided at opposite ends (11,12) for connecting incoming and outgoing wires of subscriber cable, system cable or patch cable. The contact tabs (20,21) are provided in middle area (19) and positioned between two connectors, for contacting the overvoltage protection device and test device respectively. A contact work area (22) is formed in middle area to partially surround the contact tabs. A contact region (23) is formed to contact with respective contact tabs and contact work area.