Terminal Cover Locking Structure for Finger-Safe Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors fail to adequately prevent finger contact with terminals, and existing solutions, such as cover members, are prone to positional shifts that reduce their effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring an outer housing with a cover member and holder that securely locks the cover member in place, ensuring it covers the terminal's exposed side surface and prevents finger contact, while allowing for easy alignment and use with different terminal shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a cover member is mounted on the terminal to suppress finger contact, then safety is improved, but the cover member is prone to positional shifts that reduce its effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member is nested within the holder structure, where the holder receives and secures the cover member in a receptacle. This nesting relationship ensures the cover member maintains its position relative to the terminal while being protected from positional shifts during assembly and operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder acts as an intermediary component between the terminal and the cover member. It provides a stable mounting structure with engagement features (protrusions and recesses) that secure the cover member in the correct position, preventing direct contact between the terminal and cover member while ensuring proper alignment.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a cover member is used to cover the terminal, then finger contact is suppressed, but alignment accuracy deteriorates due to position shifts
Solution Approach 1:
The holder and cover member feature asymmetric engagement structures with specific protrusions and corresponding recesses. This asymmetric design ensures unidirectional alignment and prevents misalignment during assembly, as the engagement features only fit together in the correct orientation, thereby maintaining high alignment accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder serves as a precision intermediary that pre-positions the cover member relative to the terminal using engagement features. This intermediary structure ensures accurate alignment is maintained during assembly and operation, eliminating alignment issues that would arise from direct attachment of the cover member to the terminal.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the terminal is made large to reduce finger contact risk, then safety is improved, but the connector structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is segmented into distinct functional components: the terminal, the cover member, and the holder. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the terminal can be sized for electrical performance while the cover member and holder provide the safety function through their structured assembly, avoiding the need to enlarge the terminal itself.
Data Source
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AI summary
A connector (1) includes a housing (2) that has an opening (23) fitting with a mating connector, a plate-shaped terminal (4) that is housed and held in the housing (2) with a first side surface (41) of the terminal (4) facing the opening (23), an insulating cover member (6 and 8) that is mounted on the terminal (4) and covers the first side surface (41), and a holder (7) that has through-holes (70a and 70b) into which mating terminals as terminals of the mating connector are inserted, is attached to the housing (2) from the opening (23) side, and locks the cover member (6).