Terminal Fitting with Fastening Projections for Flat Circuit Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for attaching terminal fittings to flat circuit bodies, such as FPCs or FFCs, often require costly molds and can result in insecure attachment due to positional gaps between the terminal fitting and the conductor, especially when the conductor is not pre-shaped.
Innovation Solution
A terminal fitting with an electric contact part and an electric wire connecting part featuring caulking pieces with fastening projections that crimp the conductor, preventing it from coming off and ensuring stable attachment without the need for pre-shaping the conductor or additional molds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the conductor is bent into a shape adapted to attach the terminal fitting thereto, then the attachment stability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to requiring additional molds
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of bending the conductor to fit the terminal fitting, the invention inverts the approach by designing the terminal fitting to accommodate the flat conductor shape. The caulking pieces are configured with gaps that receive the flat conductor, and fastening projections that prevent displacement, eliminating the need for conductor bending while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal fitting's electric wire connecting part is designed to replicate the attachment functionality of the conventional bent-conductor method without requiring the actual bending process. The caulking pieces and fastening projections create a copying effect that secures the flat conductor in place, achieving the same stability as bent conductors but with simpler manufacturing.
2Ease of manufacture
If the terminal fitting is attached to a flat conductor without pre-shaping, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but a positional gap occurs making secure attachment difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal fitting incorporates localized structural features - specifically, the caulking pieces with gaps positioned to receive the flat conductor and fastening projections extending toward each other. These local quality enhancements at critical attachment points prevent the positional gap issue while maintaining the overall simplicity of using flat conductors.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening projections act as intermediary elements between the caulking pieces and the flat conductor. They fill the potential positional gap by extending into the gap space and preventing conductor displacement, thereby mediating the connection between the terminal fitting and flat conductor to achieve secure attachment.
3Reliability
If multiple molds are used for forming and caulking, then the attachment stability is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of multiple molds into a single integrated terminal fitting structure. The caulking pieces and fastening projections are formed as integral parts of the terminal fitting, combining what would traditionally require separate forming and caulking molds into one unified component, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining attachment stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal fitting's electric wire connecting part serves multiple functions simultaneously: the caulking pieces provide mechanical clamping, the gaps accommodate the flat conductor shape, and the fastening projections prevent displacement. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized molds for each function, reducing overall device complexity.
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 solution allows for secure attachment of the terminal fitting to the flat circuit body without increasing costs, maintaining stability even under vibration, and simplifies the attachment process by eliminating the need for pre-shaping the conductor.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of caulking pieces rising up from the bottom wall, the pair of the caulking pieces caulking a conductor of a flat circuit body on a condition that the conductor is positioned above the bottom wall between the pair of the caulking pieces, thereby the electric wire connecting part crimping the conductor
Implementation Method 2
preventing means for preventing the conductor from coming off from between the pair of the caulking pieces
Data Source
AI summary
The terminal fitting includes: an electric contact part to be connected to a mating terminal fitting; and an electric wire connecting part including a bottom wall and a pair of caulking pieces rising up from the bottom wall, the pair of the caulking pieces caulking a conductor of a flat circuit body on a condition that the conductor is positioned above the bottom wall between the pair of the caulking pieces, thereby the electric wire connecting part crimping the conductor. Each caulking piece is provided with a fastening projection which projects from the caulking piece in a direction in which the pair of the caulking pieces approaches each other and prevents the conductor from coming off from between the pair of the caulking pieces.