Terminal Inclination Restriction via Perpendicular Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing terminal designs face challenges in restricting excessive inclination of mating terminals without enlarging the terminal structure, as excessive inclination restricting walls are prone to deformation and require additional space, compromising rigidity and stability.
Innovation Solution
A terminal design featuring a resilient contact piece with an inclination restricting portion perpendicular to the ceiling wall, coupled with straight portions and embossments, which restricts excessive inclination by contacting the mating terminal laterally and preventing lateral displacement, maintaining a stable connection without enlarging the terminal's dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If excessive inclination restricting walls are formed by cutting and bending the inner frame, then excessive inclination of the male terminal can be restricted, but the inner frame size must be enlarged to provide bending margins
Solution Approach 1:
The inner frame is divided into functional segments: the contact point spring portion for electrical contact and the excessive inclination restricting wall for mechanical constraint. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently, enabling the restricting wall to be formed without requiring additional bending margins that would enlarge the overall frame size.
Solution Approach 2:
The excessive inclination restricting wall is formed by utilizing the thickness dimension of the inner frame material rather than requiring additional lateral space. By cutting and bending the existing side walls to create protruding restricting walls, the solution constrains inclination in the lateral direction without enlarging the frame's external dimensions.
2Reliability
If excessive inclination restricting walls are formed by cutting and bending the inner frame, then excessive inclination can be restricted, but the restricting walls easily deform by yielding to pressure from the male terminal
Solution Approach 1:
The excessive inclination restricting wall is designed with non-uniform cross-sectional properties along its length. The wall has greater thickness or reinforcement at the base where it connects to the inner frame, providing higher rigidity to resist deformation from male terminal pressure, while maintaining the necessary inclination restriction function at the protruding tip.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner frame is constructed using a composite structure combining materials with different mechanical properties. The excessive inclination restricting wall incorporates high-strength material or reinforced construction to resist deformation from male terminal pressure, while the contact point spring portion uses more flexible material to maintain elastic contact.
3Device complexity
If the inclination restricting portion is disposed in a cantilevered state with plate surfaces parallel to the ceiling wall, then the structure is simpler, but the rigidity for restricting excessive inclination is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of disposing the inclination restricting portion in a cantilevered state parallel to the ceiling wall, the invention inverts the orientation by making the restricting wall perpendicular to the ceiling wall. This inversion transforms the structural configuration from a flexible cantilever to a rigid vertical barrier, significantly increasing the rigidity for restricting excessive inclination while maintaining manufacturability through standard cutting and bending processes.
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
The solution effectively restricts excessive inclination of mating terminals with higher rigidity, reduces the likelihood of deformation, and maintains a stable connected state, even under strong forces, while allowing for adjustment in bending angles and clearance adjustments, ensuring reliable electrical contact.
Implementation Method 1
contact point spring portions of the spring contacts are deformed resiliently to allow the insertion of the male terminal
Data Source
AI summary
A terminal includes a bottom wall (12), two side walls (13) rising from the bottom wall (12) and a ceiling wall (14) continuous from the side walls (13) and facing the bottom wall (12), thereby defining a rectangular tube (10) open in a front-rear direction. A resilient contact piece (22) is arranged inside the rectangular tube (10) and has a contact point (22A) facing the ceiling wall (14). Inclination restricting portions (24, 124) are arranged to be perpendicular to the ceiling wall (14) at a lateral side of the contact point (22A) and are provided with facing edge parts (24A, 124A) facing the ceiling wall (14).