Terminal Structure With Ridges And Leaf Springs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional terminal structures require high insertion force due to friction resistance from spring load, leading to wear on contact portions and increased force needed for stable electric contact.
Innovation Solution
A terminal structure featuring a male terminal with alternating ridges and grooves and a female terminal with leaf spring pieces that move from grooves to ridges during insertion, reducing friction resistance and allowing for a lower insertion force by using elastic deformation for engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the spring load at the contracted portion is increased to secure stable electric contact, then the contact stability is improved, but the insertion force of the male terminal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring contact is divided into multiple leaf spring pieces arranged circumferentially, each independently contacting the ridges. This segmentation distributes the contact load and allows the male terminal to engage with multiple contact points simultaneously, reducing the force needed for insertion while maintaining stable electrical contact
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the spring contact actively gripping the male terminal during insertion, the design inverts the interaction: the ridges on the male terminal actively engage with the leaf spring pieces, which are positioned to be pushed inward by the ridges during insertion. This inversion reduces friction resistance and insertion force while ensuring reliable contact
2Reliability
If the male terminal is inserted all the way to the insertable depth while receiving spring contact load, then stable electric contact is achieved, but friction resistance increases causing wear on contact portions
Solution Approach 1:
The leaf spring pieces are pre-positioned to face the ridges before insertion begins. As the male terminal is inserted, the ridges immediately engage with the pre-positioned leaf spring pieces, establishing stable electrical contact early in the insertion process without requiring full insertion depth under spring load, thereby reducing friction and wear
Solution Approach 2:
The spring load that previously caused harmful friction resistance is converted into a beneficial engagement mechanism. The leaf spring pieces are designed to be elastically deformed by the ridges during insertion, and this elastic deformation is what secures the stable electrical contact. The potential energy stored in the deformed spring pieces provides continuous contact pressure without sliding friction
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 terminal structure reduces the insertion force required for connection while maintaining a stable electric contact, with the ridges and leaf spring pieces positioned for compactness and easy alignment.
Implementation Method 1
the ridges elastically deform the leaf spring pieces by pressing them
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a male terminal main body (15) of a male terminal (11), an uneven portion (17) formed, on an outer peripheral surface of the male terminal main body (15), of a plurality of ridges (19) and a plurality of grooves (21), a tubular female terminal main body (23) of the female terminal (13), and a spring contact (37) housed in the female terminal main body (23) in such a manner that a plurality of leaf spring pieces (39) provided corresponding to the ridges (19) are moved from positions facing the grooves (21) to positions facing the ridges (19) by a relative movement of the male terminal main body (15) and are in elastic contact with the ridges (19).