Female Electrical Terminal Support Beam for Lower Insertion Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical terminal designs often over-dimension contact normal force to ensure reliability across various environments and applications, leading to excessive user discomfort and risk of damage during assembly and disassembly, as well as reduced reusability due to high insertion and extraction forces.
Innovation Solution
A method for manufacturing a female electrical terminal with a support beam that can be modified in thickness, width, or length to adjust the contact normal force, allowing for application-specific adaptation, thereby reducing the force required for terminal insertion and extraction while maintaining reliable electrical connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the contact normal force is increased to ensure reliable electrical connection in high-vibration environments, then the reliability of electrical connection is improved, but the insertion and extraction forces become excessive causing user discomfort and potential damage to terminal plating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a support beam with non-uniform cross-section along its length. The beam has a first cross-section near the base portion and a second cross-section near the end portion, where the second cross-section has different dimensions than the first. This allows different regions of the beam to provide different mechanical properties - the thicker base region provides stability and strong electrical contact, while the thinner end region reduces insertion force requirements and prevents plating damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by modifying the geometric parameters of the support beam, specifically the thickness and/or width along its length. By reducing the thickness or width of the support beam in certain regions (creating a tapered or stepped profile), the mechanical resilience is adjusted to provide sufficient contact normal force for reliable electrical connection while reducing the force required for insertion and extraction operations.
2Reliability
If the contact normal force is over-dimensioned to guarantee reliable electrical connection across wide range of environments and applications, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by creating a support beam with variable cross-sectional dimensions that provide adaptive mechanical resilience. The non-uniform geometry allows the beam to flex and deform in a controlled manner during insertion, maintaining optimal contact force without requiring excessive initial insertion force. This dynamic response adapts to different application requirements without increasing overall structural complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the support beam dimensions are reduced to lower contact normal force, then the insertion and extraction forces are reduced improving user comfort, but the electrical connection reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by applying local quality through non-uniform support beam geometry. The beam maintains larger dimensions at the base portion to ensure sufficient contact normal force for reliable electrical connection, while having reduced dimensions at the end portion to lower insertion and extraction forces. This spatial variation in geometric properties allows simultaneous optimization of both connection reliability and operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by systematically varying the thickness and/or width parameters of the support beam along its length. This controlled parameter variation enables the beam to provide appropriate mechanical resilience at different locations - sufficient stiffness at the base for reliable contact, and appropriate flexibility at the end for easy insertion and extraction, thereby resolving the contradiction between operational ease and connection reliability.
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 enhances user comfort and reduces the risk of damage to terminal plating by matching the contact normal force to specific application needs, ensuring reliable electrical connections without excessive force requirements.
Implementation Method 1
the mechanical structure of the female electrical terminal structure on the received male electrical terminal can counteract relative movements of the terminals
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a female electrical terminal includes the steps of providing a sheet metal blank and forming the sheet metal blank to include a wiring portion for the attaching of an electrical wire and a receiving portion for the receiving of a male electrical terminal in a receiving direction. The receiving portion includes a base portion and two lateral portions. Each lateral portion including an end portion configured to form a top surface of the receiving hollow, at least one link beam linking the end portion to the base portion, and a support beam also linking the end portion to the base portion. The method includes a further step of bending the lateral portions to form the receiving hollow and an additional step of modifying, in particular, reducing, at least one dimension of the support beam.