Test Socket Snap Connector with Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing test plugs are cumbersome and difficult to operate, especially for small connectors, due to their design which includes a locking lever that increases in size and complexity, making them less practical and less durable for frequent use.
Innovation Solution
A test plug snap closure with a stepped rectangular molded body, featuring a height-adjustable mechanism using a screw for precise adjustment, a beveled nose for easy engagement, and a Teflon impregnated hard-coat coating, allowing for secure and versatile attachment to various plug sizes with a reversible connection mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking lever with spring is used to secure the test plug, then the connection reliability is improved, but the device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the spring mechanism from the traditional locking lever design and relocates it to a separate cavity within the housing. This allows the locking lever itself to be simplified to just a lever arm without the spring attached, reducing the complexity of the moving parts while maintaining the locking function through the spring's separate presence in the cavity.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is nested within a cavity in the housing structure, allowing it to be contained within the overall connector body rather than extending outward. This nesting approach consolidates the spring mechanism within the housing volume, reducing the external dimensions and complexity of the connector assembly.
2Reliability
If the locking lever is extended to reach the connector, then the locking function is improved, but the connector length and circumferential size increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of extending the locking lever linearly along the connector length to reach the coupling module, the patent repositions the spring mechanism into a cavity within the housing. This allows the locking lever to function effectively in a different spatial arrangement, reducing the overall length and circumferential size of the connector while maintaining the locking capability.
3Ease of manufacture
If a ball snap closure is used, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the holding surface area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a spherical ball snap closure to a nose-shaped closure with a quadrangular base area and beveled surfaces. This geometric change increases the holding surface area compared to a ball, while the beveled surfaces maintain ease of manufacturing through standard molding techniques. The nose shape provides better surface contact for locking while remaining manufacturable.
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 provides a durable, easy-to-use, and height-adjustable test plug snap closure that can withstand frequent use, offering improved longevity and ease of operation, suitable for small plugs and universal adaptation, with a service life of over one million operations.
Implementation Method 1
a spring, preferably a gas pressure spring or a spiral spring, preferably a spiral spring, which enables the nose to be pressed in and extended again
Implementation Method 2
the spring preferably being mounted interchangeably preferably by supporting the spring in the bore of the nose as a counterweight opposite to the tip of the nose itself, by enclosing the spring under tension in the bore
Implementation Method 3
the snap closure of the test plug snap closure is impregnated with Teflon, a so-called hard-coat® coating with Teflon impregnation
Data Source
AI summary
The closure has a snap lock (4) and a height adjuster arranged at distance from the snap lock as a shaped body unit. The snap lock and the height adjuster form a stage within the shaped body unit such that the snap lock and the height adjuster are located at different height level. The fastener is provided with a spring (11), and impregnated with a Teflon (RTM: PTFE). The height adjuster is formed by a hollow screw (10). The snap lock comprises a nose (5), which is chamfered in snap-in and snap-out directions such that a triangular prism is formed at a tip.