Textured Electrical Contact Interface for Vibration and Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical connectors face reliability issues under harsh environmental conditions due to insulating oxide layer formation and misalignment, leading to malfunction in signal and power transmission.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of textured contact interfaces with multiple raised contact areas and voids, providing a lubricant reservoir that enhances contact points over a wide range of tolerance and alignment, improving reliability under vibration and harsh conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single contact point is used, then the contact structure is simple, but the reliability under vibration and misalignment conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The contact interface is segmented into multiple raised contact areas (at least two) on the contact surface, allowing the contact to maintain multiple contact points with the mating contact. This segmentation ensures that if one contact point loses engagement due to vibration or misalignment, other contact points maintain the electrical connection, thereby improving reliability without requiring a fundamentally complex contact structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-point contact (zero-dimensional point contact) to a multi-point contact distributed across a two-dimensional surface. The raised contact areas are arranged in a pattern that provides redundancy in the contact interface, allowing the system to tolerate misalignment and vibration by engaging multiple points simultaneously or alternately.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tolerance and alignment ranges are increased, then the adaptability to manufacturing variations improves, but the precision of contact alignment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the contact interface into multiple raised contact areas, the system can accommodate larger tolerance ranges and misalignments. The segmented contact areas are distributed across the surface, so that even if the overall alignment is imprecise, at least two contact areas will engage with the mating contact, maintaining electrical connectivity without requiring high-precision alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact interface is designed to function effectively across a wide range of alignment conditions and tolerance variations. The multi-point contact arrangement provides universal adaptability to different manufacturing tolerances and assembly variations, allowing the same contact design to work reliably whether alignment is precise or imprecise, thereby achieving tolerance compensation through design universality.
3Reliability
If oxide layers form on contact surfaces, then the electrical conductivity deteriorates, but the contact structure remains unchanged
Solution Approach 1:
A lubricant reservoir is provided in the form of a depression or cavity on the contact surface, which is pre-filled with lubricant material. This preliminary action ensures that lubricant is already present at the contact interface before mating occurs. During contact engagement, the lubricant is drawn into the contact area, forming a protective film that prevents oxide layer formation on the contact surfaces, thereby maintaining electrical conductivity in harsh environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricant acts as an intermediary substance between the contact surfaces, preventing direct contact between the metal surfaces and the harsh environment. The lubricant film serves as a protective barrier that prevents oxidation while still allowing electrical conduction, thus mediating between the conflicting requirements of physical protection and electrical conductivity.
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 textured contact interfaces provide enhanced reliability by maintaining multiple contact points and lubrication over extended mating cycles, effectively addressing the challenges of misalignment and harsh environments.
Implementation Method 1
The textured contact interface provides more than one point of contact when the textured contact interface is positioned in electrical engagement with a mating electrical contact
Implementation Method 2
The textured contact face can provide a reservoir of contact lubricant that can be drawn into the mating contact point over time/mating cycles
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical contact having at least one textured contact interface. The at least one textured contact interface includes a radiused portion with a plurality of raised contact areas. Voids are positioned between the plurality of raised contact areas. The radiused portion of the at least one textured contact interface provides more than one point of contact when the radiused portion of the at least one textured contact interface is positioned in electrical engagement with a mating electrical contact.