Tool-Free Connection Device With Automatic Conductor Latching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional connection devices require users to manually actuate a tool to adjust the spring leg, making it cumbersome to plug in or remove electrical conductors, as they need to handle both the device and the conductor simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A connection device with an adjustable element that can be moved from a first to a second position to actuate the spring leg, allowing easy insertion or removal of conductors without tools, featuring a latching mechanism that is automatically released when a conductor is inserted, enabling effortless handling and automatic closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tool is used to act on the actuating element to adjust the spring leg, then the spring leg can be reliably adjusted to enable conductor insertion or removal, but the user must simultaneously hold the connection device, the electrical conductor, and the tool, making the operation cumbersome and impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The connection device enables the user to actuate the actuating element directly by hand without requiring an additional tool. The actuating element is designed to be manually operable, allowing the user to independently adjust the spring leg position while holding only the connection device and conductor, thereby simplifying the operation while maintaining reliable adjustment capability
Solution Approach 2:
The tool that was previously required for actuating the actuating element has been extracted from the system. The actuating element has been redesigned to allow direct manual operation by the user, eliminating the need for external tools and reducing the number of components the user must handle simultaneously
2Ease of operation
If the adjustment element is latched in the second position to lock the spring leg in the release position, then the actuating element remains in position for easy conductor insertion, but additional mechanisms are needed to latch and release the adjustment element
Solution Approach 1:
The triggering section is integrated into the actuating element, combining the functions of actuation and triggering into a single component. When the user moves the actuating element to the release position, the triggering section automatically interacts with the conductor to release the latching mechanism, eliminating the need for separate latching and triggering components
Solution Approach 2:
The latching mechanism is designed to be automatically released by the conductor itself during insertion. The triggering section on the actuating element interacts with the conductor to automatically release the adjustment element from its latched position, without requiring additional user actions or complex control mechanisms
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 device simplifies user handling by allowing easy insertion and removal of electrical conductors without additional tools, with the locking mechanism automatically resetting when a conductor is plugged in, ensuring secure electrical contact without additional user effort.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element (11) which is arranged on the contact element (10) and has a spring leg (111) for locking a conductor (2) plugged into the plug-in opening (102)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A connection device (1) for connecting an electrical conductor (2) comprises a contact element (10) which forms a plug-in opening (102), a spring element (11) which is arranged on the contact element (10), and an operating element (13) which can be moved to the contact element (10) and has an active section (133) for acting on a spring limb (111) of the spring element (11). An adjustment element (12) is additionally provided, which can be adjusted from a first position to a second position in order to shift the operating element (13) from a starting position to an enable position for the purpose of moving the spring limb (111), wherein the adjustment element (12), in the second position, is locked in relation to the contact element (10) and has a tripping section (125) which is designed to interact with the conductor (2) for the purpose of releasing the locking of the adjustment element (12) when the conductor (2) is inserted into the plug-in opening (102).