Touch-Proof Contact Arrangement With Lateral Recesses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch-proof contact arrangements for high-current and high-voltage plug connectors lack sufficient robustness to withstand testing forces and prevent accidental contact with pin contacts, particularly due to inadequate protection at the sides and free ends of the pin contacts.
Innovation Solution
A touch-proof contact arrangement with lateral recesses in the corners formed by the connecting section and the legs of the contact protection, allowing for a high overlap between the contact protection and the pin contact, which is designed to prevent finger contact and withstand testing forces without requiring excessive overlap between the free end and the connecting section, thereby enhancing robustness and preventing wear during plugging and unplugging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the contact protection is designed with sufficient overlap to prevent finger contact, then touch-proof reliability is improved, but the complexity of achieving high overlap between free end and connecting section increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact protection is divided into two functional parts: legs with lateral recesses for receiving pin contact sides, and a connecting section for joining the legs. This segmentation allows the overlap requirement to be distributed - the legs provide overlap through the lateral recesses while the connecting section provides structural support, eliminating the need for excessive overlap between the free end and connecting section.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral recesses are positioned specifically in the corners formed by the connecting section and the legs, creating localized overlap zones where they are most needed for touch-proof protection. This local concentration of overlap functionality achieves reliable finger protection without requiring uniform high overlap throughout the entire contact protection structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If the contact protection structure is simplified, then ease of manufacture is improved, but robustness against testing forces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral recesses are pre-formed in the legs at the corner positions, creating built-in structural features that provide both mechanical strength and guidance for the pin contact. This preliminary structuring allows the contact protection to withstand testing forces of at least 30 N while maintaining a simple, integration-friendly design that can be manufactured as a single piece.
3Reliability
If the lateral recesses extend to the end of the legs, then protection coverage is improved, but wear resistance during plugging/unplugging deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral recesses are positioned locally in the corner regions formed by the connecting section and the legs, providing protection coverage exactly where needed for touch-proof functionality. By limiting the recesses to these corner zones rather than extending them to the full length of the legs, the design maintains adequate protection while preserving the structural integrity and wear resistance of the leg ends during repeated plugging and unplugging operations.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a touch-proof contact arrangement (1) for electrical plug connectors (2), with an electrical pin contact (4) that is covered at two sides (12) and at its free end (11) by an electrically insulating contact protection (5) with two legs (8) and a connecting section (10) connecting the two legs (8), and whereby the two sides (12) of the pin contact (4) are received, at least in sections, in two lateral recesses (20) of the legs (8) of the contact protection (5). The invention further relates to a plug connector (2) for high-current and/or high-voltage plugs with a touch-proof contact arrangement. As a result of the pin contact (4) being laterally received in the lateral receptacles (20), a high overlapping region between the pin contact (4) and the contact protection (5) can be achieved, as a result of which the stiffness of the touch-proof arrangement (1) is increased and high bending forces can be withstood. Thus, it is possible to create a simply and cost-effectively producible and robust touch-proof contact arrangement (1).