Trapezoidal Electrical Assembly Terminals for Compact Circular Arrangement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical assemblies lack a compact and efficient design for a large number of connection terminals, making them difficult to assemble and ensuring tightness, while also accommodating conductors with varying cross-sections.
Innovation Solution
The electrical assembly features trapezoidal base plates and clamping plates with a contact pin and screw system, allowing for a compact circular arrangement of connection terminals, secure press fits, and easy assembly, along with a snap connection between the housing pot and cover, and the use of potting compound for insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional rectangular base plates are used for connection terminals, then the assembly process is simple, but the arrangement of a large number of connection terminals occupies excessive space and cannot achieve compact design
Solution Approach 1:
The base plate is designed with an asymmetric trapezoidal shape instead of a conventional symmetric rectangular shape. This asymmetric geometry allows multiple base plates to be arranged more efficiently in a circular pattern around the housing, maximizing the number of connection terminals that can be accommodated in a compact space while maintaining simple manufacturing processes.
2Quantity of substance
If a large number of connection terminals are arranged on the housing, then connectivity is improved, but the assembly becomes difficult to assemble and ensure tightness
Solution Approach 1:
The connection terminal is segmented into distinct functional components: the trapezoidal base plate for mounting, the contact pin for electrical connection, and the clamping mechanism for conductor securing. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and assembled in a systematic manner, facilitating the arrangement of multiple terminals while maintaining assembly ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact pin is pre-mounted on the base plate in a fixed position, and the clamping mechanism is pre-configured with the screw and clamping plate. This preliminary assembly of sub-components simplifies the final installation process, as workers only need to mount the complete terminal assembly to the housing without complex alignment procedures.
3Reliability
If the contact pin is securely fitted into the housing, then tightness and reliability are improved, but assembly and disassembly become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The contact pin fit is designed with dynamic characteristics that provide high insertion force for secure mounting but allow for controlled removal. The press-fit mechanism creates a tight connection during assembly, while the same interference fit that ensures reliability also enables straightforward extraction with appropriate tools, balancing security with serviceability.
4Volume of moving object
If the clamping plate is made small to achieve compact terminal dimensions, then space is saved, but the ability to clamp conductors with large cross sections is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping capability is extended into the third dimension by designing the clamping plate with a circular opening that can accommodate conductors of various cross-sectional areas. The screw mechanism provides adjustable clamping force in the vertical dimension, allowing a compact plate design to securely hold both small and large conductors without increasing the horizontal footprint of the terminal.
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
This design enables a highly compact and reliable electrical assembly with easy assembly and disassembly, secure conductor clamping, and high tightness, accommodating large conductors and allowing for compact installation in tight spaces with enhanced corrosion resistance and radio connectivity options.
Implementation Method 1
The contact pin can be integrally formed on the base plate and is guided through the housing pot or the housing cover by means of a press fit. The contact pin can have an oversize of 50 μm to 300 μm, in particular an oversize of an average of 100 μm, relative to an opening into which it is pressed.
Implementation Method 2
a screw for fastening the clamping plate to the base plate
Implementation Method 3
a clamping plate, which can be arranged on the base plate, for clamping at least one electrical conductor between the base plate and the clamping plate
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical assembly having a housing with a housing pot and a housing cover closing the housing pot and at least two connection terminals provided for the electrical connection of the assembly. The connection terminals each comprise a base plate, a clamping plate, which can be arranged on the base plate, for clamping at least one electrical conductor between the base plate and the clamping plate, a contact pin protruding into the housing pot, and a screw for fastening the clamping plate to the base plate. The housing pot is a hollow cylinder with a closed bottom and the electrical connection terminals are arranged along an imaginary circular line on the housing. The base plates and/or the clamping plates each have a trapezoidal base area.