Vibration-Resistant Short-Circuiting Bridge for Electric Plug Connectors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electric plug connectors with short-circuiting bridges fail to reliably detect correct plugging under strong vibrations, leading to incorrect signaling and potential wear or fracture of contacts, which affects the detection of a correctly plugged state.

Innovation Solution

The short-circuiting bridge is accommodated with play in the receptacle to be movable about the plugging position, allowing it to be electrically connected and mechanically decoupled, reducing relative movement and wear, and is designed to move transversely or tiltable to ensure secure contact and easy assembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If the short-circuiting bridge is securely anchored in the plug element, then the structural stability is improved, but the contact surfaces are subjected to wear and fracture under vibration loading

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidcontact reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The short-circuiting bridge is designed to be movable within the receptacle rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adapt to vibrations and relative movements while maintaining reliable electrical contact. The bridge can move freely in the receptacle to compensate for external vibrations, preventing wear and fracture of contact surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the short-circuiting bridge is made movable to compensate for vibrations, then the contact reliability is improved, but the relative movement between contact surfaces increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontact reliabilityVSAvoidrelative movement
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The short-circuiting bridge is designed to be movable within the receptacle rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adapt to vibrations and relative movements while maintaining reliable electrical contact. The bridge can move freely in the receptacle to compensate for external vibrations, preventing wear and fracture of contact surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Duration of action of stationary object

If the short-circuiting bridge is movable in the receptacle, then the wear prevention is improved, but the assembly complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice lifeVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The short-circuiting bridge is designed to be movable within the receptacle rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adapt to vibrations and relative movements while maintaining reliable electrical contact. The bridge can move freely in the receptacle to compensate for external vibrations, preventing wear and fracture of contact surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3329559B1Electric plug connector with vibration-resistant short-circuiting bridge and electric plug connection
Publication Date: 2019.05.15 TE CONNECTIVITY GERMANY GMBH
  • EP3329559B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3329559B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3329559B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to an electric plug connector (5) for connecting to a complementary mating plug connector (7) in a plugging direction (S), having a plug housing (25) which has a receptacle (75) in which a short-circuiting bridge (69), which is held fixedly in its plugging position (70) and has two short-circuiting contacts (19) which are accessible from outside the plug connector (5), counter to the plugging direction (S), is accommodated. In addition, the invention relates to an electric plug connection (1) having such an electric plug connector (5) and an electric mating plug connector (7). Electric plug connectors (5) according to the prior art with fixed short-circuiting bridges (69) have the disadvantage that vibrations, i.e. relative movements between the plug connector (5) and the mating plug connector (7), are converted into a relative movement of the short-circuiting bridge (69) with respect to the short-circuiting bridge (65). This can give rise to a large amount of abrasion or even cause the short-circuiting bridge (69) to fracture. The electric plug connector (5) according to the invention solves this problem by virtue of the fact that the short-circuiting bridge (69) is accommodated with play in the receptacle (75) so as to be movable about the plugging position (70). In the case of the electric plug connection (1) according to the invention, in a plugging position (67) the short-circuiting contacts (19) of the short-circuiting bridge (69) are connected electrically and in a movement-transmitting fashion to mating short-circuiting contacts (20) of the electric mating plug connector (7), but are mechanically decoupled from a movement of the electric plug connector (5) owing to the short-circuiting bridge (69) being accommodated in the receptacle (75) in such a way that it is movable about the plugging position (70).