Window Lighting Assembly Snap-Fit Electrical Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting assemblies for vehicles, particularly center high mount stop lamps, face challenges in secure and efficient mounting directly to vehicle windows, lacking robust electrical connections and easy serviceability.
Innovation Solution
A lighting assembly featuring a circuit board with conductive traces and electrical receptacle terminals that snap onto corresponding plug terminals on a window panel, providing both mechanical and electrical connections, along with a complaint gasket for environmental sealing and easy installation/removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the lighting assembly uses a snap-fit electrical connection system, then the ease of installation and serviceability is improved, but the reliability of electrical connection may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The contact arms are designed to be flexible and dynamic, allowing them to flex outwardly during insertion and then snap into place against the tapered portions of the plug terminals. This dynamic behavior ensures reliable electrical connection while maintaining ease of installation and removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical connection and mechanical mounting functions are merged into a single snap-fit operation. The same receptacle terminals that provide electrical connection also serve as the mounting mechanism, eliminating the need for separate electrical connectors and mounting hardware.
2Ease of operation
If the contact arms are designed to flex outwardly for snap-fit connection, then the ease of installation is improved, but the manufacturing precision required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact arms incorporate a concave curved portion with specific geometric parameters that allow controlled flexing. The inner apex surfaces are positioned at precise locations to ensure proper contact with the plug terminals, balancing manufacturing precision requirements with ease of installation.
3Strength
If the receptacle terminals have a smaller opening diameter than the plug terminal diameter, then the mechanical securing strength is improved, but the assembly difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tapered portions of the plug terminals and the flexible contact arms work together to create a dynamic assembly process. The contact arms flex outwardly to allow insertion, then snap into place against the tapered portions, providing strong mechanical securing while maintaining ease of assembly through the snap-fit mechanism.
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 solution enables secure, efficient, and easily serviceable mounting of lighting assemblies directly to vehicle windows, ensuring robust electrical connections and minimizing environmental contamination, while allowing for various lighting functions such as stop lamps, work lights, and courtesy lights.
Implementation Method 1
The contact arms are configured to flex outwardly as a concave curved portion of the contact arms contact ends of the electrical plug terminals
Implementation Method 2
Inner apex surfaces of the concave curved portions of the contact arms are configured to be in compressive contact with the electrical plug terminals
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A lighting assembly (10) includes a circuit board substrate (14) having first and second conductive traces (16), a light emitting electrical device (12), and a pair of electrical terminals (18) interconnected to the light emitting electrical device (12) by the first and second conductive traces (16). The pair of electrical terminals (18) are configured to mechanically secure the lighting assembly (10) to a pair of corresponding electrical terminals (36) mounted on a panel (20). The pair of electrical terminals (18) are further configured to electrically connect the light emitting electrical device (12) to third and fourth conductive circuit traces (34) disposed on a surface (38) of the panel (20).