Wire Container With Piercing Contacts For Small Conductors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing connectors face challenges in accommodating conductors smaller than the standard size without requiring a change in the overall connector size, making it cumbersome to handle such conductors effectively.

Innovation Solution

An electrically-insulating wire container with integrated, flexible tubular cavities that allow conductors to be inserted from the forward open ends, combined with a connector featuring piercing contacts that penetrate the container for electrical connection, enabling the handling of small-size conductors without altering the connector's size.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the connector size is changed to accommodate smaller conductors, then small-size conductors can be incorporated, but the overall connector size changes which is not desirable

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to incorporate small-size conductorsVSAvoidconnector size

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The connector is divided into two functional parts: a standard-sized housing structure and a flexible wire container with tubular cavities. The wire container can be compressed to accommodate smaller conductors while the main connector housing remains unchanged in size.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The wire container is designed with flexible material and可变形的 tubular cavities that can change their dimensional parameters (compress along the longitudinal direction) to accommodate conductors of different sizes, while the connector housing maintains fixed dimensions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If piercing contacts penetrate the wire container to contact conductors, then electrical connection is achieved, but the wire container must be flexible enough to allow penetration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectrical connectionVSAvoidwire container rigidity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The wire container transitions from a rigid protective structure to a flexible deformable structure that can dynamically adjust its shape. The flexibility allows piercing contacts to penetrate and make electrical contact with conductors while maintaining structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS10958011B2Wire container, connector assembly, and water-resistant connector

Publication Date: 2021.03.23 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES CO

AI summary

An electrically-insulating wire container is a wire container including one or more pipe-shaped main bodies for containing a plurality of conductors, and within which a plurality of separate, substantially parallel tubular cavities are defined. Each of the tubular cavities includes a forward open end in a forward end portion of the wire container, and a rear open or closed end in a rear end portion on an opposite side of the wire container. The wire container has an integrated structure. The wire container is flexible enough that when the conductors are inserted into the tubular cavities from the long, narrow, and hollow forward open ends, and the wire container is combined with a connector having a plurality of piercing contacts, the piercing contacts penetrate at least one pipe-shaped main body of the wire container and make contact with the conductors.