Wire Dress Cover Locking for Terminal Seating Assurance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors often lack effective secondary locking features and wire dress covers, leading to poor terminal seating detection and ergonomic issues, which can result in terminal damage and non-compliance with automotive standards.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector assembly with a movable wire dress cover that provides both secondary locking and terminal position assurance, featuring a locking mechanism that prevents movement to a staged position if terminals are unseated, and a textured surface for enhanced tactile feedback and compliance with ergonomic standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate ISL devices are used for each set of terminals, then terminal locking reliability is improved, but device complexity increases and visual/tactile feedback deteriorates due to small size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the wire dress cover with the independent secondary lock function into a single integrated component. The WDC includes locking features that engage with terminal retention features on the connector housing, providing secondary terminal locking while maintaining cable management functions. This integration eliminates the need for separate ISL devices, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire dress cover is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it manages wire cables, provides strain relief, and incorporates locking features for terminal retention. This multi-functional design allows a single component to replace what would traditionally require multiple separate devices, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining the reliability benefits of independent secondary locking.
2Reliability
If separate ISL devices are used, then terminal locking reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to poor visual and tactile feedback
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the WDC with the secondary locking function, the invention creates a larger, more visible component than a separate ISL device would be. This integration provides improved visual and tactile feedback as the WDC can be easily observed and manipulated, while still incorporating the reliable independent secondary locking mechanism.
3Device complexity
If wire dress cover is omitted, then device complexity is reduced, but terminal protection and ergonomic compliance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the WDC as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides cable management, strain relief, and terminal protection through its locking features. By integrating these functions into a single component, the invention maintains terminal protection benefits while avoiding the complexity increase that would result from adding separate protective devices.
4Device complexity
If wire dress cover is omitted, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates due to non-compliance with ergonomic standards
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated WDC incorporates a push surface that provides ergonomic interaction points for assembly operations. This multi-functional component combines cable management, locking, and ergonomic interface features, maintaining ease of operation compliance while avoiding the complexity of separate components.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An electrical connector assembly (100) includes several electrical terminals (102) Each terminal (102) has a connection portion (302) extending along a first axis (304) and an attachment portion extending along a second axis (308) substantially perpendicular to the first axis (304). The assembly (100) further includes a connector housing (106) having terminal cavities (202) in which the plurality of electrical terminals (102) are disposed and a wire dress cover (108) slidably attached to the connector housing (106) and moveable in a direction substantially parallel to the second axis (308) from a pre-staged position (702) to a staged position (704). The wire dress cover (108) defines a locking feature (802) configured to secure the plurality of electrical terminals (102) within the plurality of terminal cavities (202) when in the staged position (704) and further configured to inhibit movement of the wire dress cover (108) from the pre-staged position (702) to the staged position (704) when one of the plurality of electrical terminals (102) is in an unseated condition within one of the plurality of terminal cavities (202).