Battery Pack Light Guide Button for Low-Cost Sealed Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery unit manufacturing methods face challenges in achieving cost-effectiveness and robustness while ensuring efficient assembly and enhanced customer comfort.
Innovation Solution
The battery unit integrates a light guiding element and a button cover in a single piece, utilizing a 1K or 2K component injection molding process, which simplifies assembly, increases robustness, and reduces manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the light guiding element and button cover are formed as separate components, then assembly flexibility is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and robustness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the light guiding element and button cover into a single integrated component formed by injection molding. This merging eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly steps, reducing overall manufacturing cost while simplifying the assembly process. The integrated design maintains both functional requirements within a single part structure.
2Productivity
If multiple separate components are used, then ease of repair is improved, but manufacturing cost and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated light guiding element and button cover reduce assembly time by eliminating the need to assemble separate components. The single-piece construction formed through injection molding streamlines the manufacturing process, reducing both assembly time and manufacturing cost while maintaining functional integrity.
3Reliability
If separate components are used for light guiding and button cover, then adaptability is improved, but sealing performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the light guiding element and button cover into a single component with built-in sealing features. The integrated design includes sealing elements that prevent fluid ingress while maintaining the protective function. This merging improves sealing performance by eliminating gaps between separate components while maintaining the necessary adaptability through the integrated structure.
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 approach results in a more robust and cost-effective battery unit with improved sealing, reduced material and energy consumption, and enhanced customer comfort through efficient light guidance and actuation integration.
Implementation Method 1
The light guiding element (16) is in contact with the lighting element (14) to guide a beam of light starting from the lighting element (14)
Implementation Method 2
the light guiding element can in particular comprise at least one further material and/or comprise a geometry which at least partially deflects the light guiding element
Implementation Method 3
the light guiding element is configured to guide a force acting on the light guiding element to the button element (18) by way of changing the shape of the light guiding element
Data Source
AI summary
A battery unit includes (i) a circuit board element, (ii) a lighting element which is configured to display a charge state of the battery unit, (iii) a light guiding element, and (iv) a button element. The lighting element is arranged on the circuit board element. The light guiding element is in contact with the lighting element to guide a beam of light emanating from the lighting element. The button element is arranged on the circuit board element. The light guiding element is configured to guide a force that acts on the light guiding element, to the button element, by way of changing the shape of the light guiding element.