Miniaturized Breaker Ultrasonic Welding Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Miniaturized circuit breakers for portable electronic devices face challenges in maintaining rigidity and strength due to limitations in adhesion and pressure distribution during ultrasonic welding, leading to potential gaps in safety and performance.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a first resin case with a continuous fixing surface and a second resin case with a protruding portion, along with a plate-shaped cover piece embedded in the second resin case, ensuring partial overlap and enhanced adhesion during welding, which increases the pressure on the protruding portion and prevents bending, thereby improving the structural integrity of the breaker.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the breaker is miniaturized to the utmost limit, then the size of the breaker is reduced, but the lid member is bent during ultrasonic welding and the pressure on the protruding portion decreases, resulting in insufficient adhesion and rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing a reinforcement rib at the specific location where the lid member is most prone to bending during ultrasonic welding. This localized reinforcement concentrates structural strength exactly where needed, preventing bending and maintaining pressure on the protruding portion for adequate adhesion, without adding overall size to the miniaturized breaker.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a third dimension by adding a reinforcement rib that extends in the thickness direction of the lid member. This vertical dimension provides additional structural support against bending forces during welding, while the rib's horizontal projection remains minimal, thus maintaining the miniaturized footprint of the breaker.
2Volume of moving object
If the breaker is miniaturized to the utmost limit, then the size of the breaker is reduced, but the rigidity of the case becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement rib provides localized rigidity enhancement at the critical area of the lid member, preventing deformation during and after welding. This localized reinforcement maintains overall case rigidity without requiring a complete redesign of the entire case structure, thus preserving the miniaturized form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by integrating the reinforcement rib (which may be made of different material or structure) into the lid member. This composite approach enhances rigidity through the combination of the rib's structural properties with the base lid member material, achieving sufficient rigidity in the miniaturized breaker.
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 configuration ensures better adhesion and structural integrity, maintaining the breaker's functionality and safety even at extreme miniaturization levels by preventing the decrease in pressure on the protruding portion during ultrasonic welding, thus ensuring reliable operation and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a first fixing surface of the case main body and a second fixing surface of the lid member are fixed by ultrasonic welding or the like
Implementation Method 2
The second fixing surface is provided, in a region slightly inside of the outer edge of the lid member, with a protruding portion which protrudes in the form of a rib, and extends continuously along the outer edge. During ultrasonic welding, the protruding portion is melted, and thereby, good adhesion between the first fixing surface and the second fixing surface is obtained
Data Source
AI summary
The breaker is provided with a fixed contact, a movable piece having an elastic portion and a movable contact, a thermally-actuated element deforming with a change in the temperature so as to shift the movable piece from a conduction state to a cut-off state, a case main body housing the movable piece and the thermally-actuated element, a lid member attached to the case main body, and a plate-shaped cover piece embedded in the lid member. The case main body is provided with a first fixing surface fixed to the lid member, and the lid member is provided with a second fixing surface fixed to the case main body. The second fixing surface is provided with a protruding portion protruding toward the first fixing surface, and the protruding portion and the cover piece are overlapped with each other in the plan view as viewed in the thickness direction of the cover piece.