Button Cell Battery Mounting on Circuit Board
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for connecting button cell batteries to circuit boards require manual handling, are costly to automate, and pose risks of damaging the circuit board during battery replacement and potential soldering stress, as well as space constraints and risk of batteries falling out.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a holder item with a lower and upper helping item, a contact spring with spring arms, and metal or polymeric materials for secure and compact mounting of button cell batteries perpendicular to the circuit board, eliminating the need for soldering and allowing surface mounted technology (SMT) production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If contact spring is soldered or mechanically fastened to circuit board, then electrical connection is established, but manual handling is required and automation becomes expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional components: holder item, contact spring, and battery. The holder item contains recesses that receive the contact spring and battery, allowing assembly without soldering. The contact spring is held in place by friction and geometric constraints within the holder, enabling automated assembly while maintaining reliable electrical connection.
2Ease of operation
If batteries are pushed in under contact spring, then electrical contact is created, but space is required and battery replacement becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is oriented perpendicular to the circuit board, extending in the Z-direction rather than being pushed horizontally under the contact spring. This vertical arrangement allows the battery to be easily accessed and replaced from the side of the device without requiring lateral space or complex disassembly operations.
3Reliability
If contact spring has spring characteristics to compensate tolerances, then electrical contact reliability is improved, but soldering stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact spring is extracted from the soldering process entirely. Instead of being soldered to the circuit board, the contact spring is held in the holder item by friction and geometric constraints. This eliminates the harmful thermal and mechanical stress of soldering while maintaining the spring's tolerance-compensating function for reliable electrical contact.
4Manufacturing precision
If holder item fixes circuit board and contact spring, then assembly precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holder item serves multiple functions simultaneously: it holds the contact spring in position, secures the battery perpendicular to the circuit board, provides friction-based retention without additional fasteners, and maintains precise alignment for electrical connection. This multi-functionality achieves high assembly precision without proportionally increasing device complexity.
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
Enables easy battery access, reduces space requirements, avoids soldering stress, and ensures reliable electrical connections without manual handling, facilitating efficient and compact product design.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the contact pieces must have spring characteristics in order to compensate for the mechanical tolerances that the circuit board and batteries have
Implementation Method 2
the other items include at least one spring arm in the contact spring, which spring arm is designed to provide a friction between the spring arm and the holder item
Data Source
AI summary
The invention includes a device (15) designed to contain at least one button cell battery (6), where the device (15) includes at least one contact spring (7) with at least another contact surface (5a), designed to provide electrical contact to another conducting track (3) on a circuit board (1). The contact spring (7) also includes at least a first contact surface (4a) designed to provide electrical contact with the other battery terminal (6b). The first battery terminal (6a) and a first conducting track (2) on the circuit board (1 ) include a joint contact area. The device (15) includes at least one holder item (9) with first items, which first items are designed to fix the circuit board (1) and the device also includes other items, which other items are designed to fix the contact spring / the contact springs (7) in the holder item (9). With the invention it is achieved that it is thus possible to achieve a very compact product design since the batteries (6) are situated very close to the circuit board (1). Furthermore, the solution ensures easy mounting and easy access for changing the batteries (6) when the product is opened.