Button Mount Serpentine Springs Fatigue Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing button mounting systems in lighting controls, particularly those made from polycarbonate, suffer from fatigue failures due to heat transfer and repeated flexing, leading to less than ideal operating conditions and potential mechanical failures.
Innovation Solution
A button mounting system utilizing serpentine spring elements coupled to the button, providing multiple degrees of freedom for actuating motions, with a metal spring plate secured to the button and supported by a base to maintain distance from the yoke, ensuring uniform actuation and minimizing contact that could cause heat transfer and fatigue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the button supports are made from polycarbonate and integrally molded with the button, then fabrication is facilitated, but heat transfer and repeated flexing cause fatigue failures at the junctions between the legs and tabs
Solution Approach 1:
The button assembly is divided into separate components: the button body and the support structure. The support includes separate legs that can be independently positioned and attached, rather than being integrally molded. This segmentation allows the legs to be made from materials with better fatigue resistance and thermal properties, while simplifying manufacturing of each individual component.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses different materials for different parts of the button assembly. The button may be made from one material (such as polycarbonate) while the support structure and legs are made from different materials better suited for fatigue resistance and heat dissipation. This composite approach optimizes the properties of each component for its specific function.
2Strength
If the legs of the button supports contact the yoke during operation, then the button is supported, but heat is transferred to the legs causing fatigue failures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces an intermediary element between the button support legs and the yoke. This intermediary acts as a thermal barrier that prevents direct heat transfer from the yoke to the legs, while still allowing mechanical support and positioning to function. The intermediary material is selected for its low thermal conductivity and appropriate mechanical properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful thermal contact between the legs and yoke is eliminated by removing or isolating the direct contact path. The legs are designed to support the button without direct contact with the heat-generating yoke, extracting the harmful thermal interaction while preserving the necessary mechanical support function.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the button allows for various flexing motions through the legs, then multiple actuating motions are accommodated, but the junctions between legs and tabs experience increased stress and fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow controlled movement and flexing. The legs incorporate flexible elements or joints that can accommodate various actuating motions while distributing stresses more evenly. This dynamic design maintains adaptability for different button press locations while reducing peak stresses at critical junctions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates cushioning or stress-absorbing elements at the junctions between the legs and tabs before fatigue failures can occur. These elements may include compliant materials, stress-distributing geometries, or energy-absorbing features that protect the critical junctions from repeated stress cycles, thereby extending the fatigue life while maintaining operational flexibility.
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
The system enhances the durability and operational reliability of the button mounting by allowing for varied actuating motions while maintaining uniform actuation, reducing the risk of mechanical failures and optimizing material properties for both fabrication and operation.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the spring elements has a serpentine portion adapted for multiple degrees of freedom to provide varying actuating motions of the button
Implementation Method 2
a metal spring plate secured to the button and supporting the button at a distance from the yoke
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting system for a button includes first and second spring elements located adjacent opposite ends of the button. Each of the spring elements includes a serpentine portion capable of multiple degrees of freedom of movement providing varying actuating motions for the button. The spring elements may be defined by a plate also having a center portion secured to the button and opposite end portions secured to a base. According to one embodiment, the button is made from a thermoplastic material and the plate is metal.