Friction-Held Contact Spring Assembly for Easier EMC Grounding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing contacting assemblies for electrical components face challenges in manufacturing and assembly complexity, require additional components for flexibility, and have inadequate electromagnetic compatibility.
Innovation Solution
A contacting assembly with a carrier and contact spring units featuring holding sections and spring tongues that are frictionally held on the carrier, allowing for easy assembly and manufacturing without additional tools or tight tolerances, and enabling flexibility in material selection and mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If individual contact springs are inserted into a carrier using stitching, then the carrier can be made of a different material than the contact springs, but the insertion process becomes complex and highly dependent on delicate geometries requiring tight tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The contact spring unit is segmented into a holding section and multiple contact spring tongues that can be separately formed and then assembled to the carrier. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while simplifying the overall assembly process through the frictional holding mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding section acts as an intermediary component between the carrier and the contact spring tongues. It provides a standardized interface that simplifies assembly by eliminating the need for complex stitching operations, while still allowing material flexibility through its frictional attachment mechanism.
2Device complexity
If a monolithic design is used for the contacting assembly, then the structure is simplified and costs are reduced, but the flexibility to adapt to mounting surfaces is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The contacting assembly is divided into a carrier and separate contact spring units that can be independently designed and optimized. This segmentation maintains structural simplicity while enabling adaptability through the modular contact spring units that can be configured for different mounting surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact spring units incorporate elastic elements that provide dynamic adaptation to mounting surfaces. The springs can deform elastically to accommodate variations in surface geometry, maintaining electrical contact while preserving the overall structural simplicity of the assembly.
3Adaptability or versatility
If stitching is used to attach contact springs to the carrier, then material selection flexibility is achieved, but additional design elements are required that increase design complexity particularly in contact spring design
Solution Approach 1:
The stitching mechanism is extracted and replaced by a frictional holding mechanism. This removes the need for additional stitching design elements and complex geometries, while preserving material selection flexibility. The holding section is simply frictionally attached to the carrier without requiring intricate design features.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using mechanical interlocking through stitching, the invention uses frictional attachment in the opposite direction. The holding section clamps onto the carrier through friction, eliminating the need for complex stitching holes and design elements while maintaining material versatility.
4Adaptability or versatility
If stitching design is used for assembling contact springs, then the carrier can accommodate different materials, but electromagnetic compatibility becomes inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The holding section merges the electrical connection function with the mechanical attachment function. By providing continuous electrical contact through the frictionally attached holding section, the design improves electromagnetic compatibility while still allowing material diversity between the carrier and contact spring unit.
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 solution reduces costs, increases efficiency, and enhances electromagnetic compatibility by allowing for flexible material selection and mounting on any surface, suitable for both manual and automated processes.
Implementation Method 1
the contact spring tongues of the two electrical components are elastically, in particular predominantly elastically, deformed towards the carrier and press the holding section against the carrier
Implementation Method 2
the contact spring unit comprises a holding section and contact spring tongues and is frictionally held on the carrier
Data Source
AI summary
Contacting assembly for arrangement between two electrical components. The contacting assembly that is easy to manufacture and to install. The contacting assembly is configured for arrangement between two electrical components, which comprises a carrier and at least one contact spring unit, wherein the at least one contact spring unit comprises a holding section and contact spring tongues, wherein the contact spring tongues extend from opposite sides of the carrier and are connected with each other via the holding section and wherein the holding section clasps the carrier in sections and is frictionally held on the carrier.