Contact Terminal Plate Spring Segmentation for Deformation Resistance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional contact terminals in portable devices face issues with durability, aesthetic appearance, and manufacturing costs due to concentrated load on curved portions and the need for separate resilient bodies, leading to potential deformation and increased costs with pogo pins.
Innovation Solution
A contact terminal design featuring a plate spring mounted within a housing, supporting a contact pin with adjustable exposure length, which provides resilient force for stable connections without separate resilient bodies, improving durability and reducing manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional C-clip contact terminal is used, then connection functionality is provided, but load concentration on curved portions causes durability issues and requires separate resilient bodies
Solution Approach 1:
The contact terminal is divided into distinct functional segments: a resilient body portion that provides elastic support and a contact pin portion that makes electrical contact. This segmentation allows each part to specialize in its function, with the resilient body absorbing loads and the contact pin maintaining stable connections, thereby improving overall reliability while preventing permanent deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the resilient body function from the conventional C-clip structure and implements it as a separate, dedicated resilient body portion within the integrated contact terminal. This extraction allows the resilient body to be optimized specifically for load absorption and elastic recovery, improving durability without compromising connection stability.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If a separate resilient body is added to support the C-clip, then durability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the resilient body and contact pin into a single integrated contact terminal component. The resilient body portion and contact pin portion are formed as one unified structure, eliminating the need for separate resilient bodies while maintaining durability. This merging reduces device complexity and simplifies manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact terminal is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides resilient support, electrical contact, and structural stability. The resilient body portion handles load absorption while the contact pin portion ensures reliable electrical connection, allowing a single component to perform multiple functions that previously required separate parts.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the contact terminal is compressed to maintain stable connection, then connection stability is improved, but resilient force accumulates intensively at curved portions causing potential permanent deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The contact terminal employs local quality differentiation where the resilient body portion has optimized elastic properties for load absorption, while the contact pin portion has optimized conductive and mechanical properties for stable electrical contact. This localized optimization ensures that compression forces are properly distributed and absorbed by the resilient body portion, preventing excessive stress concentration and permanent deformation.
4Strength
If a pogo pin structure is used instead of C-clip, then durability and appearance are improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adopts a cost-effective design approach by using an integrated contact terminal structure that can be manufactured more economically than complex pogo pin assemblies. The single-piece construction with molded resilient body and integrated contact pin reduces manufacturing steps and material costs while providing sufficient durability for the application, offering a budget-friendly alternative to expensive pogo pins.
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 ensures a stable and durable connection with minimal external exposure, enhancing the aesthetic appearance and reducing manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for additional resilient support, while preventing permanent deformation.
Implementation Method 1
a plate spring for supporting the contact pin... the plate spring provides a resilient force
Data Source
AI summary
A contact terminal includes: a contact pin; and a plate spring configured to support the contact pin, wherein a portion of the plate spring is connected to a circuit board, wherein the contact pin can be connected to a counterpart while being supported by the plate spring, thus ensuring a stable connection structure.