Electrical Contact Linking Structure for Gold Coating Waste Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In traditional electrical connectors, the gold coating applied to the self-contacting regions of the spring arm and supporting arm often results in wastage as the carrier strip, which is coplanar with these arms, gets coated unnecessarily, leading to inefficient use of precious metal.
Innovation Solution
The electrical contact features a linking structure with a planar main body, a supporting arm, and a spring arm, where the carrier strip is connected via a connecting part with a first section coplanar to the main body and a second section perpendicular to it, ensuring the carrier strip is spaced from the self-contacting regions, thus preventing gold coating on the carrier strip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the carrier strip is coplanar with the supporting arm and spring arm, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the gold coating is wasted on the carrier strip instead of only the self-contacting regions
Solution Approach 1:
The linking structure transitions from a coplanar two-dimensional arrangement to a three-dimensional configuration by extending the first connecting section perpendicular to the plane containing the spring arm and supporting arm. This spatial repositioning separates the carrier strip from the self-contacting regions, preventing gold coating waste while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The first connecting section acts as an intermediary element that bridges the carrier strip and the main body while positioning them in different spatial planes. This intermediate structure enables the carrier strip to be connected to the electrical contact without being coplanar with the self-contacting regions, thus solving the gold coating waste problem.
2Loss of substance
If the carrier strip is positioned close to the self-contacting regions for compact design, then the overall size is reduced, but the gold coating cannot be precisely applied only to the intended regions
Solution Approach 1:
By utilizing the third dimension (perpendicular direction) through the first connecting section, the design achieves spatial separation between the carrier strip and self-contacting regions without increasing the overall footprint in the original plane. This allows precise gold coating application while maintaining compact dimensions.
3Ease of manufacture
If the carrier strip is coplanar with the supporting arm, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the gold coating process becomes inefficient with material waste
Solution Approach 1:
The first connecting section extends perpendicular to the coplanar arrangement, creating a three-dimensional configuration that maintains manufacturing simplicity while enabling precise gold coating application. The perpendicular extension naturally positions the carrier strip out of the coating path without complex alignment requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical contact includes a planar main body, a supporting arm extending upwardly from an upper edge thereof, and a spring arm extending curvedly and upwardly from a lower edge thereof with a contacting region at a free end region. The spring arm will contact the supporting arm when the spring arm is downwardly pressed by the CPU. A connecting part extends from an upper portion of the main body for connecting to a carrier strip, and includes a first connecting section coplanar with the main body, and a second connecting section perpendicular to the first connecting section wherein the carrier strip is connected to an upper edge of the second connecting section so as to be spaced from the corresponding spring arm and supporting arm, thus avoiding improper coating thereupon when the gold coating is applied to the self-contacting regions of the spring arm and supporting arm.