Electronic Unit Casing Elastic Pressing Mechanism Suppresses Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic units with circuit boards and connectors experience rattling due to manufacturing tolerances, leading to excessive vibration when used in environments like automobiles, which can disrupt the operation of internal components.
Innovation Solution
The electronic unit design features a first casing that abuts a terminal holder and a second casing that sandwiches the holder, with an elastic pressing piece extending from the second casing to restrict movement and reduce rattling. This configuration ensures that the pressing piece elastically presses the terminal holder, minimizing rattling between casings and components, thereby suppressing vibrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a protrusion and recess assembly method is used to connect the connector and case, then the assembly is simple and easy to manufacture, but manufacturing dimensional tolerance causes gaps that lead to rattling and excessive vibration during use
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing piece is pre-formed with elastic properties and integrated into the connector housing before assembly. This preliminary preparation allows the pressing piece to automatically exert pressing force on the terminal holder once assembled, eliminating gaps caused by manufacturing tolerances without requiring complex post-assembly adjustments or additional fastening operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing piece utilizes elastic deformation as its working principle. By changing the physical state of the pressing piece from rigid to elastic, it can dynamically adjust to manufacturing variations and maintain continuous contact pressure on the terminal holder, thereby suppressing rattling and vibration while preserving the simplicity of the protrusion-recess assembly method.
2Manufacturing precision
If the connector and case are assembled with gaps due to manufacturing tolerance, then manufacturing precision requirements are relaxed, but rattling occurs during vibration which transmits excessive vibration to internal components
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing piece acts as an intermediary element between the connector housing and the terminal holder. It transfers and maintains continuous contact force across the interface, compensating for dimensional tolerances and preventing gap formation. This intermediary mechanism effectively isolates internal components from rattling and vibration while allowing relaxed manufacturing precision requirements.
3Reliability
If rigid connection methods are used to eliminate gaps between connector and case, then vibration suppression is improved, but assembly complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing piece is designed to automatically perform its vibration suppression function through its inherent elastic properties. Once the connector housing and terminal holder are assembled using the simple protrusion-recess method, the pressing piece self-activates to exert pressing force, eliminating the need for additional fastening mechanisms, adjustment procedures, or complex assembly steps. This self-service approach achieves rigid-like vibration suppression without increasing assembly 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
The design effectively suppresses rattling and vibrations within the electronic unit, ensuring proper operation even under external forces like those encountered in automotive environments, by utilizing an elastic pressing mechanism that maintains the pressing piece's position and exerts a larger elastic force, improving durability and assembly workability.
Implementation Method 1
elastically pressing the terminal holder against the first casing through a pressing piece extending from the second casing
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic unit is provided. The electronic unit includes a circuit board provided with an electronic component and a terminal, a terminal holder fixed to the circuit board and holding the terminal, a first casing assembled so as to abut on the terminal holder, and a second casing assembled to the first casing so as to sandwich the terminal holder between the first casing and the second casing, and configured to maintain a state where the terminal holder and the first casing abut on each other by being engaged with the first casing so as to restrict movement of the first casing away from the terminal holder and by elastically pressing the terminal holder against the first casing through a pressing piece extending from the second casing.