Flat Motor Vehicle Key Battery Contact Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Modern automobile keys with increasing electronic functionalities require larger batteries, leading to an excessive overall height, which reduces ease of use and storage options.

Innovation Solution

A motor vehicle key design featuring a printed circuit board with a recess and a holder for the battery, where the contact element with a resilient section ensures secure battery fixation without increasing the key's overall height, by accommodating the resilient contact portion within the recess when the battery is inserted.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If larger batteries are used to meet increasing energy demand, then power supply capacity is improved, but overall height of the key increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower supply capacityVSAvoidoverall height
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The contact element is nested within the recess of the printed circuit board. When the battery is not inserted, the resilient contact portion extends above the PCB surface; when the battery is inserted, it is received within the recess, allowing the key to maintain a low profile while accommodating the necessary contact mechanism for battery power supply.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The contact element utilizes vertical dimensionality with its resilient contact portion that can extend and retract. By designing the contact element to fold or compress vertically into the recess, the solution manages the height constraint while maintaining the necessary contact capability for power supply.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If the resilient contact section extends above the PCB surface, then battery contact reliability is improved, but key height increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery contact reliabilityVSAvoidkey height
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient contact portion is designed to nest within the recess when not in use, and extend above the PCB surface only when needed for battery contact. This nesting approach ensures reliable contact while minimizing the key's overall height when the battery is removed or not installed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The contact element is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to extend above the PCB surface for reliable contact and then retract into the recess. This dynamic behavior ensures that the contact reliability is maintained during battery installation while the height constraint is satisfied during normal operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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 reduces the overall height of the key while maintaining secure battery contact and protection, enhancing usability and storage convenience.

Implementation Method 1

contact elements that are electrically coupled to the printed circuit board, with at least one contact element having a resilient contact section, via which a battery can be fixed in the holder

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

The batteries are regularly mounted on a spring element which presses the battery against a stop inside the vehicle key

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSpring force: Spring

Data Source

PatentEP2688048B1Flat motor vehicle key
Publication Date: 2017.08.09 HUF HÜLSBECK & FÜRST GMBH & CO KG
  • EP2688048B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1D
  • EP2688048B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2D
  • EP2688048B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5B

AI summary

The key has a holder (5) for a battery partially extended over an opening (2) of a printed circuit board (1). Contact elements (3, 4) are electrically coupled with the board. One of the contact elements (3) with a resilient contact section (3a) is fastened at the board such that a region of the contact section is extended above a plane over the opening, where the plane is defined by a surface of the board. The region of the contact section is accommodated in the opening when the battery is arranged in the holder and fixed in the holder by the contact section.