Frameless Battery Compartment with Cantilever Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional communication devices are limited to using a specific battery size due to standard battery compartments, which can lead to battery disconnection during device drops and lack of flexibility in accommodating multiple battery sizes, compromising reliability and size efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A frameless battery compartment design featuring opposing walls with cantilever retaining tabs and guide channels, along with a securable cover, allows for the secure retention of batteries of various sizes without the need for an additional frame, ensuring proper alignment and electrical connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a standard battery compartment with frame and door is used, then battery retention is provided, but the device size increases and multiple battery sizes cannot be accommodated
Solution Approach 1:
The battery compartment is designed with a frameless structure that can accommodate multiple battery sizes (AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt) through a single universal design. The opposing walls with integrated cantilever tabs and guide channels create a versatile retention mechanism that adapts to different battery dimensions without requiring separate compartments or frames for each battery type.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure traditionally used in battery compartments is removed entirely. Instead of using a separate frame to retain the battery, the retention function is extracted and integrated directly into the opposing walls through cantilever tabs and guide channels, eliminating unnecessary structural elements and reducing overall device volume.
2Reliability
If a snap-in door is used to retain the battery, then battery retention is provided, but the battery may become disconnected during device drops
Solution Approach 1:
The battery retention function is segmented into multiple independent elements: guide channels for alignment, cantilever tabs for lateral retention, and integrated electrical contacts. This segmentation distributes the retention function across multiple structural features rather than relying on a single snap-in door mechanism, improving reliability while maintaining simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical connection and mechanical retention functions are merged into the same structural elements. The guide channels and cantilever tabs simultaneously provide both physical retention and electrical contact, eliminating the need for separate retention mechanisms and reducing overall structural complexity.
3Ease of operation
If a frame structure is used to locate and retain the battery, then battery positioning is provided, but the device housing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning and retention functions are merged into the opposing walls themselves. The guide channels are formed as integral features of the wall structure, and the cantilever tabs are directly attached to the walls, eliminating the need for separate frame components and simplifying the overall housing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cantilever tabs are designed as flexible elements that can deflect during battery insertion and then spring back to secure the battery in place. This flexibility provides effective positioning and retention without requiring rigid frame structures, reducing housing complexity while maintaining ease of battery installation.
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
This design enhances battery retention security, accommodates multiple battery sizes, and reduces device size constraints while maintaining reliable power backup during outages.
Implementation Method 1
The tabs are flexible and will flex away from the battery cavity and return to the position shown in FIG. 1, providing a passive capture mechanism that retains the battery in the battery cavity even if the battery cover is lost or becomes detached
Data Source
AI summary
A frameless battery cavity formed in a device enclosure retains a battery housing. Cantilever tabs on a battery end of a wall of the device housing have detents that forcibly engage the battery housing when the battery housing is fully inserted into the battery cavity. The detents are restrained from springing away from the battery housing when it is fully inserted by notches in a battery cover. The notches engage the detents after the battery has been fully inserted. The battery cover is secured in the opening to the battery cavity so that the detents are prevented from expanding away from the battery, and thus releasing the battery from the cavity, unless the cover is removed by a user. A guiding mechanism guides the battery housing into the cavity to facilitate electrical engagement of a connection between the battery housing and the device housing.