Multipurpose Boss Assembly for Compact Enclosure Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic device enclosures face challenges in minimizing interior volume usage due to the need for multiple bosses to assemble and affix the enclosure to structures, which requires larger circuitboards and enclosures, compromising size and functionality.
Innovation Solution
A multipurpose boss assembly that integrates a first boss with a passage extending through the enclosure for assembly and affixing, using an elongate threaded screw and threaded insert to secure and align components, reducing the number of bosses and cutouts needed, thereby optimizing interior volume usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate bosses are used for assembly and affixing functions, then the enclosure can be properly assembled and mounted to structures, but the interior volume is excessively occupied and the enclosure size must be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The boss assembly is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both an assembly boss for joining enclosure portions and an affixing boss for mounting the enclosure to external structures. The single boss includes a passage that receives both an enclosure screw for assembly and a mounting screw for external attachment, eliminating the need for separate bosses for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the previously separate assembly boss and affixing boss into a single integrated boss structure. This consolidation reduces the total number of bosses extending into the interior volume, thereby freeing up space and reducing the overall enclosure size while maintaining both assembly and mounting capabilities.
2Reliability
If multiple bosses extend into the interior volume to provide assembly and mounting mechanisms, then the enclosure can be assembled and affixed to structures, but the circuitboard size must be increased to accommodate multiple cutouts
Solution Approach 1:
The single boss assembly provides both assembly and mounting functions, reducing the number of cutouts needed in the circuitboard from multiple (for separate assembly and mounting bosses) to fewer (for the integrated boss), thereby preserving more circuitboard surface area for electronic components.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining the assembly and mounting functions into one boss structure, the invention reduces the total number of openings required in the circuitboard, allowing for a smaller circuitboard area while maintaining reliable assembly and mounting capabilities.
3Volume of stationary object
If the enclosure size is reduced to minimize interior volume usage, then the device becomes more compact, but there is insufficient space for multiple bosses needed for assembly and mounting
Solution Approach 1:
The boss is designed as a multi-functional element that performs both assembly and mounting roles, allowing the enclosure to maintain full functionality with fewer bosses, thus enabling a more compact enclosure design without sacrificing assembly or mounting capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The integration of multiple functions into a single boss allows for a reduction in the total number of bosses required, which in turn enables a smaller enclosure volume while maintaining the necessary assembly and mounting features.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the circuitboard is made larger to accommodate multiple cutouts for separate bosses, then all electronic components can be mounted, but the overall device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-functional boss reduces the number of cutouts needed in the circuitboard, allowing for a smaller circuitboard that can still accommodate all necessary electronic components, thereby reducing overall device complexity and size.
Solution Approach 2:
By merging the assembly and mounting functions into a single boss structure, the invention reduces the total number of cutouts required in the circuitboard, enabling a more compact and less complex device design while maintaining the capability to mount all necessary electronic components.
Data Source
AI summary
A boss assembly includes: a first boss formed integrally with a first portion of an enclosure that cooperates with a second portion thereof to enclose a volume, wherein the first passage communicates between the enclosed volume at an internal aperture and an external environment at an external aperture; an enclosure screw having an enlarged head to retain the enclosure screw within the first passage and an elongate threaded shaft portion to extend out of the first passage through the internal aperture, into the interior volume and into a second passage of a second boss of the second portion; and a threaded insert that is sized to engage interior surfaces of the first passage with a tight fit when inserted therein between the head of the enclosure screw and the external aperture, wherein the first threaded insert defines a threaded third passage that extends therethrough.