PCB Clip With Offset Prongs for Reduced Mounting Hole Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
The limited space on printed circuit boards due to mounting holes or slots for heat sinks and other components restricts electronics integration and causes structural weakness, as these features occupy valuable circuit routing areas and impact performance.
Innovation Solution
A clip design with offset prongs that allows for insertion through smaller holes, reducing the required mounting hole space by about 50% and enabling easier routing and manufacturing, while maintaining component retention through spring-loaded extensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If mounting holes or slots are provided for heat sinks or other components, then components can be mounted to the printed circuit board, but valuable circuit routing areas are occupied and structural weakness is caused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional through-hole mounting (requiring holes penetrating the entire board) to surface-mounted clip retention (using tabs that engage with components from the board surface). This dimensional change eliminates the need for deep holes, preserving circuit routing areas while maintaining component mounting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip is divided into distinct functional segments: retention tabs for component attachment, engagement tabs for board insertion, and resilient arms for securing. This segmentation allows each feature to be optimized independently, with retention tabs requiring minimal hole depth while engagement tabs provide secure board integration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If mounting holes or slots are provided for heat sinks or other components, then components can be mounted to the printed circuit board, but structural weakness is caused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces through-hole mounting with surface-mounted retention tabs that engage components without penetrating deep into the board. This reduces the volume of material removed, preserving board structural integrity while maintaining mounting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention tabs and engagement tabs are merged into a single integrated clip structure. This consolidation distributes mechanical loads across multiple attachment points (both to the component and to the board), reducing stress concentration and preserving overall board strength.
3Area of stationary object
If smaller holes are used for clip insertion, then space constraints are reduced and routing flexibility is improved, but clip insertion complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retention tabs are designed with resilient arms that provide dynamic insertion assistance. The arms flex during insertion to guide the tabs through small holes, then spring back to lock the component in place. This dynamic mechanism simplifies insertion despite the reduced hole size.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient arms act as intermediaries between the retention tabs and the component, providing a mechanical interface that facilitates insertion through small holes. The arms compress during insertion and expand to secure the component, mediating the interaction between the clip and component.
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 solution reduces space constraints on printed circuit boards, enhances performance by improving routing flexibility, lowers manufacturing costs, and facilitates automated assembly, thereby increasing throughput and reducing assembly time.
Implementation Method 1
The resilient arms are biased to hold the retention tabs against the printed circuit board
Implementation Method 2
A clip design with offset prongs that allows for insertion through smaller holes, reducing the required mounting hole space by about 50% and enabling easier routing and manufacturing, while maintaining component retention through spring-loaded extensions
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a printed circuit board has a hole. The hole has a longest extent on a surface of the printed circuit board. A clip is held in the hole by feet of prongs. The feet are extensions each having a length that is more than half the longest extent of the hole. A heat sink is held, in part, relative to the printed circuit board by the clip. A part of the heat sink contacts a loop of the clip and applies a force on the clip directed away from the printed circuit board. The feet of the clip on an opposite side of the printed circuit board than the heat sink hold the clip to the printed circuit board to counteract the force. The prongs are configured to offset the feet such that the extensions overlap with the lengths extending along the longest extent of the hole by less than a sum of the lengths of the feet and less than the longest extent for insertion through the hole.