PCB Socket with Radial Contact Fingers and Wings
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical sockets for printed circuit boards lack efficient retention mechanisms for male pins, leading to potential disconnection and assembly challenges during automated manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
A female electrical socket design featuring a cylindrical body with radially inwardly directed contact fingers and outwardly extending wings, manufactured from a single conductive sheet, providing both mechanical retention and electrical contact, and enabling easy integration with printed circuit boards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single-piece PCB socket is used to receive male pins, then the socket structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the retention mechanism is insufficient leading to potential disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The socket is segmented into multiple functional components: a cylindrical body for structural support, multiple contact fingers for electrical connection and retention, and wings for mechanical securing. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall manufacturing simplicity through integration from a single sheet.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact fingers are designed as resilient elements that can dynamically adjust their position. They flex outward to accommodate pin insertion and then spring inward to provide retention force, creating a dynamic retention mechanism that actively secures pins rather than relying on static friction alone.
2Reliability
If additional retention mechanisms like caps or tape are used, then pin retention is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the single socket structure: the contact fingers provide both electrical connection and retention forces, while the wings provide both structural support and mechanical retention. This eliminates the need for separate caps or tape components, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliable pin retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The socket is designed to be self-retaining through its own integrated components. The resilient contact fingers automatically engage and retain pins through their spring force, and the wings provide inherent mechanical retention, eliminating the need for external retention aids like caps or tape.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional socket designs are used, then manufacturing is straightforward, but automated assembly becomes difficult due to lack of retention
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented design with distinct contact fingers and wings provides clear geometric features that can be easily detected by automated assembly systems. The fingers' radial orientation and the wings' external positioning create identifiable landmarks for robotic placement and verification systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the socket have optimized local properties: the contact fingers have resilient local quality for active engagement, while the wings have rigid local quality for stable positioning. This variation in local qualities provides multiple interaction points for automated assembly equipment, improving automation capability without complicating overall manufacturing.
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 socket ensures secure engagement and retention of male pins, facilitating automatic assembly without the need for additional caps or tape, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and improving assembly efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
bending the second end of each of the contact fingers radially inwards relative to the first end towards a central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body
Data Source
AI summary
A female electrical socket for receiving an electrical pin and for connection to a PCB is provided. The socket provides a body having a first end and a second end, each having an opening, wherein either opening is configured to receive a male electrical pin to form a connection with the female socket, and wherein the body has a central longitudinal axis. The socket further provides a plurality of contact fingers on the body, wherein a first end of each of the fingers is attached to the body and a second end of each of the fingers is radially directed inwards relative to the first end towards the central longitudinal axis to provide a retention force to engage with the electrical pin. At least one wing extends outwardly from the first end of the body. A corresponding method of manufacturing the socket is also provided.