Pre-Molded Fuse Shield for Pick-and-Place Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cylindrical surface mount fuses are unsuitable for pick-and-place automation due to their tendency to roll on flat surfaces, which can lead to handling difficulties and potential shorting during assembly, especially in compact PCB designs.
Innovation Solution
A pre-molded shield with a cylindrical body, cap covers, and stop regions is designed to partially surround the fuse, limiting its rotation and facilitating retrieval and placement, while being flexible enough to snap over the fuse without adhesives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cylindrical fuses are used for surface mount attachment, then the fuse can be mounted on PCB, but the fuse rolls on flat surface making it unsuitable for pick-and-place automation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a dimensional feature (flat surface) to the cylindrical fuse by attaching it to a PCB board, transforming it from a purely three-dimensional rolling object to a stabilized component with a defined placement plane. This dimensional addition prevents rolling and enables automated pick-and-place operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The PCB board acts as an intermediary between the cylindrical fuse and the assembly system. The fuse is mounted on the PCB, which provides the stable flat surface needed for automation, thereby mediating the instability of the cylindrical shape without modifying the fuse itself.
2Ease of operation
If cylindrical fuses are placed on flat surface, then they can be positioned, but they roll freely causing handling difficulties and potential shorting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by pre-mounting the cylindrical fuse to the PCB board before assembly operations. This pre-attachment prevents the fuse from rolling or moving during handling, thereby eliminating the risk of shorting while maintaining ease of operation during subsequent assembly steps.
3Area of stationary object
If PCB board design is shrunk to achieve space savings, then space is saved, but orienting other devices with respect to fuse becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetry through the flat surface feature on the PCB-mounted cylindrical fuse. This asymmetric characteristic provides a reference orientation that simplifies the positioning and orientation of other devices on the compact PCB, thereby maintaining ease of operation despite reduced board area.
Data Source
AI summary
A fuse shield features a cylindrical body, a first cap cover, a second cap cover, and a stop region. The cylindrical body is adapted to be placed over and partially surround a cylindrical fuse. The cylindrical body is sandwiched between the first and second cap covers. The stop region is located on an edge of the first cap cover to limit rotation of the cylindrical fuse to a first degree in one direction on a flat surface.