Rolling Ball Switch Pin Terminal Surface Quality

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional rolling-ball switches suffer from rough fracture and burr zones on pin terminals, which cause insertion resistance and affect contact efficiency due to plastic deformation during the punching process, leading to inefficient operation.

Innovation Solution

The method involves forming pin terminals with smooth burr-free surfaces using a punching process and assembling them in a polygonal array with the smooth surfaces facing diagonally, allowing the rolling ball to contact only these surfaces when bridging the terminals.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If pin terminals are formed by conventional punching process, then manufacturing efficiency is maintained, but rough fracture and burr zones are created on the pin terminal surfaces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing efficiencyVSAvoidsurface quality of pin terminal

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The harmful fracture and burr zones (IV) are selectively removed through selective polishing or electropolishing processes, extracting only the defective surface regions while preserving the rest of the pin terminal structure and maintaining manufacturing efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Surface treatment is applied locally only to the fracture and burr zones that require improvement, rather than treating the entire pin terminal surface, thereby achieving surface quality enhancement with minimal additional processing time and cost

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of manufacture

If pin terminals with rough surfaces are assembled into housing, then assembly process is simple, but insertion resistance increases and housing may be scratched

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassembly simplicityVSAvoidinsertion resistance and housing damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The rough fracture and burr zones that initially cause insertion resistance are converted into smooth surfaces through selective polishing, transforming a harmful feature into a beneficial one that reduces friction and prevents housing scratching while maintaining assembly simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Area of stationary object

If pin terminals with rough surfaces contact the ball member, then contact area is increased, but contact efficiency decreases due to friction and wear

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontact area with ball memberVSAvoidcontact efficiency and operational reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The surfaces of the pin terminals that contact the ball member are selectively polished to create smooth contact zones, while other areas of the pin terminal maintain their original properties, thereby optimizing contact efficiency and reducing wear without compromising the overall structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS9058945B2Electrical switch and method of producing the same

Publication Date: 2015.06.16 CHOU(CN)

AI summary

A method of producing an electrical switch which includes a rolling ball movable within a housing thereof to bridge and contact an array of pin terminals includes the steps of forming the pin terminals by using a punching process, wherein one or more smooth burr-free surfaces are formed on each of the pin terminals; and assembling the pin terminals, the housing and the rolling ball by spacing apart the pin terminals along a polygonal line and by arranging the smooth burr-free surfaces of the pin terminals to face toward each other substantially along diagonal lines such that the rolling ball contacts only the smooth burr-free surfaces when bridging the pin terminals.