Rotating Contact Spring for Plug-in Connector Socket
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing contact elements fail to adequately compensate for large orientation errors between plugs and printed circuit boards, leading to excessive force on soldering points during Surface Mount Technology (SMT) soldering, which can cause damage.
Innovation Solution
A contact element with a rotating contact spring element and a securing element, manufactured using punching and bending technology, that compensates for large lateral offsets and angular misalignments by rotating, thereby minimizing mechanical stress and allowing for flexible mounting options, including SMT and conventional soldering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the socket contact is designed to compensate for large orientation errors through pivoting, then the compensation capability is improved, but force effects on the soldering contacts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contact spring element is designed to be rotatable about an axis transverse to the plugging direction, allowing dynamic adjustment to compensate for orientation errors. This rotational freedom enables the contact element to adapt to lateral offsets and angular misalignments without transmitting excessive forces to the soldering contacts, resolving the contradiction between compensation capability and force effects.
2Ease of manufacture
If the contact element is designed for SMT soldering, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability of soldered connections deteriorates due to force effects from orientation errors
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable contact spring element provides dynamic compensation for orientation errors, preventing excessive forces from being transmitted to the SMT soldered connections. This maintains the ease of manufacture through SMT while ensuring the reliability of soldered connections by isolating them from damaging force effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact spring element's rotational capability allows it to change its angular parameter to accommodate orientation errors. This parameter change enables the system to maintain reliable soldered connections even when lateral offsets or angular misalignments occur during plugging.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the contact element allows for large lateral offset compensation, then the adaptability is improved, but mechanical stresses on the contact element increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable contact spring element dynamically adjusts its position through rotation about a transverse axis, enabling large lateral offset compensation without generating excessive mechanical stresses. The rotational mechanism distributes the compensation demand across angular adjustment rather than requiring high elastic deformation or rigid structural stress.
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 solution effectively reduces forces on soldered connections, preventing damage and ensuring reliable electrical contact over a wide range of tolerances, including up to 1 mm lateral offset and 12° angular misalignment.
Implementation Method 1
The contact element is provided for preferably being soldered to a printed circuit board using SMT, and is capable of compensating a relatively large lateral offset of an opposing plug. The offset is compensated here by the rotation of the contact spring element, which has the advantage that no mechanical stresses are produced as a result.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A contact element for a plug-in connector socket (4) is proposed. The contact element has particularly large tolerances to compensate the lateral offset of an opposing plug (6). The contact element is embodied in two pieces, specifically composed of a contact spring element (1) for making electrical contact with the opposing plug (6) and a securing element (2) in which the contact spring element (1) is mounted so as to be rotatable about a rotational axis (15). In contrast to a case in which tolerances depend on the deformation of a spring element, by virtue of the rotation of the contact spring element (1) no forces act on the soldering points with which the securing element (2) is soldered to a printed circuit board (5). As a result the contact element is particularly suitable for soldering according to SMT.