Electrical Spring Contact with Integrated Carrier for Stress Distribution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical spring contacts for PCBs face challenges in providing efficient and reliable grounding and shielding against EMI noise, particularly in terms of material durability and stress distribution, which affects their fatigue life and performance in repeated use.
Innovation Solution
The development of an electrical spring contact with a U-shaped bend portion, an inclined portion that tapers to a forked end, and a connection portion, all made from a single conductive material like beryllium copper, which includes a hooked portion for improved solder fillet and a detachable integral carrier for precise placement and easy assembly, enhancing stress distribution and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional spring contacts are used for PCB grounding and shielding, then basic electrical connection is achieved, but stress distribution is poor and fatigue life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The spring contact is divided into distinct functional segments: a connection portion for PCB attachment, a bulge portion for stress distribution, a bend portion with U-shaped configuration for elasticity, and an inclined portion for wire termination. This segmentation allows each part to optimize its specific function, improving overall reliability and stress distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the spring contact have locally optimized properties: the bulge portion provides stress distribution, the bend portion provides elastic recovery, the inclined portion provides tapered stress transition, and the hooked portion provides solder attachment. This local quality enhancement resolves the contradiction between strength and fatigue life.
2Reliability
If spring contacts are designed for reliable grounding and shielding, then electrical performance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional elements (connection portion, bulge portion, bend portion, inclined portion with forked end) are merged into a single spring contact component made from one piece of conductive material. This integration maintains reliable grounding and shielding performance while simplifying manufacturing compared to assembling multiple separate parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The single spring contact component performs multiple functions: electrical connection to PCB, stress distribution, elastic recovery, wire termination, and shielding. This multi-functionality achieves reliable grounding and shielding performance without requiring multiple separate components, thereby easing manufacturing.
3Strength
If spring contacts are made from single conductive material, then material durability is improved, but adaptability in design flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
While made from single conductive material for durability, the spring contact incorporates locally varied geometries: the bulge portion for stress distribution, the U-shaped bend for elasticity, the tapered inclined portion for stress reduction, and the forked end for wire acceptance. This local geometric quality provides design flexibility within the constraint of single material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The design achieves adaptability by varying geometric parameters (curvature radius of bend portion, taper angle of inclined portion, thickness variations) rather than material composition. This allows design flexibility for different applications while maintaining material durability through consistent use of single conductive material.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical spring contact is provided. The electrical spring contact includes a connection portion configured to couple the electrical spring contact to a printed circuit board, a bulge portion, a bend portion having a substantially U-shaped configuration, and an inclined portion extending from the bend portion at an angle relative to a plane that is substantially parallel to the connection portion. The connection portion, the bulge portion, the bend portion, and the inclined portion are formed from a single conductive contact material.