Modular Switching Device Adapter for Haptic and Geometric Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pushbutton switching devices require separate configurations for different installation situations and desired switching haptics, leading to increased manufacturing costs and the need for multiple designs to accommodate varying geometric conditions and haptic requirements.
Innovation Solution
A modular switching device with an adapter system that allows for selection of appropriate installation conditions and switching haptics, featuring interchangeable adapters and adjustable spring elements to customize the actuating button's stroke and feel, enabling adaptation to various geometric and haptic requirements without redesigning the entire device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple differently configured pushbuttons are provided for different installation situations and haptic requirements, then adaptability to various geometric conditions and haptic preferences is improved, but manufacturing cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pushbutton device is divided into separate modular components: a base unit and interchangeable adapter elements. Each adapter can be attached to the base unit to modify the actuating stroke length and haptic characteristics. This segmentation allows a single base design to serve multiple applications by simply changing the adapter component, rather than manufacturing entirely different pushbutton designs for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The base unit of the pushbutton is designed with universal mounting features and a standardized interface that accepts various adapter types. This universal design enables the same base unit to be used across different installation situations and with different haptic requirements by simply changing the attached adapter, making the system multi-functional without increasing the number of base unit variants.
2Device complexity
If a standardized pushbutton design is used for all installations, then manufacturing cost and device complexity are reduced, but adaptability to different geometric installation conditions and haptic requirements deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
An adapter element serves as an intermediary component between the standardized base unit and the specific application requirements. The adapter modifies the mechanical characteristics (stroke length, haptic feel) of the base unit to match different installation conditions and user preferences, allowing a single standardized base design to adapt to multiple specific applications without requiring custom designs for each.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the entire pushbutton device is redesigned for each new customer requirement, then precise adaptation to specific geometric and haptic requirements is achieved, but development time and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the pushbutton into a standardized base unit and interchangeable adapters, the invention eliminates the need to redesign the entire device for each customer requirement. Only the adapter component needs to be selected or modified to match specific geometric and haptic requirements, significantly reducing development time and manufacturing complexity while maintaining precise adaptation capability.
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
Enables quick adaptation to diverse installation conditions and haptic preferences, reduces manufacturing costs, and enhances redundancy by allowing multiple switching elements to be actuated simultaneously, ensuring reliable electrical switching signals.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element (24), in particular in the form of a compression spring, which is arranged between the actuating button (7) and the printed circuit board (4) and which acts on the actuating button (7) with a biasing force in the direction towards the released position
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
In a switching device (1) for converting mechanical actuation movements into electrical switching signals, consisting of a cover plate (2) of an electrical device into which the switching device (1) is inserted in a through-opening (3) incorporated therein, a switching element (5), for example a snap disc, a Hall sensor or the like, which is spaced apart from the cover plate (2), a receiving housing (6) which is fixedly connected to the cover plate (2), and an actuating button (7) movably mounted in the receiving housing (6), by which the distance between the cover plate (2) and the switching element (5) is bridged to generate the electrical switching signal, the different installation conditions in technical devices should be compensable.This task is solved by arranging an adapter (11) between the actuating button (7) and the switching element (5), which compensates for the predetermined distance between the actuating button (7) and the switching element (5), and by providing the adapter (11) as a separate component designed in different configurations, which is adapted to the predetermined geometries of the actuating button (7) and the switching element (5).