Wavy Spring Battery Contact for PCB Shock Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hand-held battery-powered devices with fragile internal electronic components face damage from collisions, leading to costly and time-consuming separate installation processes for shock absorption, and bulky designs with robust plastic components.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of shock-absorbing battery contacts with a wavy spring element and fan-shaped plates that absorb collision energy through surface-mounting on PCBs, eliminating the need for a separate installation process and maintaining device size and design efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If coiled springs are used as battery contacts for shock absorption, then internal components are protected from collision damage, but a separate installation process is required which increases production cost and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the battery contact function and shock absorption function into a single integrated component. The spring element is directly mounted on the PCB during the standard surface-mount process, eliminating the need for separate shock absorption components and their installation. This merging of functions resolves the contradiction by maintaining component protection while streamlining production.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical contact between the battery and PCB, absorbs shock and vibration, and maintains mechanical stability. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated shock absorption components, thereby improving production efficiency while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If robust plastic components are used to absorb collisions, then internal components are protected from damage, but the device size increases and design becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element integrates shock absorption capability into the existing battery contact structure, eliminating the need for separate bulky plastic protective components. The spring's inherent elasticity provides collision protection without increasing device volume, as it utilizes the space already allocated for battery contact elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element's material properties and geometric parameters are optimized to provide adequate shock absorption with minimal volume. By adjusting spring constants, wire diameters, and coil configurations, the design achieves protection against collision damage while maintaining a compact form factor suitable for hand-held devices.
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
This solution provides effective shock absorption for internal components, reducing production costs and time while enabling efficient mass production without compromising device size or design, by integrating the shock-absorbing contacts directly into the surface-mounting process.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element configured to absorb collision energy
Data Source
AI summary
A device and a method for manufacturing of a printed circuit board for installing in a battery-powered device, the method including mounting on a printed circuit board (PCB) a PCB surface mount component comprising a planar mount configured to be mounted on the PCB and a kinetic energy absorption element with a battery contact on a distal end of the energy absorption element, and trimming the PCB out of a panel comprising the PCB and a border around the PCB, the border connected integrally with the PCB, wherein the border comprises supports configured to support corresponding ear extensions in the absorption element in order to align the battery contact with a PCB plane.