Z-Shaped Pin With Notches For Automated Transformer Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing z-shaped pins used in transformer assemblies are unreliable over long-term thermal cycling due to hand-soldered primary and secondary windings, which lack consistency and durability.
Innovation Solution
A z-shaped pin design with notches and slots on its tips and bends, allowing wires to be wrapped and soldered automatically, providing a secure and reliable connection to a substrate without hand soldering, and enabling the use of pick-and-place machines for efficient assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hand-soldering is used to attach windings to the PCB, then the assembly can be completed with simple equipment, but the reliability of the connection deteriorates over long-term thermal cycling
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is divided into distinct functional segments: a body portion for mechanical support, a bent portion for wire wrapping, and a terminal portion for substrate mounting. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function, improving overall reliability while enabling automated assembly processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The pin is pre-formed with specific geometric features including bends at predetermined angles and notches at specific locations. These preliminary structural preparations enable the wire to be automatically wrapped and soldered to the substrate without requiring manual intervention, thus improving reliability through consistent automated manufacturing.
2Productivity
If automated soldering is implemented, then manufacturing efficiency and consistency improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pin incorporates localized geometric features (bends and notches) at specific positions rather than uniform design throughout. The bent portion provides a specific geometry for wire wrapping, while notches are placed at precise locations to guide wire placement and enable automated soldering, thus improving productivity without requiring excessive overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pin design utilizes specific geometric parameters including bend angles, notched dimensions, and relative positioning of features. These parameter optimizations enable the pin to work effectively with automated soldering equipment while maintaining manufacturing efficiency, resolving the contradiction between automation and complexity.
3Reliability
If the pin design includes multiple notches and slots for wire wrapping, then the wire connection reliability improves, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The notches and slots are pre-formed as integral parts of the pin during its manufacturing process. This preliminary action ensures that the wire wrapping path is predetermined and consistent, improving wire connection reliability. The features are created with sufficient precision during pin fabrication, avoiding the need for additional high-precision operations during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The pin combines multiple features (bends, notches, slots) into a single integrated component rather than separate parts. This merging reduces the cumulative precision requirements that would arise from assembling multiple precision components, while still providing the necessary wire guidance features for reliable connections.
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 z-shaped pin design enhances the reliability and efficiency of wire connections by allowing automated soldering and reducing the risk of errors, improving the durability of the assembly under thermal cycling tests.
Implementation Method 1
The wires can be soldered to the z-shaped pin without hand soldering
Data Source
AI summary
A pin has a z shape and includes a first notch in a first tip of the pin and a first slot in a first bend in the pin. Alternatively, a pin includes first, second, and third plates; a first bend connecting the first and the second plates; a second bend connecting the second and the third plates. The first plate includes a first notch, and the second bend includes a first slot. A module includes a substrate, a pin mounted to the substrate, and a wire wound around the pin.