Shape Optimal Design of Contact Springs of Electronic Connectors

Abstract

An electronic connector provides a separable interface between two subsystems of an electronic system. The contact spring is probably the most critical component in an electronic connector. Mechanically, the contact spring provides the contact normal force, which establishes the contact interface as the connector is mated. However, connector manufacturers have a basic struggle between the need for high normal contact forces and low insertion forces. Designing connectors with large numbers of pins that are used with today’s integrated circuits and printed circuit boards often results in an associated rise in connector insertion force. It is possible to lower the insertion force of a connector by redesigning the geometry of the contact spring, but this also means a decrease in contact normal force. In this paper, structural shape optimization techniques are used to find the optimal shape of the contact springs of an electronic connector. The process of the insertion of a PCB into the contact springs of a connector is modeled by finite element analysis. The maximum insertion force and the contact normal force are calculated. The effects of several design parameters are discussed. The geometry of the contact springs is then parameterized and optimized. The required insertion force is minimized while the normal contact force and the resulting stress are maintained within specified values. In our example, the insertion force of the final contact spring design is reduced to 68.3% of that of the original design, while the contact force and the maximum stress are maintained within specified values.

Bright, stable, and water-soluble CuInS2/ZnS nanocrystals passivated by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide

“…The PL spectrum of CTAB-CIS/ZnS NCs was nearly the same as that of the oil-soluble NCs with 556.7 nm wavelength (Figure 5b), exhibiting a relatively high QY of 56.0% (compared with a QY of 61.4% in the organic phase), which clarifies that the CTAB coating layer maintained the emission properties of NCs regarding the PL spectrum and QY. The highly preserved QY and spectral features (without an obvious PL red shift from hydrophobic NCs as previously observed [23,24]) probably benefited from lipophilic CTAB encapsulation (hydrophobic interaction) on CIS/ZnS NCs without disturbing the originally capping ligands. This favored the surface passivation of CIS/ZnS NCs, which is critical for their optical emission properties [14].…”

A world-to-chip socket for microfluidic prototype development

“…A die size of a few micrometers can end up in undesirable bulky packages, with overall dimensions in centimeters. Consequently, some of the benefits of miniaturization are diminished due to inadequate packaging [7]. (iv) Cost considerations: The cost of packaging cannot be neglected.…”

“…(iv) Cost considerations: The cost of packaging cannot be neglected. For example, the cost of packaging micrcopressure sensors can vary from 20% to as high as 95% of the product's total cost [7]. A packaging design compatible with automatic processes will tremendously decrease the assembling cost.…”

“…They can be mounted into the sockets at this stage. The fabrication details and quantitative performances for the mixing chips are presented elsewhere [7]. An example of applying these sockets to test a microfluidic circuit is shown in Fig.…”

Multi-objective Optimal Design of Driving Spring in Slide Cover Hinge

“…For instance, Ou and Balenrea [4] used FEM to simulate the forging of aerofoil sections to investigate the effect of variations in parting line and friction on material flow, forging force history, and elastic deflections. Hsu et al [5] used ANSYS, a well-known CAE software, to optimize designs for electronic connectors, achieving an optimal insertion force. Another popular approach of design analysis is the Taguchi method.…”