MD&M 2020

Today, it is all about being connected and staying connected. IoT and wearable devices are revolutionizing the industrial, automotive, robotics, and medical fields.

Video below is Mark Brinkerhoff’s introduction.

Mark Brinkerhoff - President of Fusion Design

In the video below, Mark talks about technology trends, drivers, and influencers for IoT and wearable development from a mechanical engineer's point of view.

Mark Brinkerhoff discusses the mega trends shaping the world.

Mark discusses the impact and what these trends mean for wearable devices.

Mark Brinkerhoff discusses the impact and what these trends mean for wearable devices

In the video below, Mark discusses the development processes.

Fusion development processes

Mark shares technology trends he saw at CES 2020.

New technology at CES 2020

In the following video, Mark discusses the common wearable design challenges including device protection, adhesives options, and thermal management.

wearable design challenges

Detailed information about the interesting wearable Mark found at CES 2020.

Are You Ready to Start Product Development?

Are you ready to start your product development? 

Below is an edited transcript of the video. 

Are you ready to start your product development? 

Typically, people come in with an idea, and often, they haven't been able to do enough of their homework ahead of time before requesting our services. This is a short video to describe some of the things worth doing right away once you have an idea. 

Look in the marketplace

So, let's say you've dreamed up an idea about the next greatest thing. It doesn't matter what it is, but you're pretty sure it's an opportunity. Well, then, what I do is switch hats from an inventor to a contrarian. I look at the marketplace. I try to find the device, idea, or design I had dreamed up. And I look everywhere. I look in the patent database, in the US patent database, uspto.gov. I look on Amazon. I look in specialty stores. I look in magazines. I look all over the place for things, and I really try hard to find them. And if I still need to find it and think it's a valuable idea, then I consider doing a provisional patent on the idea because nothing's out there.

And once I have the provisional patent applied for, and there are other videos we'll show to describe this, it allows me to talk to the world about my idea and see if it's a valuable solution.  Of course a valuable solution can be anything. Usually, it's something that solves a problem that someone has or makes life easier in some way, or is extremely entertaining. And there are many other versions, but these are the ones I see mostly.

Get trusted feedback on your idea

So once you've got your provisional patent in order, then you can ask your friends and family if the idea is one of significance, is it valuable? Is it something they'd actually pay for? I think that's great with friends and family initially, but then you find out that they'll often say what you want to hear. So you have to find objective people who you trust their opinion, they're in need of the potential idea that you've created, and ask them, honestly, would this be something they'd buy if they saw it on the market. Find out what other things cost in that space. Put all that together, and once you've done that, then it's worth it the next step.

We can help answer development questions

Often, people come with that information to us as well. And they are usually more prepared, and they can get more out of a visit here. We'll give honest opinions about the manufacturability and feasibility. We are not marketing experts, so we can't offer as much input on the marketability. With that information, you'll have your best experience with us, and we'll understand your needs much more quickly, and you'll get answers to your initial development questions, and or costs, and or schedules right away.

Newsletter V2020 Issue 1

Newsletter, V2020

Insights for Accelerating Concepts to Creation

Cool technologies from CES 2020

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A systematic approach considering function, aesthetics, environment, manufacturing, and assembly is the key to success for selecting the right fastener.

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Partner Spotlight: Multi-Innovation

Based in Silicon Valley, Multi-Innovation helps companies identify and create patent portfolios that protect their business. Shmuel Silverman, an inventor and patent strategist with over 165 patents and provisional publications, has years of experience in telecommunications, IoT, biotech, artificial intelligence, blockchain, nanotech and robotics.

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Upcoming Events

Jan 23rd  - Planetary Robotics
Jan 29th - Has the Clean Energy Revolution Finally Begun?
Jan 29th and 30th - DesignCon 2020
Feb 11th  - Mark Brinkerhoff presents at MD&M West
An Engineer's Perspective on the Advancements of the "Wearable"
Feb 11th - 13th MD&M West, Anaheim
Feb 20th - ASME SCVS Thirsty Third Thursday Happy Hour 
Feb 25th - A Profitable (& Predictable) Path to Medtech Success
Mar 18th - Key initiatives to derive intelligence out of connected things & wearables
Mar 19th - ASME SCVS Thirsty Third Thursday Happy Hour
 

Best Practices for Design of Enclosures with Batteries

The Fusion Design team takes a holistic approach to enclosure design that begins with an in-depth understanding of the client’s business/product objectives and the expected experience of the intended user. This understanding allows us to make the right decisions about balancing often opposing goals within the system (engineering trades). 

We need to understand the constraints and user expectations thoroughly so we pursue an understanding of the following:  

• Will it be a low volume product or a high volume product? 

• Will it be a lightweight product or a heavy product? 

• Does it need a plastic, metal or composite enclosure? 

• Will it be in an aggressive environment or in a non-aggressive environment? 

• Does it need to have a replaceable battery or a rechargeable battery? 

• If it will be a reusable battery, will a charger be necessary? Will charging be done wirelessly or with a plug in power cord? 

• Will it need water ingress protection? 

• Will the battery be installed in the factory, or will the user need to install it? 

• Is it a rugged application or a passive one? 

• How will it be mounted or supported?  Will it be pole mounted, or can it go in a pocket? 

• Will it be a moving application or is it in a fixed location (ie. Data center) 

• Will it have a backup battery source? 

• Will it need a charging circuit? 

• Will it be a large battery requiring special structural mounting? 

• Will it be mounted on a circuit board or will it live in a battery chamber that is part of an enclosure? 

• How long will the battery need to last? 

• How many recharge cycles are needed (battery life)? 

• Considering the price point, does it need to have margins for a more expensive battery that is more reliable and/or with higher capacity (future planning)? 

• What will be the mechanical configuration (rectangular, cylindrical, clipped, battery contact interfaces, mounting method)? 

• Can standard battery formats be used or are custom formats required (more costly)? 

• Is weight a concern? For example, for a wearable military product, the user might carry 25 pounds of batteries.  

Choosing the Right Battery 

There are many types of batteries available and the choice is not a simple decision because there are many different factors to take into account. 

• How much power will be needed and how long will it need it to last? 

• How long between charge cycles? 

• What types of connectors are available/needed? 

• How will status monitoring be done? 

• Will it drive motors (potentially high current demand)? 

• What will be the current usage capacity over time? 

• What are the power cycle needs? 

• What type of battery management system is needed?  

• Is the provider a reliable and cost effective source? 

After selecting a battery and performing required load testing ,the enclosure and mounting schemes are developed. Here are some of our tips and best practices for developing battery mounting schemes: 

Check for Adequate Clearance 

Heat causes batteries to swell and therefore clearance is needed to absorb the swelling. Some clearance is necessary within limits. Too much clearance may cause your battery to  rattle around in your enclosure. Loose parts give the impression of cheap design and can actually lead to damaged batteries. The best practice is to allow for battery expansion but also to add some compliancy (i.e. foam) to prevent relative motion (rattling).  

Here is  an example of a very compact design where the battery is nested in a compliant cavity for this hand held application:  

Manage the Heat 

It is often necessary to perform thermal analysis to manage heat dissipation. Battery placement is critical. Typically, a small battery should  be near an enclosure wall. Since it can get extremely hot, a conductive pad can be placed between it and the housing wall. Adding a structural wall and a foam element to the opposite side of the battery is often desirable.  The foam will push the battery into the conductor pad causing the heat to be carried into  the enclosure where it would be dissipated via convection. This arrangement is found in most wearable devices. 

Often both simulations and real-world testing are required. Thermal profiles will be necessary over an entire PCB to minimize obstruction and to ensure proper airflow. Every battery circuit must have a fuse of some sort, either electronic or physical. 

Handle Battery Mounting Challenges With Flexible Products 

Most wearables wrap around a wrist, ankle, neck or ear and these curved surfaces create extra challenges because most batteries are rectilinear, some type of rectangle. In a curved situation, space is limited and that impacts the allowable size and shape of the battery. The form factor needs to be addressed early on because a design can be wrecked if the battery is too big for the desired aesthetic. 

Here is an example of a curved earpiece that accommodated a rectangular battery: 

Define Ruggedization Strategies 

Careful design and placement are required in order to reduce susceptibility to shock and vibration. Mechanical structures can be attached to strategic locations on a board to ensure meeting ruggedization requirements. These include ribs, stiffeners, hold-down clamps or brackets, spring retaining clips, adhesives, rubber pads, and encapsulation materials.     

Battery performance is subject to environmental factors such as air density and temperature.  Special design considerations may be needed for altitudes higher than 19,685 feet (6000 meters) above sea level. This may impact batteries for aircraft and drones. In general, colder temps make chemical reactions slow down, so less electricity will be provided. 

Another temperature concern is the exposure it may have to solar radiation. Will the product be left in a car on a hot day? For a small device, there is a very high-temperature challenge, even if it might not be directly in the sun, it will still be inside the car. Proper cooling is required to carry the heat away from the battery.  It is also a good idea to have a automatic shutdown function if the device gets too hot.  

Expected shock loading is another consideration.  Here is an example of a Homeland Security Lock that needed to be extremely rugged. It has been tested under extreme shock loading (2500g) and does not open.  

Consider Battery Cabling 

Cabling is an oversight that is often not considered in the choice of  a battery. How will it be connected? How will it charge?  Are the cables and connectors properly strain relieved? 

It is necessary to consider how the battery and cabling will be affected by vibration.  Wire routing to and from the battery needs to be planned so edges and relative motion are not able to damage connectors or wire insulation.  The rule of thumb is not to have  a lot of loose wire in a product.  The existing wire should be properly routed and tied down to make it properly constrained.  

Ensure Strain Relief With Connectors 

Connectors are often a failure point. A connector must be mounted in a way that relieves strain and vibration conditions need to be factored in. A best practice for vibration applications is to use a latching connector which prevents the connector from working itself off the mating piece. 

For this example, the cables and connectors in it that are properly strain relieved. The cable is routed up through the end of the earpiece in a way that constrains it for ruggedness. 

Address Safety Concerns 

Safety concerns may affect the location of the battery / connectors / cables as well as the choice of enclosure material and fasteners. Make sure connectors are not reversible.  If a connector gets plugged in the wrong way (reversed), this may cause damage to the circuit or even a fire.  

In this stud finder example, we had to do minimum part count for 9-volt batteries, so we tried to reduce and eliminate cables. Our design allowed for the insertion of a 9-volt battery in only one orientation.  

For another example we helped design a telecom robot that moves around the office and plugs itself in between usages. The charging station had to be designed so the robot could not plug itself in the wrong way and cause damage.