Parametric Study of a Typical Rocker Switch

Rocker switches are common electro-mechanical components used to close or open electrical connections. Solteam Electronics Corporatoin, a famous electronics manufacturer in Taiwan, sought cooperation with mechanical engineering students at National Taiwan University in order to get more insights of the design parameters of a typical rocker switch MR22 (see Fig. 1). This project mainly focused on two subjects, the first was the effects of geometric parameters on mechanical performance indices like maximum force required and stroke length, the second one was the validation of a simplified mathematical model predicting electrical contact resistance and the equilibrium temperature.

Fig. 1 Partially sectioned model of rocker switch MR22

Simulation of a Micro Electro-Thermal Actuation System Using ADAMS

A micro electro-thermal actuation system called BETV (Bidirectional Electro-Thermal Vibrator, see Fig. 1 below) is commonly used to control the inductive property of a micro magnetic circuit (see Fig. 2 below) or as a switch to turn on/off of an optical signal through slider output displacement. BETV utilizes alternating electric input applied on the terminals as energy source to generate the oscillation of the impact head due to repetitive contraction and expansion of different cross-sectional areas of the electric path under Ohmic heating (see Fig. 3). The impact head then collides with the slider and the slider moves accordingly.

           Fig. 1 Configuration of BETV                Fig. 2 Use BETV to change inductive property