IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,674,220
Granted Patent B2
US 8,674,220 · App. 12/513,615 · Granted Mar 18, 2014

Electronics housing with standard interface

Inventors: Josef Loibl (Bad Abbach, DE); Karl Smirra (Wasserburg, DE)
Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,674,220
App. No.
12/513,615
Granted
Mar 18, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A housing for an electronic control device includes at least two housing parts, at least one housing base, a housing lid and an electronic connection between components disposed inside the housing and components disposed outside the housing. The connection is fixed to the base of the housing. The electronic connection is either constructed as a single-component flexible printed circuit board or as at least one partial flexible printed circuit board including at least one uniform open area of a copper conductor track outside an area covered by the housing lid. The width of the uniform region is oriented to a predefined contacting type of peripheral components and is longer than necessary for the contacting type. The invention therefore provides for a variable adaptation of generic electronics housings, thereby not necessarily requiring a novel structure of the housing with corresponding expensive individual packaging.

Claims (22)

1. A housing for an electronic device, the housing comprising:

at least two housing parts including at least one housing base and a housing lid, said housing base and said housing lid defining a housing interior for components;

at least one electronic connection in the form of a flexible printed circuit board fixed on said at least one housing base and disposed between the components disposed in said housing interior and components located outside the housing, said electronic connection including at least one uniform, open, freely accessible area of a copper conductor track having a width determined by a contacting type for the components located outside the housing and a length greater than that required by the contacting type;

at least one contacting cover located outside of said housing interior, said contacting cover protecting said freely accessible area of said copper conductor track from environmental influences occurring outside said housing interior; and

a hermetic seal connecting said flexible printed circuit board and said housing lid together, wherein said flexible printed circuit board projects beyond said housing lid, and wherein said contacting cover and said housing lid form a sealing path on to of said freely accessible area of said copper conductor track.

2. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one open area is a plurality of open areas running in parallel and having copper conductor tracks with a width corresponding to the contacting type.

3. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein said electronic connection is a multilayer flexible printed circuit board.

4. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein said housing base has a greater base area than said housing lid.

5. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein said electronic connection is formed from at least two or more partial flexible printed circuit boards.

6. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the components located outside the housing are welded or soldered directly to said electronic connection.

7. A method for manufacturing a housing, the method comprising the following steps:

placing at least one electronic connection onto a housing base of a housing according to claim 1 ;

connecting the at least one electronic connection to an electronic substrate in an interior of the housing and to components located outside the housing; and

fixing a housing lid onto a sealing zone.

8. The method according to claim 7 , which further comprises connecting the electronic substrate to the at least one electronic connection by thick-wire bonding, and connecting the components located outside the housing to the at least one electronic connection by soldering, welding or crimping.

9. The method according to claim 7 , which further comprises laminating at least one flexible printed circuit board as the electronic connection onto the housing base.

10. An electronic control device, comprising:

a housing having an electronic connection with at least one uniform, open, freely accessible area of a copper conductor track according to claim 1 .

11. An electronic control device, comprising:

a housing for a transmission control of a motor vehicle, said housing having an electronic connection with at least one uniform, open, freely accessible area of a copper conductor track according to claim 1 .

12. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein said housing base and said housing lid are metal.

13. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein said freely accessible area of said copper conductor track includes a portion extending past said housing lid such that said portion is not covered by said housing lid, and said portion is covered by said contacting cover.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 1, 2011
From: LOIBL, JOSEF; SMIRRA, KARL
To: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
Reel/Frame 027151/0911 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2006 052 459 · Nov 7, 2006 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100067202A1 · Mar 18, 2010