CN219181866U - Housing for mounting printed circuit board and electrical device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application provides a housing for mounting a printed circuit board and an electrical device including the housing, the housing including: a floor and a plurality of side walls, each of the plurality of side walls extending at a non-zero angle relative to the floor; wherein the housing further comprises at least one fixing means, each fixing means being used for fixing the printed circuit board on an inner surface of one of the plurality of side walls, wherein the fixing means comprises at least two holders fixed on the inner surface of the one side wall, each holder being provided with a recess for holding one side portion of the printed circuit board. By utilizing the shell, the power density and the heat dissipation efficiency can be improved, the automatic assembly is facilitated, and the assembly process is simplified.

Description

Housing for mounting printed circuit board and electrical device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of housings or structures for electrical devices, and more particularly to a housing for mounting a printed circuit board and an electrical device including the same.

Background

With the emphasis on environmental protection and new energy utilization, fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) have become very promising vehicles. DC/DC converters face significant challenges in achieving high power density and high heat dissipation efficiency as a very important component in FCEVs.

The electrical components of existing DC/DC converters, such as power devices, are typically mounted on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), which is then mounted in the housing of the DC/DC converter. Therefore, the position of the PCB within the housing is a key factor affecting the power density, heat dissipation efficiency, space utilization, reliability, etc. of the DC/DC converter. In the existing DC/DC converter, the PCB is generally horizontally mounted directly to the bottom of the case with screws or snaps, etc., and is spaced apart from the side walls of the case to dissipate heat generated from the electrical components on the PCB by flowing air. However, this mounting method occupies a large space, is difficult to achieve high power density and heat dissipation efficiency, and is cumbersome in assembly process, requiring manual assembly.

In addition to the DC/DC converter exemplified above, similar problems as described above are also common in other electrical devices requiring a PCB to be mounted, particularly in electrical devices where high energy density, high heat dissipation efficiency and high space utilization are required for electrical components on a PCB.

It is therefore desirable to provide an improved housing for mounting a printed circuit board.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present application is to provide an improved housing for mounting a printed circuit board and an electric device including the same, to improve energy density and heat dissipation efficiency, and to simplify a mounting process.

To this end, according to an aspect of the present application, there is provided a housing for mounting a printed circuit board, the housing including: a floor and a plurality of side walls, each of the plurality of side walls extending at a non-zero angle relative to the floor; wherein the housing further comprises at least one fixing means, each fixing means being used for fixing the printed circuit board on an inner surface of one of the plurality of side walls, wherein the fixing means comprises at least two holders fixed on the inner surface of the one side wall, each holder being provided with a recess for holding one side portion of the printed circuit board.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the at least two holders include two first holders, the first grooves of which extend in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate and are configured such that one side of the printed circuit board can be inserted from an end of the first grooves of the first holders remote from the bottom plate.

According to an embodiment of the application, the fixing device further comprises a second holder fixed on the inner surface of the one side wall in a region close to the bottom plate or on the inner surface of the bottom plate, the second recess of the second holder extending in a direction parallel to the bottom plate and being adapted to receive the other side of the printed circuit board.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the at least two holders comprise: a first retaining member and a second retaining member; the first groove of the first holder extends in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate and is configured such that one side portion of the printed circuit board can be inserted from an end of the first groove of the first holder remote from the bottom plate; the second groove of the second holder extends in a direction parallel to the bottom plate, is disposed close to the bottom plate, and is for receiving the other side portion of the printed circuit board.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the at least two retaining members are integrally formed with the one side wall.

According to an embodiment of the application, the first holder further comprises a spring structure, which is used to apply a force to the printed circuit board placed in the first recess such that the printed circuit board abuts against the side wall.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the spring structure is attached to a side wall of the first groove of the first holder, formed integrally with the first holder or embedded within the first groove of the first holder.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the second holder further comprises a clamping portion for applying a force to the printed circuit board placed in the second recess of the second holder such that the printed circuit board abuts against the one side wall; and/or the second holder is provided with holes for receiving screws to secure the second holder.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the first recess of the first holder and the second recess of the second holder define a common plane, such that the printed circuit board can be disposed in the common plane.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the at least one fixture comprises a plurality of fixtures arranged in a modular manner on at least one of the plurality of side walls for fixing a plurality of printed circuit boards; and/or the printed circuit board is fixed by the fixing means on an inner surface of one of the plurality of side walls, which is provided with the cooling means.

According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided an electrical device, wherein the electrical device comprises: a housing as described above; and a printed circuit board fixed on a side wall of the housing.

According to an embodiment of the application, the printed circuit board has opposite first and second surfaces, wherein the first surface is provided with power devices thereon, and the second surface abuts against the side wall.

According to an embodiment of the application, a region of the second surface of the printed circuit board opposite to the power device is abutted against the side wall by a heat conductive adhesive.

According to an embodiment of the application, the at least one fixing means of the housing and the sides of the printed circuit board are soldered together at least one solder joint.

According to an embodiment of the application, the electrical device is a DC/DC converter.

With the housing proposed by the present application, a PCB with electrical components (e.g. power devices) can be mounted on the side wall of the housing, such that the PCB can be placed e.g. vertically against the side wall, whereby the power density and heat dissipation efficiency can be improved, and a larger mounting space is provided for other electrical components. Meanwhile, screw installation can be omitted, so that automatic assembly is facilitated, and the assembly process is further simplified.

Drawings

Exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings, and it should be understood that the embodiments described below are only for the purpose of explaining the present application and not limiting the scope of the present application, wherein:

fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an electrical apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the electrical apparatus comprises a housing with a fixture;

fig. 2A and 2B are schematic perspective views showing a first holder of the fixing device shown in fig. 1, respectively, seen from different angles;

fig. 3A and 3B are schematic cross-sectional views showing structures formed by a printed circuit board and a first holder, respectively, in which the spring structure shown in fig. 3A is different from that shown in fig. 3B;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a second holder of the fixture shown in FIG. 1;

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to examples. In the embodiments of the present application, the present application is described taking a DC/DC converter including a power device as an example. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these exemplary embodiments are not meant to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, features in embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other without conflict. In the different drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and other components are omitted for brevity, but this does not indicate that the housing and the electrical device of the present application may not include other components. It should be understood that the dimensions, proportions, and number of parts of the figures are not limiting of the present application.

As shown in fig. 1, an electrical apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present application includes a housing 50 and a printed circuit board (hereinafter, abbreviated as PCB) 40, wherein an electrical component (e.g., a power device) 41 may be provided on the PCB 40. Specifically, the electrical device 100 shown in fig. 1 is a DC/DC converter, however the application is not limited thereto, and the electrical device 100 may be any PCB-mountable device.

The housing 50 may include a base plate 10 and a plurality of side walls, wherein each of the plurality of side walls may extend at a non-zero angle relative to the base plate 10, e.g., one side wall 20 may extend at an angle of 90 degrees (i.e., vertically) relative to the base plate 10. However, the present application is not so limited, and one sidewall 20 may extend at any suitable angle relative to the base plate 10, e.g., 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, etc. In addition, in the case 50 shown in fig. 1, a top plate is not shown, however, the case 50 of the present application may also include a top plate.

As shown in fig. 1, the housing 50 further includes at least one fixing device 30 (as shown in a dotted line frame in fig. 1), each fixing device 30 being used to fix the PCB40 on an inner surface of one side wall 20 of the plurality of side walls of the housing 50 such that the PCB40 abuts against the one side wall 20 and heat generated by the electrical components 41 on the PCB40 is dissipated through the one side wall 20, wherein the fixing device 30 includes at least two holders fixed on the inner surface of the one side wall 20, each holder being provided with a groove for holding one side portion of the PCB 40. It should be noted that the abutment of the PCB40 against the side wall 20 may refer to the substrate of the PCB40 directly or indirectly contacting the side wall 20, and may refer to the electrical components, heat sinks, etc. mounted on the PCB40 directly or indirectly contacting the side wall 20. In particular, the PCB40 may have opposing first and second surfaces, wherein the first surface may have power devices disposed thereon and the second surface may abut the sidewall 20. In addition, an area of the second surface of the PCB40 opposite the power device may be abutted against the sidewall 20 by a thermally conductive paste that contacts the power device through a metal block (e.g., copper) that penetrates the PCB40 to achieve heat conduction. Further, an insulating material, such as an insulating film, may be provided between the heat conductive paste and the side wall 20 to achieve better insulation. Specifically, a heat conductive paste may be coated on the second surface of the PCB40 at a position corresponding to the metal block, an insulating film may be placed on the sidewall 20, and then the side portion of the PCB40 coated with the heat conductive paste may be inserted into the fixing device 30 through one end of the groove of the holder, thereby achieving the fixation of the PCB 40.

Accordingly, in the case 50 for mounting the PCB40 of the present application, the PCB40 with the electric element 41 is mounted on one side wall 20 of the case 50, and a plurality of PCBs 40 can be mounted along one side wall 20 of the case 50, so that the power density of the electric device 100 can be improved. In addition, the PCB40 is mounted on one side wall 20 of the case 50, and space in the middle region of the case 50 for mounting other electric components, such as a capacitor or an inductor, which is bulky, can be saved, so that space utilization can be improved. In addition, the PCB40 abuts against one side wall 20 of the case 50, so that heat generated from the electrical component 41 on the PCB40 can be dissipated through the one side wall 20, thereby improving heat dissipation efficiency and achieving efficient cooling. Moreover, PCB40 is disposed at a non-zero angle (e.g., vertically) relative to chassis 10, also facilitating heat dissipation by air convection.

According to an embodiment of the present application, at least two of the retaining members of the securing device 30 may be integrally formed with one of the side walls 20. For example, each retainer may be part of one of the side walls 20, e.g., integrally formed with one of the side walls 20 by extrusion, stamping, die casting, etc. Alternatively, each retainer may be a separate member and may be secured to the inner surface of one of the side walls 20 by welding (e.g., brazing, spot welding, laser welding), adhesive bonding, screw attachment, or the like.

According to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 1, at least two of the holders of the fixture 30 may include two first holders 31. To facilitate mounting and securing the PCB40 and to provide additional support for the PCB40, the first retainer 31 may be provided with a first recess 34 (as shown in fig. 2A and 2B). The first holder 31 may have, for example, an L-shape, a C-shape, or an i-shape, so that a first groove 34 may be defined. The first grooves 34 extend in a direction perpendicular to the base plate 10 and are configured such that one side portion of the PCB40 can be inserted from one end of the first groove 34 of each first holder 31 remote from the base plate 10, for example, two opposite sides of the rectangular PCB40 are respectively inserted from one ends of the first grooves 34 of the two first holders 31 remote from the base plate 10, such that the PCB40 can slide within the first grooves 34 until the PCB40 is fixed. For example, the first groove 34 of the first holder 31 may be allowed to close near one end of the bottom plate 10 to fix the PCB40, or the first groove 34 of the first holder 31 may be penetrated through both ends thereof to allow the PCB40 to be fixed through the first groove 34 and to abut against the bottom plate 10. With the above structure, at the time of mounting, the PCB40 can be slid along the first groove 34 from the end of the first groove 34 away from the base plate 10 to a position close to the base plate 10 until the PCB40 is fixed. Thus, screws are not required in the process of mounting the PCB40, which is advantageous in terms of automated assembly, thereby greatly simplifying the assembly process.

In addition, to accommodate possible differences between the width of the first recess 34 and the thickness of the PCB40 and to allow the fixture 30 to receive and secure PCBs 40 of different thicknesses, the first holder 31 may further include a spring structure 36 that is used to apply a force to the PCB40 placed within the first recess 34 such that the PCB40 abuts one of the side walls 20, as shown in fig. 3A and 3B. In the example shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the spring structure 36 is embedded in the first groove 34 of the first holder 31, and may have different shapes, for example, a single large-sized leaf spring shown in fig. 3A and a plurality of small-sized leaf springs shown in fig. 3B. However, the present application is not limited thereto, and the spring structure 36 may be attached to the side wall of the first groove 34 of the first holder 31 or formed integrally with the first holder 31, for example, as a resilient biasing portion on the first holder 31.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the securing device 30 may also include a second retaining member 32. As shown in fig. 1, the second holder 32 may be fixed on the inner surface of the base plate 10, for example, the second holder 32 may be provided with holes (not shown) for receiving screws to fix the second holder 32 on the inner surface of the base plate 10. However, the present application is not limited thereto, and the second holder 32 may be fixed to an inner surface of one side wall 20 in a region near the bottom plate 10 according to the size and fixing position of the PCB 40. To facilitate mounting and securing the PCB40 and to provide more support for the PCB40, the second holder 32 may be provided with a second recess 35 (as shown in fig. 4). As shown in fig. 1, the second groove 35 extends in a direction parallel to the bottom plate 10 and serves to receive the other side portion (e.g., bottom side portion) of the PCB40 such that the other side portion of the PCB40 may be received within the second groove 35. In addition, the second holder 32 may further include a clamping portion 33 that may apply a force to the PCB40 placed in the second recess 35 such that the PCB40 abuts one of the side walls 20. The clamping portion 33 may be a spring clip. Therefore, the fixing device 30 located on one side wall 20 is formed by the first and second holders 31 and 32, so that the PCB40 is conveniently inserted from the end of the first groove 34 of the first holder 31, which is far away from the bottom plate 10, and screw connection is not required, thereby facilitating automatic assembly and simplifying the assembly process of the PCB 40. Conversely, if the PCB40 is fixed to one side wall 20 of the case 50 by screw connection, more manual assembly is required, making it difficult to implement an automated assembly process.

According to another embodiment of the present application, the at least two holders included in each fixing device 30 of the present application may also include one first holder 31 and one second holder 32 as described above, wherein the first groove 34 of the first holder 31 extends in a direction perpendicular to the base plate 10 and is configured such that one side portion of the printed circuit board 40 can be inserted from an end of the first groove 34 of the first holder 31 remote from the base plate 10, and the second groove 35 of the second holder 32 extends in a direction parallel to the base plate 10, is disposed close to the base plate 10, and is for receiving the other side portion of the printed circuit board 40. In this way, the number of holders can be reduced in a state where the PCB40 is secured.

To avoid bending or deformation of the PCB40 due to the first and second holders 31, 32, the first and second grooves 34, 35 of the first and second holders 31, 32 should define a common plane so that the PCB40 can be disposed in this common plane.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the housing 50 includes a plurality of fixtures, and the plurality of fixtures 30 are modularly disposed on at least one of the plurality of sidewalls 20 so as to fix the plurality of PCBs 40. It should be noted that the PCB40 may be fixed by the fixing means 30 on the inner surface of one of the plurality of side walls 20 provided with the cooling means. For example, cooling liquid passages may be provided on the outer surfaces of two opposite side walls of the case 50 shown in fig. 1 to form a liquid cooling device, or cooling fins may be provided on the outer surfaces of two opposite side walls of the case 50 shown in fig. 1 to form an air cooling device. Of course, it is also possible to not provide any specific cooling means on the outer surface of the side walls of the housing 50, but to rely solely on natural cooling of the surrounding air.

For example, two identical fixtures 30 may be provided on one side wall 20 of the housing shown in fig. 1, and if more power is required from the electrical device 100, a corresponding number of PCBs 40 may be secured on the modular fixtures 30. Accordingly, the power of the electric device 100 can be conveniently expanded. In addition, in the case where the electrical apparatus 100 is a DC/DC converter, the number of the fixing devices 30 may depend on the number of phases of the DC/DC converter, for example, when the DC/DC converter is four-phase, 4 fixing devices 30 may be correspondingly provided, respectively provided on two opposite side walls of the case 50, and the perspective view shown in fig. 1 shows only the two-phase PCB40 and the corresponding two fixing devices on one side wall 20 of the two opposite side walls.

To further increase the reliability of the fixation, in another embodiment of the electrical device 100, at least one fixation means 30 of the housing 50 and the sides of the PCB40 are optionally soldered together at least one solder joint. For example, the first holder 31 and the sides of the PCB40 may be soldered together at least one solder joint, e.g., the top edge of the PCB40 is soldered to the first holder 31.

According to the novel PCB mounting scheme proposed in the present application, the PCB can be fixed to the side wall using the side wall of the housing. Therefore, more PCBs can be installed in the shell, the power density of the electric equipment is improved, and heat generated by the electric elements on the PCBs can be dissipated through the side wall of the shell, so that the heat dissipation efficiency is improved. In addition, the PCB is placed against the side wall of the shell, so that a larger installation space is provided for other electric elements, and the space utilization rate can be improved. In addition, the PCB is fixed on the side wall through the fixing device without screw connection, thereby being beneficial to realizing automatic assembly and further simplifying the assembly process.

The present application is described in detail above in connection with specific embodiments. It will be apparent that the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings are to be understood as illustrative and not limiting of the present application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or adaptations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the present application.

Claims (15)

1. A housing (50) for mounting a printed circuit board (40), the housing (50) comprising:

a floor (10) and a plurality of side walls, each of the plurality of side walls extending at a non-zero angle relative to the floor (10);

characterized in that the housing (50) further comprises at least one fixing means (30), each fixing means (30) being used for fixing the printed circuit board (40) on the inner surface of one side wall (20) of the plurality of side walls, wherein the fixing means (30) comprises at least two holders fixed on the inner surface of the one side wall (20), each holder being provided with a recess for holding one side portion of the printed circuit board (40).

2. The housing (50) according to claim 1, wherein the at least two holders comprise two first holders (31), the first grooves (34) of the first holders (31) extending in a direction perpendicular to the base plate (10) and being configured such that one side of the printed circuit board (40) can be inserted from an end of the first grooves (34) of the first holders (31) remote from the base plate (10).

3. The housing (50) according to claim 2, wherein the fixing means (30) further comprises a second holding member (32), the second holding member (32) being fixed on the inner surface of the one side wall (20) in a region close to the bottom plate (10) or on the inner surface of the bottom plate (10), a second groove (35) of the second holding member (32) extending in a direction parallel to the bottom plate (10) and for receiving the other side portion of the printed circuit board (40).

4. The housing (50) according to claim 1, wherein the at least two holders comprise: a first holding member (31) and a second holding member (32);

the first groove (34) of the first holder (31) extends in a direction perpendicular to the base plate (10) and is configured such that one side of the printed circuit board (40) can be inserted from an end of the first groove (34) of the first holder (31) remote from the base plate (10);

the second groove (35) of the second holder (32) extends in a direction parallel to the base plate (10), is provided close to the base plate (10), and is for receiving the other side portion of the printed circuit board (40).

5. The housing (50) according to claim 1, wherein the at least two retaining members are integrally formed with the one side wall (20).

6. The housing (50) according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the first holder (31) further comprises a spring structure (36), the spring structure (36) being used to apply a force to the printed circuit board (40) placed in the first recess (34) such that the printed circuit board (40) abuts the side wall (20).

7. The housing (50) according to claim 6, wherein the spring structure (36) is attached on a side wall of the first groove (34) of the first holder (31), formed integrally with the first holder (31) or embedded within the first groove (34) of the first holder (31).

8. The housing (50) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second holder (32) further comprises a clamping portion (33), the clamping portion (33) being used to apply a force to the printed circuit board (40) placed in the second recess (35) of the second holder (32) such that the printed circuit board (40) abuts against the one side wall (20); and/or

The second holder (32) is provided with holes for receiving screws to secure the second holder (32).

9. The housing (50) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first recess (34) of the first holder (31) and the second recess (35) of the second holder (32) define a common plane, such that the printed circuit board (40) can be arranged in the common plane.

10. The housing (50) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fixture (30) comprises a plurality of fixtures (30), the plurality of fixtures (30) being modularly arranged on at least one of the plurality of side walls (20) for securing a plurality of printed circuit boards (40); and/or

The printed circuit board (40) is fixed by the fixing means (30) on the inner surface of one side wall (20) of the plurality of side walls, which is provided with cooling means.

11. An electrical device (100), characterized in that the electrical device (100) comprises:

the housing (50) according to any one of claims 1 to 10; and

-a printed circuit board (40) fixed to a side wall (20) of the housing (50).

12. The electrical device (100) of claim 11, wherein the printed circuit board (40) has opposing first and second surfaces, wherein the first surface has power devices disposed thereon and the second surface abuts the sidewall (20).

13. The electrical device (100) of claim 12, wherein a region of the second surface of the printed circuit board (40) opposite the power device is abutted against the side wall (20) by a thermally conductive adhesive.

14. The electrical device (100) according to claim 11, wherein at least one fixture (30) of the housing (50) and sides of the printed circuit board (40) are soldered together at least one solder joint.

15. The electrical device (100) according to claim 11, wherein the electrical device (100) is a DC/DC converter.

Images