EP2260684A1

EP2260684A1 - Component carrier for electrical/electronic components and associated manufacturing method

Info

Publication number: EP2260684A1
Application number: EP09723626A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Holger Schiffer; Uwe Reddmann; Volker Westerwick; Sven Hild; Stephan Riefers
Original assignee: Kiekert AG
Current assignee: Kiekert AG
Priority date: 2008-03-26
Filing date: 2009-03-21
Publication date: 2010-12-15
Also published as: DE102008015627A1; WO2009117991A1

Abstract

The subject matter of the present invention is a component carrier for electrical/electronic components (1, 2, 3; 4), in particular for mounting in a motor vehicle door lock, and an associated manufacturing method. The component carrier is equipped with at least one carrier plate (10) and with a conductor track structure (9) for making contact with the components (1, 2, 3; 4). According to the invention, the electrical components (1, 2, 3) and/or their contacts (11) and the conductor track structure (9) are arranged on two different sides compared to the carrier plate (9) arranged between them.

Description

Component carrier for electrical / electronic components and related

production method

Description:

The invention relates to a component carrier for electrical / electronic components, in particular for mounting in a motor vehicle door lock, with at least one carrier plate, and with a strip conductor structure for contacting the components.

Such a component carrier is presented for example in the utility model DE 20 2007 005 076 U1. The component carrier is composed of two sections, which are coupled together by a labile linear connection.

A similar component carrier is presented in DE 10 2006 017 830 A1. This has proven itself overall.

In addition, EP 1 231 824 A2 describes a component carrier in which a conductor track unit can be equipped with components. The conductor track unit consists essentially of a flexible conductor foil, which is encapsulated by two plastic stiffening elements. This is intended to provide a relatively rigid or dimensionally stable component carrier in order to ensure secure positioning of the components in comparison to the motor vehicle door lock.

The state of the art can not satisfy in all respects. Thus, the effort for stiffening the flexible conductor track structure in EP 1 231 824 A2 is relatively large in terms of manufacturing technology. With regard to the two first-mentioned German publications, it is striking that the equipment of the component carrier with all the components and the conductor track structure has practically taken place or must take place in one go. This is complicated because prefabricated Building units practically not come into play. Here, the invention aims to provide a total remedy.

The invention is based on the technical problem of further developing such a component carrier for electrical / electronic components so that the assembly effort is reduced overall.

To solve this technical problem, the invention proposes in a generic component carrier, that the electrical components and / or their contacts and the conductor track structure are arranged on two different sides compared to the carrier plate arranged therebetween or are connected to the carrier plate. With electrical components according to the usual language such components are referred to in the invention, which are used in electrical engineering, such as motors, switches, plugs, sockets, etc. In contrast, if necessary, additional electronic components are usually found on the conductor track and are worn by this. In this way, the conductor track structure can be attached as a preassembled unit to the support plate.

Electronic components are as usual components of the electronics, nowadays usually semiconductor elements in contrast to the electrical components that mechanically switch the electric current or convert, for example, in an electric motor in motion and do not work (primarily) on a semiconductor basis.

In this context, the invention makes use of the knowledge that electrical components are regularly equipped with Lötfahnen or contacts, which holes can easily pass through in the carrier plate and the conductor track formation. That is, the solder tails are long enough, which is at electronic components is often not the case. All the more so, as the electronic components are mostly performed in SMD technology (Surface Mounted Devices) and are logically contacted on the printed circuit board structure. The electrical components are generally adhesively connected to the carrier plate and / or a lid. D. h., The electrical components undergo a fixation on or against the carrier plate, so that the subsequent contacting their Lötfahnen succeeds easily with the conductor track structure. This can take place temporally and spatially separated from each other, so that overall and advantageous to work with pre-assembled units. In this case, the described adhesive connection can be made so that the electrical components in question are shed for example with the support plate or otherwise like a fixation example with the aid of a lid, in particular a lock cover of the motor vehicle door lock experience.

Overall, the invention makes use of the fact that the direct attachment and contacting of electronic components on a strip structure is easily possible. This conductor track formation may be a conductor track plate and / or a conductor track foil. The thus assembled conductor track structure with the electronic components mounted thereon now only has to be contacted with the electrical components necessarily present inside a motor vehicle door lock in order to minimize the number of required components and elements.

At this point, the invention now makes use of the fact that the electrical components - as described - usually have relatively long executed Lötfahnen or contacts and can easily pass through holes in the carrier plate and in the interconnect with these solder tails. As a result, the electrical components can be easily connected to the (preconceived) tioned) interconnects connect. The support plate acts in this context as a fixation aid for the electrical components.

This all the more, as belong to the electrical components not only switches, especially microswitches, but also and in particular one or more motors, such as an electric motor to control a closing / opening device, another motor for the central locking, anti-theft device, child safety, for the electric opening, etc. In this case, one or more motors may be functionally combined, d. H. individual of the lock functions described above can be represented with one and the same motor or electric motor.

If the solder tails of the electrical components should not be long or stable enough, then it is additionally conceivable of course that the carrier plate is equipped in the course of attaching the electrical components with additional conductors. These conductors or contacts may at the same time also serve as holders for, for example, the one or more electric motors. Such lines can be easily realized, for example, as a stamped grid and anchored in the holes in the support plate. Additionally applied potting compound can provide the necessary fixation with respect to the carrier plate here.

In any case, the electrical and possibly fixed components or their contacts are connected on one side of the component with the carrier plate and pass through with their Lötfahnen existing in the carrier plate openings. The subsequently applied conductor track structure has a comparable hole pattern, so that the solder tails of the electrical components in connection thereto can be connected directly to the conductor tracks belonging to them by soldering. The electronic components are mostly before has been applied to the circuit board, which is connected as a prefabricated unit with the support plate, on its conductor side.

In order to facilitate the fixation of the electrical components to the carrier plate, the carrier plate may be equipped with compartments, stops or similar devices on its component side. Also, the conductor side usually has stops for positioning, which are used in the attachment and alignment of the conductor track formation on the conductor side of the carrier plate.

The subsequently or partially applied potting compound ensures that the connections and / or the components as a whole are protected against environmental influences. In this case, it has proven useful if, overall, the electrical and / or electronic components and / or the conductor track structure and / or the carrier plate are enclosed by the said potting compound. As a result, the entire controller can be integrated into the motor vehicle door lock primarily with the aid of the component carrier. In most cases, different control units are provided for the various lock functions, for example for the closing aid, the central locking, the anti-theft device, the child safety device, the electrical opening, etc.

According to the invention, it has now proven to be particularly favorable if only a single control unit is provided in the motor vehicle door lock, which is suitable and capable of displaying all the lock functions described above. In this case, this control unit (lock control unit) can in principle be arranged on the strip conductor formation together with the remaining electronic components. But it is also possible to integrate the control unit (lock control unit) in a lock cover of the vehicle door lock. Here it is conceivable to connect the control unit with the said lock cover by, for example, laser welding. Even a complete casting with the help of the already mentioned casting compound is possible. Likewise, a procedure such that the control unit is integrated in the production of the lock cover in the course of a plastic injection molding process in this process.

In any case, a component carrier for both electrical and electronic components is provided in the context of the invention, which is particularly suitable for integration into a motor vehicle door lock. The component carrier can be mounted particularly easily, because usually the electronic components are first placed on a printed circuit board structure and electrically contacted. This prefabricated strip conductor structure is then subsequently contacted with the electrical components still present in the motor vehicle door lock and required. For this purpose, the electrical components in question are fixed to the component side of the carrier plate, whereas the printed circuit board formation with the electronic components undergoes a positioning on the side opposite the component side of the carrier plate, namely on the conductor side.

Because the electrical components are equipped with relatively long Lötfahnen, these Lötfahnen not only reach through the arranged between the electrical components and the conductor track carrier plate in the area there bores, but also the conductor track structure with correspondingly arranged holes, so that the electrical components finally easily by, for example, soldering can be contacted with the conductor track structure.

As a result of the virtually complete integration of the control or a lock control unit in the motor vehicle door lock together with the necessary electrical / electronic components, the motor vehicle door lock can be finished so that the conductor track structure and consequently the motor vehicle door lock as a whole via only three connecting cables a peripheral must be connected. These three connection lines cover the two power supply lines and additionally a data bus or a data bus line, which receives the commands required to display the individual lock functions from a central control unit, which is usually located in the interior of the motor vehicle.

In principle, this central control unit can also be designed such that the control unit for the motor vehicle door lock is integrated therein. However, this results in a relatively complicated cable connection to the motor vehicle door lock, because all electrical / electronic components must be externally controlled by the combi unit lock control unit and central control unit.

In addition, however, it is also conceivable and is usually proceeded so that the lock control unit and the central control unit are designed separately. In this case, the lock control unit can be mounted in a separate housing, which, however, increases the assembly and manufacturing costs. For this reason, according to the invention, the lock control unit is usually integrated into the motor vehicle door lock. Although this requires a certain amount of space to place the lock control unit inside the vehicle door lock, but can easily get over as a result of increasing miniaturization.

Either way, a component carrier is made available that is particularly easy to manufacture and integrate into a motor vehicle door lock. This can essentially be attributed to the fact that the usually bulky and sometimes heavy electrical components usually undergo a fixation on the carrier plate and are then contacted electrically by means of the conductor track structure. Since the conductor track structure is regularly equipped with the previously required electronic components, is the Component carrier immediately following the described assembly process. Here are the main benefits.

In the following the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a drawing showing only one exemplary embodiment; show it:

1a and 1b, the component carrier in different views,

2a, 2b the component carrier in comparable views in a modified embodiment,

3a and 3b, the component carrier according to FIGS. 1a and 1b in a modified view again and in a completed embodiment and

4 shows a motor vehicle door lock with the integrated component carrier.

In the figures, a component carrier for electrical components 1, 2, 3, and electronic components 4 is shown. The electrical components 1, 2, 3 are different switches, in particular microswitch 1 in the embodiment and one or more electric motors 2 and 2a, 2b and finally a connection socket 3, which is adapted to receive a plug, not shown. It can be seen from the illustration that the component carrier with the electrical components 1, 2, 3 and electronic components 4 to be described in detail below is integrated into a motor vehicle door lock. This can be seen in the overview drawing of FIG. 4. It is clear from FIG. 4 that the component carrier is arranged in a lock housing 5, which is located opposite a lock case 6. The lock housing 5 is designed as a plastic injection-molded part, while the lock case 6 may be designed as a steel part or steel stamped part. The overall design is such that the connection socket 3 extends into the area of a periphery 7 of the door lock, so that on the periphery 7 of the component carrier and with it the door lock as a whole by a plugged into the socket 3 plug and manufacture the required electrical connections can be controlled. It can be seen that the component carrier in the example is designed substantially L-shaped, which, however, does not necessarily have to be the case. In this case, there is the connection socket 3 end of the longer L-leg whereas the shorter leg L-front carries a switch or micro-switch 1a, which interrogates a central locking in the example. Two further micro-switches 1b and 1c are used to query the pawl (1b) and the rotary latch (1c).

These two switches 1b, 1c for interrogating the pawl, respectively, rotary latch are connected via a cable 8 to a later to be explained in more detail trace 9. For the switch 1a and the electric motor 2a for the central locking and anti-theft function and another motor 2b for a closing aid also applies that these electrical components 2a, 2b are contacted by means of the conductor track formation 9. Finally, this also applies to a further microswitch 1d which interrogates a closing aid which is driven by a motor by means of the electric motor 2b. The electric motor 2a, however, belongs to an anti-theft device or central locking, which in turn undergoes sensing with the aid of the switch or microswitch 1a. Of course, this is just an example to understand. Decisive is the fact that the component carrier in addition to the strip conductor 9 also has a support plate 10, which together provide for the contacting of the electrical components 1, 2, 3 and the electronic components 4. This is achieved in detail in such a way that the electrical components 1, 2, 3 and the strip conductor formation 9 are arranged on two different sides in comparison to the carrier plate 10 located therebetween. In detail, it is sufficient, if not the electrical components 1, 2, 3 in total, but rather contacts 11 of the electrical components 1, 2, 3 and the strip conductor 9 on the two different sides in comparison to the carrier plate 10 arranged therebetween find an arrangement or attachment.

In this case, the different sides correspond on the one hand to the component side 10a of the carrier plate 10, which is shown in Figs. 1b and 2b. By contrast, FIGS. 1 a and 2 a show the conductor side 10 b present on the opposite side of the component side 10 a, which is set up for mounting the conductor track structure 9.

The conductor track formation 9 can basically be a printed circuit board or a conductor foil. In both cases, the strip conductor 9 is advantageously equipped prior to its attachment to the support plate 10 with the electronic components 4, which have been applied for example in SMD technology on the associated strip conductor 9. This prefabricated unit is now connected to the carrier plate 10 or positioned on the support plate 10, on the conductor side 10b. Previously, however, the contacts 11 and the electrical components 1, 2, 3 were mounted on the component side 10a of the support plate 10 and have in this process respective openings of the support plate 10. In this way, the contacts 11 also protrude with respect to the conductor side 10b of the carrier plate 10 and pass through corresponding openings of the conductor track formation 9, after it has been mounted on the conductor side 10b of the carrier plate 10.

The support plate 10 can be equipped with compartments or stops 12 on its component side 10a to facilitate the positioning of the electrical components 1, 2, 3 and the associated contacts 11 at this point. At the same time, it has proven useful if the electrical components 1, 2, 3 are adhesively connected to the carrier plate 10 and / or the lid or lock housing cover 5. The fixation of the electrical components 1, 2, 3 or their contacts 11, which are equipped in total as Lötfahnen 11, or have such ensures that in the subsequent attachment of the conductor track 9, the electrical contact easily succeed. Previously and / or finally, the electrical components 1, 2, 3 and / or the electronic components 4 and / or the printed circuit trace formation 9 as a whole and / or the carrier plate 10 may be enclosed in their entirety by a potting compound, not shown. This potting compound is a conventional potting compound based on plastic, which protects the component carrier and with it the electrical components 1, 2, 3 and electronic components 4 from the weather, in particular moisture.

For the positioning of the strip conductor 9 on or on the support plate 10 and the conductor side 10b of the support plate 10, the support plate 10 is additionally equipped with stops 13, which ensure the alignment of the strip conductor 9 on the conductor side 10b, so that the contacts or Lötfahnen 11 the can pass through corresponding openings in the conductor track formation 9 and then easily can be electrically connected by soldering to the conductors of the conductor track structure 9.

In principle, a lock control unit or a plurality of lock mechanisms may also be used for the electronic components 4 on the conductor track formation 9. Include control units. With the help of this one or more lock control units all lock functions, such. B. central locking, anti-theft device, child safety, cinching, electric opening, etc. are shown. Since the lock control unit is advantageously integrated in the motor vehicle door lock as described, it is sufficient if the connection socket 3 is equipped with only three connection lines or connections in order to electrically / electronically connect the illustrated motor vehicle door lock to the periphery 7. Of these three terminals, two terminals occupy the power supply and the third terminal provides the required connection to a data bus. Via this data bus, the lock control unit integrated in the motor vehicle door lock can communicate with a central control unit, which is located in the interior of the motor vehicle and prescribes the lock functions.

Claims

claims:

1. component carrier for electrical / electronic components (1, 2, 3, 4), in particular for mounting in a motor vehicle door lock, with at least one carrier plate (10), and with a conductor track formation (9) for contacting the components (1, 2, 3 ; 4), characterized in that the electrical components (1, 2, 3) and / or their contacts (11) and the conductor track formation (9) are arranged on two different sides compared to the carrier plate (10) located therebetween.

2. Component carrier according to claim 1, characterized in that the conductor track formation (9) additionally carries electronic components (4) and is mounted as a preassembled structural unit (9, 4) on the carrier plate (10).

3. Component carrier according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the electrical components (1, 2, 3) with the support plate (10) and / or a lid, in particular lock cover (5), are adhesively connected.

4. Component carrier according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the conductor track formation (9) is designed as a conductor track plate and / or conductor foil.

5. Component carrier according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the electrical / electronic components (1, 2, 3, 4) and / or the conductor track formation (9) and / or the carrier plate (10) are enclosed by a potting compound ,

6. component carrier according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the conductor track formation (9) via only three connecting lines to a periphery (7) is connected.

7. component carrier according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that in addition a control unit is integrated, which preferably controls all lock functions of a motor vehicle door lock.

8. component carrier according to claim 7, characterized in that the control unit in the lock cover (5) is arranged.

9. component carrier according to claim 8, characterized in that the control unit belongs to the electronic components (4).

10. Component carrier according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the carrier plate (10) with compartments or stops (12) for receiving the electrical components (1, 2, 3) on its component side (10 a) is equipped.

11. Component carrier according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the carrier plate with stops (13) for positioning the conductor track formation (9) on its conductor side (10b) is equipped.

12. A method for producing a component carrier for electrical / electronic components (1, 2, 3, 4), in particular for mounting in a motor vehicle door lock, preferably according to one of claims 1 to 10, with the following method steps:

12.1) A carrier plate (10) is fitted on its component side (10a) with electrical components (1, 2, 3) and / or associated contacts (11) which pass through openings in the carrier plate (10);

12.2) a conductor track formation (9) is positioned on the carrier plate (10) on its side facing the component side (10a) conductor side (1Ob) for connecting the contacts (11) with the conductors.

13). Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the electrical components (1, 2, 3) and / or their contacts (11) located on the component side (10a) are fixed, for example adhesively, and subsequently with the conductors in the printed circuit structure (FIG. 9) are contacted electrically.