JP4988255B2 - Apparatus and method for electrical connection of an electronic circuit provided in a housing - Google Patents

Description

  The invention relates to a device for electrical connection of an electronic circuit provided in a housing, in particular an airtight housing, the electronic circuit being electrically connected to at least one connection element. Concerning the format. The invention further relates to a method for the connection of an electronic circuit provided in a housing, in particular an airtight housing and electrically connected to at least one connection element.

  Electronic circuits must be protected from environmental influences, especially when used in vehicles. One type of such protection is an airtight housing. Airtight housings are today offered in different configurations. One such hermetic housing arrangement is provided with a base plate through which connection pins for electrical connection of circuits present inside the housing are passed. . A connection pin, also referred to as a connection element, is inserted into a receiving hole of a base plate provided with a glass blank at the time of manufacture. The melting and subsequent cooling of the glass at a corresponding temperature results in a tightly insulated, electrically connected connection between the connecting pins and the base plate. The connection pins are connected to the electronic circuit in a known manner, for example by bonding. The base plate is then closed with a cover, along with the circuitry disposed thereon. The cover is tightly welded to the base plate in a protective atmosphere. Thereby, an airtight housing is formed.

  The connecting pins projecting outward from the base plate are typically round, robust wires made of a predetermined material suitable for glass remelting processes. The connecting pins are connected by laser welding or soldering to an electrical line element, such as an electrical current rail, outside the hermetic housing.

  Electrical current rails form connections to peripheral devices such as vehicle sensors, actuators, and connectors. Further cable connections, for example further cable connections in vehicle wire harnesses or cable harnesses, have heretofore been formed by flat ribbon cables (Flatbandkabel) or flexible flat cables (FFC).

  The object of the present invention is to improve the apparatus and method of the type mentioned at the outset and to provide a cheaper connection concept.

  According to a configuration of the invention that solves the above problems, a base plate coupled to a housing, comprising at least one connection section in which the connection elements are arranged, at least one line element comprising a conductor track, and a connection A cover for protecting the section is provided, the line element has a contact section of the conductor path, and the contact section is formed on the connection element so as to be able to be mounted to form an electrical connection. It was like that. Furthermore, according to the method of the present invention, which solves the above problems, (S1) a layer made of an electrically insulating material and surrounding the connection element is deposited on the base plate of the housing in the connection section, S2) The contact section of the line element is placed on the connection element, and (S3) the circuit step is connected by coupling the connection element and the contact section.

  The device according to the invention for the electrical connection of an electronic circuit provided in a housing, in particular an airtight housing and electrically connected to at least one connection element, comprises a flat ribbon cable as the line element. Being able to be connected provides a cheaper connection concept.

  Another advantage is that the flat ribbon cable connection is implemented in a simple manner. In doing so, the selected geometry allows a compact structural form. Furthermore, protection of the connection against electrical shorts and bridges, for example electrical shorts and bridges derived from conductive chips, can be easily realized.

The device according to the invention for the electrical connection of an electronic circuit provided in a housing, in particular an airtight housing and electrically connected to at least one connection element,
A base plate coupled to the housing with at least one connection section in which the connection elements are arranged;
At least one line element with a conductor track;
A cover is provided to protect the connection section;
The line element has a contact section of a conductor track, and the contact section is formed so as to be mountable on the connection element for forming an electrical connection.

  In an advantageous configuration of the invention, the contact section and / or the connection element are configured such that the contact section can be penetrated by the connection element to form an electrical connection. For this purpose, it is advantageous for the contact section to have at least one notch and / or notch and / or for the connecting element to have a tip and / or blade formed for the penetration of the contact section. is doing. Thereby, advantageously, the contact section of the line element can be mounted on the connection element in one working step, and the penetration simultaneously forms an electrical connection between the connection element and the line element. It is possible easily. In this case, it is further advantageous that the insulating material in the contact section of the line element is not removed.

  In a further advantageous configuration of the invention, the connecting elements are joined to the corresponding contact sections by welding, preferably by laser welding.

  In a further advantageous configuration of the invention, the contact section and / or the connection element is a press-fit type in which the electrical connection is in the form of a press-type connection (Schneidklemmverbindung) or a “speed-nut” type connection (Speed-Nut-Verbindung). It is configured to be formed by connection. Also in this case, it is not necessary to remove the insulating material of the line element.

  In a further advantageous configuration of the invention, a layer of electrically insulating material and surrounding the connection element is applied in the connection section. This layer preferably has a plurality of functions. The surface of the layer is spaced parallel to the surface of the base plate and forms an insulating platform for the line elements relative to the base plate. Thereby, it is possible to use line elements with contact sections from which the insulating material has been removed.

  For easy and quick positioning, the line element has a positioning opening, which cooperates with a pin arranged in the connection section. The layer deposited in the connection section in this case has the function of pin positioning and thus of line element positioning.

  In a further advantageous configuration of the invention, the cover has an opening that cooperates with the pin. The cover is placed on the connection section. In this case, the layer performs another function within the connection section. That is, this layer enables the cover to be fixed to the layer simultaneously with the positioning of the cover.

  Particularly preferably, the line element is a flat ribbon cable (flexible flat cable; FFC), a flexible printed circuit board, a punched grid or a punched grid surrounded by injection molding with plastic. The flat ribbon cable is advantageously processed simply for connection to the connecting element. Flat ribbon cables are also used for cable harnesses or wire harnesses in vehicles, thereby not forming new components. At that time, the punched lattice body as the line element can omit laborious processing or preparation. However, a punched grid with or without a plastic injection coating can also be used. A flexible printed circuit board is also used as a line element. Thereby, an advantageous diversity is possible.

The method according to the invention for the connection of an electronic circuit provided in a housing, in particular a hermetic housing and electrically connected to at least one connection element, comprises the following method steps:
(S1) a layer made of an electrically insulating material and surrounding the connecting element is deposited on the base plate of the housing in the connecting section;
(S2) Place the contact section of the line element on the connection element;
(S3) having a method step of connecting the circuit by coupling the connection element and the contact section.

Advantageously, said method step (S2) comprises the following partial steps:
(S2-1) positioning the line element on the layer by a pin that cooperates with a positioning opening provided in the line element;
(S2-2) It has a partial step of inserting the contact element through the connection element or press-fitting the connection element into the notch or notch of the contact element. Thereby, a simple and inexpensive connection of the circuit to the peripheral devices via the line element is possible. Particularly advantageously in this case, in the method step (S3), the coupling is carried out by cold contact formation of the connecting elements with the contact sections.

  More preferably, the connection of the contact section and the connecting element in the method step (S3) is performed by welding, preferably by laser welding.

  Advantageously, the cover is placed on the connection point after the coupling has been carried out. In this case, the layer fulfills two other functions, namely the positioning of the cover and the fixing for the cover, preferably by heat staking. The cover is made of plastic and protects the electrical connection from, for example, short circuits and bridges originating from the chip.

  Other advantages, details and features of the invention can be seen from the following description and drawings.

  The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the device according to the invention having a housing 1 with two connection sections 5.

  FIG. 1 shows a state before the connection device is assembled. In that case, the code | symbol 3 is provided to the line element. The line element 3 is only shown schematically and not in its full length.

  In this example, the housing 1 is hermetically closed by welding with the base plate 2. An electronic circuit (not shown) exists inside the housing 1. The electronic circuit is protected by the housing 1 from ambient influences, for example ambient influences in the motor vehicle. The electronic circuit is electrically connected to the connection element 10. The connection element 10 is arranged in the connection row or terminal row 11 in the connection section 5. The connecting element 10 consists of a round, solid wire. The wire is guided and provided through the base plate 2 through the insulator 18. The insulator 18 is a glass thread guide in this example. The glass threading guide portion is formed from a glass blank by remelting after the connection element 10 is inserted, and insulates and fixes the connection element 10 to the base plate 2.

  An electrical circuit provided in the housing 1 is electrically connected to the connection element 10 via, for example, a bonding wire. In that case, the connection element 10 forms a connection outside the electronic circuit.

  The connection element 10 arranged in the connection section 5 is surrounded by a layer 19. The layer 19 fills the connection section 5 with a predetermined strength or thickness each time. This layer 19 is applied, for example, by injection molding / casting of a plastic material. The plastic material has a surface surrounding the connecting element 10 and extending parallel to and spaced from the surface of the base plate 2.

  This layer 19 has a plurality of functions. The function of layer 19 will be described below with reference to connection section 5.

  First, the surface of the layer 19 forms a platform for the line element 3. In this example, the line element 3 is formed as a flat ribbon cable having a contact row 12. The contact row 12 has a contact section 14 (see FIG. 2) at the end of the conductor path 13. These contact sections 14 are provided for electrical connection with the connection element 10 to form a connection. This will be described in more detail below.

  The line element 3 has a positioning opening 9. The positioning opening 9 cooperates with the pin 6. This pin 6 is arranged in the layer 19 on the base plate 2 on the outside of the connection section 5, together with another pin 7 provided on the inside of the connection section 5. In doing so, the layer 19 forms another function of positioning the pins 6, 7.

  Another function of the layer 19 is to insulate the line element 3 from the base plate 2 with the connecting device assembled. In advance, the line element 3 is applied on the layer 19 by means of pins 6 and corresponding positioning openings 9 with a suitable tool. In so doing, the contact section 14 is electrically connected to the connection element 10 as described below. Thereafter, the connection section 5 is covered by a cover 4 and thereby protected from short circuits and bridging. Shorts and bridges can be triggered by the chip, for example. The chip causes short circuits and bridging by loading on the uninsulated connection element 10.

  The cover 4 has an opening 8. The opening 8 is arranged in the same manner as the pins 6 and 7. When the cover 4 is placed on the connection section 5 (see FIG. 4), the pins 6 and 7 are accommodated in the opening 8. . The positioning of the cover 4 on the connection section 5 is performed by the layer 19. The layer 19 also serves for fixing the cover 4 at the same time.

  FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the excerpt of the connection region 5 shown in FIG.

  A layer 19 is deposited on the base plate 2. In the layer 19, the pins 6, 7 and the connecting element 10 are arranged. The line element 3 is already placed on the layer 19. The pin 6 is guided through the positioning opening 9 of the line element 3 and determines the position of the line element 3 together with other pins 6 not shown.

  The line element 3 is configured as a flat ribbon cable, and has a conductor path 13 located side by side. The conductor path 13 is entirely surrounded by an insulating material. The conductor track 13 extends toward the left side as viewed in FIG. In this example, the contact section 14 is not surrounded by the insulating material of the line element 3.

  The connection element 10 forms a connection row 11 between the pins 6 and 7. In doing so, the contact section 14 in the contact row 12 is such that the connection element 10 penetrates the contact section 14 and protrudes from the contact section 14 on the upwardly oriented end of the connection element 10. It is placed. At that time, the contact lug 16 is bent in the height direction in the through hole. The contact lug 16 is made of the conductive material of the contact section 14. This contact lug 16 already forms an electrically conductive connection with the connection element 10 in this configuration.

  The protruding end of the connecting element 10 is shown in a cylindrical shape in the simple configuration here. The connection element 10 is then welded to the contact section 14 in the next step. The welding is preferably a known laser welding. In so doing, the protruding end of each connecting element 10 is melted on the respective contact section 14.

  The connecting element 10 may however be formed with a point. The tip has, for example, one or more blades. Thereby, the penetration of the contact section 14 is simplified. In so doing, the electrical connection is again improved by the enlarged surface of such a connection element 10.

  In order to allow the contact section 14 to penetrate, the contact section 14 has a notch 17 or a notch. The notch or notch forms a “Stannkontur”. Some examples of punching profiles are shown in FIG. These punching contours can be configured to simplify the insertion of the corresponding end of the connection element 10 and to assist in the overall positioning process of the line element 3 with respect to the connection element 10. At the same time, the geometry of the contact lug 16 to be formed at the time of penetration is determined in advance.

  FIG. 4 shows the device according to the invention in an assembled state for the connection of an electronic circuit existing inside the airtight housing 1. The line element 3 is then connected in a known manner to corresponding peripheral devices such as sensors, actuators, plug connectors and the like.

  The cover 4 is bonded to the layer 19 each time. This is preferably done by heat staking. Thereby, a predetermined sealing property is also possible.

  Thereby, the device according to the invention forms a connection concept to a flat cable as the line element 3 and a simple but effective protection of the connection section 5, which is cheaper than the background art.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified in various forms.

  It is also possible that the insulation of the contact row 12 of the contact section 14 of the line element 3 has not been removed for laser welding with the connection element 10.

  The formation of an electrical connection between the connection element 10 and the contact section 14 without laser welding is also possible by appropriate geometry selection of the end of the connection element 10 and the punching contour of the contact section 14. It is also conceivable that the contact section 14 does not have a notch 17 but has only a notch. Even if there is no cut, the connection can be possible if the tool and tip are appropriate.

  The line element 3 can also be formed as a flexible printed board, a punched grid, or a punched grid surrounded by injection molding with plastic.

Fig. 2 is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the device according to the invention having a housing with two connection sections. It is the excerpt enlarged view of the connection area | region shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the various punching outline of a contact division. It is a perspective view in the assembled state of the Example shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 2 Base plate 3 Line element 4 Cover 5 Connection division 6 1st pin 7 2nd pin 8 Opening 9 Positioning opening 10 Connection element 11 Connection row 12 Contact row 13 Conductor track 14 Contact division 15 Cover layer 16 Contact lug 17 Cutting Notch 18 insulator 19 layer S1-S3 method step S2-1, S2-1 partial step of method step S2

Claims (15)

Device for electrical connection of an electronic circuit provided in a housing (1), in particular an airtight housing (1), wherein the electronic circuit is electrically connected to at least one connection element (10) It is connected to,
A base plate (2) coupled to the housing (1) with at least one connection section (5) in which the connection element (10) is arranged;
At least one line element (3) provided with a conductor track (13);
A cover (4) is provided to protect the connection section (5);
The line element (3) has a contact section (14) of a conductor track (13), the contact section (14) being mountable on the connection element (10) to form an electrical connection In the form that is formed ,
The connection element (10) is surrounded by an injection-molded or cast layer (19) in the region of the connection section (5) on the base plate (2) made of an electrically insulating material. A device for electrical connection of an electronic circuit provided in a housing.   The contact section (14) and / or the connection element (10) are configured such that the contact section (14) can be penetrated by the connection element (10) to form an electrical connection. The device described.   A contact section (14) having at least one notch (17) and / or a notch and / or a connecting element (10) formed for penetration of the contact section (14) and 3. The device according to claim 2, comprising a blade.   4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the connecting element (10) is connected to the corresponding contact section (14) by welding, preferably by laser welding.   The contact section (14) and / or the connection element (10) are configured such that the electrical connection is formed by a press-fit connection in the form of a press-fit connection or a “speed nut” connection. 2. The apparatus according to 2. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein pins (6, 7) are arranged in the layer (19) in a connection section (5) on the base plate (2) .   The surface of the layer (19) is spaced parallel to the surface of the base plate (2), and an insulating platform for the line element (3) is provided with respect to the base plate (2). 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the device is formed.   The line element (3) has a positioning opening (9), the positioning opening (9) cooperating with a pin (6, 7) arranged in the connection section (5). The device according to any one of 7 to 7.   The cover (4) has an opening (8) that cooperates with the pins (6, 7), and the cover (4) rests on the connection section (5), when the cover (4) The device according to claim 7, wherein the device is positioned by the layer (19) and secured to the layer (19).   The line element (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the line element (3) is a flat ribbon cable (flexible flat cable; FFC), a flexible printed circuit board, a punched grid, or a punched grid surrounded by injection molding with plastic. The device according to item. In a method for the connection of an electronic circuit provided in a housing (1), in particular a hermetic housing (1) and electrically connected to at least one connection element (10), the following method steps: Ie:
(S1) A layer (19) made of an electrically insulating material and surrounding the connection element (10) is injection molded or poured onto the base plate (2) of the housing (1) in the connection section (5). Mold ,
(S2) placing the contact section (14) of the line element (3) on the connection element (10);
(S3) electrical steps of the electronic circuit provided in the housing, characterized in that it comprises a method step of connecting the circuit by coupling the connection element (10) and the contact section (14) Way for connection. Said method step (S2) comprises the following partial steps:
(S2-1) positioning the line element (3) on the layer (19) by means of pins (6, 7) cooperating with positioning openings (9) provided in the line element (3);
(S2-2) There is a partial step in which the contact element (14) is inserted by the connection element (10) or the connection element (10) is press-fitted into the notch (17) or the notch of the contact element (14). 12. The method of claim 11, wherein:   13. Method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein in the method step (S3), the coupling is carried out by cold contact formation of the connecting element (10) with the contact section (14).   13. A method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein in the method step (S3) the coupling is carried out by welding, preferably laser welding, of the connecting element (10) with the contact section (14).   In the method step (S3), after the coupling, the cover (4) is placed on the connection section (5), the cover (4) being positioned by the layer (19), and the layer (19) 15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the method is fixed to the above.

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