JPS584479B2 - Electronic circuit card mounting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to apparatus for mounting electronic circuit elements and related equipment, and more particularly to modular electronic devices, such as modular high-fidelity sound reproduction devices, assembled with such mounting apparatus.

Electronic devices are composed of various elements, many of which constitute, for example, card-shaped circuits.

A card-type circuit has circuit components such as resistors, capacitors, and transistors fixed at appropriate locations on a printed circuit board, and has connection terminals arranged along one end for insertion into a cooperating socket. It is a card-shaped printed circuit with

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electronic circuit card mounting apparatus for mounting these and other circuit elements within electronic devices.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic circuit card mounting device that is simple in construction, easy to assemble, and easy to replace electronic circuit cards.

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention includes at least two parallel first metal plates, and a cover plate and a base plate extending perpendicularly to the first metal plate at both ends of the first metal plate. a pair of second metal plates, at least one of which is in thermal contact with the first metal plate; and at least one support plate having a circuit element, the support plate being parallel to the base plate in a region on the base plate side and parallel to the base plate. a support plate disposed between ends of the first metal plate; and a printed circuit board having circuit elements, the cover plate, the base plate and the first metal plate defining a closed passageway, the printed circuit board having 41 arranged parallel to the metal plate and having one end thereof supported in a socket supported by the support plate on the upper surface of the support plate, the cover plate having a web extending towards the support plate, and the other end of the printed circuit board. An electronic circuit card attachment device is provided which is secured to the web.

According to the invention, a series of elongated members of constant cross-sectional area and adapted to be easily assembled with each other is provided for mounting electrical circuit elements, which electrical elements can preferably be replaced or added in various ways. can.

That is, the present invention provides a chassis member that is a plurality of metal plates for use in making electronic devices of any desired type or size.

The elongated chassis members are not only shaped to conveniently mate with each other and housing members such as wood or plastic panels, but also serve effectively as heat sinks for the transistors and as grounding devices for the electrical circuits.

Since the chassis members have a constant cross-section, they are conveniently made by extrusion and will hereinafter be referred to as extruded members.

However, it will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to members made solely by extrusion.

Very conveniently, the component is made of aluminum, but other metals may also be used, and the invention is not limited to the use of conductive materials for the component; any suitable insulating material, such as plastic, for example, may be used for this component. be done.

The most commonly used aluminum extrusions can retain their natural surface condition or be provided with any unobtrusive surface coverage or surface finish, with a matte black finish suitable for heat dissipation.

To further enhance heat dissipation, the member can be provided with longitudinal webs, i.e. collars or ridges.

The latter improves the appearance of the part and is arranged in such a way that it does not show finger marks.

Unless otherwise specified below, all of the extruded members described above may be modified as desired by adding ridges and flanges.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail using the drawings.

The series of elongated members shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 relate to extruded members for use in an amplifying device, preferably for a stereo reproduction device, comprising a power section, a selector and control element, and an amplifier, the amplifier being one or usually more, depending on whether the amplification system is a two-channel or four-channel stereo system, and requires several separate amplifiers to operate each loudspeaker in each channel. should be used.

The structure of the device shown in FIG. 1 includes an upper web (collar) 3 and a lower web (collar) 5 that extend inward, and the above web (collar) 7 and lower web (collar) 9 that extend outward. For this purpose, a pair of similar parallel metal plates (extruded members) 2, 4 are made to face each other.

A plurality of longitudinal ridges just below the upper brim are provided on the inside to aid in heat dissipation.

The collar 3 supports a certain length of both ends of the cover plate (extrusion member) 10, from which irregular webs (flanges) 11 and 13 extend downward.

A circuit board A with the circuit elements of the control device and/or the selector device is fixed to these collars 11, 13, but these elements are located outside the closed channel formed by the extrusions 2, 4. It is well shielded from the elements.

The floor of this channel is made by the printed circuit board B, which is the support plate on which the socket C for the circuit board A is mounted.

The extrusions 2, 4 can be made integral with a connecting floor if desired, but it is necessary to make holes in the floor to receive the sockets.

The push-out member 20 above the push-out member 10 has downwardly projecting webs (collars) 21, 23 which engage the upper outer edges of the push-out members 2, 4.

The main web of extrusion member 20 is open to receive a pushbutton and/or knob that mates with a circuit board mounted by extrusion member 10.

Since the extruded member is combined with the wooden panel D and moves together, it extends laterally to either side or both sides beyond the outer pair of webs (brims) 25 and 27 that extend downward. You can, but it's not required.

The extruded member 30 of the channel molding base has an inwardly bent web (flange) 31 on which the web (flange) 9 is placed, and an inwardly bent web (flange) 33 at the bottom on which the circuit board B is placed. be.

External webs (collars) 35, 37 are provided for attaching the extrusion member 30.

The web (collar) 7 also supports a second extrusion member 10 which supports a circuit board E having an amplifier circuit element received in a socket F on the circuit board B.

Circuit board E is a U-shaped metal plate (extruded member) 4
0 (FIGS. 3 and 4).

The lower end of extrusion member 40 is spaced from circuit board B to allow cooling air to flow around circuit board E.

Preferably, the output transistor extrusion member 10 can be attached to the exposed upper surface of the main web.

The various extrusions extend through bolts (not shown) through the overlapping collars and into tapped holes in the lower collar.
It is fixed all together by.

In the complete device, a circuit board E with the required number of amplifying elements is placed on one or both sides of the extrusions 2,4.

For example, if the device is stereo and each
If a pair of loudspeakers with four loudspeakers in a compartment is used, a total of eight amplifiers are required, four for each channel, or one for each loudspeaker.

Smoothing capacitors forming part of each amplifier's independent power supply are placed between adjacent extrusions 40.

The preamplifier device is placed between the extrusion members 2, 4 and can thus become a control and selector device.

Alternatively, the preamplifier can be placed between a part of the extrusion members 2, 4 that spans at right angles to the part to be combined with the amplifier.

The remainder of the power section, including the mains transformer, is placed in adjacent extrusions as shown, for example, in FIG. be done.

It is obtained according to the invention to make a stereo amplifier module such that the cards of the module are all on one longitudinal axis, in which case the mechanical structure is one of the following types: a) long extruded member; Instead of four, only two are placed along the edge.

The extrusion member must be long enough to accommodate the entire length of the module's cards.

b) The extrusions constituting the two sides of the module are divided into sections according to the number of cards, such that every card has its own channel, which is mechanically and electrically independent of each other.

The preamplifier module and quality gain control module, like the amplifier module, have aluminum extrusions that provide shielding and heat dissipation.

As shown in FIG. 5A, each module has a pair of similar generally U-shaped channels 50 that are provided with an external ridge 52 on one branch and an external groove 54 on the other branch. The two channels are then placed side by side to form an overall E-shaped double channel for respectively accommodating leads and components carrying the signals to be amplified at mains voltage and frequency.

Overall L-shaped metal plate (extruded member) 5
6 is engaged with the upper branch of the E-shaped channel, the free end of the short branch is engaged with one exposed ridge of the U-shaped extrusion, and the long branch is separated from the free end of the U-shaped extrusion and closed. Avoid creating tubes.

In a modification of the device of FIG. 5A shown in FIG. 5B, the two extrusions are replaced by a single metal plate (extrusion) 51, generally E-shaped, the central branch of which is omitted. A short part of the trunk extends beyond the upper and lower branches.

The downward web 53 is received in a groove in the cabinet base 55 and the assembly is secured by one or more bolts 57 in holes in the upward section.

Once these bolts are removed, the assembly can be easily lifted out of the cabinet.

Another metal plate (extrusion) assembled to make a stereo amplifier module is shown in FIG.

The module shown includes a similar outer metal plate (extrusion) 60 and a similar inner metal plate (
There is an extrusion member) 70.

The outward extrusion member 60 has upper and lower inwardly directed webs (collars) 62 and 64, and cooling ribs on either side.

The inner extrusion member has upper and lower webs (brims) that span both sides.
12 and 74 and ribs 76.

Circuit board 78 is supported by lower collars 64, 74 and includes upwardly facing side webs 82 and side extrusions 60.
a metal plate (
The lower part is closed by an extrusion member) 80.

The module is made to rest on a solid surface, and external ridges 86 on the extruded members 80 provide space for cooling air to pass through.

Three similar metal plates (extrusions) 90 span the gap between the upper collars 62, 72, with webs (collars) 92 extending downwardly and for the circuit board 68 being received under the connecting block 78 above the circuit board 78. The position of the shoulder 94 is given.

That is, although the push-out members 90 are generally T-shaped, they may also be L-shaped, then riding only on one upper collar.

Each extruded member 90 has a cooling rib 96 on its upper surface and a collar 6.
It has a positioning rib 96 at the bottom so as to lean against the edge of 2,72.

Needless to say, such a complete module naturally dissipates heat due to the temperature differential between the cooling channels created by the extrusions 80 and the floor of the cabinet, which is opened to encourage air entry from the outside. It effectively incorporates a cooling device that moves hot air in the opposite direction to the convection.

That is, the hot air emanating from the circuit board heats the top of the module, and the heat is directed downward by extrusion member 60 to extrusion member 80, which is at a reference thermal potential.

It is clear that many variations can be obtained from the extruded member described above, suitable for each application, which is of course not limited to the field of audio equipment.

The use of extruded members in high fidelity audio equipment
The illustrated loudspeaker cabinet can also be expanded to include a border extrusion.

The ribs shown provide a good mechanical key for bonding.

As should be clear from the foregoing, the extruded members described for mounting electronic devices are inexpensive, lightweight, and durable.

The electrical circuit elements they attach to can be easily replaced, such as if it is desired to use a higher power amplifier, ie a more versatile selector section.

The circuit elements are mechanically well protected.

The extruded member acts both as a heat dissipation part and as an electrostatic shield.
Furthermore, maintenance of the module and indeed of the entire device is made extremely easy.

Components that do not require constant servicing are placed on the module motherboard, and regulators that do not need to be adjusted during use are placed on amplifier or rectifier cards.

The entire amplifier module is then plugged into a chassis motherboard that makes connections between the different modules.

Replacing a defective card is very simple as explained below.

That is, it is only necessary to remove the cabinet lid and remove the associated upper extrusion.

The defective card is then pulled out of the module and easily replaced with a new card.

Similarly, a defective module is pulled out of the chassis motherboard and replaced with a new module.

The present invention is believed to provide a three-dimensional arrangement of various electrical circuit boards with highly efficient use of cabinet capacity.

Another benefit of reducing hum on the amplifier output is that
Since the various modules incorporate separate star grounding devices for each current return, signal, and electrostatic shielding, the likelihood of introducing mains hum and/or noise components into the signal input is virtually non-existent.

That is, each module has a separate ground line in a native location external to all.

A minimum length of ground lead is obtained, for example, by placing the module in a cabinet as shown in FIG.

The cabinet itself can be considered a module of equipment;
It has a plurality of easily connectable planar parts that are prepared and stacked for use as needed.

It is desirable that the cabinet has a lid that can be removed as easily as possible, and that the various printed circuit boards of the electronic module can be easily accessed and replaced when the cabinet lid is removed. It is placed in a channel made by a metal extrusion, which also acts as a metal extrusion.

The various modules are themselves quite simple and are placed within the cabinet so as to occupy a minimum amount of space.

Examples of alternative layouts permitted by the present invention include placing the adjustable control module on the front panel of the cabinet, under a removable lid, or on the outside of the cabinet in any desired location that meets operational requirements.

Additionally, the fully assembled cabinet may be placed in a variety of positions, such as a generally vertical or generally horizontal position, which may be placed within the cabinet and/or adjacent the adjustable actuation controls.

The cabinet is suitably made of panels of acrylic plastic material, such as windshields, that are secured together by welding or by chloroform or other solvents.

Eliminating mechanical selection devices used to operate electronic switching incorporated in preamplifier modules and/or input modules, and providing an alternative to preferentially inserting or omitting any different inputs of the device. It is also within the scope of the invention.

Devices embodying the invention can further incorporate their own devices into a monolithic structure for testing and fault-finding, as well as for adjustment checks.

Such equipment includes signal sources, measurement and metrology equipment, and appropriate switching elements as required.

The cabinet may of course include a tuner, record player, tape, cassette, cartridge player, or two or more of these.

It will be appreciated that the modules of the device can be very quickly prepared and assembled in any desired combination as required.

In particular, because the cabinet panels are cut and stacked flat, they require less storage space until they are assembled for use.

The device is preferably combined with a record player deck having a pickup arm subassembly, a record support and drive subassembly, and a motor subassembly, the subassemblies being designed to eliminate transmission response to acoustic and mechanical vibrations. They are arranged so that they can be pressed to a minimum.

If necessary, the invention may incorporate the input module and the power amplifier module into a single unit.

Similarly, the output connection module and the power amplifier module can be integrated into a single unit.

Adjusting the gain of the associated channels and eliminating manual controls for bass and treble is provided by the present invention.

Thus, the present invention provides improvements in high fidelity sound reproduction devices and similar devices in terms of convenience and cost of production, simplicity and flexibility of construction, performance such as noise reduction, and ease of maintenance.

In particular, the invention provides a manufacturing process that includes efficient procedures, meaning essentially assembly-type operations that take place in a very short time, and therefore a very versatile assembly line.

The basic investment required for production is extremely small.

The devices of the present invention are made from a relatively small number of ready-made units or components, which are easily constructed and conveniently stored for assembly into a variety of devices as directed by such devices.

Inventory holding is significantly reduced and storage space is used more efficiently.

Parts of the device according to the invention can be made with a number of alternative layouts and arrangements.

Because individual units or components are tested separately prior to assembly, the rate of failure of the finished device is reduced to almost nil.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an electronic circuit card mounting device according to the invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a second embodiment of the invention for mounting a power section. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment embodying the invention, and FIGS. 5A and 5B are similar views of another alternative apparatus embodying the invention. be. Explanation of symbols, 2, 4, 10, 20, 30, 40, 48,
51, 56, 60, 70, 80, 90... Metal plate (extruded member), 3, 5, 7, 9, IL 1
3,2L23,25,27,31,35,37,62,
64, 72, 74, 82, 92... Web (Tsuba), 50... Channel, 52, 80, 86
, 128... Protuberance, 54... Groove, 55
...Base, 57...Bolt, 76,9
6... Rib, 78... Connection block,
68, 78...Circuit board, 94...Shoulder.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. At least two parallel first metal plates 2,
4; 60, 70 extend perpendicularly to the first metal plate on both end sides of the first metal plate to form a cover plate 10, 90 and base plates 30, 80;
a pair of second metal plates 10, 30, at least one of which 10, 90 is in thermal contact with the first metal plate;
; 90, 80 and at least one support plate B, 7 having circuit elements;
8, a support plate disposed parallel to the base plate in a region on the side of the base plates 30, 80 and between the base plate and the end of the first metal plate; and a printed circuit board A having circuit elements.
68, the cover plates 10, 90, the base plate 30,
80 and a first metal plate define a closed path, the printed circuit board being disposed parallel to the first metal plate and having one end connected to the support plate B.
, 78 in a socket C supported by the support plate, and the cover plate 10,
90 is a web 13 extending toward the support plate;
92, the other end of the printed circuit board being secured to the web.