DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING PERSON-PROTECTING MEANS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING PERSON-PROTECTING MEANS

Abstract

An apparatus for activating a personal protection arrangement for a vehicle, including a housing, at least one circuit board, and at least one electrical or electronic component, the circuit board having at least one layer for shielding electromagnetic radiation, the circuit board being positioned in the housing in such a way that when the apparatus is mounted in the vehicle, the circuit board shields the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by the at least one electrical or electronic component at least with respect to the interior of the vehicle. And to a method for manufacturing such an apparatus.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. An apparatus for activating a personal protection arrangement for a vehicle, comprising: a housing; at least one circuit board; and at least one electrical or electronic component; wherein the circuit board has at least one layer for shielding electromagnetic radiation, the circuit board being positioned in the housing so that when the apparatus is mounted in the vehicle, the circuit board shields the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by the at least one electrical or electronic component at least with respect to the interior of the vehicle.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one electrical or electronic component is positioned on the circuit board.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one electrical or electronic component includes at least one of: (i) at least one of an up converter and a down converter; and (ii) a converter choke of at least one of an up converter and a down converter.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the housing is configured so that the housing shields electromagnetic radiation.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the housing is made at least partly of metal.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one layer of the circuit board is configured so that an electrical connection to an electrical ground potential is creatable via the layer.

17. A method for manufacturing an apparatus for activating a restraint arrangement for a vehicle, the method comprising: positioning a circuit board in a housing of the apparatus so that the circuit board shields the electromagnetic radiation of at least one electrical or electronic component of the apparatus located in the housing at least with respect to the interior of the vehicle, when the apparatus is mounted in the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: first positioning the at least one electrical or electronic component on the circuit board.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the electrical or electronic component is connected in an inter-material manner to the circuit board, in the positioning of the at least one electrical or electronic component.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the electrical or electronic component is connected by reflow soldering, and the electrical or electronic component is positioned on that side of the circuit board which is processed first.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising: first positioning the at least one electrical or electronic component on the circuit board, in particular on the side facing away from the vehicle interior.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the electrical or electronic component is connected in an inter-material manner to the circuit board, in particular by reflow soldering, in the positioning of the at least one electrical or electronic component.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the electrical or electronic component is connected in an inter-material manner to the circuit board, in particular by soldering in the positioning of the at least one electrical or electronic component.

24. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one electrical or electronic component is positioned on the circuit board, in particular on the sides facing away from the vehicle interior.

25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the housing is made at least partly of metal, in particular of sheet metal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of the method according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the present invention.

[0031] Apparatus 1 according to the present invention, for example a control device for activating a personal protection arrangement, has a housing. This housing is typically made up of a cover (not depicted) and a bottom plate 19. The cover and bottom plate 19 constitute the space in which, typically, a circuit board 10 is positioned.

[0032] Circuit boards 10 are typically constructed in planes. The electrical and electronic components with which circuit board 10 is populated, and which provide the functionality of apparatus 1, are connected to one another via wiring planes 12a, 12b, 12c. A ground potential is made available via ground plane 14. The various planes are separated from one another by insulating layers 13a, 13b, 13c.

[0033] Circuit boards 10 are typically connected to the housing, or at least to a part of the housing, here to bottom plate 19, via a connecting arrangement 17. These connecting arrangements are typically screws. Bolts or the like can just as easily be used, however.

[0034] Typically, at least one of the connecting arrangements ensures an electrical connection of ground plane 14 to the housing (here to bottom plate 19). Because connecting arrangement 17 is often also used to fasten the housing in the vehicle at its intended location, the at least one connecting arrangement is used to create an electrical connection to the vehicle.

[0035] As depicted in FIG. 1, electrical or electronic component 11 that radiates particularly strongly is positioned on the underside of circuit board 10. The “underside” is defined in the present case to mean that side of circuit board 10 which faces away from the interior of the vehicle when apparatus 1 according to the present invention, here the control device, is mounted at its intended location in the vehicle.

[0036] As depicted in FIG. 1, electrical or electronic component 11 (here the up converter or down converter, or the converter choke of the up converter or down converter) is positioned on the underside of circuit board 10. Circuit board 10, or ground plane 14 positioned in the circuit board, thus performs its shielding function and thus ensures that apparatus 1 according to the present invention has greater electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

[0037] FIG. 2 is the flow chart of the method for manufacturing the apparatus according to the present invention for activating a personal protection arrangement.

[0038] Step 201 represents the positioning of the circuit board in a housing of the apparatus in such a way that the circuit board shields the electromagnetic radiation of at least one electrical or electronic component of the apparatus, positioned in the housing, at least with respect to the interior of the vehicle, when the apparatus is mounted in the vehicle.

[0039] The circuit board can be positioned in the housing in a preparatory step. This means that the housing and the circuit board of the apparatus are pre-connected. Such pre-connection can be accomplished using detachable and nondetachable connecting methods such as screws, rivets, clips, or plugs. Final connection of the housing and the circuit board is then accomplished when the apparatus is positioned at the intended location in the vehicle.

[0040] Alternatively, the housing and the circuit board of the apparatus can be definitively connected to one another, and positioning of the apparatus in the vehicle occurs using a separate connecting arrangement in a separate step.