Abstract
An electronics housing for accommodating and making electrical contact with a printed circuit board has at least one signal contact for connection to the printed circuit board, which is in the form of a press-in contact, and at least two power contacts for electrical connection to the printed circuit board, which are in the form of press-in contacts and have a width that is greater than the width of the at least one signal contact. The at least two power contacts are longer than the at least one signal contact for easier assembly with the printed circuit board.
Claims
1-11. (canceled)
12. An electronics housing for accommodating and making electrical contact with a printed circuit board comprising: at least one signal contact for connection to the printed circuit board, wherein the contact is a press-in contact; and at least two power contacts for connection to the printed circuit board, wherein the at least two power contacts are each a press-in contact with a width that is greater than the width of the at least one signal contact and a length longer than the at least one signal contact.
13. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 12, further comprising: a base element an opening defined by the housing opposite the base element for receiving the printed circuit board; a retaining region, wherein the at least one signal contact and the at least two power contacts are connected to the base element in the retaining region; and wherein the at least one signal contact and the at least two power contacts taper in the direction from the base element toward the opening.
14. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one signal contact and the at least two power contacts taper towards the end of the contacts.
15. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least one signal contact and the at least two power contacts are pin-shaped and are oriented parallel to one another.
16. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least one signal contact and the at least two power contacts each have a press-fit portion, wherein the press-fit portions are at the same height as one another
17. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 16, wherein a center of each press-fit portion are at the same height as one another.
18. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 16, wherein the press-fit portion of the power contacts extends over a greater length than the press-fit portion of the signal contacts.
19. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 18, wherein an end of the press-fit portion of the power contacts that points in the direction of the opening is higher than the end of the signal contact that points in the direction of the opening.
20. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least two power contacts are wider than 1.2 mm and the at least one signal contact is narrower than 1.2 mm.
21. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 13, wherein the tapered ends of the at least two power contacts and the at least one signal contact are the same width.
22. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least two power contacts are arranged in at least one of: opposite edge regions of the electronics housing and at an interval that is greater than the greatest interval between a signal contact and a power contact of the electronics housing.
23. The electronics housing as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a printed circuit board; wherein the printed circuit board defines multiple holes that are each associated with the signal contacts and the power contacts such that the signal contact and the power contacts are simultaneously received in the associated holes when the printed circuit board is assembled in the electronics housing, wherein the holes which receive the longer power contacts are larger than the holes which receive the shorter signal contacts.
24. A method for assembling an electronic unit comprising: taking a camera shot of at least two power contact of an electronics housing; determining the positions of the at least two power contacts from the camera shot; orienting a printed circuit board horizontally using a robot arm so that holes defined by the printed circuit board for receiving the power contacts are opposite the to the associated power contacts; moving the power contacts vertically into the provided holes in the printed circuit board; and permitting a relative horizontal movement of the printed circuit board in relation to the electronics housing in the printed circuit board plane.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0027] FIG. 1 shows an oblique plan view of an electronic unit;
[0028] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view through an electronic unit when the printed circuit board is being inserted;
[0029] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a detail from an electronic unit shortly before the printed circuit board is inserted;
[0030] FIGS. 4a and 4b show the assembly windows;
[0031] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of a detail from an electronic unit when the printed circuit board is being inserted; and
[0032] FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of a detail from a further embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] FIG. 1 shows an electronic unit consisting of an electronics housing 1 with a printed circuit board 2 inserted therein. The electronics housing 1 has an opening 6 on an upper side, through which the printed circuit board 2 has been inserted into the electronics housing 1. The printed circuit board 2 has multiple holes 18, 20 provided in it, through which multiple electrical contacts, signal contacts 3 and power contacts 4, of the electronics housing 1 project. The power contacts 4 are arranged at multiple ends of the electronics housing 1 and accordingly also at the edge of the printed circuit board 2.
[0034] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view through the electronic unit 1 from FIG. 1, in which the design of the electronic unit may be seen in more detail. The electronics housing 1 has a base element 5 on its underside, said base element being opposite the opening 6. The power contacts 4 and the signal contacts 3 are each fixed in the electronics housing 1 by means of a retaining region 7. Below the retaining region 7, in the direction of the base element 5, the power contacts 4 and the signal contacts 3 have a plug-in contact 20 for connection to a cable. Both the signal contacts 3 and the power contacts 4 have a press-fit portion 9, which is in the form of a stamped eye, the press-fit portions of the signal contacts 3 and the power contacts 4 being situated on a common plane oriented parallel to the base element 5. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the printed circuit board 2 has already been threaded into the power contacts 4.
[0035] FIG. 3 shows a detail from FIG. 2 before the power contacts 4 are introduced into the printed circuit board 2. The printed circuit board 2, with its holes 18 for the signal contacts 3 and the holes 20 for the power contacts 4, has already been oriented with respect to the electronics housing 1 containing the signal contacts 3 and the power contacts 4 as well as possible by means of automated methods. However, as can be seen in FIG. 3, this level of accuracy is not sufficient for trouble-free introduction of the signal contact 3. The center of the signal contact 3, which is illustrated by a dashed line, is situated slightly next to the associated hole 18 in the printed circuit board 2. If an attempt were to be made to move the printed circuit board 2 towards the electronics housing 1 containing the signal contact 3, the signal contact 3 would hit the printed circuit board 2 and the signal contact 3 and/or the printed circuit board 2 would be damaged as a result. It would not be possible to introduce the printed circuit board 2 into the electronics housing 1. However, the power contacts 4 are longer than the signal contact 3. Due to the greater width of the power contact 4, the accuracy of the orientation of the printed circuit board 2 in relation to the electronics housing 1 is sufficient, with the result that the central axis of the power contact 4 already runs through the associated hole 20 in the printed circuit board 2.
[0036] This is illustrated again in FIGS. 4a and 4b. FIG. 4a shows a schematic view of the hole 18 for the signal contact 3 and the underlying tip of the signal contact 3. The tip of the signal contact 3 has a diameter 17 of approximately 0.3 mm. Since the hole 18 for the signal contact 3 has a diameter of approximately 1 mm, there is an error tolerance of approximately 0.7 mm, which is referred to as the assembly window 23.
[0037] However, the available accuracy of the horizontal orientation between the printed circuit board 2 and the electronics housing 1 is not sufficient at present to ensure with a high level of process reliability that the signal contact 3 is threaded in with an assembly window 23 of 0.7 mm.
[0038] FIG. 4b shows a corresponding depiction for the power contact 4. The tip of the power contact 4 has a diameter 16, which is also 0.3 mm wide. Since the hole 20 for the power contact 4 is 1.45 mm wide, an assembly window 23 of 1.15 mm is now available. The available orientation accuracy is now sufficient to ensure threading in with an assembly window 23 of 1.15 mm.
[0039] If the printed circuit board 2, starting from the state as shown in FIG. 3, is moved towards the electronics housing 1 containing the power contact 4, the taper 8 of the power contact 4 hits the edge of the associated hole 20 in the printed circuit board 2. Since a relative movement between the printed circuit board 2 and the electronics housing 1 is permitted when the power contact 4 is threaded into the printed circuit board 2, the printed circuit board is oriented with respect to the electronics housing 1 as a result of the power contact 4 being threaded into the holes 20.
[0040] This state is shown in FIG. 5. As a result of the power contact 4 being threaded in, the signal contact 3 is now also centered under its associated hole 18. If the printed circuit board 2 is moved further towards the electronics housing 1 containing the power contacts 4 and the signal contacts 3, the press-fit portions 9 of the signal contact 3 and the power contact 4 are next introduced into the associated holes 18 and 20 in the printed circuit board 2. The length 10 of the press-fit portion 9 of the power contact 4 is greater than the length 11 of the press-fit portion 9 of the signal contact 3, which means that even when the printed circuit board 2 and the electronics housing 1 are brought together further, the press-fit portion 9 of the power contact comes into contact with the printed circuit board 2 and its associated hole 20 first, resulting in further centering taking place there. Only then does the press-fit portion 9 of the signal contact 3 meet its associated hole 18, which means that the printed circuit board 2 of the electronics housing 1 can be assembled smoothly. FIG. 5 also shows the width 14 of the power contact 4, which is wider than the width 15 of the signal contact 3. The width 14 of the power contact 4 is approximately 1.45 mm and the width 15 of the signal contact 3 is approximately 1 mm.
[0041] FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment in which the press-fit portion 9 of the power contacts 4 has been lengthened excessively. The upper end of the press-fit portion 9 of the power contact 4 is at a height 12 that is above a plane 13 marking the end of the signal contacts 3. Thus, before the signal contacts 3 penetrate the corresponding holes 18, not only is centering performed as a result of the tip of the power contacts 4 penetrating the holes 20 in the printed circuit board 2, but also further centering occurs by way of the press-fit portion 9 of the power contacts 4. It is thus possible to also introduce particularly small signal contacts 3 into their corresponding small holes 18 in the printed circuit board 2.
[0042] The greater length of the power contacts 4, thus, allows the electronics housing 1 to be fitted with a printed circuit board 2 automatically.
