Plastic injection overmolded conductor path structure, and method for producing the plastic injection overmolded conductor path structure

Abstract

A plastic injection overmolded conductor path structure is disclosed, wherein the conductor paths are entirely surrounded, apart from their connections, by a housing made of plastic, said housing comprising first housing sections produced in a first injection molding process (pre-injection overmolding), and second housing sections which directly adjoin the first housing sections via a contact surface, and which are produced in a second injection molding process (main injection overmolding). The housing is provided with at least one recess of a defined shape and size, in the region of the contact surface.

Claims

1. A plastic injection overmolded conductor path structure, comprising: conductor paths; and a housing made of plastic and completely enclosing the conductor paths except for connections of the conductor paths, said housing having first housing sections produced in a first injection overmolding step and second housing sections produced in a second injection overmolding step, said second housing sections directly bordering the first housing sections via a contact surface, said housing, in a region of the contact surface, being provided with at least one material recess having a defined shape and size.

2. The conductor path structure of claim 1, wherein the material recess is formed by a bore which is introduced from outside the housing into the housing surface and forms at least one entry opening.

3. The conductor path structure of claim 2, wherein the bore is configured as a through-bore or as a blind bore.

4. The conductor path structure of claim 2, wherein the entry opening in the housing surface is closed by a closure element.

5. The conductor path structure of claim 4, wherein the closure means is configured as a cast mass.

6. A method for producing a conductor path structure that is enclosed by a housing made of plastic material, said method comprising: producing conductor paths from a metal sheet, wherein the individual ones of the conductor paths are connected with each other via metallic connecting webs; inserting the conductor paths into a plastic injection molding tool and applying a pre-injection overmolding made of a plastic material, so as to produce at least two housing sections, said at least two housing sections when viewed in a longitudinal direction of the conductor paths being configured separate and fixing the conductor paths with each other, said at least two housing sections being positioned spaced apart from the connecting webs, said pre-injection overmolding being limited to exclusively the first housing sections so that regions of the conductor paths situated between the two first housing sections are avoided; removing the connecting webs; inserting the conductor paths that are fixed to each other in spaced apart relationship via the first hosing sections into a plastic injection molding tool; applying a main injection overmolding made of a plastic material, so as to produce second housing sections which directly border the first housing sections via contact surfaces and which completely enclose the avoided regions of the conductor paths; and introducing a material recess in a region of the contact surface between first and second housing sections.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the material recess is introduced by a corresponding configuration of the plastic injection molding tool when applying the main injection overmolding.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the material recess (20) is introduced after the application of the main injection overmolding by a material removing manufacturing process.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the material recess is introduced by means of drilling, stamping, laser cutting or water jet cutting.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising closing an entry opening formed by the material recess in the housing surface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the entry opening is closed by means of casting with a cast mass.

Description

(1) In the description, in the claims and in the drawing the terms and associated reference signs are used in the list of reference signs set forth below.

(2) In the drawing it is shown in:

(3) FIG. 1 conductor paths for the production for production of a plastic injection overmolded conductor path structure;

(4) FIG. 2 the conductor paths of FIG. 1 after to a further method step;

(5) FIG. 3 The conductor paths of FIG. 2 after a further method step;

(6) FIG. 4 the conductor paths of FIG. 3 with highlighted contact surfaces and

(7) FIG. 5 the plastic injection overmolded conductor path structure according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 show the individual method steps for producing a plastic injection overmolded conductor path structure according to the invention generally designated with reference numeral 10.

(9) The starting pointas can be seen from FIG. 1is a stamped metal sheet, which forms the conductor paths 12. The conductor paths 12 are hereby still connected with each other via connecting webs 14 in order to prevent the conductor paths 12 from falling apart.

(10) FIG. 1 only shows the position of the conductor paths 12. Only for the sake of completeness it is noted that in the conductor path structure to be produced multiple layers of these conductor paths can be arranged above and/or adjacent each other.

(11) In a next method step the conductor paths of FIG. 1 are inserted into an injection molding tool and a pre-overmodling is applied on the conductor paths 12 in a first injection molding process. By the pre injection overmolding first housing sections 16 are produced which are intended to ensure a falling apart of the conductor paths 12 in the absence of the connecting webs 14. In the present case two first housing sections 16 are shown which are separate from each other when viewed in longitudinal direction 1. In the pre-injection overmolding the connecting webs 14 are avoided. In addition the pre-injection overmoldingas can be clearly seen in FIG. 2is exclusively limited to the produced first housing sections 16, i.e., the regions of the conductor paths 12 that lie between the first housing sections are not overmolded.

(12) In the following method step the connecting webs 14 are removed. This can for example be accomplished by stamping, cutting or bending. As can be seen from FIG. 3 the conductor paths 12 are spaced apart from each other in a defined manner due to the first housing sections 16.

(13) The regions of the conductor paths 12, which lie between the first housing sections 16 and which are not yet overmolded are overmolded with plastic in a subsequent method step.

(14) For this purpose the conductor paths 12, which are fixed to each other via the first housing sections 16, are inserted into an injection molding tool and a main injection overmolding is applied between the first housing sections 16 in a second injection molding step. As a result of the main injection overmolding second housing sections are formed. Because the second housing sections formed by the main injection overmolding border directly on the first housing sections 16 the first and second housing sections have contact surfaces 18.

(15) These contact surfaces 18 between the pre- and main injection overmolding, which may lead to short circuits, are shown in FIG. 4.

(16) FIG. 5 shows the plastic injection overmolded conductor path structure 10 after the main injection overmolding and introduction of material recesses 20 in the contact surface 18. In the present case the material recesses are configured as bores.

(17) As a result of the configuration according to the invention it is now ensured that in the region of the contact surface 18 between the two housing sections large amounts of liquid can enter-/exit/-pass through the bores 20 so that the formation of a microfilm is avoided and the risk of a short circuit is significantly reduced.

(18) In a not shown embodiment of the invention the hole/opening in the housing surface can be filled with a mass and thereby sealed. This can be advantageous for example when there is a risk that a conductor path is no longer surrounded by a sufficiently thick plastic layer. This can have the advantage that for example the risk of short circuits caused by contaminant particles is reduced, which may adhere there and may also cause short circuits.