Method for positioning circuit boards and circuit board arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10721818-B2
Application number	US-201716093531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2017
Priority date	Apr 14, 2016
Publication date	Jul 21, 2020
Grant date	Jul 21, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for positioning at least two circuit boards in a housing having a non-conductive surface, a first securement location for securing the first circuit board, and a second securement location for securing the second circuit board, wherein at least one conductive trace is arranged in the housing and is connected non-releasably with the housing, and wherein the conductive trace electrically contacts the first securement location with the second securement location, the method comprising securing the circuit boards in the securement locations of the housing such that the first circuit board is electrically in contact with the first securement location and the second circuit board is electrically in contact with the second securement location, wherein the first circuit board and the second circuit board are electrically in contact with one another via the at least one conductive trace.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for positioning at least two circuit boards in a housing of a field device of automation technology, the method comprising:
providing a housing having a non-conductive surface, a first securement location for securing the first circuit board, and a second securement location for securing the second circuit board are provided at predetermined positions in the housing, wherein the housing includes at least one conductive trace affixed non-releasably to and integral with an inside surface of the housing, wherein the at least one conductive trace spans between and electrically connects the first securement location with the second securement location; and
securing a first circuit board in the first securement location such that the first circuit board is in electrical contact with the first securement location;
securing a second circuit board in the second securement location such that the second circuit board is in electrical contact with the second securement location,
wherein the first circuit board and second circuit board are in electrical contact with one another via the at least one conductive trace.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conductive trace is formed using a three-dimensional manufacturing method, injection molded, or molded interconnect devices.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the housing or the conductive trace is fabricated using a generative manufacturing method.

4. A circuit board arrangement having at least two circuit boards, the arrangement comprising a housing of a field device of automation technology having a non-conductive surface, a first securement location for securing the first circuit board, and a second securement location for securing the second circuit board are provided at predetermined positions in the housing, wherein the housing includes at least one conductive trace affixed non-releasably to the housing, wherein the at least one conductive trace spans between and electrically connects the first securement location with the second securement location, which are otherwise insulated from one another, wherein the conductive trace is positioned along and integral with an inside surface of the housing between the first securement location and the second securement location, wherein the first circuit board and second circuit board are reversibly held in the first securement location and second securement location, respectively, and in electrical contact with one another via the at least one conductive trace.

5. The circuit board arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the first securement location and the second securement location are multiply electrically contactable, wherein the housing includes a second conductive trace electrically insulated from the at least one conductive trace, and wherein the first securement location and the second securement location are multiply electrically in contact with one another via regions of the housing that are electrically insulated from one another.

6. The circuit board arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the first circuit board and first securement location and the second circuit board and second securement location, respectively, are in electrical contact via contact areas, and wherein contact properties of the contact areas are settable based on dimensions of the first and second securement locations and the first and second circuit boards.

7. The circuit board arrangement of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the first and second securement locations is an elastically deformable slot embodied to accept the first or second circuit board, and wherein the first or second circuit board is secured in the housing by contact of the first or second circuit board with the elastically deformable slot.

8. The circuit board arrangement of claim 4 , wherein:
the first or second circuit board includes an elastically deformable socket;
the first or second securement location is configured as a counterpart to the elastically deformable socket, introducible into the elastically deformable socket; and
the first and/or second circuit board is secured in the housing by connection of the elastically deformable socket with the counterpart of the elastically deformable socket.

9. The circuit board arrangement of claim 4 , wherein an insulating cover layer at least sectionally covers at least one conductive trace.

10. The circuit board arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the housing includes a plurality of housing components.

11. The circuit board arrangement of claim 10 , wherein:
a first housing component is pot-shaped;
a second housing component is lid-shaped such that the lid-shaped housing component is configured to close the pot-shaped housing component; and
the at least one conductive trace is disposed in the lid-shaped housing component.

12. The circuit board arrangement of claim 10 , wherein at least one housing component is embodied to divide the housing into at least two housing chambers spatially separated from one another, the first circuit board is disposed in a first housing chamber, and the second circuit board is disposed in a second housing chamber.

13. The circuit board arrangement of claim 4 , wherein:
the first circuit board and the second circuit board are arranged in substantially mutually parallel planes;
the circuit boards are in electrical contact with one another via at least two conductive traces; and
the at least two conductive traces are arranged in opposing regions of the housing.

14. The circuit board arrangement of claim 4 , wherein:
the arrangement comprises at least three essentially parallel circuit boards;
the at least three circuit boards are in electrical contact with one another via at least two conductive traces; and
the at least two conductive traces are arranged in opposing regions of the housing.

15. The circuit board arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the arrangement comprises at least three circuit boards and at least three conductive traces, the at least three conductive traces insulated from one another, via which:
the first circuit board is in electrical contact with the second circuit board;
the second circuit board is in electrical contact with a third circuit board; and
the first circuit board is in electrical contact with the third circuit board.

Assignees

• Endress Hauser Se Co Kg

Inventors

• Girardey Romuald
• Birgel Dietmar
• Zenuni Armend
• Baret Marc
• Klöfer Peter

Classifications

• H05K1/141 Primary

  One or more single auxiliary printed circuits mounted on a main printed circuit, e.g. modules, adapters (H05K1/142 and H05K1/147 take precedence) · CPC title

• H05K2201/09754

  Connector integrally incorporated in the printed circuit board [PCB] or in housing · CPC title

• H05K2201/044

  Details of backplane or midplane for mounting orthogonal PCBs · CPC title

• H05K3/368

  parallel to each other (H05K3/361 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05K2201/0999

  Circuit printed on or in housing, e.g. housing as PCB; Circuit printed on the case of a component; PCB affixed to housing · CPC title