Electronic controller able to be expanded in a modular manner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023051651-A1
Application number	US-202017784349-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 9, 2020
Priority date	Dec 12, 2019
Publication date	Feb 16, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A modularly expandable electronic control unit comprises: an electronic circuit board on which a conductor track is disposed on a side in a region of lateral edges and enclosing an inner region and separating it from an outer region of the side, a housing having two halves for receiving the electronic circuit board. With the housing assembled, at least one housing half has an encircling electrically conductive shielding wall which rests on and establishes electrical contact with the conductor track and/or has at least one receptacle accessible from outside the assembled housing. The receptacle is disposed so the electronic module placed in the receptacle may be electrically connected to a module connection port disposed in the outer region of the electronic circuit board. The electronic circuit board has electrical connections between the module connection port and one or more electronic assemblies disposed on the inner region.

First claim

In the claims:

1 . A modularly expandable electronic control unit comprising:
an electronic circuit board on which a conductor track is disposed on at least one side in the a region of the lateral edges, said conductor track enclosing an inner region of the at least one side and separating the inner region from an outer region of the at least one side, wherein at least one module connection port configured to electrically connect the electronic circuit board to at least one electronic module is disposed in the outer region; a housing having two halves configured to receive the electronic circuit board, wherein at least one housing half has an encircling, at least partially electrically conductive shielding wall which in assembled state of the housing at least partially rests on the conductor track disposed on at least one side of the electronic circuit board, and causes electrical contact to be established between the conductor track and the at least partially electrically conductive shielding wall of the respective at least one housing half; wherein the at least one housing half has at least one receptacle which for the at least one electronic module is accessible from outside the housing in the assembled state so that the at least one electronic module is able to be disposed on outside of the at least one housing half; wherein the at least one receptacle is disposed so that the at least one electronic module which can be placed in the receptacle on the outside of the at least one housing half is able to be electrically connected to the at least one module connection port disposed in the outer region of the electronic circuit board; and wherein the electronic circuit board has electrical connections between the at least one module connection port and one or more electronic assemblies disposed on the inner region.

2 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein receptacle is formed on outside of a wall of the at least one housing half, wherein the wall of the at least one housing half is disposed in the receptacle between the at least one electronic module and the electronic circuit board.

3 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the at least one electronic module is disposed in the receptacle so that a first part of the at least one electronic module covers an inner region of the electronic circuit board, wherein the wall of the housing half there is located between the at least one electronic module and the electronic circuit board and a second part of the at least one electronic module is disposed above an outer region of the electronic circuit board and there is connected to the electronic circuit board by the at least one module connection port.

4 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit board is a multi-layer circuit board, wherein the electrical connections between the at least one module connection port and one or a plurality of electronic assemblies disposed on an inner region are embodied in one or a plurality of inner layers of the multi-layer circuit board.

5 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit board is configured to implement standard functions of the control unit, and the at least one module connection port by an electronic module connected thereto is configured to implement further functions of the control unit by the connected electronic module.

6 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said control unit is configured in such a manner that an electronic module connected to the at least one module connection port can be replaced without disassembling the housing halves of the housing of the control unit.

7 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one receptacle is configured to accommodate an electronic module having a cooling element.

8 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein protective covers are provided for the at least one receptacle and said protective covers are configured for attachment to one of the housing halves.

9 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the housing halves has an integrated heat sink for cooling at least one assembly disposed on the electronic circuit board.

10 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one cable connection port is disposed in an outer region of the electronic circuit board and the electronic circuit board has electrical connections between the at least one cable connection port and one or a plurality of electronic assemblies disposed on an inner region, wherein at least one housing half has one receptacle for each cable connection port.

11 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the at least one cable connection port is disposed in a corner region of the electronic circuit board, and each cable connection port is disposed in a corner region of the electronic circuit board such that an insertion direction of each cable connection port has an angle of approximately 45° to the lateral edges of the electronic circuit board in a lateral plane.

12 . The modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein as long as no electronic module is fitted in a receptacle on outside of the housing, a protective cover is provided which, disposed inside the receptacle, covers an opening to the at least one module connection port.

13 . An electronic module configured to expand functionality of the modularly expandable control unit as claimed in claim 1 and has an electronic circuit board, wherein a connection port is disposed on one side of the electronic circuit board so when placing the electronic circuit board in a receptacle of a housing half of the control unit, the connection port electrically contacts the module connection port of the electronic circuit board of the control unit.

Assignees

• Continental Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Von Reitzenstein Florian
• Kopp Christoph
• Walvekar Harsha

Classifications

• B60R16/0239

  Electronic boxes · CPC title

• H05K7/20863

  Forced ventilation, e.g. on heat dissipaters coupled to components · CPC title

• H05K5/0065 Primary

  wherein modules are associated together, e.g. electromechanical assemblies, modular structures · CPC title

• H05K5/0047

  having a two-part housing enclosing a PCB · CPC title

• H05K9/0039

  Galvanic coupling of ground layer on printed circuit board [PCB] to conductive casing (printed shielding conductors, ground planes or power planes for reduction of cross-talk or noise in printed circuits H05K1/0218) · CPC title