Internal component arrangement within a housing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9750152-B2
Application number	US-201414456943-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2014
Priority date	Aug 11, 2014
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

This application relates to securing and positioning internal components within a housing of a portable computing device. In one embodiment a cowling is utilized to retain a number of board-to-board connectors within communication slots on a printed circuit board (PCB). In another embodiment a number of insert molded retaining members are utilized to prevent outward deformation of sidewalls of the portable computing device during a drop event. In another embodiment, a C-shaped washer having diametrically opposed protrusions is utilized to adjust an alignment of an internal component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device having a housing that includes a first component and a second component within the housing, the portable electronic device comprising:
a retaining system, independent of the housing, that is configured to substantially maintain an amount of space between the first component and the second component when an external force is applied to the housing;
a fastening feature disposed on a mounting surface of a side wall of the housing;
a clamping element disposed along an outside surface of the fastening feature, wherein the clamping element includes diametrically opposed protrusions that exert a clamping force on the outside surface of the fastening feature; and
an electronic component coupled to the fastening feature such that a portion of the electronic component engages and compresses the clamping element.

2. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first component is a board-to-board connector and the second component is a communication slot electrically coupled to the board-to-board connector, and the retaining system comprises a cowling having an inside surface that exerts a force upon the board-to-board connector that secures a relative position of the board-to-board connector with respect to the communication slot.

3. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 2 , wherein the inside surface of the cowling comprises a first structural rib that exerts the force upon the board-to-board connector by way of a compressible layer disposed over a portion of the board-to-board connector.

4. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 3 , wherein the first structural rib is stamped into the cowling such that the first structural rib extends toward the compressible layer.

5. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 3 , further comprising a second structural rib, wherein the first structural rib and the second structural rib cooperate to apply a substantially even amount of force upon the board-to-board connector.

6. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 5 , wherein the substantially even amount of force exerted by the first structural rib and the second structural rib is applied at opposite ends of the board-to-board connector.

7. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 2 , wherein the communication slot is disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB), and the retaining system further comprises a standoff mounted to a first surface of the PCB that surrounds a fastener opening of the PCB, the standoff setting a distance between the inside surface of the cowling and the first surface of the PCB, and wherein the standoff comprises an electrically conductive pathway that electrically couples the cowling with the PCB.

8. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
an enclosure component;
a switch and a button partially disposed within an opening defined by the enclosure component of the portable electronic device; and
a flange disposed between a portion of the button and a portion of the switch, the flange having a variable thickness such that a peripheral portion of the flange is thicker than a center portion of the flange such that a center portion of the button is recessed further into the opening with respect to a peripheral portion of the button when a force is exerted on the button.

9. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the clamping element is a C-shaped washer.

10. A method for securing a board-to-board connector within a communication slot on a surface of a printed circuit board (PCB), the method comprising:
installing the board-to-board connector within the communication slot of the PCB;
attaching a compressible layer to a top surface of the board-to-board connector;
pressing an inside surface of a cowling against the compressible layer to create an amount of preload that biases the board-to-board connector within the communication slot; and
stamping a portion of the cowling to form a structural rib, wherein a position of the structural rib increases the amount of preload upon the board-to-board connector.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
determining a loading pattern exerted upon the cowling during a drop event; and
reinforcing portions of the cowling that are determined to experience a large amount of deformation as a result of the load exerted during the drop event.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein reinforcing portions of the cowling comprises welding at least one layer of metal to the inside surface of the cowling.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the structural rib is aligned with a central portion of the communication slot when the cowling is coupled to the PCB.

14. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the structural rib is adjacent to a peripheral portion of the compressible layer without being directly coupled to the compressible layer when the cowling is coupled to the PCB.

15. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein prior to stamping the portion of the cowling to form a structural rib, the method further comprises:
identifying a high-stress portion of the cowling that is subjected to deformation; and
stamping the structural rib at the portion of the cowling based upon the identifying.

16. A cowling for maintaining an electrical connection between a board-to-board connector (BBC) having electrical contacts that form an electrical connection with a communication slot disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB), the cowling comprising:
a metal substrate secured to the PCB in a secured configuration, the metal substrate comprising:
a flat portion that overlays at least some of the PCB, and
a structural rib at least partially aligned with the BBC, the structural rib having an engagement surface that extends away from the flat portion and that is in contact with a layer of compressible material overlaying at least a portion of the BBC, wherein contact between the compressible layer and the metal substrate is limited to the engagement surface, and wherein in the secured configuration, the compressible layer distributes a load applied to the compressible layer at the engagement surface in a manner that maintains the electrical connection between the electrical contacts and the communication slot.

17. The cowling as recited in claim 16 , wherein the structural rib comprises first and second engagement surfaces that extend away from the flat portion, and each of the first and second engagement surfaces contact the compressible layer.

18. The cowling as recited in claim 16 , wherein the first and second engagement surfaces are positioned with respect to each other such that the applied load is symmetric with respect to a portion of the compressible layer that is aligned with the electrical contacts.

19. The cowling as recited in claim 16 , further comprising a folded end portion disposed at a peripheral region of the metal substrate, wherein the folded end portion strengthens an end of the metal substrate.

20. The cowling as recited in claim 19 , wherein the peripheral region has a shape and size for receiving a fastener that secures the metal substrate to the PCB.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Jarvis Daniel W
• Pope Benjamin J
• Sloey Jason S
• Denby Jonathan C
• Spraggs Ian A
• Malek Shayan

Classifications

• H04M1/0277

  for a printed circuit board assembly · CPC title

• H05K7/14 Primary

  Mounting supporting structure in casing or on frame or rack · CPC title

• H05K7/06

  on insulating boards {, e.g. wiring harnesses (for printed circuits H05K1/18, H05K3/30)} · CPC title

• H04M1/0274

  for an electrical connector module · CPC title

• H05K7/026

  Multiple connections subassemblies · CPC title