Electronic control unit

Details Electronic control unit Electronic control unit

1998-10-30

2001-07-10

Gaffin, Jaffrey (Department: 2841)

Electricity: electrical systems and devices

Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...

For electronic systems and devices

C361S704000, C361S709000, C361S712000, C361S736000, C361S737000, C174S016300

Reexamination Certificate

active

06259603

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic control unit, in particular for motor vehicles, having at least one electronic circuit arranged on at least one p.c. board and at least one additional electronic circuit designed as a hybrid circuit which is connected to the at least one circuit arranged on the at least one p.c. board with an electrically conductive connection.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Electronic control units are used in a wide variety of technical fields. One important application is the field of automotive engineering. Since electronic control units in motor vehicles are exposed to harsh environmental conditions, such as high temperatures, strong vibrations, etc., and because motor vehicles usually offer very little room for installing electronic control units, arranging individual circuit components on essentially known p.c. boards, while designing other circuit components as hybrids has been known for some time. These types of hybrids are arranged on the p.c. board and attached to the circuit components of the p.c. board with electrically conductive connections.
German Published Patent Application No. 196 27 663, for example, describes an electronic circuit which is composed of a main board and secondary boards that have different coefficients of thermal expansion and are attached to one another.
These types of electronic circuits and control units have a great advantage in that circuit components which are very sensitive to environmental influences, for example temperature- and vibration-sensitive circuit components such as microcontrollers, processors and the like, can be designed as hybrid circuits, while circuit components that are less sensitive to environmental influences can be implemented as p.c. board circuits in the known manner. Combining the hybrid and p.c. board technologies offers the further advantage that circuit components which can be used simultaneously in several different electronic control units and circuits can be designed as hybrid circuits, with individual circuit components being implemented as p.c. board circuits. This makes it possible to produce a great variety of circuits which meet strict environmental requirements while simultaneously keeping production costs low.
However, heat dissipation from hybrids mounted on p.c. boards frequently presents a problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic control unit that includes electronic circuits designed, in particular, as hybrid circuits that are assembled in a simple manner. The present invention provides effective heat dissipation of both the hybrid circuit and the rest of the circuit arranged on the p.c. board.
In order to achieve this object, the electronic control unit of the present invention is provided with a heat-conducting carrier element which has mounting surfaces for attaching the at least one p.c. board and the at least one hybrid.
The mounting surfaces provided on the heat-conducting carrier element not only make it possible to attach the p.c. board and the hybrid precisely and in a manner which is particularly easy to implement from a technical standpoint, but also provide especially effective dissipation of the waste heat from the circuit components on the p.c. board and those designed as hybrids.
In particular, in order to optimally position the hybrid on the p.c. board and to optimally dissipate the waste heat generated by the hybrid, one advantageous embodiment calls for arranging the mounting surface for the hybrid on a base that is essentially as high as the p.c. board is thick.
The hybrid is thus arranged directly above the p.c. board(s), thereby providing optimum (and especially simple) contacting of the electrical hybrid connections with the electrical connections of the p.c. board(s).
In principle, both the p.c. board and the hybrid can be attached to the carrier element in a variety of ways. One embodiment that is especially advantageous in terms of heat conduction calls for attaching the at least one p.c. board and the at least one hybrid to the carrier element over their entire surfaces, in particular with an adhesive bond, which provides direct contact between the p.c. board(s) and the hybrid(s).
The electrical connection between the at least one p.c. board and the at least one hybrid can also be implemented in a variety of ways. Providing a connection produced by reflow soldering as the electrical connection between the at least one p.c. board and the at least one hybrid has proven to be an especially advantageous method. This makes it possible, in particular, to avoid plated-through holes in the p.c. board. In addition, this type of contacting and connection technique makes it possible to mount components automatically.
The carrier element itself can be made of a wide variety of heat-conducting materials. The carrier element is advantageously made of a metal, preferably aluminum. The special advantage of aluminum is its low tare weight, which is of decisive importance for automotive engineering applications.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5012386 (1991-04-01), McShane et al.
patent: 5159532 (1992-10-01), Kilian et al.
patent: 5235347 (1993-08-01), Lee
patent: 5287247 (1994-02-01), Smits et al.
patent: 5293301 (1994-03-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 5343360 (1994-08-01), Sanwo
patent: 5398160 (1995-03-01), Umeda
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patent: 5642261 (1997-06-01), Bond et al.
patent: 5912375 (1998-09-01), Casperson
patent: 5991156 (1999-11-01), Bond et al.
patent: 196 27 663 (1997-01-01), None

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