Electricity: conductors and insulators – Boxes and housings – Hermetic sealed envelope type
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-14
2004-04-06
Ngo, Hung V. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Boxes and housings
Hermetic sealed envelope type
C361S752000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06717051
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic control unit for use in an automotive vehicle, and more particularly to a casing containing the electronic control unit therein.
2. Description of Related Art
An electronic control unit (referred to as an ECU) for use in an automotive vehicle is composed of a case having a bottom opening, a bottom cover closing the bottom opening and a circuit board contained in an inner space formed by the case and the bottom cover. Side stays are provided at both sides of the bottom cover so that the ECU is mounted on an automotive vehicle via the side stays.
FIG. 7
shows a perspective view, components being separated, of a conventional ECU
50
. An ECU casing is composed of a case
51
and a bottom cover
53
closing a bottom opening of the case
51
. A circuit board
52
having electronic components thereon is contained in the casing. The case
51
, the bottom cover
53
and the circuit board
52
are connected together by common screws
54
. Side stays
55
having mounting holes
56
are provided at both sides of the bottom cover
53
. The ECU
50
may be directly mounted on a vehicle using the side stays
55
, or using a separate bracket connected to the side stays
55
.
In an automated line for mounting the ECU on the vehicle, plural ECUs
50
are placed on a conveyer passage
60
as shown in
FIG. 8
, and they are automatically picked up one by one by a robot arm or the like. When the ECUs
50
are positioned on the conveyer passage
60
in an upright posture (placing one sidewall on the conveyer belt
61
, as shown in FIG.
8
), it is required to make a proper space between conveyer sidewalls
62
and the ECUs
50
. If the space is too large, the ECUs
50
fall on the conveyer belt
61
, or the ECUs are not correctly aligned on the conveyer passage
60
. On the other hand, if the space is too narrow, the ECUs
50
cannot be smoothly conveyed because sidewalls of the ECUs
50
contact the conveyer sidewalls
62
, resulting in a conveyer halt at the worst case.
Further, side stays
55
formed at both sides of one ECU
50
may overlap the side stays
55
of another ECU
50
when ECUs are consecutively conveyed with no space therebetween, as shown in FIG.
8
. If this happens, the ECUs
50
contact the conveyer sidewalls
62
, thereby being stopped in the conveyer passage
60
. The same problem may occur in a conveyer passage in which the ECUs
50
are conveyed in a flat posture.
Another problem in the conventional ECU resides in a mechanical strength of the side stays
55
. Since the side stays
55
of the conventional ECU
50
are formed by simply extending the bottom cover
53
in a flat shape, as shown in
FIG. 7
, its mechanical strength is not sufficiently high to endure high vibration of an automotive vehicle. When the ECU
50
is mounted on a portion where a high vibrating force is imposed, the side stays
55
may be broken.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ECU which is smoothly carried by an automated conveyer system. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ECU which has mounting stays having a sufficient mechanical strength to endure a high vibrating force of an vehicle.
The ECU is substantially box-shaped and is composed of a case having a bottom opening, a bottom cover closing the bottom opening and a circuit board having electronic components mounted thereon contained in a space formed by the case and the bottom cover. The bottom cover includes a pair of side stays for mounting the ECU on an automotive vehicle. The side stays extend to both sides of the bottom cover, and each side stay includes a bent portion bent upward from a bottom plate of the bottom cover.
The ECUs are placed on a conveyer belt in a conveyer passage, taking an upright posture or a flat posture, so that the bent portion of one ECU directly faces the bent portion of another ECU. Since the bent portions abut one another when ECUs are conveyed in contact with each other, the side stays do not overlap one another. Therefore, the ECUs are smoothly carried by the conveyer without causing jam or halt in the conveyer passage. In most cases, the ECUs are placed on the conveyer belt in an upright posture. In this case, it important to make the height of the bent portion larger than a difference between the width of the conveyer passage and the height of the ECU to prevent overlapping of the ECUs in the conveyer passage. The maximum height of the bent portion may be limited not to exceed the height of fringe walls of the bottom cover, so that plural bottom covers can be stacked up in an assembly process of the ECU.
To enhance mechanical strength of the side stay, a first rib perpendicularly extending from the side of the bottom cover is formed on the side stay. The first rib is also utilized to connect the bottom cover to the case at a right position. In addition, a pair of second ribs are formed along both sides of the bottom cover. The second ribs are positioned inside the ECU when the bottom cover is connected to the case to prevent dusts or foreign particles from entering into the ECU. The bent portion of the side stay may be eliminated if it is not necessary, and only the first rib and/or the second rib may be formed to enhance the mechanical strength of the side stay, so that the side stay is able to endure a high vibrating force of an automotive vehicle.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a better understanding of the preferred embodiment described below with reference to the following drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6407925 (2002-06-01), Kobayashi et al.
patent: 6552911 (2003-04-01), Mayer et al.
patent: 2002/0105787 (2002-08-01), Kobayashi et al.
patent: WO 00/70922 (2000-11-01), None
patent: U-58-170882 (1983-11-01), None
patent: A-7-142878 (1995-06-01), None
patent: A-9-62400 (1997-03-01), None
Fujimura Toshio
Kato Yukihiro
Katsuro Hajime
Kobayashi Toshiki
Murowaki Toru
Ngo Hung V.
Posz & Bethards, PLC
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