Method of producing a potted electronic module

• US 10,136,533 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2015
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG), Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG), Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Frenzel, Henryk, Huber, Dietmar, Schillinger, Jakob, Moestl, Joerg, Scherf, Karl-Heinz, Weber, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Donghai D
• Application Number:
  US15/038,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20170164493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 29830, 29832, 29837, 29841, 174528, 174529
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/364 Battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing or adjusting assemblages of electric components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0056 characterized by features for protecting electronic components against vibration and moisture, e.g. potting, holders for relatively large capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0247 Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49146 with encapsulating, e.g., potting, etc.

Abstract

A method is provided for producing an electronic module that includes an electronic assembly with a conductor which is arranged in a housing, and which includes an electrical contact guided out through the housing wall. In the method, a protective layer is removed from an area of the conductor by ablation, and then a potting or casting compound is introduced into the housing, so that the potting compound covers a location at which the electrical contact passes through the housing wall, and the potting compound adheres directly onto the exposed conductor at the area at which the protective layer was removed.

Claims

1. A method of producing an electronic module that includes a housing and an electronic assembly arranged at least partially within an interior space in the housing, wherein the electronic assembly includes an electronic component and an electrical conductor connected to the electronic component, wherein the electrical conductor comprises an electrical current shunt and two electrical contacts that are provided at two respective ends of the electrical current shunt and that respectively extend to outside of the housing through two passages provided in a housing wall of the housing, wherein the electrical conductor includes a conductor core and a protective layer on the conductor core, and wherein the method comprises the steps:

a) removing a portion of the protective layer from the conductor core at a removal area to expose a portion of a surface of the conductor core at an exposed area thereof; and

b) after the step a), introducing a potting compound into the interior space in the housing sufficiently to cover the two passages through which the two electrical contacts pass through the housing wall, and to cover the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core, wherein the potting compound adheres directly onto the surface of the conductor core at the exposed area.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising processing the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core before the step b) to increase the adhesion of the potting compound onto the surface of the conductor core at the exposed area.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the processing comprises increasing the surface roughness of the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the processing comprises chemically activating the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the removing of the portion of the protective layer comprises ablation of the portion of the protective layer, and the ablation is continued to perform the processing which at least partially oxidizes the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the removing of the portion of the protective layer is performed by an ablation process to ablate the portion of the protective layer and further to at least partially oxidize the exposed area of the conductor core.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the ablation process comprises laser light ablation.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the ablation process comprises electrical current ablation.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising connecting the electrical conductor to the electronic component by soldering, welding or sintering, wherein an energy source for the soldering, welding or sintering is also used for the ablation process.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer is an outer surface layer on the conductor core, and wherein the protective layer is made of a same material as, or an integral material with, the conductor core.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer is an additional layer applied on the conductor core, and wherein the protective layer is made of a protective material different from a conductor material of the conductor core.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the removal area at which the protective layer is removed from the conductor core is located where at least one of the two electrical contacts extends through a respective one of the passages provided in the housing wall.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the removal area at which the protective layer is removed from the conductor core is located on at least one of the two electrical contacts outside of the housing.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the potting compound is introduced into the interior space in the housing so that the potting compound covers the electrical conductor in the interior space, and so that the electronic component remains free and uncovered by the potting compound and exposed to a void in the interior space.

15. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the electronic assembly further includes an electrical connector pin that is electrically and mechanically connected directly to the conductor core and directly to the electronic component and provides an electrical connection between the conductor core and the electronic component, and

wherein the removal area at which the protective layer is removed from the conductor core is located and configured so that the potting compound adhered directly onto the surface of the conductor core at the exposed area interrupts and seals a diffusion channel that penetrates from outside of the housing into one of the passages, between the protective layer of the electrical conductor and the housing wall in the passage, and prevents the diffusion channel from progressing to the electrical connector pin where the electrical connector pin is connected directly to the conductor core.

16. A method of producing an electronic module that includes a housing and an electronic assembly arranged at least partially within an interior space in the housing, wherein the electronic assembly includes an electronic component, an electrical conductor, and an electrical connector pin that connects the electronic component to the electrical conductor, wherein the electrical conductor includes a conductor core and a protective layer on the conductor core, and wherein the method comprises the steps:

a) removing a portion of the protective layer from the conductor core at a removal area to expose a portion of a surface of the conductor core at an exposed area thereof;

b) electrically and mechanically connecting the electrical connector pin directly to the conductor core;

c) electrically and mechanically connecting the electronic component onto the electrical connector pin;

d) arranging the electrical conductor with a first portion thereof within the interior space in the housing and a second portion thereof extending to outside of the housing through a passage in a housing wall of the housing; and

e) after the steps a), b) and c), introducing a potting compound into the interior space in the housing sufficiently to cover the passage through which the electrical conductor passes through the housing wall, and to cover the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core, wherein the potting compound adheres directly onto the surface of the conductor core at the exposed area;

wherein the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core is located either directly adjoining or adjacently spaced apart from the connector pin where the connector pin is connected directly to the conductor core.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising processing the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core before the step e) to increase the adhesion of the potting compound onto the surface of the conductor core at the exposed area.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein:

the connecting of the electrical connector pin directly to the conductor core is performed by soldering, welding or sintering; and

a same energy is used to remove the portion of the protective layer, to process the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core, and to connect the electrical connector pin directly to the conductor core.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the protective layer is an additional layer applied on the conductor core, and wherein the protective layer is made of a protective material different from a conductor material of the conductor core.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

the connecting of the electrical connector pin directly to the conductor core is performed by soldering, welding or sintering; and

a same energy is used to remove the portion of the protective layer, and to connect the electrical connector pin directly to the conductor core.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core is located directly adjoining the connector pin where the connector pin is connected directly to the conductor core;

the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core forms a continuous perimeter ring extending entirely, continuously and directly around a perimeter of the connector pin where the connector pin is connected directly to the conductor core; and

the potting compound adhering directly onto the surface of the conductor core at the exposed area forms a continuous perimeter seal extending entirely continuously around the connector pin where the connector pin is connected directly to the conductor core.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core is located adjacently spaced apart from the connector pin where the connector pin is connected directly to the conductor core;

an island of the protective layer remains around the connector pin where the connector pin is connected directly to the conductor core;

the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core forms a continuous perimeter ring extending entirely continuously around a perimeter of the island of the protective layer around the connector pin where the connector pin is connected directly to the conductor core; and

the potting compound adhering directly onto the surface of the conductor core at the exposed area forms a continuous perimeter seal around the island of the protective layer and the connector pin.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

the conductor core of the electrical conductor has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape;

the surface of the conductor core of which a portion is exposed at the exposed area is a flat planar surface;

the electrical connector pin extends perpendicularly from the flat planar surface of the conductor core; and

the exposed area of the surface of the conductor core is limited to the flat planar surface around the electrical connector pin, is bounded by a remainder of the protective layer around a continuous closed perimeter of the exposed area, and does not extend entirely around a cross-section of the conductor core.