Compliant PCB-to-housing fastener

• US 10,159,157 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2016
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitesco Technologies USA, LLC (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Su, Patrick C, Moore, Kevin Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Haughton, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gafur, Razmeen
• Application Number:
  US15/231,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20180042128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 36167901-67945, 36167955-67961, 361756, 361741, 361686, 361687, 361787, 361789, 361794, 361807-810, 361676-678, 36167946-67954, 361688-723, 361724-727, 348787, 348789, 348794, 349 56- 60, 4555751-5759, 335214, 335219, 335225, 335228-230, 335234, 335250, 335262, 335274, 335275, 335285, 335296, 335302-306, 3122231-2233
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0047 having a two-part housing enclosing a PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/006 characterized by features for holding the PCB within the housing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0217 Mechanical details of casings covers, lids, hoods or members for covering apertures H05K5/03
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/142 Spacers not being card guides
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20445 the coupling element being an additional piece, e.g. thermal standoff
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20854 Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure H05K7/20863 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0039 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

Abstract

A fastener is provided for fastening a printed circuit and an electronics housing. The fastener has a lead-in feature extending from the fastener and at least one pin extending the fastener. An intermediate standoff portion may be disposed between the lead-in feature and the pin. An electronics housing may be provided that includes the fastener, an electronics housing structure, and a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed adjacent to the electronics housing structure. The lead-in feature may be press fit into an aperture in the housing structure aperture, and the pin may be press fit into an aperture in the PCB. A method of forming an engine control unit is also provided. The method includes providing a PCB, press fitting a fastener to the PCB, dispensing thermal interface material onto a housing structure, pressing the PCB onto the thermal interface material, and press fitting the fastener into the housing structure.

Claims

1. An electronics housing comprising:

an electronics housing structure defining a structure aperture therein;

a printed circuit board disposed adjacent to the electronics housing structure, the printed circuit board defining a board aperture therethrough;

a fastener having a lead-in feature extending from the fastener and at least one pin extending from the fastener, the lead-in feature being press fit into the structure aperture and the pin being press fit into the board aperture,

the lead-in feature extending from a first side of the fastener, and the at least one pin extending from a second side of the fastener, the first side being opposite the second side;

the fastener further comprising an intermediate standoff portion, wherein the intermediate standoff portion is disposed between the printed circuit board and the housing structure to create a gap between the printed circuit board and the housing structure,

the fastener further comprising a push feature configured to allow the lead-in feature to be pushed into the structure aperture,

the push feature extending from the second side of the fastener,

the printed circuit board defining a push feature opening through which the push feature extends, and

the at least one pin is a plurality of pins, the push feature being disposed between a first pin and a second pin of the plurality of pins.

2. The electronics housing enclosure of claim 1, the lead-in feature comprising a plurality of retaining features configured to hold the fastener to the housing structure.

3. The electronics housing enclosure of claim 2, the intermediate standoff portion and the lead-in feature of the fastener being flat.

4. The electronics housing enclosure of claim 3, the intermediate standoff portion and the lead-in portion each having a thickness in the range of about 0.5 to 2 millimeters.

5. The electronics housing enclosure of claim 4, further comprising thermal interface material disposed between the printed circuit board and the housing structure.

6. The electronics housing enclosure of claim 5, wherein the fastener is formed of metal to providing grounding between the printed circuit board and the housing structure.

7. A fastener for a printed circuit and electronics housing, the fastener comprising:

an intermediate standoff portion;

a lead-in feature extending from the intermediate standoff portion for attaching the fastener to a housing structure; and

at least one pin extending from the intermediate standoff portion for contacting a printed circuit board, the intermediate standoff portion being disposed between the at least one pin and the lead-in feature,

the lead-in feature extending from a first side of the fastener, and the pin extending from a second side of the fastener, the first side being opposite the second side, and

the at least one pin being a plurality of pins, the fastener further comprising a push feature extending from the second side of the fastener, the push feature being disposed between a first pin and a second pin of the plurality of pins.

8. The fastener of claim 7, the lead-in feature comprising a plurality of retaining features configured to hold the fastener to a housing structure.

9. The fastener of claim 8, the intermediate standoff portion and the lead-in feature of the fastener being flat and each having a thickness in the range of about 0.5 to 2 millimeters, the fastener being formed of metal.

10. An electronics housing comprising:

an electronics housing structure defining a structure aperture therein;

a printed circuit board disposed adjacent to the electronics housing structure, the printed circuit board defining a board aperture therethrough; and

a fastener having a lead-in feature extending from the fastener and at least one pin extending from the fastener, the lead-in feature being press fit into the structure aperture and the pin being press fit into the board aperture, the fastener further having a push feature configured to allow the lead-in feature to be pushed into the structure aperture, the lead-in feature extending from a first side of the fastener and the push feature extending from a second side of the fastener, the second side being opposite the first side, and the at least one pin extending from one of the first side in parallel relation to the lead-in feature and the second side in parallel relation with the push feature.

11. The electronics housing of claim 10, wherein the at least one pin extends from the second side of the fastener in parallel relation to the push feature.

12. The electronics housing of claim 10, wherein the at least one pin extends from the first side of the fastener in parallel relation to the lead-in feature.

13. The electronics housing of claim 12, wherein the electronics housing structure comprises a base plate having an aperture in which the lead-in feature is disposed, and the base plate is disposed between the printed circuit board and the push feature of the fastener.

14. The electronics housing of claim 10, wherein the at least one pin comprises a plurality of pins, and the push feature is disposed between a first pin and a second pin of the plurality of pins.