Controller

• US 10,582,620 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2015
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Okura, Kenichiro, Yoshida, Shohei, Matoba, Haruhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jinhee J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Milliser, Theron S
• Application Number:
  US15/540,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20170354047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,870 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/042 Stacked spaced PCBs; Planar parts of folded flexible circuits having mounted components in between or spaced from each other
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/006 characterized by features for holding the PCB within the housing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0247 Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/03 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1427 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1464 Functional units accommodated in the same PLC module housing

Abstract

A controller includes a control board, a transmitting board, a display board, and a USB board. A modular jack is arranged at a position on one surface of the transmitting board, the surface on which the modular jack is arranged faces the control board, and the position of the modular jack is not covered by the control board. A switch is arranged at a position on one surface of the control board, the surface on which the switch is arranged faces the display board and the USB board, and the position of the switch is not covered by the display board and the USB board.

Claims

1. A controller comprising:

a power supply circuit board comprising a ground line, an external connection terminal including a connection terminal and a power supply connecting terminal to which power is supplied from an outside of the controller, the power supply connecting terminal directly connects to a power supply cable to provide power internally, and a power supply circuit to convert AC power supplied from the power supply connecting terminal to DC power;

a housing enclosing the power supply circuit board and electrically connected to the ground line of the power supply circuit board, the housing including a bottom, a fixed lid, and a continuous sidewall with a top peripheral edge, the continuous sidewall extending from the bottom of the housing, an interior of the housing comprising a first part and a second part that connect to each other, the external connection terminal of the power supply being arranged in the second part, the fixed lid covering the first part of the interior of the housing;

a detachably attached lid that covers the second part of the interior of the housing and that is located adjacent to the fixed lid to enclose the housing,

a circuit board comprising a ground line and disposed exterior to, and above, the fixed lid of the housing, the circuit board electrically connected to the power supply circuit board to receive DC power from the power supply circuit board;

a grounding member comprising an electrically conductive material and electrically connected to the ground line of the circuit board, the grounding member contacting the circuit board without contacting the power supply circuit board; and

an insulating member comprising a bottom wall and a sidewall that extends from a periphery of the bottom wall, a first side of the bottom wall contacts the grounding member and a second side of the bottom wall contacts the fixed lid of the housing to electrically insulate the grounding member and the housing from each other, wherein

the power supply circuit board includes;

a main body board that includes a rectifying element, a capacitor, and an isolation transformer directly attached to the main body board, and

a terminal board that extends parallel to the main body board and the detachably attached lid and that is positioned in the second part of the interior of the housing such that an edge opposite to the main body board in a transverse direction of the terminal board is accessible from an exterior of the housing when the detachably attached lid is removed; and

the external connection terminals and the power supply connecting terminal are directly attached to the terminal board along the edge of the terminal board such that an upper surface of each of the connection terminal and the power supply terminal of the external connection terminal face the detachably attached lid in a direction of thickness of the bottom of the housing when the detachably attached lid is attached such as to be exposed and accessible from the exterior of the housing when the lid is detached.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein

the power supply circuit board is covered by the housing and the detachably attached lid when the detachably attached lid is attached, and

the housing and the detachably attached lid are made of materials that are fire-resistant.

3. The controller according to claim 1, further comprising an outer shell disposed covering the circuit board, wherein

the circuit board comprises on one surface thereof at least one of a connector detachably attachable to a plug from an exterior of the controller, an electronic component comprising an operation part operable from the exterior of the controller, or a display part disposed on a surface of the circuit board and visible from the exterior of the controller, and

the outer shell comprises an opening disposed in a section of the outer shell overlapping the connector, the electronic component, or the display part in a thickness direction of the circuit board.

4. The controller according to claim 3, further comprising at least one circuit board of a plurality of circuit boards, wherein

the plurality of circuit boards includes a circuit board comprising on one surface thereof at least one of a connector detachably attachable to a plug from an exterior of the controller, an electronic component comprising an operation part operable from the exterior of the controller, or a display part disposed on a surface of the circuit board and visible from the exterior of the controller, a section of at least a portion of the surface of the circuit board opposing another circuit board and being disposed at a position of the circuit board such that the connector, the electronic component, or the display part is not covered by the other circuit board in a thickness direction of the circuit board.

5. The controller according to claim 1, further comprising

an outer shell disposed covering a plurality of circuit boards, which includes the circuit board,

wherein, for the circuit boards comprising on one surface thereof at least one of a connector detachably attachable to the plug from the exterior of the controller, an electronic component comprising an operation part operable from the exterior of the controller, or a display part disposed on a surface of the circuit board and visible from the exterior of the controller, the circuit boards are disposed such that the one surface is facing the same direction, and

the outer shell comprises an opening disposed in a section of the outer shell overlapping the connector, the electronic component, or the display part in a thickness direction of each of the plurality of circuit boards.

6. The controller according to claim 2, further comprising

an outer shell disposed covering a plurality of circuit boards, which includes the circuit board,

wherein, for the circuit boards comprising on one surface thereof at least one of a connector detachably attachable to the plug from the exterior of the controller, an electronic component comprising an operation part operable from the exterior of the controller, or a display part disposed on a surface of the circuit board and visible from the exterior of the controller, the circuit boards are disposed such that the one surface is facing the same direction, and

the outer shell comprises an opening disposed in a section of the outer shell overlapping the connector, the electronic component, or the display part in a thickness direction of each of the plurality of circuit boards.

7. The controller according to claim 5, further comprising

at least one circuit board of a plurality of circuit boards, wherein

the plurality of circuit boards includes a circuit board comprising on one surface thereof at least one of the connector detachably attachable to a plug from an exterior of the controller, the electronic component comprising an operation part operable from the exterior of the controller, or a display part disposed on the surface of the circuit board and visible from the exterior of the controller, a section of at least a portion of the surface of the circuit board opposing another circuit board and being disposed at a position of the circuit board such that the connector, the electronic component, or the display part is not covered by the other circuit board in a thickness direction of the circuit board.

8. The controller according to claim 6, further comprising

at least one circuit board of a plurality of circuit boards, wherein

the plurality of circuit boards includes a circuit board comprising on one surface thereof at least one of the connector detachably attachable to a plug from an exterior of the controller, the electronic component comprising an operation part operable from the exterior of the controller, or a display part disposed on the surface of the circuit board and visible from the exterior of the controller, a section of at least a portion of the surface of the circuit board opposing another circuit board and being disposed at a position of the circuit board such that the connector, the electronic component, or the display part is not covered by the other circuit board in a thickness direction of the circuit board.

9. The controller according to claim 7, wherein

dimensions of the outer shell match positions of the plurality of circuit boards contained within the outer shell,

the outer shell further comprises on a portion of the outer shell a gripping part for gripping by a user, and

at least one of the plurality of circuit boards is disposed interior to the gripping part.

10. The controller according to claim 8, wherein

dimensions of the outer shell match positions of the plurality of circuit boards contained within the outer shell,

the outer shell further comprises on a portion of the outer shell a gripping part for gripping by a user, and

at least one of the plurality of circuit boards is disposed interior to the gripping part.

11. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board is disposed at a position opposing at least a portion of the power supply circuit board in a thickness direction of the power supply circuit board.

12. The controller according to claim 2, wherein the circuit board is disposed at a position opposing at least a portion of the power supply circuit board in a thickness direction of the power supply circuit board.

13. The controller of claim 1, further comprising:

an outer shell that is disposed exterior to, and above, the housing, the fixed lid, and the detachably attached lid and that encloses the circuit board without covering the detachably attached lid.