Environmental protection of serial ATA and other electronic devices

• US 20040264149A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EMS Aviation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Formation, Inc (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Carswell, Samuel A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,148,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/752
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0218 by printed shielding conductors, ground planes or power plane H05K1/0236 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0298 Multilayer circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/112 directly combined with via connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/181 associated with surface mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09627 Special connections between adjacent vias, not for grounding vias redundant conductors or connections H05K2201/0979
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0999 Circuit printed on or in housing, e.g. housing as PCB; Circuit printed on the case of a component; PCB affixed to housing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10189 Non-printed connector
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1147 Sealing or impregnating, e.g. of pores
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1572 Processing both sides of a PCB by the same process; Providing a similar arrangement of components on both sides; Making interlayer connections from two sides
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/069 Other details of the casing, e.g. wall structure, passage for a connector, a cable, a shaft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A system for communicating with an electronic device within a sealed vessel comprises a generally enclosed housing having an opening. A printed circuit board is provided for covering the housing opening to create a fully enclosed sealed vessel. An electronic device is located within the interior of the sealed vessel and an external device is located outside the sealed vessel. At least one conductive path comprised of at least one conductive trace and at least one conductive via extends through the printed circuit board from the first surface located on the outside of the sealed vessel to a second surface located on the inside of the sealed vessel. The conductive path has a first end on the first surface which is connected to the external device and a second end on the second surface which is connected to the electronic device. In this manner, a communication path is established between the external device and the electronic device within the interior of the sealed vessel utilizing the at least one conductive path.

Claims

1. A system for communicating with an electronic device within a sealed vessel comprising:

a generally enclosed housing having an opening;

a printed circuit board covering the housing opening to create a fully enclosed, sealed vessel;

an electronic device within the interior of the sealed vessel;

an external device outside of the sealed vessel; and

at least one conductive path extending through the printed circuit board from a first surface located outside of the sealed vessel to a second surface located inside of the sealed vessel, the conductive path having a first end on the first surface connected to the external device and a second end on a second surface connected to the electronic device whereby communication is established between the external device and the electronic device within the interior of the sealed vessel utilizing the at least one conductive path.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board is comprised of at least one rigid or flexible substrate layer of a low moisture absorbance and gas impermeable material.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board is secured to the housing using a moisture and gas blocking adhesive.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one conductive path is comprised of a single through via extending through the printed circuit board from the first surface to the second surface, the through via including a first end at the first printed circuit board surface and a second end at the second printed board surface and a sealing member bonded to at least one of the first and second ends or an inner layer of the through via.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the sealing member is comprised of a sealant material.

6. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the sealing member is comprised of copper bonded to the printed circuit board.

7. The system as recited in claim 4, further including a conductive trace connected to the first end of the through via and extending along the first surface of the printed circuit board and a conductive trace connected to the second end of the through via and extending along the second surface of the printed circuit board.

8. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the printed circuit board comprises at least two laminated substrate layers and wherein the at least one conductive path further includes at least three additional conductive elements, a first conductive trace element located on the surface of the printed circuit board which includes the cover member, a blind via connected to the first conductive trace element and extending through one of the substrate layers of the printed circuit board, and a second conductive trace element extending between the substrate layers of the printed circuit board and connected to the blind via and the through via.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board comprises at least two laminated substrate layers and the at least one conductive path comprises at least five conductive elements, a first conductive trace element located on the first surface of the first layer of the printed circuit board, a first blind via connected to the first conductive trace element and extending through the first substrate layer of the printed circuit board, a second conductive trace element connected to the first blind via and extending between the first substrate layer of the printed circuit board and a second substrate layer of the printed circuit board, a second blind via connected to the second conductive trace element and extending through the second substrate layer of the printed circuit board, and a third conductive trace element connected to the second blind via and located on the second surface of the second substrate layer of the printed circuit board, the external device being connected to the first conductive trace element and the electronic device being connected to the third conductive trace element.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 wherein the printed circuit board further comprises a series of conductive trace and via elements which extend on, through and between the layers of the printed circuit board to form a shield around at least a portion of the at least one conductive path.

11. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the interior of the sealed vessel is environmentally controlled, the external device is a host device and the electronic device is comprised of a SATA device, the system further comprising:

an environmental controller for monitoring at least one environmental condition within the sealed vessel, for comparing the monitored environmental condition to a predetermined standard, and for generating output signals;

a physical blocker circuit connected to the environmental controller and to the communication path between the host device and the SATA device for receiving the output signals from the environmental controller, for enabling the communication path when the monitored environmental condition meets the predetermined standard and for disabling the communication path when the monitored environmental condition does not meet the predetermined standard.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein when the monitored environmental condition does not meet the predetermined standard, the physical blocker circuit disables the communication path by taking action consisting one of:

shorting together transmit and receive differential lines of the communication path, shorting to ground at least one of the transmit and receive differential signal lines, opening at least one of the transmit and receive differential signal lines, and injecting a disruptive signal into at least one of the transmit and receive differential signal lines.

13. A system for communicating with an electronic device within a sealed vessel comprising:

a generally enclosed housing having an opening;

a printed circuit comprised of one of a printed circuit board and a flexible printed circuit extending through the housing opening so that a first portion of the printed circuit extends out of the housing and a second portion of the printed circuit extends into the housing, the printed circuit including first and second surfaces which are sealed to the housing opening to create a sealed vessel;

an electronic device within the interior of the sealed vessel;

an external device outside of the sealed vessel; and

at least one conductive path extending along the interior of the printed circuit between the first and second portions, the at least one conductive path having a first end on one of the surfaces of the first portion of the printed circuit connected to the external device and a second end on one of the surfaces of the second portion of the printed circuit connected to the electronic device whereby a communication path is established between the external device and the electronic device within the interior of the sealed vessel utilizing the at least one conductive path.

14. A system for communicating with a SATA device within a sealed environmentally controlled vessel comprising:

a sealed vessel having an environmentally controlled interior;

a SATA device within the interior of the sealed vessel;

a host device outside of the sealed vessel;

a communication path between the host device and the SATA device within the interior of the sealed vessel;

an environmental controller for monitoring at least one environmental condition within the sealed vessel, for comparing the monitored environmental condition to a predetermined standard and for generating output signals; and

a physical blocker circuit connected to the environmental controller and to the communication path between the host device and the SATA device for receiving the output signals from the environmental controller, for enabling the communication path when the monitored environmental condition meets the predetermined standard and for disabling the communication path when the monitored environmental condition does not meet the predetermined standard.

15. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein when the monitored environmental condition does not meet the predetermined standard, the physical blocker circuit disables the communication path by taking an action consisting of one of:

shorting together transmit and receive differential signal lines of the communication path, shorting to ground at least one of the transmit and receive differential signal lines, opening at least one of the transmit and receive differential signal lines, and injecting a disruptive signal into at least one of the transmit and receive differential signal lines.