Electronic Control Unit

• US 20130033098A1
• Filed: 04/13/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nagashima, Kazuaki, Takagi, Ryota, Kaneko, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 9,056,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 303/199
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/042 by electrical means, e.g. using travel or force sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/3675 integrated in modulator units
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/48 utilising a spring, clip, or other resilient member H01R4/52 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0065 wherein modules are associated together, e.g. electromechanical assemblies, modular structures
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/04 Metal casings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0015 Gaskets or seals
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0064 Earth or grounding circuit

Abstract

In an electronic control unit having a metallic control block in which a plurality of control equipments are installed, a metallic cover member fitted onto the metallic control block, and an electronic control mechanism retained between the control block and the cover member to drive the control equipments, the electronic control mechanism includes: a bus bar constituent made of a resin material and having a power electronic circuit to drive the control equipments; and a print board to control the drive of the control equipments via the bus bar constituent, the print board on which a plurality of electronic parts are mounted being fixed onto the bus bar constituent by means of a metallic fixture section and an electrically conducting section being disposed to electrically conduct the control block to the cover member to provide the same electric potential for both of the cover member and the control block.

Claims

1. An electronic control unit, comprising:

a metallic control block in which a plurality of control equipments are installed;

a metallic cover member fitted onto the metallic control block; and

an electronic control mechanism retained between the metallic control block and the metallic cover member to drive the control equipments, the electronic control mechanism including;

a bus bar constituent made of a resin material and having a power electronic circuit to drive the control equipments; and

a print board to control the drive of the control equipments via the bus bar constituent, the print board on which a plurality of electronic parts are mounted being fixed onto the bus bar constituent by means of a metallic fixture section and an electrically conducting section being disposed to electrically conduct the metallic control block to the metallic cover member to provide the same electric potential for both of the metallic cover member and the metallic control block.

2. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrically conducting section electrically conducts the metallic cover member to the metallic control block via the fixture section.

3. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the electrically conducting section includes:

an earth plate made of an electrically conductive material and which includes a base section fixed to one end of the fixture section and a tip section elastically contacted on a lower surface of the cover member; and

an earth spring made of the electrically conductive material, one end of the earth spring being elastically contacted on the other end of the fixture section and the other end of the earth spring being elastically contacted on the control block via the control equipments.

4. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control equipments include a plurality of valve mechanisms configured to perform a pressure increase or a pressure decrease of a brake liquid pressure and the other end of the earth spring is elastically contacted on a metallic solenoid casing constituting each valve mechanism to electrically conduct the metallic cover member to the metallic control block.

5. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fixture section is constituted by a screw member, a screw penetrating hole through which the screw member is inserted is penetrated on a predetermined position of the print board, an electrically conductive piece is disposed on a hole edge of the screw penetrating hole at a screw inserting side of the screw penetrating hole, and the earth plate is fixedly grasped between the electrically conductive piece and a head section of the screw member.

6. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the earth plate includes:

a flat base piece fixed to the fixture section; and

slanted pieces projected from both ends of the base piece toward the cover member, the slanted pieces being formed in a recess shape together with the base piece, each upper end of the slanted pieces being bent toward an outer direction from the recess shaped base piece and slanted pieces to elastically bring an upper surface of each upper end of the slanted pieces into contact with the lower surface of the cover member.

7. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein a cylindrical section is integrally formed on an upper surface of the bus bar constituent and a metallic sleeve is integrally fixed onto an inner periphery of the cylindrical section, a female screw being formed on the metallic sleeve and on which the screw member is screwed.

8. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein one end of the earth spring is elastically contacted on a tip edge of a shank of the screw member and the other end of the earth spring is elastically contacted on an upper surface of the solenoid casing.

9. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrically conducting section is constituted by an electrically connecting member which electrically conducts the metallic cover member to the metallic control block via the bus bar constituent.

10. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the electrically connecting member is an earth connecting member extended between the metallic control block and the cover member, the earth connecting member including an elastic deformation section whose length between both ends of the elastic deformation section is changeable and which is located on at least either one of both ends of the earth connecting member in an elongated direction of the earth connecting member.

11. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein a penetrating hole through which the earth connecting member is penetrated is formed on the bus bar constituent and retaining sections which are elastically retained on a hole edge of the penetrating hole are disposed on a predetermined position of the earth connecting member in the elongated direction of the earth connecting member.

12. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the earth connecting member is formed in a rectangular plate shape and the elastic deformation section of the earth connecting member is bent to form a curve.

13. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the retaining sections comprise:

a plate-formed base section formed at a center of the earth connecting member; and

a pair of retaining pieces disposed in parallel to each other at both sides of the base section and which are elastically deformable toward mutually inner directions, retaining grooves which retains on the hole edge of the penetrating hole being formed on an outer edge of each of the retaining pieces.

14. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the elastic deformation section is formed on each of both ends of the earth connecting member.

15. The electronic control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control equipments are a brake liquid pressure control equipments and the metallic control block is connected to a body of a vehicle.

16. An electronic control unit, comprising:

a metallic control block in which a plurality of control equipments are installed;

a metallic cover member fitted onto the metallic control block; and

an electronic control mechanism retained between the metallic control block and the metallic cover member to drive the control equipments, the electronic control mechanism including;

a bus bar constituent made of a resin material and having a power electronic circuit to drive the control equipments; and

a print board to control the drive of the control equipments via the bus bar constituent, the print board on which a plurality of electronic parts are mounted being fixed onto the bus bar constituent by means of a metallic fixture section and an electrically conducting section being disposed to electrically conduct the metallic control block to the metallic cover member via at least one of the fixture section and the bus bar constituent to provide the same electric potential for both of the metallic cover member and the metallic control block.