Metal housing, especially for an airbag control device

• US 6,657,869 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2002
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alutec Metallwaren GmbH & Co., TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Kretz, Willy, Mascha, Georg, Linke, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Randy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, HUNG S
• Application Number:
  US09/914,711
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 361/752, 361/724, 361/714, 361/797, 361/800, 361/796, 361/803, 361/784, 361/807, 257/99
• US Class Current: 361/752
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01006 Mounting of electrical components in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0073 having specific features for mounting the housing on an external structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a metal housing 1, especially for an airbag control device, comprising a bottom plate and a cover plate, a rear wall and two side walls 5, 6, having mounting elements in the interior of the housing for at least one printed circuit board, and with a terminal element arranged at the front side of the housing for at least one connection element. According to the invention, the bottom—and/or the cover plate is/are connected with an installation plate 22, 23 which is attachable to a support. In this arrangement, projections are being utilized which are embeddable in and can be pressed into recesses of the installation plate.

Claims

1. A housing for use with an associated an airbag control device, the housing comprising:

a bottom plate;

an installation plate adapted to connect with the bottom plates, the installation plate additionally being adapted to attach to an associated supports;

a plurality of projections on the bottom plate; and

,

a plurality of recesses defined by the installation plate, the plurality of recesses being adapted to receive the plurality of projections.

2. The housing as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the installation plate is adapted to attach to the bottom plate in a first orientation;

relative to the bottom plate in a second orientation relative to the bottom plate that is rotated 180°

relative to the first orientation.

3. The housing as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

guide elements adapted to receive an associated circuit board.

4. The housing as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a rear wall;

side walls;

recesses disposed on the side walls and adapted to receive edges of an associated circuit board; and

electrically conducting contacts disposed on the rear wall and adapted to electrically connect with the associated circuit board.

5. The housing as set forth in claim 4, wherein the electrically conducting contacts comprise:

a mechanical supporting element adapted to mechanically support the associated circuit board.

6. The housing as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

at least one detent connection that connects the terminating element with the front side of the housing.

7. The housing as set forth in claim 1, wherein the terminating element comprises a plastic material.

8. The housing as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a circumferential gasket providing sealing between the terminal element and the front of the housing.

9. A metal housing for use with an associated airbag control device, the housing comprising:

a bottom plate;

a cover plate;

a rear wall;

two side walls;

at least one receiver element arranged in the interior of the housing and adapted to receive at least one printed circuit board;

a terminating element arranged at a front side of the housing, the terminating element being adapted to connect with at least one connection element;

an installation plate adapted to connect with at least one of the bottom plate and the cover plate, the installation plate additionally being adapted to attach to an associated support;

a plurality of projections on at least one of the bottom plate and the cover plate; and

,

a plurality of recesses on in the installation plate adapted to receive the projections.

10. The metal housing as set forth in claim 9, wherein:

the projections are arranged into a plurality of parallel rows on at least one of the bottom plate and the cover plate.

11. A metal housing for use with an associated airbag control device, the housing comprising:

a bottom plate;

a cover plate;

a rear wall;

two side walls;

at least one receiver element arranged in the interior of the housing and adapted to receive at least one printed circuit board;

a terminating element arranged at a front side of the housing, the terminating element being adapted to connect with at least one connection element;

an installation plate adapted to connect with at least one of the bottom plate and the cover plate, the installation plate additionally being adapted to attach to an associated support; and

,

attachment regions formed by the installation plate for adapting the housing for connection with the associated support, the attachment regions at least partially protruding beyond the bottom plate or the cover plate.

12. The metal housing as set forth in claim 11, wherein at least one attachment region defines a traversing opening or hole arranged therein.

13. The metal housing as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a flange formed into an attachment region.

14. The metal housing as set forth in claim 11, wherein the attachment regions are formed into an edge of the installation plate.

15. A housing for use with an associated airbag control device, the housing comprising:

a bottom plate;

a cover plate;

a rear wall;

two side walls;

at least one receiver element arranged in the interior of the housing and adapted to receive at least one printed circuit board;

a terminating element arranged at a front side of the housing, the terminating element being adapted to connect with at least one connection element;

an installation plate adapted to connect with at least one of the bottom plate and the cover plate, the installation plate additionally being adapted to attach to an associated support;

recesses disposed on the side walls and adapted to receive edges of an associated circuit board; and

,

electrically conducting contacts disposed on the rear wall and adapted to electrically connect with the associated circuit board, wherein the electrically conducting contacts include;

a fork-shaped region selectively connectable with the associated circuit board; and

a region having an opening mechanically connectable with a projection of the rear wall.

16. A housing for an airbag control device comprising:

a hollow metal-extruded shell having a connection side, including a plurality of projections, the shell defining grooves adapted to receive an associated printed circuit board;

a terminating element that closes off one end of the extruded shell and that electrically connects with the associated printed circuit board; and

an installation plate defining a plurality of recesses selectively receiving the plurality of projections to connect with the connection side of the shell, the installation plate additionally being adapted to attach to an associated support of an associated motor vehicle.

17. The housing as set forth in claim 16, further comprising:

a plurality of first interconnecting elements disposed on the connection side of the shell; and

a plurality of second interconnecting elements disposed on the installation plate that cooperate with the first interconnecting elements to effectuate the connection between the installation plate and the shell.