Low stress electronic board retainers and assemblies

• US 11,122,698 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2018
• Issued: 09/14/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: N2 Imaging Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: N2 Imaging Systems LLC
• Inventors: Zack, Darren M., Meyer, Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Singer, David L
• Application Number:
  US16/182,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20200146161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/166 Mechanical, construction or arrangement details of inertial navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0271 Arrangements for reducing stress or warp in rigid printed circuit boards, e.g. caused by loads, vibrations or differences in thermal expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0061 onto a metallic substrate, e.g. a heat sink heat sinks for electric apparatus H05K7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0052 characterized by joining features of the housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0056 characterized by features for protecting electronic components against vibration and moisture, e.g. potting, holders for relatively large capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/006 characterized by features for holding the PCB within the housing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/142 Spacers not being card guides

Abstract

An electronics assembly can include a circuit board comprising a stress sensitive device and a stiffening member operatively connected to the circuit board to stiffen the circuit board. The assembly can include a housing disposed around the circuit board and the stiffening member to contain circuit board and the stiffening member. The assembly can include one or more elastic and/or flexible bumpers disposed between the circuit board and the housing to provide shock absorption to the circuit board within the housing.

Claims

1. An electronics assembly, comprising:

a circuit board comprising a stress sensitive device;

a stiffening member operatively connected to the circuit board to stiffen the circuit board;

a housing disposed around the circuit board and the stiffening member to contain the circuit board and the stiffening member; and

one or more elastic and/or flexible bumpers disposed between the circuit board and the housing to provide shock absorption to the circuit board within the housing, wherein at least one of the one or more bumpers includes a dumbbell shape having a plurality of wide portions connected by a thinner neck,

wherein the housing includes a first housing member and a second housing member that clip together to retain the circuit board, the stiffening member, and the one or more elastic and/or flexible bumpers,

wherein the one or more bumpers include a plurality of bumpers disposed on a device side of the circuit board between the second housing member and the circuit board and a plurality of bumpers disposed on a stiffening side between the stiffening member and the first housing member.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the circuit board is a printed circuit board (PCB).

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the stress sensitive device is an inertial measurement unit (IMU).

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the stiffening member is a rigid sheet flushly attached to a flat face of the circuit board.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the stiffening member includes the same shape as the circuit board.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first housing member includes a flexible clip structure at a first end thereof, wherein the second housing member includes a mating feature configured to receive the flexible clip structure when pressed into the mating feature.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the first housing member includes a retaining structure at a second end thereof opposite the first end, wherein the second housing member includes a clip structure configured to engage the retaining structure when pressed into the retaining structure.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the second housing member defines an aperture over a data port of the circuit board to allow access to the data port when the housing is assembled.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bumpers each include a bumper post extending from each side of each wide portion configured to register each bumper relative to the circuit board and the housing.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the first housing member, the second housing member, the circuit board, and the stiffening member each include holes for receiving each bumper post.

11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the second housing member includes a window opening to allow access to and/or clearance for one or more circuit components.

12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the housing is shaped to mount to or within a goggle or optic.

13. A method comprising:

attaching a circuit board comprising a stress sensitive device to a stiffening member operatively connected to the circuit board to stiffen the circuit board;

disposing the circuit board and stiffening member within a housing to contain the circuit board and the stiffening member; and

disposing one or more elastic and/or flexible bumpers between the circuit board and the housing to provide shock absorption to the circuit board within the housing, wherein at least one of the one or more of bumpers includes a dumbbell shape having a plurality of wide portions connected by a thinner neck,

wherein the housing includes a first housing member and a second housing member that clip together to retain the circuit board, the stiffening member, and the one or more elastic and/or flexible bumpers,

wherein the one or more bumpers include a plurality of bumpers disposed on a device side of the circuit board between the second housing member and the circuit board and a plurality of bumpers disposed on a stiffening side between the stiffening member and the first housing member.