Electronic units and method for packaging and assembly of said electronic units

• US 20040149478A1
• Filed: 01/20/2004
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Staiger, Dieter E.
• Application Number:
  US10/760,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20040149478A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/52.1
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49187 with forming eyelet from elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4973 Replacing of defective part

Abstract

The present invention discloses method for packaging and assembly of electronic units comprising a multi-planar board system in which each single planar board provides electrical contacts and/or signal drive to its successive planar board via a flexible cable forming the only connection between successive planar boards. In its packaged position the planar boards are laid upon one another without affixing them with each other or affixing them with the housing of the electronic unit, wherein the packaging of the planar boards preferably forming a daisy chain. Positioning and adjusting of the planar boards to each other is mainly achieved by the cover element being wrapped around all surfaces of the planar boards during the packaging process, positioning and clamping of the packaging of the planar boards within the housing is mainly achieved by the self-adapting suspension during the assembly process of the electronic unit into the housing. The cover element separating and concurrently adjusting each planar boards to each other has isolating, stabilizing, heat draining, and flexible attributes. The electronic unit is preferably arranged in a screw-less, and scalable housing.

Claims

1. A method to package electrical units comprising the acts of:

providing a plurality of planar electronic circuit boards;

providing a cover element with defined folding points therein;

connecting the plurality of planar electronic circuit boards with an electrical conductive member;

placing a first planar electronic circuit board with its bottom side at a first part of said cover element;

folding said cover element at a defined folding point and placing a remaining part of said cover element upon the surface of the top side of said first planar board thereby covering the side surface of the first planar board;

placing a second planar board with its bottom side at said surface of the remaining part of said cover element;

folding said remaining cover element at a further defined point and placing the newly remaining cover element upon the surface of the top side of said second planar board thereby covering the side surface of said second planar board; and

repeating the placing and folding steps until all surfaces of said planar electronic circuit boards are covered by said cover element.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of said planar electronic circuit boards includes a system specific entry connector at one side and a pass-on connector at the other side.

3. Packaging according to claim 1, wherein each of said planar electronic circuit boards includes a system specific entry connector and a pass-on connector at one side.

4. Packaging according to claim 2, wherein final packaging of said planar electronic circuit boards form a “

daisy chain”

configuration.

5. Packaging according to claim 1, wherein said cover element (20) is a plastic bag having stabilizing elements and folding points, wherein said plastic bag is filled with a heat conducting liquid.

6. Packaging according to claim 1, wherein said cover element (20) is a plastic bag having stabilizing elements and folding points, wherein said plastic bag is filled with a liquid providing electromagnetic shielding attributes.

7. Packaging according to claim 1, wherein said cover element (20) is filled with a silicon gel.

8. Packaging according to claim 1, wherein said cover element (20) forms a continuous element.

9. Packaging according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axis of said cover element (20) in its non-folded position and the longitudinal axis of multi-planar board in its non-packaged position are 90°

rotated against each other when starting packaging of said planar boards.

10. Packaging according to claim 1, wherein said packaging process is automatically accomplished by a machine.

23. Packaging according to claim 1 wherein said cover element is filled with shielding foil.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical conductive member includes flexible cables.

11. A method to package electrical units comprising the acts of:

providing a loosely connected multi-planar electronic circuit board system including a plurality of single planar electronic circuit boards connected to one another by flexible cables and separated from one another by a continuous cover element;

providing a housing having a lower shell section and an upper shell section;

fitting said system of said planar boards into said bottom shell (80) of said housing;

positioning and clamping of said system in said bottom shell (80) by a self-adapting suspension (100) being part of the bottom shell (80);

closing said housing with said top shell (90);

positioning and clamping of said packaging against said top shell (90) by a self-adapting suspension (100) being part of the top shell when said top shell is self-interlocking with said bottom shell (80).

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein said self-interlocking between top (90) and bottom (80) shell is accomplished by a zigzag-teeth structure (110) being part of contacting surfaces of said bottom and top shell.

13. Method according to claim 11, wherein said assembly process is automatically accomplished by a machine.

14. Electronic unit comprising:

a multi-planar board system, wherein said multi-planar board system is characterized by single planar boards (1-4) connected with each other by a flexible cable (12,23,34) providing electrical contacts and signal drive, wherein the contacting surfaces of said planar boards are separated from and adjusted to each other by a continuous cover element (20).

15. Electronic unit according to claim 14, wherein said multi-planar board comprising single planar boards having a system specific entry connector at one side and a pass-on connector at the other side.

16. Electronic unit according to claim 14, wherein said multi-planar board comprising single planar boards having a system specific entry connector and a pass-on connector at one side.

17. Electronic unit according to claim 14, wherein a final packaging of said planar boards builds up a “

daisy chain”

configuration.

18. Electronic unit according to claim 14, wherein said cover element (20) includes a plastic bag having stabilizing elements and folding points, wherein said plastic bag is filled with a heat conducting liquid.

19. Electronic unit according to claim 14, wherein said cover element (20) is filled with a silicon gel.

25. The electronic unit of claim 14 wherein said cover element is filled with a material having isolating, stabilizing, heat draining, foldable and flexible attributes.

20. Housing (70) for an electronic unit comprising:

a bottom shell (80) having at least one self-adapting suspension (100) for adjusting and clamping a package in said bottom shell (80) when said package is fully located in said bottom shell (80); and

a top shell (90) having at least one self-adapting suspension (100) for adjusting and clamping said package against said top shell (90) when said top shell (90) is interlocked with said bottom shell (80).

21. Housing (70) according to claim 20, wherein contacting faces of said bottom shell (80) and top shell (90) comprises a zigzag-teeth structure (110) allowing automatic interlocking and adjusting the size of said housing.

22. An electronic assembly comprising:

a housing including a bottom shell;

at least a first self-adapting suspension operatively mounted to an inner wall of said bottom shell;

a top shell having surfaces that coact with surfaces on the bottom shell to interlock the top shell to the bottom shell; and

at least a second self-adapting suspension operatively mounted to an inner wall of said top shell.

26. The electronic assembly of claim 22 wherein the self-adapting suspension includes springs.

27. The electronic assembly of claim 22 or claim 26 wherein the coacting surfaces include a structure that adjusts and interlocks the top shell and bottom shell relative to each other.

28. The electronic assembly of claim 27 wherein the structure includes zigzag-teeth.

29. The electronic assembly of claim 22 further including a package of loosely connected planar electronic circuit boards placed in said housing and coacting with the self-adapting suspensions to adjust the position of said package within said housing.

30. A method to package electrical units comprising the acts of:

providing a plurality of planar electronic circuit boards;

providing a cover element;

connecting the plurality of planar electronic circuit boards with an electrical conductive member;

placing a first planar electronic circuit board with its bottom side at a first part of said cover element;

folding said cover element and placing a remaining part of said cover element upon the surface of the top side of said first planar board thereby covering the side surface of the first planar board;

placing a second planar board with its bottom side at said surface of the remaining part of said cover element;

folding said remaining cover element and placing the newly remaining cover element upon the surface of the top side of said second planar board thereby covering the side surface of said second planar board; and

repeating the placing and folding steps until all surfaces of said planar electronic circuit boards are covered by said cover element.