Control unit arrangement

Abstract

Control unit arrangement comprising a first control unit (1) and a second control unit (2), each of the control units (1, 2) having a housing (8, 9) in which at least one printed circuit board (10, 11) is arranged, the control units (1, 2) being arranged on opposite sides of a partition (5) having an opening (6), each of the control units (1, 2) having at least one direct connector (12, 13) contacting the printed circuit board (10, 11) which is guided or accessible through a cutout in a rear side (7, 16) of the respective housing (8, 9), at least one of the connectors (12, 13) being guided through the opening (6) and forming a plug connection with the other connector (12, 13), characterized in that at least the second control unit (2) has on its rear side (16) a collar (17) extending around the cutout which has a contour,which is complementary to a contour of the opening (6) in the partition (5), and within the collar (17) are one, two or more screw bolts (18), each of which is threaded and contacted with the circuit board (11).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a control unit arrangement according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Motor vehicles have a large number of control units that can be interconnected via connecting cables.

[0003] If the control units are located in different rooms, the connecting cables must be routed through partition walls using grommets. Depending on the complexity of the system, this may involve several connectors, including screw-type power supply cables. The connecting cables must be routed according to the spatial constraints.

[0004] DE 102 09 648 A1 describes a contacting unit for the electrically conductive connection of two electronic assemblies. A simple and cost-effective design of the contacting unit is proposed, comprising at least one contact pair formed from a contact element of the first electronic assembly and a contact element of the second electronic assembly. For this purpose, a contact element of the first electronic assembly has a first sub-section designed as a contact tongue and a second sub-section designed as a contact pin, and a contact element of the second electronic assembly has a first sub-section designed as a contact tongue and a second sub-section designed as a contact socket. The contact tongue of the first contact element is contacted with a conductive film of the first electronic assembly, and the contact tongue of the second contact element is contacted with a conductive film of the second electronic assembly.In a contact pair, the contact pin of the contact element of the first electronic assembly is connected to the contact socket of the contact element of the second electronic assembly. DE 10 2010 035 081 A1 discloses a method for mechanically and electrically connecting two control units, wherein the connection is made by plugging. DE 103 39 159 B4 describes a motor vehicle door, an assembly, and a control unit that offer a simplified connection option for wiring connections.

[0005] The invention is based on the objective of specifying a novel control unit arrangement.

[0006] The problem is solved according to the invention by a control unit arrangement with the features of claim 1.

[0007] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0008] A control unit arrangement comprising a first control unit and a second control unit is proposed, each control unit having a housing in which at least one printed circuit board is arranged. According to the invention, the control units are arranged on opposite sides of a partition wall with an opening, particularly in different compartments. Each control unit has at least one direct connector contacting the printed circuit board, which is guided or accessible through an opening in a rear side of the respective housing, wherein at least one of the connectors of one of the control units is guided through the opening and forms a plug connection with one of the connectors of the other control unit.

[0009] According to the invention, at least the second control unit has on the back a collar leading around the breakout, which has a contour that is complementary to a contour of the opening in the partition.

[0010] In one embodiment, at least one sealing ring is arranged around the collar on the outside and / or on the collar for sealing against the penetration and / or for sealing against the back of the other control unit.

[0011] According to the invention, one, two, or more screw bolts are arranged within an area surrounded by the collar, each of which is provided with a thread and is in contact with the circuit board. The screw bolts protrude from the rear side beyond the collar.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first control unit has one, two or more through-holes between the rear and a front for at least partially passing through one of the screw bolts, wherein in a mounting position the through-holes are aligned with one of the screw bolts and these each contact the circuit board of the first control unit. In one embodiment, a nut is provided for making or securing a mechanical and electrical connection of the screw bolt to the circuit board of the first control unit, wherein the nut is accessible from the front of the first control unit through the respective through-hole.

[0013] In one embodiment, a plug is arranged in the feedthrough from the front to seal it against moisture.

[0014] In one embodiment, the partition wall has one or more screw bases for attaching at least one of the control units by means of a respective screw.

[0015] In one embodiment, the contour of the opening corresponds to or resembles an oval, a circular shape, a square, a rectangle, a trapezoid or an irregular quadrilateral or polygon, in particular with rounded corners.

[0016] In one embodiment, the connector is arranged on the circuit board of the respective control unit.

[0017] The control unit assembly can be part of a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger car, a commercial vehicle, or a bus. The motor vehicle can have at least one electric drive motor and / or at least one internal combustion engine.

[0018] The solution according to the invention makes it possible to directly contact the control units to be connected. This involves direct plug connections between the circuit boards. A prerequisite for this is that the control units are positioned back-to-back on the wall separating them.

[0019] The solution according to the invention eliminates a significant number of plug and screw connections on the control units. Furthermore, wiring harnesses can be omitted to a certain extent. Additionally, assembly risks due to unplugged connections are reduced.

[0020] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing.

[0021] This shows: Fig. 1 A schematic view of two control units located in different rooms separated by a partition wall, Fig. 2 a schematic view of the back of one of the control units, and Fig. 3 A schematic view of the control units arranged on the partition wall.

[0022] Corresponding parts are marked with the same reference symbols in all figures.

[0023] Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic view of a first electronic control unit 1 and a second electronic control unit 2, which are arranged in different compartments 3, 4, for example in a motor vehicle, and which are separated from each other by a partition 5. The partition 5 has an opening 6 through which the control units 1, 2 can be directly contacted with each other.

[0024] Fig. Figure 2 is a schematic view of a rear side 7 of the first control unit 1, which is located in a Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 shown installation position of the partition wall 5 is facing it.

[0025] Fig.Figure 3 is a schematic view of the control units 1, 2 arranged on the partition 5. Each of the control units 1, 2 has a housing 8, 9 in which at least one circuit board 10, 11 is arranged. Furthermore, each of the control units 1, 2 has at least one direct connector 12, 13, which is configured to establish a plug connection to another control unit 1, 2. The at least one connector 12, 13 can be arranged on the circuit board 10, 11 of the respective control unit 1, 2.

[0026] The housing 8, 9 of each control unit 1, 2 has a front 14, 15 and a rear 7, 16, wherein the at least one connector 12, 13 is guided through or accessible through a cutout in the rear 7, 16.

[0027] One of the control units 2 has a collar 17 on its rear side 16 that extends around the cutout and has a contour complementary to a contour of the opening 6 in the partition 5. In the embodiment shown, this contour resembles a square with rounded corners. In other embodiments, the contour may be shaped differently, for example, circular, oval, similar to a rectangle or trapezoid, or an irregular quadrilateral or polygon, particularly with rounded corners.

[0028] At least one sealing ring 19, 20 can be arranged around the collar 17 on the outside and / or on the collar 17, for example a sealing ring 19 for sealing against the opening 6 in the partition 5 and another sealing ring 20 for sealing against the back 7 of the other control unit 1.

[0029] Furthermore, one, two, or more screw bolts 18, each with a thread, are arranged, particularly within the collar 17. The screw bolts 18 are contacted with the circuit board 11, for example, such that one of the screw bolts 18 can be used as a positive terminal and another screw bolt 18 as a negative terminal or as redundancy in a vehicle electrical system.

[0030] The first control unit 1 can have one, two, or more through-holes 22 between its rear 7 and front 14 for the passage of one of the screw bolts 18, wherein in a mounting position each of the through-holes 22 aligns with one of the screw bolts 18 of the second control unit 2, the screw bolt 18 contacting the circuit board 10 of the first control unit 1. A mechanical and electrical connection of the screw bolt 18 to the circuit board 10 can be established and / or secured by means of a nut 21, which is accessible from the front 14 through the respective through-hole 22. Furthermore, a plug 23 can be arranged in each of the through-holes 22 from the front 14 to seal them against moisture.

[0031] The partition wall 5 can be provided with one or more screw bases 24 in order to attach at least one of the control units 1, 2 to it by means of respective screws 25. Reference symbol list 1 control unit 2 Control unit 3 rooms 4 rooms 5 partition wall 6 Breakthrough 7 Back 8 cases 9 cases 10 circuit boards 11 Circuit board 12 connectors 13 connectors 14 Front 15 Front 16 Back 17 collars 18 screw bolts 19 Sealing ring 20 sealing rings 21 mother 22 Implementation 23 plugs 24 screw bases 25 screws

Claims

Control unit arrangement comprising a first control unit (1) and a second control unit (2), each of the control units (1, 2) having a housing (8, 9) in which at least one printed circuit board (10, 11) is arranged, the control units (1, 2) being arranged on opposite sides of a partition (5) having an opening (6), each of the control units (1, 2) having at least one direct connector (12, 13) contacting the printed circuit board (10, 11) which is guided or accessible through a cutout in a rear side (7, 16) of the respective housing (8, 9), at least one of the connectors (12, 13) being guided through the opening (6) and forming a plug connection with the other connector (12, 13), characterized in that at least the second control unit (2) has on its rear side (16) a collar (17) extending around the cutout which has a contour,which is complementary to a contour of the opening (6) in the partition (5), and within the collar (17) are one, two or more screw bolts (18), each of which is threaded and contacted with the circuit board (11). Control unit arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one sealing ring (19, 20) for sealing against the opening (6) and / or for sealing against the rear side (7) of the other control unit (1) is arranged around the collar (17) on the outside and / or on the collar (17). Control unit arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first control unit (1) has one, two or more through-holes (22) between the rear (7) and a front (14) for at least partially passing through one of the screw bolts (18), wherein the through-holes (22) in a mounting position are aligned with one of the screw bolts (18) and these each contact the circuit board (10) of the first control unit (1). Control unit arrangement according to claim 3, characterized by a respective nut (21) for producing or securing a mechanical and electrical connection of the screw bolt (18) to the circuit board (10) of the first control unit (1), wherein the nut (21) is accessible from the front (14) through the respective through-hole (22). Control unit arrangement according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that a respective plug (23) is arranged from the front (14) in the passage (22) to seal it against moisture. Control unit arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the partition (5) has one or more screw bases (24) for fastening at least one of the control units (1, 2) by means of a respective screw (25). Control unit arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the contour of the opening (6) corresponds to an oval, a circular shape, a square, a rectangle, a trapezoid or an irregular quadrilateral or polygon. Control unit arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that the contour of the opening (6) has rounded corners. Control unit arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connector (12, 13) is arranged on the circuit board (10, 11) of the respective control unit (1, 2).

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