Circuit board shell and circuit device

Abstract

The invention relates to a housing (1) and a circuit arrangement (2). The housing (1) comprises a housing body (4) having an electrically conductive housing bottom part (5) and a housing wall part (6). The housing body is coated with an electrically insulating coating (7). The shell further comprises a fixing mechanism (10). The invention relates to a fastening device (1) for a circuit board (3, 4), comprising an electrically conductive contact unit (11) and a mechanical fastening unit (13) in the form of a combined unit (15), said electrically conductive contact unit being in direct electrical contact with the housing body (4) at an electrical contact point (8) at a predetermined installation position and extending into a plate cavity (9) of the housing (1), and being designed to be in contact with the circuit board (3, 4) within the plate cavity (9). 19) in an electrically conductive contact with the corresponding contact unit (12); the mechanical fastening unit is designed to be mechanically connected to a corresponding fastening unit (14) of the circuit board (3, 19) within the board cavity (9) in order to mechanically fix the circuit board (3, 19) within the board cavity (9).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a housing configured to accommodate a circuit board and to keep the circuit board fixed. The invention also relates to an electrical and / or electronic circuit device having such a housing and one or more circuit boards. The housing or the electrical / electronic circuit device is particularly provided for use in a motor vehicle.

[0002] The on-board power supply or on-board power supply system of motor vehicles produced according to modern vehicle architectures requires a power distribution device, by means of which an interference-free 12-volt voltage can be provided to the devices connected to the on-board power supply (i.e., the on-board power supply users). It is also required that the wiring harness (i.e., the cable harness) of the on-board power supply can be installed in the motor vehicle simply and without difficulty during the production of the motor vehicle. Since the wiring harness passes through a structural component of the motor vehicle that separates a wet area (e.g., the engine compartment) from a dry area (e.g., the interior) at at least one transition point in the motor vehicle, special attention must be paid to prevent moisture from entering the dry area from the wet area along the wiring harness (i.e., through the component). Background Art

[0003] It is known that the motor vehicle wiring harness is completely manufactured or bundled outside the motor vehicle body. Then the manufactured / bundled wiring harness is placed and laid in the motor vehicle body so that the branch end of the wiring harness reaches the corresponding position installed by the on-board power user. Subsequently, the electrical connection between the on-board power user and the wiring harness is achieved by connecting the wiring harness side connector (plug and / or socket) at the end of the wiring harness branch to the on-board power user side connector. The disposal method requires a huge workload because modern wiring harnesses are heavy and therefore difficult to operate. In addition, when laying the wiring harness branch, it is necessary to pass through the structural member transition point, which is laborious to seal with sealing mechanisms such as sealants, sealing rings, etc. The sealing mechanism must be very close to the wires of the wiring harness on the inner peripheral side, which is difficult to achieve. Therefore, many continuous or interrelated operating steps and / or sub-processes are currently required to lay the common wiring harness in the motor vehicle body and electrically connect it to the on-board power user, switchboard, etc. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a means for achieving particularly simple and / or uncomplicated routing of a wiring harness to a motor vehicle body.

[0005] The task is accomplished by the subject matter of the independent claims. Other possible designs of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings. The features, advantages and possible designs disclosed within the scope of the description of one of the independent claim subjects should be considered to be at least equivalent to the features, advantages and possible designs of the respective subjects of the other independent claims, as well as the features, advantages and possible designs of various possible combinations of the independent claim subject matter that may be combined with one or more of the dependent claims.

[0006] In a first aspect of the invention, a housing is proposed, which is designed to accommodate and hold one or more electrical / electronic circuit boards in place. The housing can, for example, be a component of an electrical / electronic circuit arrangement with the circuit board or circuit boards, which are fixed in a predetermined mounting position by means of the housing, in particular in the housing. The electrical / electronic circuit board is in particular a power distribution unit with other electrical and / or electronic components, for example in order to protect the electrical energy (voltage and / or current) to be distributed from electrical interferences during operation of the circuit arrangement and / or to eliminate electrical interferences from the electrical energy to be distributed.

[0007] The housing has a housing body, which in turn comprises a housing bottom part and a housing wall part protruding from the housing bottom part. Here, the housing bottom part and the housing wall part mutually enclose an angle, in particular different from 180° and different from 0°. In particular, it is provided that the housing bottom part and the housing wall part mutually enclose a right angle, which means that the housing wall part is arranged vertically relative to the housing bottom part.

[0008] The housing bottom part is electrically conductive because it contains an electrically conductive material such as copper, aluminum, etc., for example, consists of said electrically conductive material or is coated with said electrically conductive material on the outside. It can also be provided that both the housing bottom part and the housing wall part are designed to be electrically conductive. Thus, the housing body is an electrically conductive part which can be referred to as a busbar, for example.

[0009] The housing also has an electrically insulating coating, which is applied to the housing body. This means that the housing bottom and the housing wall are coated on the outside. The housing also has one or more predetermined electrical contact points, which do not have the coating. It is conceivable that the housing body (i.e., the busbar) is first completely or partially wrapped with the coating, especially injection molded or sprayed, and then the coating is removed only at this or these contact points. Of course, it is also conceivable that when coating the housing body, the contact points are left empty without coating, or even that the coating is not sprayed at all. Therefore, the electrical contact points are the empty parts of the coating. The coating material is, for example, a thermoplastic such as polypropylene, polyamide, etc., or other electrically insulating plastics, which can be cast or sprayed in the processed state and are not shape-stable in the final state. In the final state of the plastic placed on the housing body (such as solidification or cooling), a coating of the housing is formed that is close to the housing body.

[0010] A board cavity is formed by the housing, which is delimited by a housing bottom part coated with a coating and a housing wall part coated with a coating. The board cavity is designed to receive or accommodate one or more electrical and / or electronic circuit boards. For this purpose, the board cavity has at least one chamber area, which corresponds to the circuit board to be accommodated in terms of shape and size. The housing is therefore set up, i.e. designed and arranged, to serve as a housing for this or these circuit boards.

[0011] Each circuit board has an electrical and / or electronic functional circuit. For this purpose, the circuit board comprises, for example, a generally rigid board body made of an electrically insulating material, which has an electrically conductive wire network, which is formed, for example, by etching or printing, and whose ends form pads and / or have pads. With the aid of the pads (footprints), the electrical and / or electronic components soldered thereto are mechanically held on the board body on the one hand and electrically contacted with the wire network on the other hand. As a result, an electrical and / or electronic functional circuit is formed on / in the board body.

[0012] In addition, the housing has one or more fixing means, wherein the (respective) fixing means has an electrically conductive contact unit and a mechanical fastening unit. The electrically conductive contact unit and the mechanical fastening unit are implemented in an integrated form with each other, which means that the contact unit and the fastening unit are at least partially common. In other words, the contact unit and the fastening unit share at least the same component.

[0013] The conductive contact unit directly forms electrical contact with the shell body (especially the shell bottom piece) at the electrical contact point in a predetermined installation position (that is, when the contact unit is in place as specified and the circuit board is placed in the board cavity). This means that at the contact point not covered with the coating, the contact unit at least directly contacts the shell body or is connected to the shell body. The contact unit extends at least into the board cavity in a predetermined installation position, and is further configured to form a conductive contact or connection with the corresponding contact unit of the circuit board in the board cavity. Since the contact unit extends into the board cavity, it also plays the role of a spacer, and the circuit board and the shell body (such as the shell bottom piece) are separated by the spacer. In addition, a particularly efficient heat transfer is formed between the contact unit and the shell body, thereby achieving a very efficient heat transfer between the circuit board and the shell body. As a result, the circuit board (especially the electrical / electronic components fixed thereon) can be cooled very efficiently.

[0014] The mechanical fastening unit is designed to be mechanically connected with a corresponding fastening unit of the circuit board in the board cavity so as to mechanically fix the circuit board in place in the board cavity. That is, if the contact unit is in place as specified and the circuit board is placed in the board cavity, the housing body and the circuit board are electrically contacted with each other by means of the fixing mechanism on the one hand, and they are also mechanically fixed together by means of the fixing mechanism on the other hand.

[0015] Since the contact unit and the fastening unit are realized and / or arranged in an integrated manner, the fixing mechanism is a space-compact unit, whereby mechanical fixation and electrical contact between the circuit board and the housing body can be established in a limited space defined by the outer contour of the fixing mechanism. Therefore, the fixing mechanism can be realized in an advantageous manner in a very compact and space-efficient manner, which is conducive to a very advantageous packaging. Here, at least one common component shared by the contact unit and the fastening unit has a dual function, which on the one hand plays the role of a component of the contact unit and on the other hand is simultaneously used as a component of the fastening unit. Therefore, unlike common fixing mechanisms (whose contact unit and fastening unit are not designed as an integral body), electrical contact and / or mechanical fixation are cancelled with the removal or disengagement of the common component of the fixing mechanism. The housing advantageously has few individual parts due to the fixing mechanism, whereby it can be manufactured extremely simply or without much effort and has a particularly uncomplicated structure.

[0016] The housing is also a means for routing the wiring harness in the motor vehicle body in a very simple and / or uncomplicated design. Due to the housing, it is now possible to produce the wiring harness module outside the motor vehicle body, then place it in the motor vehicle body and assemble it into a wiring harness with the help of the circuit board fixed in the housing. The wiring harness is thus finally assembled inside the motor vehicle body by connecting the wiring harness module to the circuit board. In this case, these wiring harness modules are very light in weight compared to the assembled wiring harness or cable harness and are therefore very easy to handle. In addition, such wiring harness modules can be produced very easily with the aid of machines, in particular partially or fully automatically.

[0017] In addition, a particularly flexible or easily adjustable method is provided for electrically connecting or contacting the circuit board to the housing body, which is particularly advantageous for ensuring a very short conductive path between the electrical connection terminals and the electrical / electronic components of the circuit board. This not only leads to very little lost thermal power in the effective operation or effective operation of the circuit board, but also to a preferably very small antenna effective area of ​​the circuit board conductor network. This in turn leads to very favorable electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of the wiring harness and thus the motor vehicle equipped with the wiring harness, as well as to a very stable and low-interference voltage supply of the electronic and / or electrical devices connected to the wiring harness. In particular, it is provided that the material mass of the housing body (in particular only the housing bottom part) is greater than the total mass of the electrical / electronic components and the conductor network on the circuit board. Therefore, a particularly efficient heat sink is formed by the housing body for heat dissipation or cooling of the circuit board.

[0018] In an improved scheme of the housing, the housing bottom part protrudes from the housing wall part on both sides along the thickness direction thereof, so that the housing bottom part divides the plate cavity into a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity, wherein the fixing mechanism is designed to mechanically fix a circuit board (hereinafter referred to as the first circuit board) in one of the sub-cavities and mechanically fix another (second) circuit board in the corresponding other sub-cavity and electrically connect it to the housing body respectively. If the cross-sectional cutting plane cuts the housing along the thickness direction of the housing bottom part, it can be observed that the cross-section presents a double T-shape, whose long side is formed by the housing bottom part and whose short side is formed by the housing wall part. Therefore, the plate cavity includes two sub-cavities and is therefore formed by two sub-cavities. Here, the housing bottom part crosses the plate cavity in such a way that one of the sub-cavities adjoins the housing bottom part through the first wide face of the housing bottom part, and the corresponding other sub-cavity adjoins the housing bottom part through the second wide face of the housing bottom part. Here, the two wide faces are spaced apart from each other in the thickness / wall thickness of the housing bottom part and face or face away from each other. It can be provided that the two sub-cavities are established, i.e. designed and arranged, in a mirror image to each other. The inner surfaces of the sub-cavities may be different from each other, for example, the coating shapes of each sub-cavity may be different from each other.

[0019] If it is necessary to establish an electrical connection by means of a wiring harness through a structural part of the motor vehicle body, the housing is designed according to another possible design as a sealing device for a through hole of a structural part of the motor vehicle body. The housing can, for example, be placed at / in a through hole that penetrates the structural part, wherein the through hole is sealed by connecting / mounting the housing to the structural part according to its predetermined mounting position. For this purpose, the housing has, for example, dimensions and geometric shapes corresponding to the through hole on the outer peripheral side, so that the housing is mounted in the through hole in a fitting manner and can be fixed therein / on it in particular in a force-fitting, form-fitting and / or material-jointing manner. For this purpose, the through hole and the housing are particularly designed such that, when the housing is placed in / at the through hole as specified, the outer peripheral surface of the housing and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, for example, are in close contact with each other. The structural part of the motor vehicle body is, for example, a splash wall or an end wall, whereby a wet area (such as an engine compartment) and a dry area (such as an interior) are separated from each other. The wiring harness lead-through with the housing and / or the circuit arrangement establishes an electrical connection in that the corresponding wiring harness module is electrically connected to the housing or the circuit arrangement, ie, at least one of the circuit boards, on the wet side and on the dry side.

[0020] In order to protect the circuit arrangement, in particular the printed circuit board which is fixed on the wet side in the board cavity, ie in the corresponding sub-chamber, from unwanted moisture, a housing cover is provided which seals the board cavity on the wet side. The housing cover will be described in more detail below.

[0021] The housing provides an efficient option that further assists the production of modular wiring harnesses. Since the housing serves, on the one hand, as a support for the circuit board or circuit boards and thus as a coupling point, loop-through point and / or power distribution point for the wiring harness module, on the other hand, the housing serves as a sealing mechanism, by means of which the wet area and the dry area can be effectively sealed from one another. Thus, despite the electrical connection being established through the structural element, moisture does not undesirably pass from the wet area to the dry area along the wiring harness (i.e. through the structural element).

[0022] According to another possible design of the housing, the contact unit of the fixing mechanism has an electrically conductive sleeve part, which forms the (first) contact element of the contact unit, wherein the sleeve part directly contacts the contact point via the first sleeve end in a predetermined installation position and protrudes into the board cavity, i.e. into one or both of the sub-cavities, with the second sleeve end. The fastening unit of the fixing mechanism has a screw part corresponding to the sleeve part, which forms the (first) fastening element of the fastening unit and is arranged coaxially with the sleeve part in a predetermined installation position and is fixed relative to the housing body. The screw part can be designed to be electrically conductive or electrically insulating. The sleeve part provides a very simple possibility for coupling the circuit board to the housing body thermally / thermally and electronically and at the same time fixing the circuit board to the housing body and / or the coating at a predetermined spacing (i.e. over the sleeve length).

[0023] According to a possible design, it is conceivable that in the fixing mechanism, the sleeve member (hereinafter referred to as the first sleeve member) is connected to the housing body in a force-fitting, shape-fitting and / or material-jointing manner, and is especially formed integrally with each other. For example, the first sleeve member and the housing body can be formed continuously from the same raw material block, such as by milling. It is also conceivable to use an additive manufacturing method, whereby the housing body and the first sleeve member are formed and connected to each other in the same manufacturing process. Thus, it is advantageous to provide a first sleeve member that cannot be lost and a housing body with very few parts, so that its operation is particularly simple and trouble-free, especially during the manufacture of the housing or the wiring harness. In addition, due to the very tight connection between the first sleeve member and the housing body, a current conduction capacity with little loss and a heat conduction capacity with little loss are obtained.

[0024] In another possible embodiment, in the fixing mechanism, the conductive sleeve member (hereinafter referred to as the second sleeve member) and the housing body are not originally in close contact with each other, wherein the second sleeve member is clamped to the contact point by means of a pin in a predetermined installation position and is thereby pressed to the housing body and thereby electrically contacted with the housing body. The fixing mechanism and / or at least another fixing mechanism may have a second sleeve member.

[0025] The above description of a fixing mechanism having a contact unit with a first sleeve member and / or a second sleeve member means that the fixing mechanism can have the first sleeve member or the second sleeve member, or both the first sleeve member and the second sleeve member. In addition, if there are two or more fixing mechanisms, one or more of the fixing mechanisms can have the first and / or second sleeve member. In addition, one of the fixing mechanisms can have the first sleeve member, and the remaining one or more fixing mechanisms can have the second sleeve member.

[0026] At least the sleeve member and the bolt member can be formed integrally with each other. In particular, the first sleeve member, the bolt member and the housing body can be formed integrally with each other. In this case, the bolt member extends into the board cavity in a direction away from the sleeve member, so that the circuit board can be fixed in the board cavity by means of a nut.

[0027] In particular, the bolt member is a screw, that is, the bolt member has a bolt portion and a clamping head connected to it by material bonding. The housing body, in particular the shell bottom member and / or the first sleeve member, can have a threaded hole corresponding to the bolt portion, so that the bolt member can be screwed into the housing body and / or the first sleeve member by means of a threaded connection. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the housing body and / or the first sleeve member have a through hole that is not threaded and corresponds to the bolt portion, and the bolt portion can be arranged through the through hole. The bolt portion then extends from the plate cavity or one of the sub-cavities and can be screwed onto a matching nut outside the plate cavity or in another corresponding sub-cavity. Other embodiments of the bolt member (for example, in the form of a screw, a stud, etc.) can also be used in combination with a corresponding threaded clamp (such as a nut, etc.). In the case where the sleeve member is a second sleeve member, it can have a through hole that is not threaded along its longitudinal extension direction, so that the second sleeve member can be sleeved onto the bolt portion of the bolt member.

[0028] According to another possible design, the fixing means and / or perhaps one or more of the other fixing means may have an electrically conductive tab, thereby forming another (second) contact element of the contact unit, wherein the tab and the housing body are in electrical contact with each other, and the tab protrudes vertically and without coating into the board cavity (i.e., one of the sub-cavities), so that the contact point of the housing body is formed by the tab. Here, the fastening unit of the fixing means has a predetermined connecting part of the tab, which forms another (second) fastening element of the fastening unit, wherein this connecting part of the tab is designed to be mechanically and electrically conductively connected to a corresponding connecting part of the circuit board. If the tab is designed to be rigid or inherently shape-stable, the circuit board fixed thereon is securely or stably held on the housing body by the tab. The mechanical fixation and electrical connection of the circuit board at the tab are achieved in particular by means of compression bonding (also called nailless riveting), other welding methods, soldering, etc. For this purpose, the tabs of the housing or the housing body correspond to the connecting tabs of the circuit board, so as long as the circuit board is positioned in the board cavity or the corresponding sub-cavity, the tabs are arranged parallel to each other, especially in the area of ​​the connecting part of the housing tabs. With the help of welding tools, especially nailless riveting pliers, the tabs of the housing and the connecting tabs of the circuit board can be joined to each other, so that the circuit board is electrically and thermally connected to the housing body through the tabs and is mechanically fixed in / at the housing. As a result, the housing is suitable for particularly simple installation and connection of the circuit board and thus very simple production of a wiring harness with a circuit device.

[0029] In order to be able to establish a very efficient or low-loss electrical and thermal contact between the circuit board and the housing body, according to another possible embodiment, the housing body (especially its housing bottom part) and the tab can be formed integrally with each other or connected to each other in a force-fitting, form-fitting and / or materially joined manner in another way. For example, it can be provided that the tab is designed as a bent part, which is bent outward from the housing body, so that the tab or the bent part protrudes from one of the wide faces of the housing bottom part into the board cavity or the sub-cavity.

[0030] According to a possible improvement scheme of the housing, the fixing mechanism and / or perhaps one or more of the other fixing mechanisms may have a conductive welding foot with a threaded member, which forms another (third) contact element of the contact unit. The welding foot is designed to be welded to a corresponding welding foot seat on a circuit board (if there is more than one circuit board, it refers to one of the circuit boards). In a predetermined installation position, the welding foot directly contacts the contact point through a foot surface. In addition, the welding foot is designed to be electrically and mechanically connected to the wire network of the circuit board, especially by means of one or more pads. This means that (each) circuit board can have one or more such welding feet. The fastening unit of the fixing mechanism can have a threaded clamp corresponding to the threaded member, which forms another (third) fastener of the fastening unit. The threaded clamp or the third fastener is designed to clamp the foot surface to the contact point.

[0031] The respective welding foot can have an internal threaded hole, wherein the threaded clamping element can then be, for example, a screw with a bolt portion corresponding to the internal threaded hole and a clamping head connected thereto in a material connection. Or the threaded clamping element can have a screw corresponding to the internal threaded hole and a nut corresponding to the screw. It is also conceivable that the threaded clamping element has only one nut, wherein the stud corresponding to the nut then protrudes from the welding foot.

[0032] The soldering feet provide a particularly reliable way to securely fix the printed circuit board in place within the board cavity and at the same time couple it to the housing body in an electrically and thermally conductive manner.

[0033] In another possible design of the housing, it is provided that the housing wall is designed to be conductive, electrically contacts the housing bottom, and has a wiring element for electrically connecting the housing bottom to the power supply network. At least a portion of the housing bottom and the housing wall can be connected to each other or formed integrally with each other in a force-fitting, shape-fitting and / or material-jointed manner. The power supply network is especially a 12-volt on-board power supply of a motor vehicle, in which the housing or circuit device is installed. Therefore, the circuit device can be an on-board power supply user. Since the housing body is connected to the power supply network at a predetermined installation and connection position, the circuit device can be supplied with working power through the housing body in the board cavity. According to the positioning arrangement of the contact point or this or these fixing mechanisms, the wire path between the electrical connection point of the circuit device or circuit board and the electrical and / or electronic components of the circuit device or circuit board can be designed to be very short in an advantageous manner. This results in a very efficient operation of the circuit device or circuit board and a very favorable electromagnetic compatibility performance of the wiring harness and / or circuit device or circuit board.

[0034] In order to efficiently cool the circuit device or circuit board arranged in the board cavity, according to another possible embodiment, the housing has a cooling rib assembly, which has one or more cooling ribs, wherein each cooling rib extends outward from the outer side of the housing body, especially the housing wall.

[0035] The respective cooling ribs can be formed completely from the coating material. In other words, the respective cooling ribs can be formed integrally from the coating material. The cooling ribs can be formed, for example, while the coating is formed. This means that the cooling ribs and the coating can be formed integrally with each other. Alternatively, it can be provided that the cooling ribs and the coating are manufactured separately from each other and are subsequently fixed together in a force-fitting, form-fitting and / or materially joined manner.

[0036] Alternatively, the cooling ribs may have a different material than the covering. For example, the cooling ribs may be mounted on the outside of the covering, for example, injected onto the outside of the covering, and / or fixed to the covering in a force-fitting, form-fitting and / or materially joined manner or may be integrally formed onto the covering.

[0037] The heat sink core of the heat sink ribs and the housing body can be in contact with each other for heat conduction, wherein the heat sink core is coated with an electrically insulating material. For example, the heat sink body material is metal, in particular the same metal as the housing body. The heat sink body and the housing body can be in heat conduction contact or connected to each other in the following way, that is, they are connected or formed integrally with each other in a force-fitting, form-fitting and / or materially connected manner. The electrically insulating material is, for example, a coating material. In this regard, the heat sink body can be coated or coated with the coating material while forming a coating. In this regard, the heat sink body can be regarded as a component of the housing body.

[0038] Another possible design of the housing provides that the housing has a housing cover which is designed to close the board cavity in a fluid-tight manner and has a plug-in contact area, by means of which the plug-in contacts of the circuit board can be electrically contacted directly or indirectly outside the board cavity. The housing cover is therefore designed to be placed in / at the board cavity, in particular in one of the sub-cavities, in such a way that the board cavity or the sub-cavity is fluid-tight with respect to the environment. For this purpose, the housing cover corresponds in shape and size to the board cavity, i.e. to the board cavity opening, through which the circuit board is inserted into the board cavity.

[0039] The shell cover has a first side, which faces the board cavity or the corresponding sub-cavity in the predetermined installation position, that is, when the board cavity is sealed relative to its environment by means of the shell cover. In addition, the shell cover has a second side, which faces away from the board cavity or the corresponding sub-cavity in the predetermined installation position. The shell cover can have a board cavity side plug on its first side. Alternatively or additionally, the shell cover can have a board cavity side socket on its first side. The plug or socket corresponds to at least the plug contacts of the circuit board. Therefore, the plug contacts of the circuit board can have a plug connector, which corresponds to the socket component of the socket of the shell cover. Alternatively or additionally, the plug contacts of the circuit board can have a socket component, which corresponds to the plug connector of the shell cover plug.

[0040] On the second side of the housing cover, it can have an environment-side socket and / or an environment-side plug, wherein the environment-side socket and / or plug connector corresponds to the wiring harness module-side socket or plug connector. Here, the environment-side socket and / or plug connector and the board cavity-side socket and / or plug connector can be electrically connected to each other. Therefore, the plug contacts of the circuit board can be indirectly contacted outside the board cavity or the corresponding sub-cavity.

[0041] It is also conceivable that the housing cover has no plug-in and socket parts of its own and that the plug-in contacts of the circuit board pass through the housing cover and thus ultimately reach the ambient side. The plug-in contacts of the circuit board can thus be contacted directly outside the board cavity or the corresponding sub-cavity. For this purpose, the plug-in contact area of ​​the housing cover can, for example, have a predetermined penetration point (e.g., made of a reversibly elastic, e.g., rubber-like material), wherein the plug-in contacts of the circuit board then penetrate the predetermined penetration point when the housing cover is installed as specified and thus ultimately reach the ambient side of the housing and can be directly contacted there. In this case, since the material of the predetermined penetration point is in close contact with the plug-in contacts, a reliable sealing effect is ensured along the plug-in contacts.

[0042] In addition, the housing cover can have a plug-in slot, which corresponds to the plug-in slot on the wiring harness module side, so that the corresponding wiring harness module and the housing cover can be fixed to each other in a force-fitting and / or form-fitting manner. Therefore, the plug-in contacts of the circuit board and the corresponding wiring harness module can be electrically contacted with a simple mechanical engagement of the plug-in slot. As an alternative or supplement to the preset penetration point, the housing cover can have a through hole, through which the plug-in contacts of the circuit board pass when the housing cover is installed as required and finally reach the environmental side. The sealing effect along the plug-in contacts is then ensured by a plug-in slot having a seal (such as an O-ring, etc.) for this purpose.

[0043] The housing can be advantageously installed as a seal between the wet area and the dry area of ​​the motor vehicle body by means of the housing cover. In this case, the circuit arrangement or the circuit board attached in the region of the board cavity opening into the wet area is reliably protected from splashing liquids, in particular water, by means of the housing cover. Thus, even when the circuit board or one of the circuit boards is accommodated in the board cavity or sub-cavity on the wet side, trouble-free use of the circuit arrangement is ensured.

[0044] In another possible embodiment of the housing, the housing, in particular its housing bottom, has a through hole in the joint region, through which the conductive signal coupling element passes, thereby electrically connecting a circuit board that can be fixed in the first sub-chamber and another circuit board that can be fixed in the second sub-chamber. Therefore, an electrical and / or electronic unit can be formed by the two circuit boards to be or have been electrically connected to each other in a very simple manner and in a particularly convenient packaging manner by means of the housing.

[0045] According to another possible embodiment, one or more of the signal couplings are designed as connecting bonding parts. This means that the circuit boards are electrically connected to each other by means of wire bonding or strip bonding. This is advantageous because the bonding is particularly versatile and flexible, and in particular the wire networks can be connected to each other by means of three-dimensionally arranged connecting bonds. This provides a very high degree of design and / or layout freedom with respect to the design and arrangement of the (respective) circuit boards. This makes it possible to react particularly appropriately to boundary conditions (perhaps arising from package setting conditions). In addition, the bonding can be carried out very simply, partially or fully automatically, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs of the circuit arrangement and ensuring a consistent connection quality.

[0046] According to an improved scheme of the housing, alternatively or additionally, one or more of the signal couplings can be designed as press-fit contacts, which are pressed into a coupling support held in a through-hole in the joining area. It can be provided that the coupling support seals the through-hole of the joining area. It is also conceivable that the press-fit contacts are pressed into two or more coupling supports individually or in groups, wherein the coupling supports can be installed in through-holes that are separately constructed or in common through-holes. When using press-fit contacts together with the coupling support, the electrical connection of the circuit board is designed to be very simple, because the circuit boards are electrically contacted with each other here when the circuit boards are placed in place in the sub-cavity. In other words, multiple processes or operating steps are not required for the placement of the circuit board and the electrical contact or electrical connection of the circuit board.

[0047] Regarding the signal coupling, it should be understood that the housing can have only a connection key, or only a press-fit contact. It should also be understood that the housing can have one or more connection keys and one or more press-fit contacts at the same time.

[0048] In a second aspect of the invention, an electrical and / or electronic circuit arrangement is provided, which has a housing formed according to the foregoing and one or more circuit boards. Here, the (respective) circuit board is held in a board cavity and is thus in electrical and thermal contact with the housing body. The housing thus serves as a support for the circuit board or boards. The circuit board is in particular designed as an electrical and / or electronic coupling circuit, a loop-through circuit and / or a power distribution circuit.

[0049] In another possible embodiment of the circuit device, it includes a first circuit board and a second circuit board. Here, the shell bottom part protrudes from the shell wall part on both sides along its thickness direction, whereby the shell bottom part separates the first sub-chamber of the board cavity from the second sub-chamber of the board cavity. With the help of a fixing mechanism, the first circuit board is mechanically fixed in one of the sub-chambers and the second circuit board is mechanically fixed in the corresponding other sub-chamber and thus electrically and thermally contacted with the housing body. In addition, the circuit boards are joined to each other via a signal coupling member, wherein an electrical and / or electronic unit is formed together by two mutually joined circuit boards. Here, each circuit board should be regarded as a component of this electrical and / or electronic unit. For example, the first circuit board forms a first part of an electrical / electronic control device, wherein the second circuit board forms another part of the control device. This provides a possibility that an electronic unit, such as a motor vehicle control device, can be formed very compactly.

[0050] In a third aspect of the invention, a wiring harness for a motor vehicle body is provided, which has a circuit arrangement and thus a housing as a component. In addition, the wiring harness has at least one wiring harness module, which is electrically connected to the circuit board or one of the circuit boards.

[0051] Further advantages, features and details of the invention can be obtained from the following description of possible embodiments and in conjunction with the figures. The features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description and the features and feature combinations shown individually in the following description of the figures and / or in the figures can be used not only in the respectively indicated combination, but also in other combinations or individually without exceeding the scope of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] The diagram shows:

[0053] Figure 1 An exploded cross-sectional schematic diagram showing a circuit arrangement;

[0054] Figure 2 An exploded cross-sectional schematic diagram of a circuit device is shown, wherein the housing has a board cavity including two sub-cavities, the housing has a housing cover, and the fixing mechanism of the housing has a sleeve member;

[0055] Figure 3 An exploded cross-sectional schematic diagram of a circuit device is shown, wherein the housing has a connection area and a signal coupling member passing through the connection area, and the fixing mechanism of the housing has a tab;

[0056] Figure 4 A perspective view of a section of a circuit arrangement, whose covering is not shown, wherein the fastening means of the housing have solder feet;

[0057] Figure 5 A schematic top view of a circuit board is shown;

[0058] Figure 6 The schematic diagram shows a cross section through a circuit arrangement in which two printed circuit boards are electrically connected to one another by means of a signal coupling.

[0059] The housing 1 and the circuit arrangement 2 having the housing 1 will be described together below. Identical components or components having the same function are provided with the same reference numerals in the figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] to this end, Figure 1 The circuit device 2 is shown in an exploded cross-sectional schematic diagram, which has a circuit board 3. The housing body 4 of the housing 1 has a conductive housing bottom part 5 and a housing wall part 6 protruding from the housing bottom part. The housing wall part 6 can be formed in one piece or in multiple parts. This is referred to here Figure 1 This means that the housing wall part can be arranged around the housing bottom part 5. In the cross-sectional view, the layer thickness of the housing body 4 shown can be ignored for the sake of overview. The housing 1 also has a coating 7, which is electrically insulating and consists of an electrically insulating thermoplastic such as polypropylene, polyamide, etc. Except for one or more predetermined electrical contact points 8, the remaining parts of the housing body 4 or the housing bottom part 5 and the housing wall part 6 are coated with the coating 7. In this case, except for at least one contact point 8, the remaining parts of the housing body 4 are injection-molded or over-injected or over-injected with the coating 7 material.

[0061] The housing thus has a plate cavity 9 which is delimited by a housing bottom part 5 coated with a coating 7 and a housing wall part 6 coated with a coating 7. At respective contact points 8, the bare housing body 4 abuts against the plate cavity 9.

[0062] It can also be seen from the figure that the housing can have a cooling rib arrangement 49, which here comprises a plurality of cooling ribs 50. The cooling rib arrangement 49, ie the respective cooling rib 50, extends outwards from the outer side of the housing body 4, in particular the housing wall 6.

[0063] The housing 1 has one or more fixing mechanisms 10, wherein the circuit board 3 is fixed in place in the board cavity 9 by means of the respective fixing mechanisms 10. At the same time, the circuit board 3 and the housing body 4, here the housing bottom 6, are electrically contacted with each other by means of the respective fixing mechanisms 10. For this purpose, the respective fixing mechanisms 10 include an electrically conductive contact unit 11, which is in direct electrical contact with the housing body 4, here the housing bottom 6, at the electrical contact point 8 in a predetermined installation position and extends into the board cavity 9. The circuit board 3 has a contact unit 12 corresponding to the contact unit 11, wherein the contact units 11, 12 are in close contact with each other or in direct contact with each other in the predetermined installation position, thereby establishing electrical contact between the circuit board 3 and the housing body 4.

[0064] Furthermore, the respective fixing device 10 has a mechanical fastening unit 13, Figure 1Only one of the internal threaded holes is shown as an example, and the internal threaded hole has been formed in the housing body 4. The circuit board 3 has a fastening unit 14 corresponding to the fastening unit 13, wherein the fastening units 13, 14 cooperate with each other in a predetermined installation position and promote a force-fitting, form-fitting and / or material-bonding connection between the circuit board 3 and the housing 1, so that the circuit board 3 is mechanically fixed in the board cavity 9.

[0065] The contact unit 11 and the fastening unit 13 are designed as a common assembly unit 15. In other words, the respective fixing mechanism 10 is formed by the assembly unit 15. Therefore, the contact unit 11 and the fastening unit 13 occupy the same structural space defined by the contact unit 11 or the fastening unit 13. Here, the contact unit 11 and the fastening unit 13 of the common assembly unit 15 or the same fixing mechanism 10 share at least one common component, such as a bolt 16 (in Figure 2 ). Therefore, the housing 1 is designed to accommodate and hold the circuit board 3 in place and to make electrical contact with the housing body 4 by means of the fixing mechanism 10 .

[0066] Figure 2 The circuit device 2 is shown in an exploded cross-sectional schematic diagram, wherein the housing 1 has a board cavity 9 including two sub-cavities 17 and 18. The housing bottom part 5 here protrudes from the housing wall part 6 on both sides along its thickness direction, and the housing bottom part 5 thereby separates the (first) sub-cavity 17 of the board cavity 9 from the (second) sub-cavity 18 of the board cavity 9. By means of a fixing mechanism 10 or by means of a combined unit 15 consisting of a contact unit 11 and a fastening unit 13, the (first) circuit board 3 is mechanically fixed in the first sub-cavity 17 and the other (second) circuit board 19 is mechanically fixed in the second sub-cavity 18 and is electrically contacted to the housing body 4.

[0067] Also available from Figure 2 It can be seen that the cross-sectional shape 20 of the housing 1 is double T-shaped (i.e. similar to an I-beam or double T-beam known in metal construction). It can also be seen that the housing wall 6 can be composed of at least two housing wall parts 21, 22, one of which (here the housing wall part 21) is materially connected to the housing bottom part 5, for example, formed integrally therewith.

[0068] Non-exhaustive but preferred, in the housing 1 such as Figures 2 to 6 In the double-chamber embodiment shown, it is provided as a sealing device 23 for sealing a through-hole 24 of a structural component 25 of a motor vehicle body 26. For this purpose, the housing 1 is inserted into the through-hole 24, which is thus sealed by means of the housing 1. The structural component 25 is, for example, an end wall or another splash wall of the motor vehicle body 26, by means of which a wet area 27, such as an engine compartment, is separated from a dry area 28, such as an interior.

[0069] according to Figure 2, the contact unit 11 of the fixing mechanism 10 has, for example, a first contact element 29, which is designed as a conductive sleeve piece 30 or has such a conductive sleeve piece 30. The sleeve piece 30 directly contacts the contact point 8 of the housing body 4 through the first sleeve end 31 in a predetermined installation position, and the sleeve piece 30 protrudes into the plate cavity 9, that is, one of the sub-cavities 17, 18 with the second sleeve end 32. The fastening unit 13 of the fixing mechanism 10 includes a bolt member 16, which corresponds to the sleeve member 30 here. Thus, the (first) fastening member 33 of the fastening unit 13 is formed by the bolt member 16, which is arranged coaxially with the sleeve member 30 and is fixed relative to the housing body 4. As shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown in the example, the second circuit board 19 has an internal threaded hole 34, which corresponds to the bolt portion 35 of the bolt member 16. In addition, the bolt portion 35 extends through the contact unit 12 of the first circuit board 3, the sleeve member 30, the non-threaded through hole 36, another sleeve member 30, and enters the internal threaded hole 34. Here, the internal threaded hole 34 is formed in the contact unit 12 of the second circuit board 19. As a result, the circuit boards 3 and 19 are fixed in their respective sub-cavities 17 and 18 on the one hand and clamped to the housing bottom 5. On the other hand, the circuit boards 3 and 19 are electrically connected to each other and to the housing body 4 respectively. The clamping head 37 of the bolt member 16 is supported on the contact unit 12 of the first circuit board 3.

[0070] in addition, Figure 2 It is shown that the housing 1 can have a housing cover 38, which is designed to close the board chamber 9, here the second sub-chamber 18, in a fluid-tight manner. The housing cover 38 has a plug-in contact area 39, by means of which plug-in contacts 40 of the circuit boards 3, 19 can be electrically contacted directly or indirectly outside the board chamber 9. This means that, in a predetermined installation position, the plug-in contacts 40 pass through the plug-in contact area 39 and thus ultimately reach the environment of the housing 1 or of the circuit arrangement 2, for example in the wet zone 27 or in the dry zone 28.

[0071] The housing wall 6, here the first housing wall part 21, is designed to be electrically conductive and connected to the housing bottom part 5 by material bonding and is therefore in electrical contact with it. In addition, the housing wall 6, here the first housing wall part 21, has a wiring element 41 for electrically connecting the housing body 4, in particular the housing bottom part 5 to a power supply network (not shown). The wiring element 41 has no coating 7. This means that the housing body 4 protrudes from the coating 7 at the wiring element 41. As a result, the voltage supply of the circuit board 3, 19 can be carried out through the housing body 4.

[0072] Figure 3The schematic exploded cross-section of the circuit device 2 is shown, wherein the housing 1, i.e., its fixing means 10, has a tab 42, by which another (second) contact element 43 of the contact unit 10 is formed. Here, the tab 42 and the housing body 4 are formed integrally with each other, because the tab is a bent part, which is bent outward from the housing base 5 relative to the rest of the housing. Therefore, the tab 42 and the housing body 4 are in electrical contact with each other, wherein the tab 42 protrudes vertically and without coating into the board cavity 9, here the first sub-cavity 17. Thus, the contact point 8 of the housing 1 or the housing body 4 is formed by the tab 42.

[0073] The fastening unit 13 of the fixing mechanism 10 or the housing 1 comprises or is formed by a predetermined connecting portion 44 of the tab 42. Another (second) fastening element 45 of the fastening unit 13 is formed by the connecting portion 44, or the connecting portion 44 has one or more second fastening elements 45. The connecting portion 44 of the tab 42 is at least designed to be mechanically and electrically conductively connected to a corresponding connecting portion 46 on the circuit board 3. In the present example, the fixing mechanism 10 has a plurality of second fastening elements 45 in the contact area 8, i.e., in the connecting portion 44 of the tab 42. The at least one fastening element 45 is realized here as a compression joint or a nailless rivet point 47.

[0074] The circuit board 3, 19 has a connection piece 48 corresponding to the connection piece 42. Once the circuit board 3 is positioned in the board cavity 9 or the first sub-cavity 17, the connection pieces 42, 48 are arranged parallel to each other. In particular, the connection pieces 42, 48 are in surface contact with each other in the area of ​​the connection parts 44, 46. With the help of a compression joining tool, the connection piece 42 of the housing 1 and the connection piece 48 of the circuit board 3 are joined to each other. As a result, the circuit board 3 is electrically and thermally connected to the housing body 4 through the connection piece 42, and is mechanically fixed in / at the housing 1.

[0075] also, Figure 3 A through hole 51 is shown penetrating the housing body 4 (here, the housing bottom 5), which is arranged in the joint area 52 of the housing body 4. A conductive signal coupling 53 extends through the through hole 51, and the ends of the signal coupling are respectively in the first sub-chamber 17 on one side and in the second sub-chamber 18 on the other side. The first circuit board 3 fixed in the first sub-chamber 17 and the second circuit board 19 fixed in the second sub-chamber 18 are electrically connected to each other by means of the signal coupling 53 in the following manner, that is, the signal coupling 53 and the corresponding wiring elements 54 of the circuit boards 3 and 19 are in electrical contact with each other. For example, the signal coupling 53 can be designed as a respective press-fit contact 55, such as Figure 3As shown, the respective corresponding wiring elements 54 can be designed as respective press-fit contact seats 56. The signal coupling 53 designed as a press-fit contact 55 is embedded, for example pressed into a coupling support 57. The coupling support 57 is inserted into the through hole 51, and the through hole 51 is thereby at least partially closed, in particular sealed. The coupling support 57 is held in place at least in the through hole 51 and / or by means of the through hole 51 in a force-fitting, form-fitting and / or material-joined manner.

[0076] Figure 4 2 shows a perspective view of a section of the circuit arrangement 2, wherein the coating 7 is not shown. Figure 4 As can be seen in the figure, the fixing mechanism 10 of the housing 1 has an electrically conductive welding foot 58, by which another (third) contact element 59 of the contact unit 11 is formed. The welding foot 58 has a threaded member 60, which is designed as an internal threaded hole 61 here. The welding foot 58 is welded to a corresponding welding foot seat 71 on the circuit board 3, 19 and is therefore electrically contacted with the circuit board 3, 19 and is simultaneously mechanically fixed on / in the circuit board 3, 19. The fastening unit 13 of the fixing mechanism 10 has a threaded clamping member 62, here a screw 63, corresponding to the threaded member 60, 61. Another (third) fastening member 64 of the fastening unit 13 is formed by the threaded clamping member 62. As shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the circuit board 3, 19 with the soldering foot 58 is electrically contacted with the housing body 4 in the following manner, that is, the foot surface 65 of the soldering foot 58 directly or indirectly contacts the contact point 8. For this purpose, the threaded clamping member 62 (here is a screw 63) is screwed into the threaded member 60 (here is an internal threaded hole 61), so that the corresponding circuit board 3, 19 is clamped to the contact point 8 with the soldering foot 58. Here, the clamping head 66 of the threaded clamping member 62 is pressed against the side of the housing body 4, which is opposite to the side of the housing body 4 that contacts the foot surface.

[0077] In order to electrically contact the two circuit boards 3, 19 and simultaneously mechanically fix them by means of a single fixing mechanism 10, a sleeve 67 can be used in addition to the soldering foot 58 and the corresponding screw clamp 62, through which the screw clamp 62 extends. Here, the sleeve 67 is arranged on the side of the housing body 4 opposite to the side that contacts the contact foot surface of the housing body 4. The voltage supply to the circuit boards 3, 19 that are not provided with the soldering foot 58 can be carried out (starting from the housing body 4) through the sleeve 67, for which the sleeve 67 is designed to be conductive. Alternatively or additionally, it is conceivable that the circuit boards 3, 19 are supplied with voltage (starting from the housing body 4) through the screw 60 of the soldering foot 58 in combination with the screw clamp 62, for which the screw 60 and the screw clamp 62 are designed to be conductive.

[0078] Figure 5A schematic top view of a circuit board 3, 19 is shown. It can be seen that the circuit arrangement 2 can have a plurality of fixing means 10 in order to fix the circuit board 3, 19 in the board cavity 9 and to make electrical contact with the housing body 4. Obviously, the (respective) fixing means 10 can have a plurality of contact elements 29, 42, 59 and / or a plurality of fasteners 33, 45, 64. The respective contact unit 12 or fastening unit 14 of the circuit board 3, 19 is very close to the electrical and / or electronic component 68, in particular a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). This ensures a particularly efficient, in particular low-interference and loss-free voltage supply to the electrical and / or electronic component 68.

[0079] The circuit boards 3 and 19 also have bonding terminals 69, by which the circuit boards 3 and 19 are connected to each other for electrical signal transmission. Figure 6 shown. Figure 6 A schematic cross-sectional view of a circuit arrangement 2 is shown, wherein the printed circuit boards 3 , 19 are electrically connected to one another by means of a signal coupling element 53 , wherein the signal coupling element 53 is designed as a connecting bond 70 .

[0080] The housing 1 and the circuit arrangement 2 having the housing 1 illustrate various possibilities for overcoming known disadvantages in the production of wiring harnesses for motor vehicles.

[0081] Reference numerals list

[0082] 1 Shell

[0083] 2 Circuit Device

[0084] 3 Circuit Board

[0085] 4 Shell body

[0086] 5 Shell bottom parts

[0087] 6 Shell wall parts

[0088] 7. Cladding

[0089] 8 touch points

[0090] 9-plate cavity

[0091] 10. Fixing mechanism

[0092] 11 Contact unit of the housing

[0093] 12 Circuit board contact unit

[0094] 13 Housing fastening unit

[0095] 14 Circuit board fastening unit

[0096] 15 Combination Units

[0097] 16 Bolts

[0098] 17 Chamber

[0099] 18 chambers

[0100] 19 Circuit Board

[0101] 20 Cross-sectional shape

[0102] 21 Shell wall part

[0103] 22 Shell wall part

[0104] 23 Sealing mechanism

[0105] 24 Through Holes

[0106] 25 Structural parts

[0107] 26 Motor vehicle body

[0108] 27 Wet Area

[0109] 28 Dry Area

[0110] 29 First contact element

[0111] 30 sets of pipe fittings

[0112] 31 First casing end

[0113] 32 Second casing end

[0114] 33 First fastener

[0115] 34 Internal thread hole

[0116] 35 Bolt

[0117] 36 Through hole

[0118] 37 Clamping head

[0119] 38 Shell cover

[0120] 39 Plug contact area

[0121] 40 plug contacts

[0122] 41 Wiring components

[0123] 42 splice

[0124] 43 Second contact element

[0125] 44 Shell connection part

[0126] 45 Second fastener

[0127] 46 Connection part of the circuit board

[0128] 47 Extrusion joint

[0129] 48 Lugs

[0130] 49 heat sink rib assembly

[0131] 50 cooling ribs

[0132] 51 Through Holes

[0133] 52 Junction area

[0134] 53 Signal coupling

[0135] 54 Wiring components

[0136] 55 Press-fit contacts

[0137] 56 Press-fit contact holder

[0138] 57 Coupling support

[0139] 58 Welding foot

[0140] 59 Third contact element

[0141] 60 Threaded Parts

[0142] 61 Internal thread hole

[0143] 62 Threaded clamp

[0144] 63 Screws

[0145] 64 Third fastener

[0146] 65 foot surface

[0147] 66 Clamping head

[0148] 67 Casing

[0149] 68 Electrical / electronic components

[0150] 69 Bonding terminal

[0151] 70 Connecting Bonding Parts

[0152] 71 Welding foot

Claims

1. A housing (1) designed to accommodate a circuit board (3, 19) and to hold the circuit board in place, wherein: The housing (1) comprises: - a housing body (4) having an electrically conductive housing bottom part (5) and a housing wall part (6) protruding from the housing bottom part; - an electrically insulating coating (7), the housing body (4) being coated with the coating except at predetermined electrical contact points (8), wherein the housing (1) has a plate cavity (9), which is delimited by a housing bottom part (5) coated with the coating (7) and a housing wall part (6) coated with the coating (7); - A fixing device (10) in the form of a combined unit (15) comprising: - an electrically conductive contact unit (11), which is in direct electrical contact with the housing body (4) at the electrical contact point (8) in a predetermined installation position and extends into the board cavity (9), The contact unit is designed to be in conductive contact with a corresponding contact unit (12) of the circuit board (3, 19) in the board cavity (9). - A mechanical fastening unit (13) designed to be mechanically connected to a corresponding fastening unit (14) of the circuit board (3, 19) within the board cavity (9) so as to mechanically fix the circuit board (3, 19) in the board cavity (9).

2. The housing (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that The shell bottom member (5) protrudes from the shell wall member (6) on both sides along its thickness direction, so that the shell bottom member (5) separates the first sub-chamber (17) of the board chamber (9) and the second sub-chamber (18) of the board chamber (9) from each other, wherein the fixing mechanism (10) is designed to mechanically fix the circuit board (3, 19) in one of the sub-chambers (17, 18) and mechanically fix the other circuit board (3, 19) in the corresponding other sub-chamber (17, 18) and make it electrically contact with the shell body (4).

3. The housing (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The housing is configured as a sealing mechanism (23) for sealing a through hole (24) of a structural component (25) of a motor vehicle body (26).

4. Housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the contact unit (11) of the fixing device (10) has an electrically conductive sleeve piece (30), the contact element (29) of the contact unit (11) being formed by the sleeve piece, wherein the sleeve piece (30) directly contacts the contact point (8) in a predetermined installation position via a first sleeve end (31) and projects into the plate cavity (9) via a second sleeve end (32), - The fastening unit (13) of the fixing mechanism (10) has a bolt member (16) corresponding to the sleeve member (30), the fastening component (33) of the fastening unit (13) is formed by the bolt member, and the bolt member is arranged coaxially with the sleeve member (30) in a predetermined installation position and is fixed relative to the housing body (4).

5. Housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact unit (11) of the fixing device (10) has an electrically conductive web (42), which forms a further contact element (43) of the contact unit (11), wherein the web (42) and the housing body (4) are in electrical contact with each other and the web (42) projects vertically and without coating into the plate cavity (9), wherein the contact point (8) is formed by the web (42), - The fastening unit (13) of the fixing mechanism (10) has a predetermined connecting portion (44) of the tab (42), which forms a further fastening element (45) of the fastening unit (13), wherein the connecting portion (44) of the tab (42) is designed to be mechanically and electrically conductively connected to a corresponding connecting portion (46) of the circuit board (3, 19).

6. The housing (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that The web (42) and the housing body (4) are formed integrally with each other.

7. Housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the contact unit (11) of the fixing device (10) has an electrically conductive soldering foot (48) with a threaded part (60), the soldering foot forming another contact element (59) of the contact unit (11), wherein the soldering foot (48) is designed to be soldered to a corresponding soldering foot seat (71) of the circuit board (3, 19) and directly contacts the contact point (8) via the foot surface (65) in a predetermined installation position, - The fastening unit (13) of the fixing mechanism (10) has a threaded clamping element (62) corresponding to the threaded element (60), by which a further fastening element (64) of the fastening unit (13) is formed, which further fastening element is designed to clamp the base surface (65) to the contact point (8).

8. Housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The housing wall part (6) is designed to be electrically conductive, is in electrical contact with the housing bottom part (5), and has a connection element (41) for electrically connecting the housing bottom part (5) to a power supply network.

9. Housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that A heat dissipation rib assembly (49) is provided, which has heat dissipation ribs (50) and extends outward from the outer side of the housing body (4).

10. Housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that A housing cover (38) is provided which is designed to close the board chamber (9) in a fluid-tight manner and has a plug-in contact area (39) by means of which plug-in contacts (40) of the printed circuit board (3, 19) can be electrically contacted outside the board chamber (9).

11. Housing (1) according to one of claims 2 to 10, characterized in that The housing bottom part (5) has a through hole (51) in the joint area (52), and a conductive signal coupling part (53) is guided through the through hole. By means of the conductive signal coupling part, a circuit board (3) that can be fixed in the first sub-chamber (17) and another circuit board (19) that can be fixed in the second sub-chamber (18) can be electrically connected to each other.

12. The housing (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that One of the signal coupling parts (53) is designed as a connecting key part (70).

13. The housing (1) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that One of the signal coupling elements (54) is designed as a press-fit contact (55) which is pressed into a coupling element support (57) which is held in the through hole (51) in the joining region (52).

14. A circuit arrangement (2) having a housing (1) designed according to one of the preceding claims and having a printed circuit board (3, 19) fixed in the board cavity (9).

15. The circuit arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 14, having a housing (1) designed according to one of claims 2 to 13, characterized in that A first circuit board (3) fixed in the first sub-chamber (17) and a second circuit board (19) fixed in the second sub-chamber (18) are provided, wherein the circuit boards (3, 19) are coupled to each other via the signal coupling element (54), and the two mutually coupled circuit boards (3, 19) jointly form an electrical and / or electronic unit.

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