Electronic module comprising electronic card, housing and protective spacer

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic module comprising:-an electronic card (1); a housing (2) in which the electronic card is placed; -a protective spacer (3) fixed to the housing and to the electronic card such that the electronic card engages between the housing and the protective spacer; -at least one fixing element (20) designed to integrate the electronic card, the housing and the protective spacer, characterized in that:-the housing (2) and the protective spacer (3) are made of an electrically conductive material; the housing (2), the electronic card and the protective spacer (3) are fixed together by means of at least one fixing element; -the at least one fixing element (20) comprises an electrical contact area and also ensures an electrical contact between the housing (2), the protective spacer (3) and the electrical ground of the electronic card.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an electronic module, comprising an electronic card, a shell and a protective spacer.

[0002] The electronic module may be incorporated in a hybrid or purely electric propulsion vehicle, such as a motor vehicle. More generally, the term "vehicle" includes within the meaning of this patent application any form of mobility, whether it is propelled by pure electricity, hybrid power, internal combustion or other means. Thus, the term "vehicle" includes machines with four, three, two or any other number of wheels that travel on the ground, or machines that move in the air or on water, or even machines that move in space. Background Art

[0003] As is known to all, placing an electronic card in an insulating housing can protect surrounding components from the influence of the magnetic field generated by the electronic card during operation. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to improve the implementation of this electromagnetic protection function by reducing the space dedicated to this function on the electronic card and by reducing the costs required for this electromagnetic protection.

[0005] The present invention relates to an electronic module, comprising:

[0006] - Electronic card;

[0007] - a housing in which the electronic card is placed;

[0008] - a protective spacer fixed to the housing and to the electronic card so that the electronic card is engaged between the housing and the protective spacer;

[0009] - at least one fixing element designed to integrate the electronic card, the housing and the protective spacer,

[0010] Features:

[0011] - the housing and the protective spacer are made of conductive material;

[0012] - the housing, the electronic card and the protective spacer are fixed together by means of the at least one fixing element;

[0013] - At least one fixing element comprises an electrical contact area and also ensures electrical contact between the housing, the protective spacer and the electrical ground of the electronic card.

[0014] According to an aspect of the invention, the housing and the protective spacer form an electromagnetic protection housing designed to insulate the electronic card and to protect the electronic card from external influences, in particular from electromagnetic interference.

[0015] According to an aspect of the invention, the electromagnetically protective housing is also designed to protect the external environment from electromagnetic fields generated by the electronic card.

[0016] According to an aspect of the invention, an electronic card comprises a flat substrate onto which electronic components are soldered.

[0017] According to an aspect of the present invention, electronic components are soldered on each side of the flat substrate.

[0018] Instead, all electronic components are soldered onto one face of a flat substrate.

[0019] According to an aspect of the present invention, one side of the electronic card is placed in contact with the housing. This side will be referred to as the lower side of the electronic card.

[0020] According to an aspect of the invention, one side of the electronic card is in electrical contact with the protective spacer. This side will be referred to as the upper side of the electronic card.

[0021] According to an aspect of the invention, the housing is made of aluminum.

[0022] According to an aspect of the invention, the protection spacer is made of aluminum.

[0023] According to an aspect of the invention, the housing comprises a base, in particular a substantially flat base.

[0024] According to an aspect of the invention, the housing includes a peripheral boundary that is substantially perpendicular to and surrounds a base of the housing.

[0025] According to an aspect of the invention, the peripheral boundary and the base of the housing form a container in which the electronic card is placed.

[0026] According to an aspect of the invention, the housing comprises at least one contact area designed to be placed in contact with the electronic card during assembly of the electronic module.

[0027] According to an aspect of the invention, the housing comprises a plurality of contact areas, which are referred to as contact areas of the housing.

[0028] According to an aspect of the invention, at least one of the contact areas of the housing is a supporting boundary.

[0029] The supporting boundary is the shell contact area juxtaposed with the outer peripheral boundary of the shell.

[0030] According to an aspect of the invention, the housing comprises at least one contact stud.

[0031] According to an aspect of the invention, the contact stud is a volume of the housing that rests on a base of the housing.

[0032] According to an aspect of the invention, each contact stud includes a flat upper surface.

[0033] According to an aspect of the invention, the contact stud has a circular shape.

[0034] Alternatively, the contact stud may have any other form, in particular a rectangular or oval shape.

[0035] According to an aspect of the invention, an upper surface of the contact stud of the housing is a contact area of ​​the housing.

[0036] According to an aspect of the invention, at least one contact area of ​​the housing is an electrical contact area of ​​the housing and is designed to ensure electrical contact between the housing and an electrical ground of the electronic card.

[0037] According to an aspect of the invention, all contact areas of the housing are flat and coplanar and define a contact plane of the housing.

[0038] According to an aspect of the invention, the contact plane of the housing is parallel to the base of the housing.

[0039] According to an aspect of the invention, the contact plane of the housing is elevated relative to the base of the housing.

[0040] For example, the height H1 of the contact plane from the base of the housing is greater than 20 mm.

[0041] According to an aspect of the invention, the height H1 is greater than the maximum thickness of the electronic components soldered on the lower face of the electronic card so that once the electronic card is placed in electrical contact with the housing, the electronic components soldered on the lower face of the electronic card will not contact the housing.

[0042] According to an aspect of the invention, the base of the housing, the peripheral border of the housing, the support border and the contact studs are made in one piece, for example by moulding or machining.

[0043] All electrical contact areas of the housing are therefore electrically connected.

[0044] According to an aspect of the invention, the protection spacer has a substantially planar form.A main plane of the protection spacer is defined.

[0045] According to an aspect of the invention, the protection spacer comprises a plurality of contact areas, called contact areas of the protection spacer, designed to be placed in contact with the electronic card during assembly of the electronic module.

[0046] According to an aspect of the present invention, at least one of the contact regions of the protection spacer is a contact boundary of the protection spacer.

[0047] The contact border of the protection spacer is the contact area juxtaposed with the periphery of the protection spacer.

[0048] According to an aspect of the invention, the protection spacer comprises at least one central contact area.

[0049] The central contact area is a contact area of ​​the protection spacer that is not connected to the periphery of the protection spacer.

[0050] According to an aspect of the invention, at least one contact area of ​​the protection spacer is an electrical contact area of ​​the protection spacer and is designed to ensure electrical contact between the protection spacer and an electrical ground of the electronic card.

[0051] According to an aspect of the invention, all contact areas of the protection spacer are flat and coplanar and define a contact plane of the protection spacer.

[0052] According to an aspect of the invention, the contact plane of the protection spacer is parallel to the main plane of the protection spacer.

[0053] According to an aspect of the invention, the contact plane of the protection spacer is offset relative to the main plane of the protection spacer by a height H2 greater than 12 mm.

[0054] According to an aspect of the invention, the height H2 is greater than the maximum thickness of the electronic components soldered on the upper face of the electronic card so that once the electronic card is placed in electrical contact with the protective spacer, the electronic components soldered on the upper face of the electronic card are not in electrical contact with the protective spacer.

[0055] According to an aspect of the invention, an electronic card comprises:

[0056] - on the upper face, at least one upper contact area of ​​the electronic card;

[0057] - on the lower face, at least one lower contact area of ​​the electronic card;

[0058] According to an aspect of the invention, the at least one upper contact area of ​​the electronic card is an upper electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card.

[0059] According to an aspect of the invention, the at least one lower contact area of ​​the electronic card is a lower electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card.

[0060] According to an aspect of the invention, the upper and lower electrical contact areas of the card are electrically connected to the ground of the electronic card.

[0061] According to an aspect of the invention, the upper contact areas of the electronic card are placed facing the contact areas of the protective spacer and are in contact with these contact areas of the protective spacer.

[0062] According to an aspect of the invention, the lower contact areas of the electronic card are placed facing the contact areas of the housing and are in contact with these contact areas of the housing.

[0063] The electronic card thus remains fixed between the housing and the protective spacer.

[0064] According to an aspect of the invention, the lower electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card is placed facing the electrical contact areas of the housing and is in electrical contact with these electrical contact areas of the housing.

[0065] According to an aspect of the invention, the upper electrical contact areas of the electronic card are placed facing the electrical contact areas of the protection spacer and are in electrical contact with these electrical contact areas of the protection spacer.

[0066] Therefore, all housings and protective spacers are electrically connected to the electrical ground of the electronic card.

[0067] At least one contact area of ​​the housing is placed facing at least one contact area of ​​the protective spacer.

[0068] At least one electrical contact area of ​​the housing is placed facing at least one electrical contact area of ​​the protective spacer.

[0069] The combination of features of the electronic module that integrates the housing, the electronic card and the protective spacer is called a fixing element.

[0070] The fixing elements include:

[0071] - Geometric characteristics of the electronic card;

[0072] - Geometric characteristics of the protective spacer;

[0073] - Geometric characteristics of the shell;

[0074] - and optionally at least one fixing portion.

[0075] The fixing elements include:

[0076] - a portion of the upper electrical contact area of ​​an electronic card;

[0077] - a portion of the lower electrical contact area of ​​an electronic card;

[0078] The two contact areas are placed facing each other;

[0079] - a portion of the electrical contact area of ​​the housing, placed facing said portion of the lower electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card;

[0080] - A portion of the electrical contact area of ​​the protective spacer is placed facing said portion of the upper electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card.

[0081] For example, fixing elements include:

[0082] - holes in electronic cards;

[0083] - holes in protective spacers;

[0084] - Holes in the housing;

[0085] These holes are coaxial; and

[0086] - A screw that passes through all the holes and mechanically fixes the protective spacer, the housing, and the electronic card.

[0087] According to another embodiment, the fixing area includes:

[0088] - Fixing holes in the electronic card;

[0089] - Holes in the housing or the protective spacer respectively;

[0090] - Fixing studs formed in the protective spacer or the housing respectively;

[0091] The fixing studs are designed to be pressed into the holes to mechanically fix the protective spacer, the housing, and the electronic card.

[0092] The electronic module includes a cover forming a container, and the cover is designed to be placed on the housing to close the housing.

[0093] Using fixing elements to provide electrical contact between the electronic card, the protective spacer, and the housing can advantageously reduce the necessary space allocated on the card for achieving the electromagnetic protection function. Therefore, this enables the reduction of the size of the electronic card and the manufacturing cost. Description of the Drawings

[0094] On the one hand, by reading the following description, and on the other hand, by referring to the attached schematic diagrams given in a non - restrictive indicative manner, other features, details, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent, where:

[0095] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the housing according to the present invention.

[0096] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the housing and the electronic card according to the present invention.

[0097] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the protective spacer according to the present invention.

[0098] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the housing, the electronic card, and the protective spacer according to the present invention.

[0099] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the electronic module according to the present invention.

[0100] Figure 6 is a cross - sectional view of the assembly of the electronic module according to the present invention.

[0101] Figure 7 is an enlarged view of a component for fixing an electronic module according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0102] The features, variations and different embodiments of the present invention can be associated with each other according to various combinations, as long as they are not mutually incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, if the feature selection of the present invention is sufficient to give technical advantages and / or distinguish the present invention from the prior art, it is possible to envision a variation of the present invention that only includes the feature selection described below, and is independent of the other features described.

[0103] Figure 1 A housing 2 of an electronic module 100 is shown, comprising a substantially flat base 6 .

[0104] The housing comprises at least one housing contact area 8 designed to come into contact with the electronic card 1 during assembly of the electronic module 100 .

[0105] The housing 2 comprises a peripheral border 7 which is substantially perpendicular to the base of the housing and which surrounds the base of the housing 6 .

[0106] The peripheral border 7 and the base of the housing form a receptacle 11 in which the electronic card is placed.

[0107] The housing 2 comprises a plurality of housing contact areas 8 .

[0108] One of the contact areas 8 of the housing is a support border 9 , ie the contact area 8 of the housing juxtaposed to the peripheral border 7 of the housing.

[0109] The housing comprises an upper face 12 , in particular an upper face that is flat and parallel to the base of the housing 6 .

[0110] The supporting border 9 has a substantially constant width and extends along the entire peripheral border 7 .

[0111] The housing 2 comprises at least one contact stud 10, ie a housing volume placed on the base of the housing 6. Each contact stud comprises a flat upper surface 13, which is the housing contact area.

[0112] The contact stud 10 has a circular shape.

[0113] According to another embodiment not shown, the contact stud 10 may have any other shape, ie a rectangular or oval shape.

[0114] At least one contact area 8 of the housing is an electrical contact area of ​​the housing and is designed to ensure electrical contact between the housing 2 and the electrical ground of the electronic card 1 .

[0115] The base of the housing 6, the peripheral border of the housing 7, the support border 9 and the contact studs 10 are made in one piece, for example by moulding or machining.

[0116] All electrical contact areas of the housing are therefore electrically connected.

[0117] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 The assembly of a housing 2 and an electronic card 1 according to the invention is shown.

[0118] The electronic card 1 is placed in a housing 2 .

[0119] It comprises a flat substrate 5 on which electronic components (not shown here) are soldered.

[0120] The electronic components are soldered on each side of the flat substrate 5 or only on one side of the flat substrate.

[0121] The electronic card 1 includes:

[0122] - on the upper face, at least one upper contact area 14 of the electronic card;

[0123] - on the lower face, at least one lower contact area 15 of the electronic card (not shown in this figure);

[0124] The lower face of the electronic card is placed in contact with the housing 2 .

[0125] The at least one upper contact area 14 of the electronic card 1 is an upper electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card, and the at least one lower contact area 15 of the electronic card is a lower electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card.

[0126] These upper and lower electrical contact areas are electrically connected to the ground of the electronic card 1 .

[0127] Figure 3 A protective spacer according to the invention is shown.

[0128] The protection spacer 3 has a substantially planar shape. A main plane of the protection spacer is thereby defined.

[0129] The protection spacer 3 comprises a plurality of contact areas, called protection spacer contact areas 16. These protection spacer contact areas are flat and coplanar and define a protection spacer contact plane.

[0130] One of the contact areas 16 of the protection spacer is a contact border 17 of the protection spacer, ie a contact area juxtaposed to the periphery of the protection spacer.

[0131] The protective spacer 3 also has a plurality of central contact areas 18 .

[0132] The central contact area 18 is the contact area of ​​the protection spacer 16 which is not connected to the periphery 1 of the protection spacer 9 .

[0133] The at least one contact area 16 of the protection spacer is an electrical contact area of ​​the protection spacer and is designed to ensure electrical contact between the protection spacer 3 and the electrical ground of the electronic card 1 .

[0134] Figure 4 The assembly of housing 2 , electronic card 1 and protective spacer 3 is shown.

[0135] The protective spacer 3 is fixed to the housing 2 and the electronic card 1 so that the electronic card is engaged between the housing and the protective spacer.

[0136] The housing 2 and the protective spacer 3 form a protective electromagnetic enclosure designed to insulate the electronic card, protecting it from electromagnetic interferences and protecting the external environment from the electromagnetic fields generated by the electronic card.

[0137] The housing 2 and the protective spacer 3 are made of a conductive material, such as aluminum.

[0138] The lower contact area 14 of the electronic card is placed facing the contact areas 8 of the housing and makes contact with these electrical contact areas of the housing.

[0139] Furthermore, the upper contact areas 15 of the electronic card are placed facing the contact areas 16 of the protective spacer and are placed in contact with these contact areas of the protective spacer.

[0140] The electronic card 1 thus remains fixed between the housing 2 and the protective spacer 3 .

[0141] Furthermore, the lower electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card 1 is placed facing the electrical contact areas of the housing 2 and is in electrical contact with these electrical contact areas of the housing.

[0142] The upper electrical contact areas of the electronic card 1 are placed facing the electrical contact areas of the protective spacer 3 , making electrical contact with these electrical contact areas of the protective spacer.

[0143] The assembly of housing 2 and protective spacer 3 is therefore electrically connected to the electrical ground of electronic card 1 .

[0144] On both sides of the electronic card 1 , at least one contact area 8 of the housing is placed facing at least one contact area of ​​the protective spacer 3 , and at least one electrical contact area of ​​the housing 2 is placed facing at least one electrical contact area of ​​the protective spacer 3 .

[0145] The electronic module 100 comprises a series of fixing elements 20 designed to integrate the electronic card 1 , the housing 2 and the protective spacer 3 .

[0146] Therefore, the housing 2 , the electronic card and the protective spacer 3 are fixed together by the fixing element 20 .

[0147] Figure 5 The components of the electronic module are shown.The electronic module 100 comprises a cover 21 forming a container, which cover is designed to be placed on the housing 2 so as to close it.

[0148] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the assembled electronic module 100 , where it can be seen that the electronic card 1 is placed between the housing 2 and the protective spacer 3 .

[0149] All contact areas 8 of the shell are flat and coplanar and define a contact plane of the shell, which is parallel to the base of the shell 6 and is more than 12 mm higher than the base of the shell, which is greater than the maximum thickness of the electronic components soldered on the lower face 14 of the electronic card, so that once the electronic card is arranged to be in electrical contact with the shell, the electronic components soldered on the lower face of the electronic card will not contact the shell 2.

[0150] The contact plane of the protective spacer 3 is parallel to the main plane of the protective spacer and is offset relative to the main plane of the protective spacer by a height H2 greater than 12 mm, in particular greater than the maximum thickness of the electronic components welded on the upper surface of the electronic card 15, so that once the electronic card is electrically contacted with the protective spacer, these electronic components welded on the upper surface of the electronic card will not be electrically contacted with the protective spacer.

[0151] Furthermore, the contact area 8 of the housing is an electrical contact area of ​​the housing and is designed to ensure electrical contact between the housing 2 and the electrical ground of the electronic card 1 .

[0152] Similarly, the contact area 16 of the protection spacer is an electrical contact area of ​​the protection spacer and is designed to ensure electrical contact between the protection spacer 3 and the electrical ground of the electronic card 1 .

[0153] Figure 7 A fixing element 20 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown. The fixing element is a combination of features of the electronic module enabling the housing 2, the electronic card 1 and the protective spacer 3 to be integrated.

[0154] The fixing element 20 comprises:

[0155] - a portion of the upper electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card 1;

[0156] - a portion of the lower electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card 1,

[0157] The two contact areas are placed facing each other;

[0158] - a portion 24 of the electrical contact area of ​​the housing, placed facing said portion of the lower electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card;

[0159] - a portion 25 of the electrical contact area of ​​the protective spacer, placed facing said portion of the upper electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card.

[0160] The fixing elements also include:

[0161] - a hole 26 in the electronic card;

[0162] - holes 27 in the protective spacer;

[0163] - a hole 28 in the housing;

[0164] The holes are coaxial; and

[0165] - Screws (not shown here) which pass through all holes and mechanically secure the protective spacer, the housing and the electronic card.

[0166] According to another embodiment not shown, the fixing element comprises:

[0167] - fixing holes in the electronic card;

[0168] - holes in the housing or in the protective spacer, respectively;

[0169] - Fixing studs, each formed in the protective spacer of the housing, are designed to be pressed into the holes in order to mechanically fix the protective spacer, the housing and the electronic card.

[0170] The fixing element comprises an electrical contact area and also ensures electrical contact between the housing, the protective spacer and the electrical ground of the electronic card.

Claims

1. An electronic module (100), comprising: - Electronic card (1); - a housing (2) in which the electronic card is placed; - a protective spacer (3), the protective spacer (3) being fixed to the housing and the electronic card so that the electronic card is engaged between the housing and the protective spacer; - at least one fixing element (20) designed to integrate the electronic card, the housing and the protective spacer, Features: - the housing (2) and the protective spacer (20) are made of conductive material; - the housing (2), the electronic card (1) and the protective spacer (3) are fixed together by the at least one fixing element; - at least one fixing element (20) comprises an electrical contact area and also ensures electrical contact between the housing (2), the protective spacer (3) and the electrical ground of the electronic card (1).

2. The electronic module (100) according to claim 1, wherein: The housing (2) and the protective spacer (3) form an electromagnetic protection housing designed to protect the external environment from the electromagnetic field generated by the electronic card (1) and to protect the electronic card from the external environment, in particular from electromagnetic interference.

3. The electronic module (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The surface of the electronic card (1), referred to as the lower surface of the electronic card, is placed in contact with the housing (2), and the surface of the electronic card, referred to as the upper surface of the electronic card, is placed in electrical contact with the protective spacer (3).

4. The electronic module (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The housing (2) comprises a base (6), in particular a substantially flat base, and a peripheral border (7) which is substantially perpendicular to the base of the housing (6) and surrounds the base of the housing.

5. The electronic module (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The housing (2) comprises at least one contact area (8), and the contact area (8) of the housing is designed to be placed in contact with the electronic card (1) during the assembly process of the electronic module.

6. The electronic module (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The housing (2) comprises at least one contact stud (10), ie at least one volume of the housing placed on the base of the housing.

7. Electronic module (100) according to claim 5 and optionally according to claim 6, wherein At least one contact area (8) of the housing (2) is an electrical contact area of ​​the housing and is designed to ensure electrical contact between the housing (2) and the electrical ground of the electronic card (1).

8. The electronic module (100) according to claims 4 and 6 and optionally according to claim 7, wherein The base of the housing (6), the peripheral border of the housing (7) and the contact stud (10) are made in one piece, for example by moulding or by machining.

9. The electronic module (100) according to claim 3 and optionally according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein: The electronic card (1) comprises: - on the upper face, at least one upper contact area (14) of the electronic card; - on the lower face, at least one lower contact area (15) of the electronic card; The at least one upper contact area of ​​the electronic card is an upper electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card and the at least one lower contact area of ​​the card is a lower electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card.

10. The electronic module (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The protective spacer (3) comprises a plurality of contact areas (18), referred to as contact areas of the protective spacer, which are designed to be placed in contact with the electronic card (1) during the assembly process of the electronic module.

11. The electronic module (100) according to claim 10, wherein: At least one contact area of ​​the protection spacer (18) is an electrical contact area of ​​the protection spacer and is designed to ensure electrical contact between the protection spacer (3) and the electrical ground of the electronic card (1).

12. The electronic module (100) according to claims 7, 9 and 11, wherein: The fixing element (20) comprises: - a portion of the upper electrical contact area (14) of the electronic card; - a portion of the lower electrical contact area (15) of the electronic card, The two contact areas are placed facing each other; - a portion of the electrical contact area of ​​the housing (2) which is placed facing the portion of the lower electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card (1); - A portion of the electrical contact area of ​​the protective spacer (3) is placed facing the portion of the upper electrical contact area of ​​the electronic card (1).

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