Method for aligning contact surfaces of electrical and / or electronic components, in particular magnetic components

Abstract

A method for aligning contact surfaces (11, 21) of an electric and / or electronic element (1), in particular a magnetic element, is proposed, comprising the step (100) of providing said electric and / or electronic element (1), said electric and / or electronic element (1) comprising at least one first contact member (10) that is electrically conductive for electrically contacting said electric and / or electronic element (1) with a conductive substrate; The method includes the steps of forming a flat first contact surface (11) on the first contact member (10) and further forming a flat second contact surface (21) on the electric and / or electronic element (1), and holding the first contact member (10) on the electric and / or electronic element (1) by a holding part (4), and aligning the contact surfaces (11, 21) (300), wherein the electric and / or electronic element (1) is a first and pressing the first contact surface (11) against a base plate (50) having a first abutment surface (51) and a second abutment surface (52), the first contact surface (11) being pressed against the first abutment surface (51) of the base plate (50) and the second contact surface (21) being pressed against the second abutment surface (52) of the base plate (50), and the first contact surface (11) and the second contact surface (12) being aligned relative to one another.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for aligning the contact surfaces of electrical and / or electronic components, in particular magnetic components.

Background Art

[0002] Electrical and / or electronic components, such as inductive components, are often designed as surface-mounted components for reflow soldering processes. For this purpose, they have, for example, contact members in the form of solder pins, on which contact surfaces are formed that are soldered to a conductor substrate. An important prerequisite for attaching surface-mounted components using a reflow soldering process to a conductor substrate is the appropriate flatness between the contact surfaces of the individual contact members. A typical flatness target value for this is 100 μm for housings with a plurality of contact surfaces. Flatness is usually achieved by mechanically aligning the contact surfaces of the contact members with each other.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] According to the present invention, a method for aligning the contact surfaces of electrical and / or electronic components, in particular magnetic components, is proposed. The method includes the step of providing an electrical component and / or an electronic component, which includes at least one first conductive contact member for electrically contacting the electrical component and / or the electronic component with a conductive substrate. A flat first contact surface is formed on the first contact member. Further, a flat second contact surface is formed on the electrical component and / or the electronic component, and the first contact member is held on the electrical component and / or the electronic component by a holding portion. The method further includes the step of aligning the contact surfaces, wherein the electrical component and / or the electronic component is pressed against a base plate having a first abutment surface and a second abutment surface, the first contact surface is pressed against the first abutment surface of the base plate, and the second contact surface is pressed against the second abutment surface of the base plate, so that the first contact surface and the second contact surface are relatively aligned.

[0004] Compared with the prior art, the method according to the invention has the advantage that the first contact surface and the second contact surface can be relatively aligned, preferably with a small tolerance, especially in the same plane with respect to each other. By advantageously and accurately aligning the contact surfaces with respect to each other, the attachment of the electrical component and / or the electronic component to the conductive substrate is advantageously facilitated. The electrical component and / or the electronic component can be easily attached to and brought into contact with the conductive substrate by a surface mount soldering process. The first contact surface and the second contact surface of the electrical component and / or the electronic component can be advantageously well attached to the conductive substrate by reflow soldering by aligning them with respect to each other with a small tolerance.

[0005] Further advantageous embodiments and improvements of the invention are made possible by the features recited in the dependent claims. According to an advantageous embodiment, the first contact surface and the second contact surface are arranged in the same plane with respect to each other, and it is contemplated that the first contact surface and the second contact surface of the electrical element and / or the electronic element are aligned in the same plane with respect to each other in the step of aligning the contact surfaces. The contact surfaces thus aligned in the same plane with respect to each other can be attached to the conductor substrate, for example, by reflow soldering.

[0006] According to an advantageous embodiment, at least one recess is formed in the base plate, and it is contemplated that the region of the electrical element and / or the electronic element that protrudes in the pressing direction beyond the first contact surface and / or beyond the second contact surface of the electrical element and / or the electronic element enters the recess of the base plate without contacting the base plate. Thereby, when the electrical element and / or the electronic element is pressed against the base plate, the contact surface contacts the contact surface on the base plate and can be aligned at the contact surface.

[0007] According to an advantageous embodiment, the method further includes the step of heating the holding part, and the holding part is heated such that the first contact member having the first contact surface is movable relative to the second contact surface of the electrical element and / or the electronic element, and the holding part is contemplated to be made of plastic in particular. By heating the holding part made of plastic, for example, the holding part softens, and as a result, the contact member becomes movable. The holding part is heated only in the region where the contact member is held by the holding part. This is, for example, the region where the holding part is in direct contact with the contact member. When the first contact surface is pressed against the first contact surface of the base plate, the contact member becomes movable within the softened holding part, and the contact member is aligned such that the first contact surface of the contact member abuts on the first contact surface of the base plate. Therefore, by heating the holding part, while the entire electrical element and / or electronic element is pressed against the base plate, a weak force is applied to the contact member, enabling the necessary appropriate position adjustment of the first contact member. Thereafter, if the holding part is not heated further, the holding part solidifies again, and the contact member is fixed at the desired position.

[0008] According to an advantageous embodiment, the holding part is heated by the current passing through the first contact member. In this way, advantageously and precisely, the region of the holding part around the contact member is heated and thus softened. Therefore, when the first contact surface is pressed against the base plate, the contact member is particularly well aligned with the holding part. Therefore, the contact member is movable within the holding part, while the holding part as a whole is kept stable.

[0009] According to an advantageous embodiment, the holding part is heated by a laser, and it is contemplated that the laser directly heats the holding part or heats the first contact member held by the holding part. By means of the laser, advantageously and precisely, only the region of the holding part around the contact member can be heated and softened. Therefore, the contact member is movable within the holding part, while the holding part as a whole is kept stable.

[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment, the method further includes a step for solidifying the holding part, and it is contemplated that an air flow is directed at the holding part to solidify the holding part. Therefore, after the alignment of the contact member, the holding part can be solidified again quickly to fix the contact member to the holding part.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment, the method further includes a step of introducing a fluid and curable object, and in this step, it is contemplated that the fluid and curable object is introduced into the gap between the holding part and the contact member. The fluid and curable object is cured after introduction so that the contact member is fixed to the holding part. Due to the presence of a gap between the holding part and the contact member, the contact member is slightly movable relative to the holding part, and when the first contact surface abuts against the first abutting surface of the base plate, the contact member can be aligned during the step of aligning the contact surfaces. By curing the fluid and curable object, the contact member is fixed to the holding part and becomes immovable relative to the holding part.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment, it is contemplated that the first contact member is formed as a pin having a first leg for surface-mount soldering a pin onto a conductor substrate, and the first contact surface is formed on the first leg of the pin. The mutually aligned contact surfaces can be advantageously and well attached to the conductor substrate, for example, by reflow soldering.

[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment, it is contemplated that the second contact surface is formed on a second contact member of an electrical and / or electronic component, a second leg for surface-mount soldering the second contact member onto a conductor substrate is formed on the second contact member, and the second contact surface is formed on the second leg of the second contact member. The two contact members are mutually aligned so that they can be advantageously, well, and easily attached to the conductor substrate, for example, by a reflow soldering process.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated and described in detail in the following description.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of an electrical and / or electronic component 1 by which a first contact surface 11 and a second contact surface 21 can be relatively aligned according to the present method. The electrical and / or electronic component 1 shown here is formed as a magnetic component and includes, for example, a magnetic core (not shown) and a conductor (not shown) wound around the magnetic core. The conductor may be formed, for example, as a stranded wire. The end of the conductor can be conductively connected to the contact member 10. The contact member 10 is pin-shaped, particularly a surface-mount pin. The first contact member 10 is formed of a conductive metal such as copper or aluminum, for example. The end of the conductor is formed as a pin and wound around the contact member 10, for example. The contact member 10 is provided to electrically contact the conductor and the conductor substrate. For this purpose, the contact member 10 can be soldered to the conductor substrate, for example, and thus establish a conductive connection between the contact member 10 and the conductor track of the conductor substrate. The conductor substrate may be formed, for example, as a printed circuit board or an IMS substrate. A contact surface 11 is formed on the contact member 10 for soldering to the conductor substrate. The contact surface 11 is formed on the leg 15 of the contact member 10. The contact surface 11 faces the conductor substrate. The contact member 10 is formed, for example, in the shape of a flat pin, and one end facing the conductor substrate is bent toward the leg 15. The electrical and / or electronic component 1 further has a second contact surface 21. In this embodiment, the second contact surface 21 is formed on a second contact member 20. The second contact member 20 is provided to electrically contact the electrical and / or electronic component 1 and the conductor substrate. The second contact member 20 is bowl-shaped in this embodiment and covers the magnetic core in the form of a bowl-shaped case. The second contact surface 21 is formed on the second leg 25 of the second contact member 20. The second contact member 20 is formed of a conductive metal such as copper or aluminum, for example. The second leg 25 of the second contact member 20 is provided to contact the bowl-shaped case and the conductor substrate, for example, an IMS substrate, and establish an electrical and thermal connection between the bowl-shaped case and the conductor substrate. However, the second contact member 20 may have other shapes and may be pin-shaped like the first contact member 10, for example.Basically, various types of electrical and / or electronic components 1 having at least one first contact surface 11 and at least one second contact surface 21 can be processed by this method, and thus the contact surfaces 11, 21 can be relatively aligned. The contact surfaces 11, 21 are, in particular, the surfaces of the conductive elements of the electrical and / or electronic component 1, are used for the electrical contact of the electrical and / or electronic component 1, and / or are configured to be attached to a conductor substrate, for example, by surface mounting technology. However, the second contact surface 21 may be, for example, a non-conductive surface of the housing of the electrical and / or electronic component 1. The second contact surface 21 is used as a reference surface for aligning the first contact surface 11.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a method of relatively aligning the first contact surface 11 with respect to the second contact surface 21. The first contact surface 11 is aligned in the same plane with respect to the second contact surface 21. The first contact surface 11 and the second contact surface 21 are formed on the electrical and / or electronic component 1. The contact surfaces 11, 21 are provided for electrically contacting the electrical and / or electronic component 1 to a conductor substrate, in particular to the conductor path of the conductor substrate. For this purpose, the contact surfaces 11, 21 are arranged substantially parallel to each other. The first contact surface 11 is formed on the first leg 15 of the first contact member 10. The second contact surface 12 is formed on the second leg 15 of the second contact member 20. The contact members 10, 20 may be formed, for example, in a pin shape. The contact members 10, 20 are formed from a conductive material, for example, a metal such as copper. Here, the first contact member 10 is in a pin shape, and one end of the pin is bent toward the first leg 15 of the contact member 10. In this embodiment, the second contact member 20 is in a bowl shape. However, the second contact member 20 may be, for example, in a pin shape similar to the first contact member 10 or have other shapes.

[0017] The first contact member 10 is held by the holding portion 4. For this purpose, the holding portion 4 is provided with a notch, and the contact member 10 penetrates through this notch. The central portion of the contact member 10 is fitted into the holding portion 4. Both ends of the contact member 10 are, for example, substantially pin-shaped and protrude from the holding portion 4. The holding portion 4 protrudes from, for example, an electric element and / or an electronic element 1. The holding portion 4 surrounds the contact member 10 and thereby holds the contact member 10 to the electric element and / or the electronic element 1. The holding portion 4 is made of, for example, plastic. The holding portion 4 can be softened by heat, whereby the contact member 10 can move slightly within the holding portion 4.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, in this method, the electrical element and / or electronic element 1 is pressed in the pressing direction a against the base plate 50. A first contact surface 51 is formed on the base plate 50, and a first contact surface 11 of the electrical element and / or electronic element 1 is pressed against this first contact surface 51. Further, a second contact surface 52 is formed on the base plate 50, and a second contact surface 21 of the electrical element and / or electronic element 1 is pressed against this second contact surface 52. The first contact surface 51 and the second contact surface 52 are flat and are formed parallel to each other in a plane. Further, a recess 53 may be formed in the base plate 50, for example, between the first contact surface 51 and the second contact surface 52 or at other locations on the base plate 50. The electrical element and / or electronic element 1 is pressed in the pressing direction a against the base plate 50 such that the first contact surface 11 is flatly in contact with the first contact surface 51 of the base plate 50 and at the same time the second contact surface 12 is flatly in contact with the second contact surface 51 of the base plate 50. Since the first contact member 10 is slightly movable within the holding portion 4, the contact member 10 is aligned within the holding portion 4 such that the first contact surface 11 is flatly in contact with the first contact surface 51 and the second contact surface 21 is flatly in contact with the second contact surface 52. Since the first contact surface 51 and the second contact surface 52 are arranged parallel to each other in a plane, the first contact surface 11 and the second contact surface 12 of the electrical element and / or electronic element 1 are also aligned parallel to each other in a plane. Therefore, the first contact surface 51 and the second contact surface 52 of the base plate 50 are used as reference surfaces on the same plane on which the first contact surface 11 and the second contact surface 21 are aligned on the same plane. The region 6 of the electrical element and / or electronic element 1 that protrudes beyond the contact surfaces 11, 21 in the pressing direction a can enter the recess 53 of the base plate 50 without the protruding region 6 contacting the base plate 50. Therefore, by this method, it is ensured that the first contact surface 11 and the second contact surface 21 are pressed against the first contact surface 51 and the second contact surface 52, and thus they are aligned on the same plane with each other. In particular, the pressing direction a can be perpendicular to the second contact surface 52.The force pressing the electrical element and / or the electronic element 1 can be applied by simple mechanical means and tools such as metal injection that act on the electrical element and / or the electronic element 1, particularly on the contact member 10, with a predetermined force.

[0019] Before and / or during the pressing of the electrical element and / or the electronic element 1 against the base plate 50, the holding part 4 may be heated. By heating the holding part 4, the material of the holding part 4 softens, and the first contact member 10 held by the holding part 4 can move within the softened holding part 4. When the electrical element and / or the electronic element 1 is pressed against the base plate 50, the contact member 10 is aligned within the heated holding part 4 such that the first contact surface 11 abuts flatly on the first abutment surface 51 of the base plate 50, and at the same time the second contact surface 21 abuts flatly on the second abutment surface 52 of the base plate 50. The first contact member 10 cannot initially contact the base plate 50 and is only pressed against the base plate 50 and thus aligned with the base plate 50 when the first contact member 10 becomes movable due to the heating of the holding part 4.

[0020] The holding part 4 is heated, in particular, in the region 12 where the holding part 4 surrounds the first contact member 10. For example, heating may be performed by an electric current passing through the first contact member 10 so that the region 12 where the holding part 4 surrounds the first contact member 10 is intentionally heated. Further, the holding part 4 may be heated, for example, by a laser. The laser may directly heat the holding part 4 or may heat the first contact member 10 held by the holding part 4. When the contact member 10 is heated, the region 12 of the holding part 4 around the contact member 10 is indirectly heated. Further, the heating of the holding part 4 may be performed, for example, by soldering or welding the contact member 10, in which case the contact member 10 contacts, within the electrical element and / or electronic element 1, for example, the end 33 of the conductor 32. For example, when the end 33 of the conductor 32, which may be formed as a stranded wire, is soldered or welded to the fork-shaped end of the contact member 10, the heat generated can be used to heat the holding part 4 in the region 12 around the contact member 10 and align the contact surfaces 11, 21 with each other in the same plane by the above-described method.

[0021] When the heating of the holding part 4 is completed, the holding part 4 solidifies again and the contact member 10 is fixed to the holding part 4. An air flow directed towards the region 12 of the holding part 4 that was previously heated may be used to solidify the holding part 4. After the holding part 4 has solidified again, the first contact surface 11 is also fixed relative to the second contact surface 21.

[0022] Furthermore, the method may include the step of introducing a fluid and curable object 60 into the gap 41 between the holding portion 4 and the contact member 10. In FIG. 2, a cross-section passing through the embodiment of the holding portion 4 of FIG. 1 is shown in a plane perpendicular to the pressing direction a. A notch is formed in the holding portion 4, and the contact member 10 penetrates through this notch. In this embodiment, both sides of the contact member 10 are in direct contact with the holding portion 4. The contact member 10 is, for example, fitted into the holding portion 4 on both sides. Thereby, the contact member 10 is held by the holding portion 4 and thus held by the electrical element and / or the electronic element 1. Between the holding portion 4 and the contact member 10, gaps 41 are formed on both sides of the contact member 10 between the contact member 10 and the holding portion 4. The holding portion 4 is separated from the contact member 10 by the gap 41. Due to the gap 41, the contact member 10 has a slight flexibility with respect to the holding portion 4 and can move slightly within the holding portion 4. Therefore, when the holding portion 4 is formed in this way, when the electrical element and / or the electronic element 1 is pressed against the base plate 50, the contact member 10 can move such that the first contact surface 11 abuts flatly on the first abutting surface 51 and at the same time the second contact surface 21 abuts on the second abutting surface 52. Furthermore, before or after the electrical element and / or the electronic element 1 is pressed against the base plate 50, a fluid and curable object 60 may be introduced into the gap 41 between the holding portion 4 and the contact member 10. The fluid and curable object 60 may be formed as an adhesive, for example. The gap 41 between the holding portion 4 and the contact member 10 may be formed narrow, for example, such that the fluid and curable object 60 is drawn into the gap 41 by capillary force. After pressing the electrical element and / or the electronic element 1 against the base plate 50, the fluid and curable object 60 may be cured in the gap 41 between the holding portion and the contact member 10. The curing may be performed by photoinduction, for example. By curing the fluid and curable object 60, the contact member 10 is fixed to the holding portion 4, and the first contact surface 11 and the second contact surface 21 of the electrical element and / or the electronic element 1 are also fixed relative to each other.

[0023] Naturally, other embodiments and hybrid forms of the illustrated embodiment are also possible.

Claims

1. A method for aligning a first contact surface (11) and a second contact surface (21) of an electrical element and / or an electronic element (1), comprising: - providing the electrical element and / or the electronic element (1), the electrical element and / or the electronic element (1) including at least one first conductive contact member (10) for electrically contacting the electrical element and / or the electronic element (1) with a conductor substrate; - forming the flat first contact surface (11) on the first contact member (10), further forming the flat second contact surface (21) on the electrical element and / or the electronic element (1), and holding the first contact member (10) on the electrical element and / or the electronic element (1) by a holding part (4); - aligning the first contact surface (11) and the second contact surface (21), wherein the electrical element and / or the electronic element (1) is pressed against a base plate (50) having a first abutting surface (51) and a second abutting surface (52), the first contact surface (11) is pressed against the first abutting surface (51) of the base plate (50), the second contact surface (21) is pressed against the second abutting surface (52) of the base plate (50), and the first contact surface (11) and the second contact surface (12) are relatively aligned; characterized in that the method further includes heating the holding part (4), and the holding part (4) is heated such that the first contact member (10) having the first contact surface (11) is movable relative to the second contact surface (21) of the electrical element and / or the electronic element (1). A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding part (4) is made of plastic. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the holding part (4) is heated by a current passing through the first contact member (10).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding part (4) is made of plastic.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the holding part (4) is heated by a current passing through the first contact member (10). **Claim 4**: The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the holding part (4) is heated by a laser, and the laser directly heats the holding part (4) or heats the first contact member (10) held by the holding part (4). **Claim 5**: The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a step of solidifying the holding part (4), characterized in that an air flow is directed to the holding part (4) to solidify the holding part (4). **Claim 6**: The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the electrical element and / or electronic element (1) is a magnetic element. **Claim 7** The first contact surface (51) and the second contact surface (52) are arranged in the same plane, and the first contact surface (11) and the second contact surface (21) of the electrical element and / or electronic element (1) are aligned in the same plane in the step of aligning the first contact surface (11) and the second contact surface (21). The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that they are aligned. **Claim 8** At least one recess (53) is formed in the base plate (50), and the region (6) of the electrical element and / or electronic element (1) protruding in the pressing direction (a) beyond the first contact surface (11) and / or beyond the second contact surface (21) of the electrical element and / or electronic element (1) enters the recess (53) of the base plate (50) without contacting the base plate (50). The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. **Claim 9** The method further comprises a step of introducing a fluid and curable object (60), characterized in that in this step, the fluid and curable object (60) is introduced into the gap (41) between the holding part (4) and the first contact member (10). The method according to claim 1 or 2. **Claim 10** The first contact member (10) is formed as a pin having a first leg portion (15) for surface-mount soldering a pin onto the conductor substrate, and the first contact surface (11) is formed on the first leg portion (15) of the pin. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

11. The second contact surface (21) is formed on a second contact member (20) of the electric element and / or the electronic element (1), and a second leg portion (25) for surface-mount soldering the second contact member (20) onto the conductor substrate is formed on the second contact member (20). The second contact surface (21) is formed on the second leg portion (25) of the second contact member (20). The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

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