Electronic control unit

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic control unit (15) for a vehicle (16). The electronic control unit (15) is defined by a housing (2) and includes a cover (4), a base (5), a circuit board (3), a connector (14), a backup power supply (1), and a means (6) for attaching the cover (4) to the base (5). A carrier (7) is provided to support the backup power supply (1). The carrier (7) is disposed within the housing (2) and is attached directly to the base (5).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic control unit for a vehicle. The electronic control unit is defined by a housing and includes a cover, a base, a circuit board, a connector, a backup power supply, and means for attaching the cover to the base.

Background Art

[0002] WO 2019 / 005616 (A1) relates to a surface mount coupling capacitor and a circuit board including the surface mount coupling capacitor. The coupling capacitor includes a body including at least two sets of alternating dielectric layers and internal electrode layers. The coupling capacitor includes external terminals electrically connected to the internal electrode layers, and the external terminals are formed on the upper surface of the coupling capacitor and the bottom surface of the coupling capacitor facing the upper surface of the coupling capacitor.

[0003] WO 2010 / 059977 (A2) discloses a leadless capacitor mount assembly including a cover having a base portion and a cover portion. The cover portion and the base portion are connectable to each other to fix the capacitor to the cover. The assembly further includes at least one connector configured to couple the assembly to a printed circuit board, and at least one electrical contact configured to contact at least one lead of each capacitor and provide an electrical connection to the capacitor.

[0004] US 2015 / 047887 (A1) discloses a mounting circuit board for a multilayer ceramic capacitor. On both end faces of the ceramic body, a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode are alternately exposed. The first external electrode and the second external electrode extend from both end faces of the ceramic body to a part of the lower surface. The printed circuit board has a first electrode pad and a second electrode pad to which the first external electrode and the second external electrode are attached.

[0005] Chinese Utility Model Patent No. 207818380 discloses an electrolytic capacitor mount.

[0006] Chinese Utility Model Patent No. 207282326 relates to a specific supercapacitor module group. The supercapacitor module has a shell and an upper cover. The upper cover is connected to the shell, the anode connection part and the cathode connection part of the supercapacitor module. The supercapacitor module includes a U-shaped steel, a circuit board, and a plurality of supercapacitors. The supercapacitor unit is fixed on the circuit board, and the circuit board is fixed in the recess of the U-shaped steel.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] As is known, an electronic control unit (ECU) is an embedded electronic device, basically a digital computer, that controls one or more electrical systems (or electrical subsystems) of a vehicle based on information read from sensors arranged in various parts and various components of the vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that power is supplied to the ECU even when there is a possibility that the main power supply has failed. Therefore, a backup power supply, which is often a relatively heavy capacitor, is provided. The capacitor is often fixed on a printed circuit board (PCB) or to a connector. The problem associated with fixing the backup power supply to the PCB is that the mass of the backup power supply applies stress to the PCB and may damage the PCB. Fixing the power supply to the connector often generates undesirable vibration noise.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic control unit for a vehicle equipped with a backup power supply and a method of assembling the electronic control unit, in which the adverse effects of the backup power supply on the electronic control unit are reduced.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0010] The above object is achieved by an electronic control unit for a vehicle having the features of claim 1. Regarding the method of assembling the electronic control unit, this object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 10.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electronic control unit for a vehicle is provided. The electronic control unit is defined by a housing including a cover, a base, a circuit board, a connector, a backup power supply, and means for attaching the cover to the base. A carrier for supporting the backup power supply is provided. The carrier is arranged in the housing and directly attached to the base.

[0012] The advantage of the present invention is that the backup power supply can be applied to the ECU with almost no additional vibration generated. Adverse effects on the components of the ECU can be avoided.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the base is made of a metallic material, particularly cast aluminum, and the carrier is made of a non-conductive material, particularly plastic. Thus, the carrier can be manufactured at low cost in various shapes, for example, by injection molding.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the carrier is attached between the base and the circuit board.

[0015] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the carrier is directly fixed to the base by screws.

[0016] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the base forms a cavity, and the carrier includes a carrier base and a carrier arm extending substantially vertically from the carrier base. In an embodiment, an opening may be provided at an end of the carrier arm for directly attaching the carrier to the base. The carrier arm may be directly connected to the circuit board on the distal side of the base.

[0017] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the cover, the circuit board, and the carrier have mounting openings, and the base has mounting holes. The mounting openings of the cover, the circuit board, and the carrier are aligned with the mounting holes of the base. Screws connect the cover, the circuit board, the carrier, and the base, thereby defining a sandwich structure.

[0018] According to one embodiment of a method for assembling an electronic control unit for a vehicle, - providing a base; - providing a carrier on the base such that the base supports a power supply; - providing on the carrier a circuit board and a connector electrically connected to be attached to the carrier side of the circuit board; - providing a cover on the circuit board; - Align the mounting openings of the cover, circuit board, and carrier with the mounting openings of the base, and execute the step of connecting the cover, circuit board, and carrier to the base with screws.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] Many advantages of the present disclosure can be better understood by those skilled in the art by referring to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] The same reference numerals refer to the same elements or elements having similar functions throughout the various figures. Further, only the reference numerals necessary for the description of each figure are shown in the figure. The illustrated embodiments merely represent examples of how the present invention can be implemented. This should not be regarded as a limitation of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the arrangement of an electronic control unit (ECU) 15 for a vehicle 16. The electronic control unit 15 that controls one or more electrical systems of the vehicle 16 includes a housing 2. For cost reduction, the housing may be made of plastic. If the vibrations during use of the vehicle 16 are more extreme, the housing 2 can be made of a metal material such as die-cast aluminum. To supply power to the ECU 15, the ECU 15 is electrically connected to a vehicle battery 18, typically an electric wire 19.

[0022] Figure 2 is a perspective exploded view of the ECU 15 for the vehicle 16 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ECU 15 is defined by a housing 2 (Figure 1). The ECU 15 includes a cover 4 and a base 5. When the ECU 15 is subjected to stronger vibrations during the use of the vehicle 16, the cover 4 and the base 5 can be made of a metal material such as die-cast aluminum. The carrier 7 is disposed within the housing 2 (Figure 1) and can be directly attached to the base 5. To ensure that power is supplied to the ECU 15, a backup power source 1 is provided in case the main vehicle battery 18 or the electric wire 19 may be malfunctioning. The backup power source 1 can be a capacitor having a capacity sufficient to provide the necessary backup power. The backup power source 1 is fixed to the carrier 7 by fixing means (not shown), for example, by a cradle.

[0023] Furthermore, a printed circuit board 3 (PCB) and a connector 14 are provided. The connector 14 is electrically connected to the circuit board 3. Means for attaching the cover 4 to the base 5 are also provided. Preferably, this means is a screw 6. This embodiment has the advantage that the backup power source 1 can be provided within the housing 2 with low complexity, thereby avoiding stress on the PCB or unwanted vibration noise.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present invention, the carrier 7 is made of a non-conductive material, particularly plastic. This provides electrical insulation to the base 5 when the base 5 is made of a metal material. Furthermore, when the carrier 7 is made of plastic, the carrier can be manufactured in a cost-effective manner and in a desired shape, for example, by injection molding.

[0025] In one embodiment of the present invention, the base 5 forms a cavity 17. The advantage of this embodiment is that the cavity 17 provides sufficient space for arranging the backup power supply 1. In this case, the carrier 7 includes a carrier base 8 and a carrier arm 9 extending substantially vertically from the carrier base 8. This enables the backup power supply 1 to be attached to the carrier base 8 since the cavity 17 provides sufficient space for the backup power supply 1. The carrier 7 can be directly attached to the base 8 by providing an opening 12 in the carrier arm 9, and the screw 6 can pass through the opening 12 and cooperate with the respective mounting holes 13 of the base 5.

[0026] The step of assembling the electronic control unit 15 includes the step of providing the base 5 and the step of providing the carrier 7 on the base 5, and the carrier 7 supports the backup power supply 1. A circuit board 3 is provided, and a connector 14 is electrically connected to the circuit board 3. A cover 4 is provided on the circuit board 3, and the cover 4, the circuit board 3, the carrier 7, and the base 5 are connected to each other by screws 6.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the assembled ECU 15 for a vehicle 16 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The carrier arm 9 for directly attaching the carrier 7 to the base 5 is directly connected to the circuit board 3 on the distal side of the base 5. The cover 4, the circuit board 3, the carrier 7, and the base 5 are connected by screws 6, thereby defining a sandwich structure 11. To establish the sandwich structure 11, the cover 4, the circuit board 3, and the carrier 7 have mounting openings 12. The mounting openings 12 of the cover 4, the circuit board 3, and the carrier 7 and the mounting holes 13 of the base 5 are aligned with each other and connected to each other by screws 6. The backup power supply 1 is provided on the carrier base 8.

[0028] Many of the present disclosure and its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, structure, and arrangement of the components without departing from the disclosed subject matter or sacrificing all of its material advantages. The described form is for illustrative purposes only, and it is the intention of the following claims to embrace and include such changes. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the appended claims.

[0029] Description of Reference Signs 1 Backup power supply 2 Housing 3 Circuit board 4 Cover 5 Base 6 Screw 7 Carrier 8 Carrier base 9 Carrier arm 10 Inner surface of the base 11 Sandwich structure 12 Mounting opening 13 Mounting hole 14 Connector 15 Electronic control unit (ECU) 16 Vehicle 17 Cavity 18 Vehicle battery 19 Electric wire

Claims

1. An electronic control unit (15) for a vehicle (16), defined by a housing (2) comprising a cover (4), a base (5), a circuit board (3), a connector (14), a backup power supply (1), and a screw (6) for attaching the cover (4) to the base (5). A carrier (7) for supporting the backup power supply (1), the carrier (7) being disposed within the housing (2) and directly attached to the base (5). The carrier (7) comprises a carrier base (8) and a carrier arm (9) extending substantially vertically from the carrier base (8). An attachment opening (12) is provided at an end of the carrier arm (9) for directly attaching the carrier (7) to the base (5). The carrier arm (9) for directly attaching the carrier (7) to the base (5) is directly connected to the circuit board (3) on the distal side of the base (5). The cover (4), the circuit board (3), and the carrier (7) have attachment openings (12), the base (5) has attachment holes (13), the attachment openings (12) of the cover (4), the circuit board (3), and the carrier (7) are aligned with the attachment holes (13) of the base (5), and they are connected to each other by the screw (6) to construct a sandwich structure (11). The electronic control unit (15) for a vehicle (16) is characterized by this.

2. The electronic control unit (15) for a vehicle (16) according to claim 1, wherein the base (5) is made of a metal material, particularly cast aluminum, and the carrier (7) is made of a non-conductive material.

3. The electronic control unit (15) for a vehicle (16) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the carrier (7) is made of plastic.

4. The electronic control unit (15) for a vehicle (16) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the carrier (7) is mounted between the base (5) and the circuit board (3).

5. The electronic control unit (15) for a vehicle (16) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carrier (7) is directly fixed to the base (5) by a screw (6).

6. In a method of assembling an electronic control unit (15) for a vehicle (16) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, - providing the base (5); - providing the carrier (7) on the base (5), wherein the carrier (7) supports a backup power supply (1); - providing the circuit board (3); - electrically connecting the connector (14) to the circuit board (3); - providing the cover (4) on the circuit board (3); A method characterized by aligning the mounting openings (12) of the cover (4), the circuit board (3), the carrier (7), and the base (5), and connecting the cover (4), the circuit board (3), the carrier (7), and the base (5) by screws (6).

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