Abstract: Electronic equipment having a fan cooling arrangement with a fan structure mounted at the rear of the housing. The fan structure is mounted vertically in operational position. An access opening at the front of the housing is of lesser height than the fan structure. It is desired to withdraw the fan structure from the housing through the restricted access opening. For this purpose, the fan structure is pivotally mounted to a mounting. The fan structure is sprung into its vertical position and is withdrawn upon the mounting through the access opening. During withdrawal, the fan structure is pivoted downwards automatically against its spring to allow for its withdrawal in a horizontal as distinct from a vertical position.

Abstract: In a subrack, electronic circuit boards are connected to mother boards disposed in at least two planes parallel to the front face of the subrack. Each plane contains one or more mother boards. The planes are superposed to form a stack of compartments the general exterior envelope of which is generally pyramid shaped.

Abstract: A molded electrical circuit assembly is disclosed where the molded electrical circuit assembly comprises a device assembly overlaying at least a portion of a face applique and a backing assembly overlaying at least a portion of the device assembly. The device assembly is retained between the face applique and the backing assembly, and the backing assembly has a window formed proximate to the device assembly. Also included is a molded portion molded generally over the backing assembly and abutting at least a portion of the face applique.

Abstract: A circuit board assembly and a method of manufacturing such an assembly has a circuit board 1 with spaced holes 6 which receive projections 15 of a rigid metal chassis 11 which is part of a sub-assembly 10. The projections 15 are soldered in the holes 6 to rigidly secure the sub-assembly to the circuit board. The sub-assembly 10 has a pair of terminal posts 18 from which extend electrical connections 25, 26 having ends formed as fingers 30, 31. The fingers 30 and 31 are received in sets of corresponding holes 8 and 7 respectively in the circuit board and soldered in their respective holes to provide an electrical connection between the strips 25 and 26 and circuit lines 5 and 4 respectively on the circuit board. The soldered joints between the projections 15 and the circuit board permits torque applied to the terminal posts 18 to be accommodated by the circuit board assembly.

Abstract: A heat sink is provided for use with stacks of integrated circuit chips. The heat sink comprises a thermally conductive body having a recess in which the chip stack is disposed. The heat sink also includes fins which extend away from the recess. In one embodiment, fins are provided inside the recess for improved cooling of higher power chips such as a microprocessor which is surrounded by less thermally demanding memory chips.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an electronic power module comprising several integrated power circuits which may, for example, be insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT).

Abstract: Electrical switch gear which comprises a housing formed to be substantially rotationally symmetrical and consisting of an upper housing part and a lower housing part. Inside the housing is disposed an actuating member formed as a push rod, provided in a housing chamber and provided with a permanently magnetized component, and a switching component which can be influenced by the permanently magnetized component and is provided in one housing chamber hermetically separated from the other housing chamber. To create switching gear able to make possible a larger number of switching functions, at least one permanently magnetized component is provided which is disposed on one longitudinal side of the actuating member and extends with its region of action close to one of the separating wall sides extending in the displacement direction of the actuating member.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for securing electronic devices in a vehicle. A ventilation duct is provided beneath the instrument panel for conveying air in the vehicle. The ventilation duct includes an outer surface. An overlay substrate is laid upon and secured against the outer surface or acts as the wall of the duct, and is adapted for carrying electronic devices thereon. This design improves packaging efficiency within the vehicle. This invention can also be applied to other automotive applications such as on door panels, instrument panels and package trays.

Abstract: A control circuit arrangement for an electric motor drive unit includes a circuit board (10), a heat conductive substrate (12) carrying power semiconductors (13), a heat absorbing mounting structure (14) disposed in heat transferring contact with the heat conductive substrate (12), and a clamping structure (20) for clamping the circuit board (10) and the heat conductive substrate (12) to the mounting structure (14). A number of electrically conductive distance or spacer tube elements (22) are disposed between the circuit board (10) and the heat conductive substrate (12) for distributing the clamping force of the clamping structure (20) from the circuit board (10) to the heat conductive substrate (12) while forming electrically conductive leads between the circuit board (10) and the heat conductive substrate (12).

Abstract: An electronics module, such as those used in vehicles, comprises a cuboid housing box which is open on one side, a cover with connection plugs to cover the open side of the housing box, and at least one printed circuit board within the housing box and attached to the printed circuit board. Power components producing relatively significant heat are installed on the printed circuit board and in contact with cooling flanges integral with the cover. To facilitate soldering, the cover does not extend along the soldering side of the printed circuit board.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of assembling vehicle instrument panel structural and electronic components includes: 1) fabricating an insulative instrument panel base substrate; 2) applying a conductive pattern to the base substrate; and 3) attaching electronic components to the base substrate in electrical communication with the conductive pattern.

Abstract: A computer having a heat sink structure incorporated therein provides efficient heat dissipation for heat generating components within the computer. In a preferred embodiment, a computer has a chassis, a circuit board with a heat generating device mounted thereon, and a structural member with a heat pipe disposed thereon. The heat pipe transfers heat from the heat generating device to a heat dissipating portion of the structural member. The structural member strengthens the chassis and provides convective transfer of the heat to the environment.

Abstract: An adjustable fastening device for integrated circuit chips of varying thicknesses includes a radiating fin, a base plate, a number of resilient cramps and a number of screws. The radiating fin has at least two opposite sides which each include an upper ledge, a lower ledge and a longitudinal recess therebetween. Each upper ledge defines at least one vertical through-hole. Each lower ledge defines at least one recess corresponding to the vertical through-hole. The base has at least two opposite sides from each of which a hook downwardly extends. The cramps corresponding to the hooks have a top portion, a side portion and an arcuate portion extending therebetween. The top portion defines a hole to engagingly receive one of the screws. The side portion defines a slot configured to receive a corresponding hook. An integrated circuit chip is received between the radiating fin and the base.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for both conveying air and for housing electronic devices in a vehicle. The apparatus comprises a molded ventilation duct with a parallel housing secured to the duct for housing electronic devices. The housing is molded integrally with the duct and metallized with electronic circuitry and devices. This design improves packaging efficiency underneath the vehicle instrument panel.

Abstract: Thermal material such as a paste or gel is confined within a paste gap between a surface of a flat cooling plate and an opposing surface of a chip mounted on a surface of a chip carrier or substrate by forming a partition, preferably in the form of a grid, at the periphery of one or more chips. The partition is located laterally in sufficient proximity to the chip and in communication with the paste gap to form a capillary and thus confine motion of a viscous thermal material to repetitive bidirectional flow out of and into the paste gap with relative motion of the chip and the surface of the flat cooling plate. The grid is preferably fitted closely within grooves formed in the surface of the flat cooling plate and preferably supported by leaf springs so that thermal material is confined within cells of the grid while providing support and/or damping of relative motion between the flat cooling plate and the substrate or carrier.

Abstract: A multi-terminal surface-mounted electronic device with contact surfaces placed entirely or partly around several sides, as well as to a method for manufacturing it. The parts according to the invention allow assembly on a circuit board such as p.c.b. and foil in forward, backward and sideward direction. Previous multi-terminal surface-mounted electronic devices could as a rule be mounted in one direction only. For all other directions such as backwards and sidewards costly special constructions or fundamental changes to the circuit board (printed-circuit board, foil) were necessary. In accordance with the invention, an electronic component is located in a housing and both the electronic component and the housing are joined to a base strip. The base strip provides the terminals whose contact surfaces are so formed that they can embrace the entire housing either completely or partially.

Abstract: An integrated circuit package which has a heat pipe that is incorporated into the body of the package. The package contains an integrated circuit which is mounted to a package substrate. The integrated circuit die is enclosed by a cover plate that is attached to the substrate. The heat pipe is attached to a nut that is screwed into the cover plate. The heat pipe has a bottom surface that is thermally coupled to the die to provide a direct thermal path between the integrated circuit and the heat pipe.

Abstract: A power semiconductor module includes a plastic housing having a bottom plane in which a substrate is disposed. Disposed inside the module are the substrate, structures on the substrate, a rubber-like soft encapsulation and a hard encapsulation above the soft encapsulation. Internal struts of the housing extend into the soft encapsulation and, if appropriate, have ends with transverse extensions disposed within the soft encapsulation. The effect of this module construction is that a back pressure or reaction opposes forces acting externally on the substrate.

Abstract: An electronic assembly that contains a pair of C-shaped springs that couple an integrated circuit and a lid to a printed circuit board. The assembly includes a first spring that is mounted to the printed circuit board. The first spring has a C-shaped finger. The integrated circuit is typically mounted to a substrate that is plugged into a socket which is mounted to the printed circuit board. A lid is stacked on top of the integrated circuit. The lid has a ball shaped outer rim. The assembly has a second spring which has a C-shaped finger that captures the outer rim of the lid, and a ball that is captured by the C-shaped finger of the first spring. The first and second springs are interlocked to secure the lid and integrated circuit to the printed circuit board. The lid and integrated circuit can be detached from the assembly by merely deflecting the second spring 36 and removing the components.

Abstract: A basepan for an electric load center having a surface with integrally formed posts with an undercut extending around its periphery for securing a component of the load center to the surface by heat staking.