ELECTRONIC DEVICE
An electronic device includes a board having a mounting surface for an electronic component, a case having an opening for insertion of the board into the case and configured to house the board inserted through the opening, and a cover fixed to the case so as to close the opening. The board also has at least one deformable device formed on an end side of the board and configured to be elastically deformable in a direction orthogonal to the mounting surface. The deformable device comes into contact with the case or the cover in a state of being elastically deformed to hold the board in a fixed state in a storage space formed through fixation of the cover to the case when the board is housed in the storage space.
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The present invention relates to an electronic device.
BACKGROUNDElectronic devices which control a piece of electrical equipment mounted on a vehicle include one which includes, in a case, a case-side board holder having a gap, into which a board is to be inserted and in which the board is to be held, as a structure to hold a board in the case (see, for example, JP2015-233087A). In an electronic device including such a case-side board holder, a gap of the case-side board holder is formed to be larger than a thickness of a board so as to ensure insertion of a board into the gap of the case-side board holder, in view of manufacturing variations.
Since the gap of the case-side board holder is formed to be larger than a thickness of a board in the above-described electronic device including the case-side board holder, the electronic device can hold a substrate even in the presence of manufacturing variations. However, a board held in the case-side board holder may shake due to vehicle vibration to generate an unusual noise.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and has its object to provide an electronic device capable of preventing a board from shaking in a case to generate an unusual noise.
An electronic device according to the present invention includes a board having a mounting surface for an electronic component, a case having an opening for insertion of the board into the case and configured to house the board inserted through the opening, and a cover fixed to the case so as to close the opening. The board has at least one deformable device formed on an end side of the board and configured to be elastically deformable in a direction orthogonal to the mounting surface, and the deformable device comes into contact with the case or the cover in a state of being elastically deformed to hold the board in a fixed state in a storage space formed through fixation of the cover to the case when the board is housed in the storage space.
The electronic device according to the present invention is configured such that the deformable device formed at the board comes into contact with the case or the cover in the state of being elastically deformed to hold the board in the fixed state in the storage space when the board is housed in the storage space formed through fixation of the cover to the case. This makes it possible to prevent the board from shaking in the case to generate an unusual noise.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that, for example, a term such as “parallel” or “orthogonal,” a value of a length or an angle, or the like used in a description of the embodiments to specify a shape or a geometric condition and the degree of the shape or geometric condition is not bound by an exact meaning thereof and is assumed to be interpreted as including a range within which a similar function can be expected. A same portion or a portion having a similar function in the drawings to be referred to in the embodiments is denoted by a same or similar reference numeral, and a repetitive description thereof may be omitted. Dimensional ratios in the drawings may be different from actual ratios or part of a configuration may be omitted, for convenience of description. In the embodiments, directions indicated by an up down arrow, a left right arrow, and a front back arrow shown in
An electronic device 1 according to a first embodiment is an electronic control device for controlling a piece of electrical equipment, such as a motor or a suspension damper, mounted on a vehicle. As shown in
As shown in
Respective deformable devices 23 and 24 which are elastically deformable in the vertical direction are formed at four corners of the board 2. More specifically, two front-side deformable devices 23 are formed on a side with a front end 2b of the board 2. One front-side deformable device 23 is formed on each of two left and right sides at the front end 2b of the board 2. The front-side deformable device 23 is formed on the front end 2b side of the board 2 by making, in the board 2, a notch C1 L-shaped in plan view which extends rearward from the front end 2b and then extends in the lateral direction from a rear end. The front-side deformable device 23 thus formed has a deformable base 23a which is linked to the board 2 and extends frontward and a deformable arm 23b which extends in the lateral direction (toward a center of the board 2) from a front of the deformable base 23a. With the deformable base 23a and the deformable arm 23b, the front-side deformable device 23 is formed to be L-shaped in plan view and is cantilevered with respect to the board 2. The board 2 is formed like a thin plate of a resin material or the like. For this reason, the front-side deformable device 23 is elastically deformable such that the distal end side of the deformable arm 23b moves in the vertical direction using, as a fulcrum, at least one of a joint between the board 2 and the deformable base 23a and a joint between the deformable base 23a and the deformable arm 23b when force acts on a distal end (free end) side of the deformable arm 23b in the vertical direction.
Two rear-side deformable devices 24 are formed on a side with a rear end 2c of the board 2. One rear-side deformable device 24 is formed on each of two left and right sides at the rear end 2c of the board 2. The rear-side deformable device 24 is formed on the rear end 2c side of the board 2 by making, in the board 2, a notch C2 L-shaped in plan view which extends frontward from the rear end 2c and then extends in the lateral direction from a front end. The rear-side deformable device 24 thus formed has a deformable base 24a which is linked to the board 2 and extends rearward and a deformable arm 24b which extends in the lateral direction (toward the center of the board 2) from the deformable base 24a. With the deformable base 24a and the deformable arm 24b, the rear-side deformable device 24 is also formed to be L-shaped in plan view and is cantilevered with respect to the board 2. As described above, the board 2 is formed like a thin plate of a resin material or the like. For this reason, the rear-side deformable device 24 is elastically deformable such that a distal end (free end) side of the deformable arm 24b moves in the vertical direction using, as a fulcrum, at least one of a joint between the board 2 and the deformable base 24a and a joint between the deformable base 24a and the deformable arm 24b when force acts on the distal end side of the deformable arm 24b in the vertical direction. Note that although the resist layer is provided on the mounting surface 2a, as described above, a resist layer may not be provided at portions of the mounting surface 2a where the front-side and rear-side deformable devices 23 and 24 are formed to facilitate elastic deformation of the front-side and rear-side deformable devices 23 and 24. Deformable devices similar to the front-side and rear-side deformable devices 23 and 24 may be formed on left and right end sides of the board 2.
[Case 3]As shown in
The case 3 has two sets of case-side board holders 32 provided at an inner surface of the front wall 3a which faces the case-side opening 31 inside the case 3. One set of case-side board holders 32 is provided on each of two left and right sides at the inner surface of the front wall 3a. One set of case-side board holders 32 has two case-side first holders 321 which are arranged with a predetermined distance therebetween in the lateral direction at the front wall 3a and one case-side second holder 322 which is arranged between the two case-side first holders 321.
As shown in
The case-side second holder 322 is arranged between and above the two case-side first holders 321 at the inner surface of the front wall 3a. Like the case-side first holders 321, the case-side second holder 322 is shaped like a flat plate which extends from the inner surface of the front wall 3a toward the case-side opening 31 (rearward) and is provided with an orientation having the lateral direction as a thickness direction. A dimension extending toward the case-side opening 31 of the case-side second holder 322 is shorter than that of the case-side first holder 321 arranged on the laterally central side of the case 3 and is longer than that of the case-side first holder 321 arranged on the left or right wall 3d or 3e side (see
One set of case-side board holders 32 further includes a case-side third holder 323 which is arranged above the case-side first holder 321 arranged on the left or right wall 3d or 3e side at the inner surface of the front wall 3a. Like the holders 321 and 322, the case-side third holder 323 is shaped like a flat plate which extends from the inner surface of the front wall 3a toward the case-side opening 31 (rearward) and is provided with an orientation having the lateral direction as a thickness direction. A dimension extending toward the case-side opening 31 of the case-side third holder 323 is shorter than that of the case-side first holder 321 arranged on the left or right wall 3d or 3e side (see
One set of case-side board holders 32 further includes a convex board front end positioning projection 324 which is arranged between the upper ends of the two case-side first holders 321 and the lower end of the case-side second holder 322 at the inner surface of the front wall 3a. The board front end positioning projection 324 is arranged between the two case-side first holders 321 and closer to the left or right wall 3d or 3e than the case-side second holder 322. The board front end positioning projection 324 is configured to come into contact with the distal end side of the deformable arm 23b of the front-side deformable device 23 at the board 2 to press the deformable arm 23b in a direction opposite to an insertion direction (rearward) when the board 2 is inserted into the case 3. Note that the board front end positioning projection 324 may be changed in arrangement in the lateral direction to another position.
The case 3 includes two board insertion guides 35 which are provided on two left and right sides, respectively, at an inner surface of the lower wall 3b inside the case 3. The two board insertion guides 35 each extend from a position close to the case-side opening 31 toward the inner surface of the front wall 3a at the inner surface of the lower wall 3b. A height (a height from the inner surface of the lower wall 3b) of the board insertion guide 35 is slightly lower than (or generally equal to) those of the upper ends of the two case-side first holders 321 (see
As shown in
As shown in
The cover 4 includes two sets of cover-side board holders 41 which are provided at a front surface 4a (an inner surface) of the cover 4, facing an inside of the case 3, when the cover 4 is fixed to the case 3. One set of cover-side board holders 41 is provided on two left and right sides at the front surface 4a of the cover 4. One set of cover-side board holders 41 includes, at the front surface 4a of the cover 4, two cover-side first holders 411 which are arranged with a predetermined distance therebetween in the lateral direction and one cover-side second holder 412 which is arranged between the two cover-side first holders 411.
As shown in
The cover-side second holder 412 is arranged between and above the two cover-side first holders 411 at the front surface 4a of the cover 4. Like the cover-side first holders 411, the cover-side second holder 412 is shaped like a flat plate which extends frontward from the front surface 4a and is provided with an orientation having the lateral direction as a thickness direction. A dimension extending frontward of the cover-side second holder 412 is equal to the dimensions extending frontward from the front surface 4a of the two cover-side first holders 411 (see
One set of cover-side board holders 41 further includes, at the front surface 4a of the cover 4, two cover-side third holders 413 which are arranged at a position above the cover-side first holder 411 arranged on a left or right end side of the cover 4 and a position close to the cover-side opening 45. Like the holders 411 and 412, the two cover-side third holders 413 are each shaped like a flat plate which extends frontward from the front surface 4a and is provided with an orientation having the lateral direction as a thickness direction. Dimensions extending frontward of the cover-side third holders 413 are shorter than those of the cover-side first holders 411 (see
One set of cover-side board holders 41 further includes a convex board rear end positioning projection 414 which is arranged between the upper ends of the two cover-side first holders 411 and the lower end of the cover-side second holder 412 at the front surface 4a of the cover 4. The board rear end positioning projection 414 is arranged between the two cover-side first holders 411 and closer to the left or right end of the cover 4 than the cover-side second holder 412. The board rear end positioning projection 414 is configured to come into contact with the distal end side of the deformable arm 24b of the rear-side deformable device 24 at the board 2 to press the deformable arm 24b in a direction opposite to an insertion direction (frontward) when the board 2 is inserted into between the cover-side board holders 41 (see
The cover 4 includes a plurality of inner-side lugs 48 which are provided on two upper and lower sides of the front surface 4a and a connector support 49 which is provided at a position close to the cover-side opening 45 at a lateral center at the front surface 4a. The plurality of inner-side lugs 48 are each shaped like a flat plate which extends frontward from the front surface 4a. The plurality of inner-side lugs 48 are configured to come close to (or come into contact with) inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls 3c and 3b of the case 3 and to, together with the above-described three outer-side lugs 47, hold the upper and lower walls 3c and 3b of the case 3 in the vertical direction when the cover 4 is fixed to the case 3. The connector support 49 is shaped like a flat plate which extends frontward from the front surface 4a. An inclined surface 49a which inclines downward toward the front is formed on a front end side of the connector support 49 (see
Assembly of the electronic device 1 with the above-described configuration will be described. As shown in
[Insertion of Board 2 into Case 3]
The board 2 passes through the case-side opening 31 in a direction from the front end 2b side along the mounting surface 2a and is inserted into the case 3. The board 2 is inserted while being guided so as to slide on upper ends of the left and right board insertion guides 35 inside the case 3. When the board 2 is inserted into the case 3, the front end 2b of the board 2 first comes into contact with the inclined surfaces 321a of the case-side first holders 321 arranged on the laterally central side of the case 3 in the left and right case-side board holders 32. After that, front ends of the deformable bases 23a of the left and right front-side deformable devices 23 at the board 2 come into contact with the inclined surfaces 321a, respectively, of the case-side first holders 321 arranged on the left wall 3d side and the right wall 3e side of the case 3 in the left and right case-side board holders 32. The board 2 is inserted into the case 3 while the front end 2b of the board 2 and the front ends of the left and right deformable bases 23a are pushed upward along the inclined surfaces 321a.
When the board 2 is further inserted into the case 3, front ends on the free end sides of the deformable arms 23b in the left and right front-side deformable devices 23 come into contact with the inclined surfaces 322a, respectively, of the case-side second holders 322 in the left and right case-side board holders 32, as shown in
After the board 2 is inserted into the case 3, as described above, the cover 4 is fixed to the case 3 so as to close the case-side opening 31. When the cover 4 is brought closer to the case 3 in a state where the front surface 4a of the cover 4 is made to face the case-side opening 31, the inclined surfaces 411a of the cover-side first holders 411 in the left and right cover-side board holders 41 at the cover 4 come into contact with the rear end 2c of the board 2 inserted in the case 3 and rear ends of the deformable bases 24a of the left and right rear-side deformable devices 24, as shown in
When the front surface 4a of the cover 4 comes further closer to the rear end 2c of the board 2, the inclined surfaces 412a of the cover-side second holders 412 in the left and right cover-side board holders 41 come into contact with rear ends on the free end sides of the deformable arms 24b of the left and right rear-side deformable devices 24 at the board 2, as shown in
As for the fixation of the cover 4 to the case 3, the left and right case-side lockers 36 at the case 3 are inserted into and brought into engagement with the lock holes 461a of the left and right cover-side lockers 46 at the cover 4, thereby fixing the cover 4 to the case 3, as shown in
As has been described above, in the electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment, each of the deformable devices 23 and the deformable devices 24 formed at the board 2 is brought into contact with the case 3 or the cover 4 in a state of being elastically deformed when the board 2 is housed in the storage space formed through fixation of the cover 4 to the case 3. This allows holding of the board 2 in the storage space by use of elastic force of the deformable devices 23 and 24 in directions which eliminate elastic deformation. It is thus possible to prevent the board 2 from shaking in the case 3 to generate an unusual noise.
In the electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment, when the board 2 is inserted through the case-side opening 31 into the case 3 in a direction along the mounting surface 2a, the deformable arms 23b of the front-side deformable devices 23 formed at the front end 2b that is an insertion leading end of the board 2 are elastically deformed by coming into contact with the case-side second holders 322 of the case-side board holders 32 provided at the inner surface of the front wall 3a of the case 3, facing the case-side opening 31. For this reason, insertion of the board 2 into the case 3 and holding of the board 2 in the case 3 by use of elastic deformation of the front-side deformable devices 23 can be simultaneously performed. It is thus possible to efficiently assemble the electronic device 1.
In the electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment, when the cover 4 is fixed to the case 3, the deformable arms 24b of the rear-side deformable devices 24 formed at the rear end 2c located on a side with the cover 4 of the board 2 inserted in the case 3 are elastically deformed by coming into contact with the cover-side second holders 412 of the cover-side board holders 41 provided at the inner surface of the cover 4. For this reason, fixation of the cover 4 to the case 3 and holding of the rear end 2c side of the board 2 by use of elastic deformation of the rear-side deformable devices 24 can be simultaneously performed. It is thus possible to efficiently assemble the electronic device 1.
In the electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment, one front-side deformable device 23 is formed on each of two sides in the lateral direction along the mounting surface 2a at the front end 2b of the board 2, and one rear-side deformable device 24 is formed on each of the two sides in the lateral direction along the mounting surface 2a at the rear end 2c of the board 2. Since holding of the board 2 by use of elastic force of the deformable devices 23 and 24 can be performed on the two end sides in the lateral direction of the board 2, the board 2 can be stably held. Additionally, the front-side deformable devices 23 and the rear-side deformable devices 24 are formed by making cuts L-shaped in plan view on the end 2b side and the end 2c side of the board 2. It is thus possible to easily form the front-side deformable devices 23 and the rear-side deformable devices 24 in a shape suitable for elastic deformation without complicating a shape of a die for shaping the deformable devices 23 and 24.
In the electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment, when the board 2 is inserted into the case 3, the front end 2b side of the board 2 is held by the two case-side first holders 321, and each front-side deformable device 23 is elastically deformed by being pressed by the case-side second holder 322 arranged between the two case-side first holders 321 at a distance smaller than the thickness of the board 2 in the thickness direction of the board 2 from the case-side first holders 321. It is thus possible to press each front-side deformable device 23 with the case-side second holder 322 between two points while supporting the board 2 at the two points with the two case-side first holders 321 and stably elastically deform the front-side deformable device 23. This allows stable holding of the board 2.
In the electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment, when the cover 4 is fixed to the case 3, the rear end 2c side of the board 2 is held by the two cover-side first holders 411, and each rear-side deformable device 24 is elastically deformed by being pressed by the cover-side second holder 412 arranged between the two cover-side first holders 411 at a distance smaller than the thickness of the board 2 in the thickness direction of the board 2 from the cover-side first holders 411. It is thus possible to press each rear-side deformable device 24 with the cover-side second holder 412 between two points while supporting the board 2 at the two points with the two cover-side first holders 411 and stably elastically deform the rear-side deformable device 24. This allows stable holding of the board 2.
The first embodiment of the present invention has been described so far. The embodiment is illustrative only, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. For example, although the front-side deformable devices 23 and the rear-side deformable devices 24 are formed at two ends of the front end 2b and the rear end 2c at the board 2 in the first embodiment, deformable devices may be formed at either one of the front end 2b and the rear end 2c. Various modifications, replacements, omissions, and the like as described below can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Second EmbodimentAs shown in
As shown in
As shown in
12
Fifth EmbodimentAs shown in
As schematically shown in
Claims
1. An electronic device comprising:
- a board having a mounting surface for an electronic component;
- a case having an opening for insertion of the board into the case and configured to house the board inserted through the opening; and
- a cover fixed to the case so as to close the opening,
- wherein the board has at least one deformable device formed on an end side of the board and configured to be elastically deformable in a direction orthogonal to the mounting surface, and
- the deformable device comes into contact with the case or the cover in a state of being elastically deformed to hold the board in a fixed state in a storage space formed through fixation of the cover to the case when the board is housed in the storage space.
2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein
- the deformable device is formed on an insertion leading end side of the board when the board is inserted into the case in a direction along the mounting surface,
- the case has a case-side board holder provided at an inside of the case which faces the opening, and
- the deformable device comes into contact with the case-side board holder to be elastically deformed by the case-side board holder when the board is inserted into the case.
3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein
- the deformable device is formed on an end side of the board which is located on a side with the cover when the board is housed in the storage space,
- the cover has a cover-side board holder provided on an inner side of the cover which faces the storage space when the cover is fixed to the case, and
- the deformable device of the board inserted in the case comes into contact with the cover-side board holder to be elastically deformed by the cover-side board holder when the cover is fixed to the case.
4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein
- the case has a case-side board holder provided at an inside of the case which faces the opening,
- the cover has a cover-side board holder provided on an inner side of the cover which faces the storage space when the cover is fixed to the case, and
- the deformable device of the board inserted in the case comes into contact with the case-side board holder and the cover-side board holder in a state of being held in the case-side board holder and the cover-side board holder to be elastically deformed when the cover is fixed to the case.
5. The electronic device according to claim 1,
- wherein
- one of the at least one deformable device is formed on each of two sides in a direction along the mounting surface at an end of the board.
6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein
- the deformable device is formed by making a notch L-shaped in plain view in the end side of the board.
7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein
- the deformable device is formed by making a notch T-shaped in plain view in the end side of the board.
8. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein
- the case-side board holder includes
- two first holders configured to extend from an inner surface of the case which faces the opening toward the opening, and
- at least one second holder configured to extend from the inner surface of the case toward the opening at a position between the two first holders,
- the two first holders and the second holder are arranged with a distance smaller than a thickness of the board inserted in the case between the two first holders and the second holder in a thickness direction of the board, and
- an insertion leading end side of the board is supported by the two first holders, and the deformable device is pressed by the second holder to be elastically deformed when the board is inserted into the case.
9. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein
- the cover-side board holder includes
- two first holders configured to extend from an inner side surface of the cover which faces the storage space when the cover is fixed to the case toward the storage space, and
- at least one second holder configured to extend from the inner side surface of the cover toward the storage space at a position between the two first holders,
- the two first holders and the second holder are arranged with a distance smaller than a thickness of the board inserted in the case between the two first holders and the second holder in a thickness direction of the board, and
- the end side of the board located on the side with the cover is supported by the two first holders, and the deformable device is pressed by the second holder to be elastically deformed when the cover is fixed to the case.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 10, 2019
Publication Date: Jun 10, 2021
Applicant: SHINDENGEN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING CO., LTD. (Tokyo)
Inventor: Yoshitaka Uchida (Saitama-ken)
Application Number: 16/709,686