Abstract:
The invention relates to a carrier ( 1 ) for holding an electronic device, in particular an antenna amplifier of a vehicle, having at least one printed circuit board ( 9 ), the electronic device being able to be attached to a vehicle component, in particular a vehicle window ( 12 ), by means of the carrier ( 1 ) which is composed of an electrically nonconductive material, there being provision according to the invention for the carrier ( 1 ) to be embodied in a planar fashion and to have latching means as well as spring means which interact therewith and have the purpose of securing the printed circuit board ( 9 ) to the carrier ( 1 ), as well as at least one recess for holding a contact element in order to make electrical contact with a contact face of the printed circuit board ( 9 ) by means of a corresponding contact face ( 13 ) on the vehicle component.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The invention relates to a support for holding an electronic device according to the features of the generic portion of claim  1 . 
       PRIOR ART 
       [0002]    EP 1 080 513 [U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,259] discloses an antenna booster for a vehicle for receiving high-frequency signals. This antenna booster comprises a circuit board with electronic components, connectors, and the like provided thereon in order to perform the function of an antenna booster. The circuit board of the antenna booster is attached to the panel of the vehicle by way of a support. Electrically conductive structures are located on or in the vehicle panel that serve as antennas for receiving high-frequency signals. These high-frequency signals are accessible at the end of the antenna structures on contact surfaces. These contact surfaces correspond with the associated inputs of the antenna booster, and in the embodiment known from this European Patent, which has also been realized in practice, spring arms project from the lower face of the circuit boards that then come into contact with the contact surfaces on the vehicle panel when the circuit board is placed in the plastic support after the plastic support has been adhered to its installation position on the vehicle panel. Thus, an “on-glass antenna booster” is available as well, which satisfies the requirements of installation and functionality during operation of the vehicle to the greatest extent possible. 
         [0003]    However, in the embodiment realized in practice, it has been shown that there are consistently problems with regard to the production, storage, installation, transportation, and operation of this system of the “on-glass antenna booster.” Thus the circuit board of the antenna booster must be placed in a groove at an edge of the plastic support, which creates problems for the installation process. The plastic support is formed only as a frame, such that it does not provide the required rigidity for the circuit board because it is subjected to a high degree of stress during operation of the vehicle due to vibrations, temperature fluctuations, and the like. One particularly disadvantageous problem may be seen in the fact that the contacts that connect the signal entry of the antenna booster to the associated contact surfaces on the vehicle panel are formed as spring arms projecting from the lower face of the circuit board. In the practical realization of the embodiment, these spring arms are complexly shaped in order to achieve the necessary spring forces and the resulting contact forces. On the one hand, such spring arms are not only extremely hard to manufacture, they also have the disadvantage that they are soldered to the lower face of the circuit board and, although offset, are freestanding with their unattached ends. This leads to the danger that, after the production of the circuit board with the spring arms, these spring arms may be bent or even broken off during subsequent handling, necessitating laborious replacement because the contacts are welded in place. Because the electronic components are provided on the upper face of the circuit board and the contacts are provided on the lower face of the circuit board, it is necessary for the circuit board to be soldered in a plurality of stages, which makes production of the antenna booster more expensive. If the lever-like contact is only bent but not broken off, it is conceivable that it could be bent back into place. However, it is not always possible to do so in the manner of the initial geometry of the contact, such that the necessary spring forces and resulting contact forces cannot be maintained. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The object of the invention is therefore to provide a support for holding an electronic device, in particular motor-vehicle antenna booster, with which the disadvantages mentioned at the outset will be prevented. 
         [0005]    This object is attained by the features of claim  1 . 
         [0006]    According to the invention, provision is made for the support to be generally planar and to have locking means as well as spring means cooperating therewith in order to fix the circuit board on the support as well as at least one cutout for holding a contact for establishing electrical contact between a contact surface of the circuit board and a corresponding contact surface on the vehicle part, in particular a vehicle panel. Due to the planar structure of the support (support plate), the required rigidity and stability of the support and the circuit board accommodated therein are improved because the support may be fastened, in particular adhered, to the vehicle part over a large area. The locking means as well as the spring means cooperating therewith have the advantage that the circuit board may be fixed on the support quickly and simply in a position relative to the support that may be predetermined. The locking means allow the circuit board to be held at a maximum spacing from the support, while the spring means cooperating with the locking means allow the minimum spacing to be set. Overall, therefore, the interaction between the locking means and the spring means causes the circuit board to sit (“hover”) at a spacing from the support that may be predetermined, and the spring means protect the circuit board from vibration during operation of the vehicle. In addition, the spring means allow compensation for play, which is advantageous in compensating for temperature fluctuations or tolerances. 
         [0007]    Another particularly important aspect of the invention is the at least one cutout (as a rule, several cutouts) for holding a contact for the purpose of establishing electrical contact between a contact surface of the circuit board and a corresponding contact surface on the vehicle part. In this manner, a contact with a corresponding structure may be fixed on the support such that soldering a contact with a complex structure onto the lower face of the circuit board may be omitted. This also eliminates the danger that a contact soldered there may be bent or even broken off. The contacts fixed on the support, which may be installed even before mounting the support, offer the advantage that they reliably create contact between the contact surfaces of the circuit board and the corresponding contact surfaces on the vehicle part and are no longer components of the circuit board, but rather of the support, whereby storage, transportation, and installation of the support as well as of the electronic device with its circuit board are considerably simplified and less complicated. Here, it is particularly possible to achieve an increase in the lot size per unit of volume, which reduces transportation capacity, which in turn contributes to environmental protection. In addition to simplified transportation, simpler handling, and improved protection of contacts, it is no longer necessary to fit the circuit board with spring-like contacts, particularly because the soldering on the lower face of the circuit board is omitted as well, such thermal stress to the contacts during soldering is also unnecessary. Additional advantages may be seen in the fact that all types of geometric shapes of contacts and contact materials may be used. Particularly preferred are blade-shaped contacts having one attachment end for anchoring them to the support and one free end such that, if placed under a load, they are able to move axially out of the direction of the vehicle part or out of the direction of the circuit board, such that damage to the contact is prevented in this manner as well. Moreover, the advantage of cost savings in case of replacement should be mentioned as well because, if the circuit board is replaced, new contacts are unnecessary. It is also advantageous that replacement of the contacts is possible even when the support is adhered to the vehicle part and installation (and, if necessary, removal) of the contacts may be automated. By virtue of the blade-shaped contact springs, although other structures are conceivable as well, the long spring path allows a secure contact and its closed form (arcuate toward the contact surfaces) provides toughness when handled. Moreover, a contact spring of this type may be produced in a more cost-effective manner because no substantial bending operations are required (fewer bending stations in the tool, the tool becomes considerably lighter and cheaper, a higher number of strokes is possible, which leads to lower process costs. There is also less use of material because virtually no waste occurs and a significantly thinner band may be used, resulting in further savings in weight and material). 
         [0008]    The circuit boards or, optionally, a plurality of circuit boards, which may be mounted on the support, may be covered by an additional housing, to which end the support is structured to accommodate a housing for covering the circuit board. Here, it is advantageous for the delicate electronic components in particular to be protected on the upper face of the circuit board. Such a housing may be connected to the support in a detachable or non-detachable fashion, for example, a positive or non-positive connection, for example, locking connections, adhesive connections, clip connections, or the like may be considered as well. 
         [0009]    In a further development of the invention, the support and/or the housing is structured for shielding the circuit electronic device from the sun or disruptive radiation. By using appropriate materials (for example, for the support, a plastic to which electrically conductive materials have been added or that has an electrically conductive coating, like the housing, which may alternatively be made entirely of metal), disruptive radiation is prevented from disrupting operation by shining onto the electrical device. This also prevents the electronic device from emitting disruptive radiation, in particular electromagnetic waves, that could reach an interior space in the vehicle. 
         [0010]    In order to improve the cost situation and simplify mounting of the support, the support is made of a plastic that is processed in an injection-molding process. After production of the support, an adhesive is applied to the lower face of the support facing the vehicle part, and in a particularly preferred embodiment the adhesive is a double-sided adhesive film provided with a protective before the support is mounted, which film may be removed so that the support may be adhered to the vehicle part. As an alternative, however, it is also conceivable to use other adhesion processes that meet the requirements for application in vehicles, in particular light- and temperature-resistance while providing the necessary contact forces due to the high degree of vibration during operation of the vehicle. 
         [0011]    As has been mentioned above, the support may be shaped to accommodate more than one circuit board such that a modular structure results in an advantageous fashion, allowing one or more electronic devices to be installed by the manufacturer, depending on equipment variant. To this end, the support is structured in such a way that it is able to accommodate the number of electronic devices required by the maximum equipment variant. If the purchaser of the vehicle desires the maximum equipment, the support is fully outfitted with a plurality of required electronic devices, whereas in the minimum equipment, in contrast to the maximum equipment, the electronic devices that are not necessary are omitted. In such a case, no electronic devices or circuit boards are placed in the support. By constructing spring tabs directly from the support frame, it is also possible for modules to be used that have been produced either entirely or in large areas without contact springs. By means of the spring tabs that are formed on the support frame, these modules are pressed into the barb of the support space and are thus able to resist the high degree of vibration that occurs while the vehicle is in operation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0012]    Other embodiments of the invention are described in a non-limiting fashion below, in the dependent claims, and with reference to the drawings. Therein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a view of a detail of a support that is basically flat, made of plastic, and produced using an injection-molding process; 
           [0014]      FIG. 1   a  shows the shape of locking hooks with associated barbs; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  shows the contact springs formed as blade-shaped contact springs; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  shows the support that after manufacture has a longitudinally bowed or polygonal shape, one view with a cover and one without; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  shows the installation position of the support, with a further construction details shown in addition to the structures that have been described above; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the face of the support on which the circuit board is to be mounted; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  shows a support with an inserted circuit board in which a support film with conductor layers is contacted. 
       
    
    
     MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
       [0020]      FIG. 1  shows a section of a planar plastic support  1  made by a plastic injection-molding process. Producing the support using injection molding has the advantage that all of the elements of the support  1  described below may be formed thereon such that, after the injection-molding process has been completed, the support  1  is complete and installable. 
         [0021]    First, the support  1  has several locking hooks  2  for attaching a circuit board to the support  1 , the locking hooks having barbs  3  on their end. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the locking hooks  2  on one longitudinal edge of the support  1  are longer than the locking hooks  4  with barbs  5  on the opposite edge of the support  1 . Thus, some of the locking hooks, namely the long locking hooks  2 , can deflect and the other locking hooks, namely the short locking hooks  4 , are rigid (stiff). This means that the circuit board is first positioned with its longitudinal edge engaged by the short locking hooks  4  and their barbs  5  and then is pushed down on the barbs  3  of the long locking hooks  4 , almost in the manner of a pivoting motion, toward the support  1  and is snapped into the support. In this manner, the barbs  3  and  5  allow the circuit board to be fixed at a maximum spacing from the surface of the planar support  1 . However, this alone is not sufficient for fixing the circuit board to the support  1  in a defined manner, such that at least one, particularly several, spring tabs  6  projecting from the face of the support  1  are provided. By applying force to the lower face of the circuit board, these spring tabs  6  press the circuit board upward against the barbs  3  and  5  so that the board “floats” above the face of the support  1  in a defined position. Bending of the spring tabs  6  compensates for loose tolerances, thermal expansion, or movement of the circuit board relative to the support  1  due to vibration. This means that the spring tabs  6  normally press the circuit board against the barbs  3  and  5 , but under the environmental conditions mentioned above the circuit board may also lift away from the barbs  3  and  5 . The process of inserting the circuit board into the support  1  is particularly advantageous because, due to the locking hooks  2  and  4  with their barbs  3  and  5 , a simple centering of the circuit board relative to the support  1  results. Thus, a laborious insertion of the edge of the circuit board into a groove is omitted. The locking hooks  2  (and/or the locking hooks  4  that are structured differently) may also be present on the shorter end edges of the support  1 , although it should be mentioned that the support  1  need not necessarily be elongated as shown in the drawing; it may also have other rectangular shapes (such as shapes with only a slight difference between length and width for example) or even square shapes. As a rule, the outer edges of the support  1  are structured in such a way that they project only slightly past the outer edges of the circuit board to be used (or, optionally, the plurality of circuit boards to be used). 
         [0022]    Moreover, the planar support  1  has at least one cutout, here in particular a plurality of cutouts  7  for holding a contact spring  8 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 1   a  shows a possible structure of the locking hooks  2  and  4  with their associated barbs  3  and  5 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  shows the contact spring  8  formed as a plurality of spring blades. It is mounted in a fixed manner with one end fixed on the support  1  and a free end of the contact spring  8  able to move longitudinally of the contact spring  8  within the cutout  7 , such that it is possible for the contact spring  8  to be pressed very flat without damage. Some of the blades of the contact spring  8  are upwardly arched toward the lower face of the circuit board and some are arched downward toward the vehicle part and come into contact with corresponding contact surfaces such that, after the support  1  has been adhered to the vehicle part, contact is achieved between the contact spring and the contact surface on the vehicle part, while contact between the contact spring  8  and the contact surface on the circuit board occurs when the circuit board is fixed on the support  1 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  shows that, after manufacture, the support has an arcuate or polygonal shape longitudinally, whereby the support  1  can adapt to the shape of the vehicle part. If the vehicle part is planar, then it is enough for the support  1  to also be planar and thus extend parallel to the vehicle part. However, if the vehicle part is not planar, which is particularly often the case in the case of vehicle body plates, but also in the case of other vehicle parts such as, for example, shock absorbers or the like, it is necessary for the shape of the support  1  (and, optionally, the circuit board) to conform to the shape of the vehicle part. To this end, provision has been made according to the invention for the support  1 , after production, to be able to have an arcuate (either concave or convex, depending on the structure of the vehicle part) or even polygonal shape longitudinally. This may be seen in  FIG. 3  (upper view), where the support  1  has been produced using appropriate shaping during the injection-molding process in such a way that it has an arcuate shape. The realization of an arcuate shape has the advantage that the support  1  has the necessary stiffness that is not present in supports are straightened after production and upon installation on the vehicle part. With regard to the realization of an arcuate or polygonal shape of a circuit board  9 , reference is hereby made to German Patent Application DE 103 12 158.7 [US 2006/0238428]. Here, the circuit board  9  is fixed to the support  1  without a housing or extrusion coating. The support  1  is adhered in a fixed manner to the vehicle part (“sticker”). 
         [0026]    When a straight support is not bent correctly until its installation weakening of the material (in particular by stretching or compression of material) may occur, whereby the necessary shape and rigidity is no longer present. It is also particularly advantageous for not only the support  1  to be adaptable to the shape of the vehicle part, but for the circuit board  9  to have an arcuate or polygonal shape as well at the same time, as shown in  FIG. 3 , which also conforms to the shape of the support  1  and thus to the shape of the vehicle part. 
         [0027]    The lower figure in  FIG. 3  shows the circuit board  9  with an additional covering, in particular a housing or a housing shell or an extrusion coating, all made of plastic. 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  shows the installation position of the support  1  where, in addition to the structures that have already been described and shown, a further detail structure is important as well. Thus, provision has been made for the support  1  to have at least one abutment  10 , preferably a plurality of abutments  10  and  11 . These abutments  10  and  11  hold the circuit board  9  at a minimum spacing from the face of the support  1  so that the contact springs cannot be plastically deformed. This means that the circuit board, with or without a housing half shell (extrusion coating), is held between the barbs  3  and  5  and the abutments  10  and  11 , but is able to move in spite of the force of the spring tabs  6  and the force of the contact springs  8 . Moreover, it can be seen in this  FIG. 4  that the contact occurs by means of the contact springs  8  fixed in the support  1 . On one vehicle body panel (in general a dielectric support)  12 , one or more contact surfaces  13  are located that are on the end of antenna conductor structures located in or on the vehicle body panel  12 . These contact surfaces  13  come to rest against the contact springs  8  that are in particular formed as blades and are premounted in the support  1  and are easily pressed together when the support  1  is adhered to the vehicle body panel  12 . The adhesive connection between the support  1  and the vehicle body panel  12  is not shown in  FIG. 4 , but it should be assumed here that this adhesive connection exists. Contact surfaces  13  are also present on the opposite side of the contact springs  8  and located on the lower face of the circuit board  9 . These contact surfaces  13  also come into contact with the contact springs  8  that are in particular formed as blades, such that an electrical contact is made between the antenna conductor structure and the antenna booster after the support  1  has been adhered to the vehicle body panel  12  and the circuit board  9  has been inserted into the support  1  in the manner according to the invention. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  shows a top view of the face of the support  1  from the direction in which the circuit board  9  is mounted. Here, the locking hooks  2  and  4 , which guarantee that the circuit board  9  is fixed on the support  1 , are primarily discernible as well as the spring tabs  6  that press the circuit board  9  against the barbs  3  and  5  of the locking hooks  2  and  4 . The various abutments  10 ,  11 , and  14  that hold the circuit board  9  at as small a spacing as possible from the face of the support  1  after overcoming the spring force of the spring tabs  6 , are also shown. These abutments  10 ,  11 , and  14  are also produced during the injection-molding process and may be provided at various points on the face of the support  1 . In the embodiment according to  FIG. 5 , the abutment  10  is formed as a projecting bump, projecting on the one side toward the lower face of the circuit board  9  to be inserted and, on the other side, toward the freely movable end of the contact spring  8 . In plate form, this abutment  10  has two simultaneous functions, namely an abutment for the circuit board  8  and a guide and fixing mechanism for the freely movable end of the contact spring  8 . The same is true of the abutment  11  that has a greater surface area and is located at the end of the freely movable end of the contact spring  8 . Beneath the abutment  11 , therefore, the freely movable end of the contact spring  8  is able to move in a slot, while the outer end face of the abutment  8  serves to limit the path of the circuit board  9 . Moreover, domed abutments  14  are present that project from the face of the support  1 . These abutments  14  have two functions as well. On the one hand, they serve to limit movement of the circuit board  9  and, on the other hand, they are used to anchor in place the fixed ends of the contact springs  8 , i.e. the domed abutments  14  are also used to fix the contact spring  8  to the support  1 . In addition to the embodiments of the abutments  10 ,  11 , and  14  that have been shown and discussed, abutments with different shapes provided at different points on the support  1  that serve only to limit the path of the circuit board  9  and have no other function are conceivable as well. Thus, projecting abutments of this kind may also be provided in the region of the locking hooks  2  and  4 , the spring tab  6 , the edge regions, the central regions, or the like on the support  1 . In dimensioning the abutments  10 ,  11 , and  14  and/or other abutments, it is important for them to have such a geometric shape and such a number that the circuit board  9  is able to assume its shortest possible spacing from the support virtually evenly over its entire extension in a planar parallel manner to the support  1 . 
         [0030]    While the circuit board  9  is shown only schematically in the figures, in practice it has electrical and electronic components as well as connectors and the like in order to function as an electronic device, in particular an antenna booster of the vehicle. Here, in order to protect the electronic device, the circuit board  9  is provided with protection, either by extrusion coating or by placing the circuit board  9  in a housing, for example. A circuit board with a housing provided in this manner may then be simply placed in the support  1  according to the invention with its locking means and the spring means cooperating therewith, and the spring and locking means must be adapted to the geometric shape of the housing half shell or the extrusion coating. If the circuit board is not protected by a housing before its insertion into the support  1 , then it is conceivable to surround the circuit board  9  with a housing at a later date, to which end the support  1  and/or the circuit board  9  has appropriate fastening means for a retroactively fitted housing. Here, it is conceivable for the retrofit housing to be part of the vehicle part to which the support is fixed or for it to be another, separate vehicle part. 
         [0031]      FIG. 6  shows a structure in which the circuit board  9  has been placed in the support  1  as already described. The support  1  is directly or, as shown in  FIG. 1 , indirectly mounted on the vehicle body panel  12  (or any other electrical vehicle part), for example, via an adhesive layer  15 . Contact between a conductor structure (antenna structure) provided on the vehicle part and the contact surface  13  occurs again by way of the contact spring  8  after the circuit board  9  has been placed in the support  1 . Here, the conductor structure is formed as a backing film  16  carrying electrically conductive layers  17 , the backing film  16  being provided on or at least partially in the vehicle part. The adhesive layer  15  is extends partially between the lower face of the support  1  and the upper face of the vehicle part and may also be present between the lower face of the support  1  and the upper face of the backing film  16  as well as between the lower face of the backing film  16  and the upper face of the vehicle part, although this is not necessary. Alternately or additionally, the backing film  16  and the conductor layers  17  may also serve for signal transmission and power supply for the electronic device. The backing film  16  with the conductor layers  17  may extend past the support  1  or be completely covered by it. 
         [0032]    Finally, it should be mentioned again in general that the system and associated installation process may be used on plates and on any parts of the vehicle body, particularly large parts (roofs and trunk doors, for example). Thus, instead of vehicle body panels, it may be used on any components of a vehicle made of a dielectric non-conductive material (partially or completely). 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 List of Reference Characters 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Support 
               
               
                 2 
                 Locking hook 
               
               
                 3 
                 Barb 
               
               
                 4 
                 Locking hook 
               
               
                 5 
                 Barb 
               
               
                 6 
                 Spring tab 
               
               
                 7 
                 Cutout 
               
               
                 8 
                 Contact spring 
               
               
                 9 
                 Circuit board 
               
               
                 10 
                 Abutment 
               
               
                 11 
                 Abutment 
               
               
                 12 
                 Vehicle body panel 
               
               
                 13 
                 Contact surface 
               
               
                 14 
                 Abutment 
               
               
                 15 
                 Adhesive layer 
               
               
                 16 
                 Backing film 
               
               
                 17 
                 Conductive layer