Abstract:
A DC to DC converter having a flange attached to the housing. The flange configured to electrically isolate, insulate and shield the DC to DC converter from an underlying circuit board. The flange may be further configured to meet creepage distances and air clearances required by various regulatory and certification agencies.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to converters and more particularly to DC to DC converters providing increased creepage and air-clearance distances. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventional DC to DC converters are used in commercial electronic devices to change a first DC voltage into a second DC voltage with minimal loss in power. A variety of electronic devices rely on DC to DC converters, including but not limited to electronically controlled medical devices, telecommunications devices, portable computers, and cameras. Typically, the DC to DC converters require particular clearances, spacing and shielding to meet the requirements of the particular applications. In applications such as ECG&#39;s, there is commonly a requirement that the patient connection be isolated from the remainder of the electronics. The shielding prevents electrical noise from interfering with the circuit&#39;s function. The clearances and spacing establish the appropriate creepage distances and air clearances as required for the particular application. These creepage distance and air clearance requirements are typically driven by the various industries&#39; safety standards. In order to meet these requirements, circuit boards are typically configured with void spaces to permit a sufficient distance between the components. The void spaces reduce the circuit density for the particular application and increase the size of the electrical device. Therefore, a need exists for a DC to DC converter that maintains the appropriate clearances and spacing without reducing circuit density or increasing the size of the component. 
     The present invention meets the above needs and provides additional advantages and improvements that will be evident to those skilled in the art upon review of the following description and figures. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a DC to DC converter having improved isolation, insulation and shielding. The present invention includes a DC to DC converter as typically used in a variety of electronics applications and a housing which including a flange. The housing may be configured to provide shielding from electromagnetic interference. The housing may be wholly or in part composed of a metal to shield the circuit board from electrical noise. When composed of a metal, the metal is typically electrically connected to the non-isolated side. The flange may be configured to provide the necessary creepage and air clearances, as required by the particular industries. The flange may be composed of an insulating material. The flange is typically attached to a bottom side of the housing wherein the flange may be integral with the housing or a separate component attached to the housing. The flange may extend around a portion of the housing&#39;s periphery or extend around the housing&#39;s entire periphery. The housing may further include base plate which is typically attached to the bottom side of the housing. The base plate may be composed of an electrically insulating material. The base plate may cover a portion or all of the housing&#39;s bottom. The flange may be attached to the housing via the base plate. That is, the flange is integral with or attached to the base plate and the base plate is attached to the housing. In addition, the bottom side of the housing or the base plate may include at least one spacer to allow the proper spacing of the converter from the circuit board during manufacture. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a DC to DC converter in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a DC to DC converter including a circumferential flange; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of a DC to DC converter including a spacer attached to the base; and 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a cross sectional partial side view of an alternative embodiment of the flange. 
     FIG. 5A illustrates the spacing required for appropriate creepage and clearance distances by prior art DC to DC converters; and 
     FIG. 5B illustrates the spacing required for appropriate creepage and clearance distances using a DC to DC converter in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is described in the context of a medical device designed for recording ECG&#39;s. The disclosure is in no way intended to limit the scope of the present invention to medical devices. Those skilled in the art will recognize the present invention may be applied in a variety of applications and in a variety of power supply configurations in order to satisfy diverse creepage, clearance, isolation, insulating and shielding requirements in a variety of electronics industries. 
     For purposes of the following disclosure air clearance is defined as the shortest path in air between two conductive parts and creepage distance is defined as the shortest path along the surface of an insulating material between two conductive parts. 
     FIG. 1 shows a DC to DC converter  12  in accordance with the present invention mounted on a printed circuit board  10 . Printed circuit board  10  typically includes an isolated electronics region  20  and a general electronics region  22  separated by an isolation space  21 . Isolation space  21  is typically configured to satisfy air clearance and creepage distance requirements between general electronics region  22  and isolated electronics region  20 . 
     DC to DC converter  12  includes a housing  14 , and a flange  18 . In addition, DC to DC converter  12  may include a base plate  16 . Housing  14  is typically configured to house the electronic elements of DC to DC converter  12 . Housing  14  is typically composed of a metal or a plastic. When composed of a metal, housing  14  may also shields other components from electrical noise by minimizing the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the converter. Base plate  16  is typically made of an electrically insulating material and may be integral with flange  18 , housing  14 , or both the flange and housing. Base plate  16  typically covers at least a portion the bottom of the converter&#39;s housing and in part electrically isolates the converter from underlying printed circuit board  10 . 
     Base plate  16  may further include at least one spacer  40 , shown in FIG. 3, on the base plate&#39;s underside. Spacers  40  are directed toward the printed circuit board and are sized to properly space the converter from printed circuit board  10  during assembly. Spacers  40  hold the converter above the printed circuit board at a predetermined distance  42  after connector pins  44  are inserted into the printed circuit board during manufacture. 
     Flange  18  typically extends laterally beyond the housing in order to create a creepage distance and air clearance distance great enough to conform to the relevant safety requirements. In DC to DC converters having base plates, flange  18  may be integral with base plate  16 . Flange  18  typically extends around the bottom of the housing. Flange  18  may extend circumferentially around housing  14 , as shown in FIG. 2, or may extend around only a portion of the housing&#39;s circumference, as shown in FIG.  1 . Flange  18  is typically positioned to be coplanar with the side of the housing to be placed adjacent to printed circuit board  10 . Although, as shown in FIG. 4, the whole flange  18  or a portion of flange  18  may be angled upward relative to the circuit board. Base plate  16  and flange  18  may be integral with one another in that they may be formed as a single unit and attached to the bottom of the housing; they may be formed from different materials, attached to one another and then attached to the bottom of the housing; or they may be separately attached to the housing. Flange  18  is typically composed of an insulating material. 
     In use, a DC to DC converter of the present invention allows an increase in circuit density, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. FIG. 5A shows a top view of a printed circuit board having a prior art DC to DC converter  13 . In the prior art, isolation space  21  had to be extended in the area adjacent to DC to DC converter  13  to accommodate the required creepage and air clearance distances to isolated electronic region  20 . Further, any traces from DC to DC converter  13  to isolated electronics region  20  typically have to be buried in circuit board  10  to meet the creepage and clearance distances. These requirements create a void region  50  on which no circuitry may be printed, thus reducing the circuit density for the circuit board. FIG. 5B shows a top view of a printed circuit board having a DC to DC converter  12  in accordance with the present invention. Flange  18 , not shown, extends around the periphery of the housing at least on the side adjacent to isolated electronics region  20 . Flange  18  is typically configured to extend the creepage and air clearance distances so that they meet the requirements for the particular industry of application. Flange  18  thus allows the elimination of void region  50 . This provides additional space for the printing of circuits and increases circuit density.