Patent Publication Number: US-2021166852-A1

Title: Combination solenoid apparatus and printed circuit board, and associated method

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Field 
     The disclosed and claimed concept relates generally to electrical equipment and, more particularly, to a combination that includes a printed circuit board and a solenoid apparatus. 
     Background 
     Solenoids are electrical devices that are used in a variety of applications. Solenoids typically each include a coil that is mounted upon some type of a frame or support, or the coil can have a coating applied thereto that serves as the support. The support of a solenoid can be formed of any of a wide variety of materials. 
     In some applications, a solenoid is mounted on a printed circuit board and is electrically connected therewith. Difficulty has occasionally been encountered in situations where the frame is formed of an electrically conductive material, such as metal or other such material, inasmuch as the frame can become electrically connected with certain of the electrically conductive components of the printed circuit board. This problem is exacerbated in the region where the electrical connectors of the coil are soldered to the conductive structures on the printed circuit board, especially if this is in the vicinity of an electrically conductive frame. 
     Sometimes a solenoid has been mounted on an electrically conductive frame that includes a depending structure that is situated in the vicinity of one of the electrical connectors of the coil. Such a geometry can be been particularly troublesome because great difficulty is typically experienced in soldering the electrical connector without also soldering the depending structure at the same time. Permitting a portion of a frame to be electrically connected with a portion of a printed circuit board is undesirable because it can result in the frame being electrified and can cause other problems. Improvements thus would be desirable. 
     SUMMARY 
     An improved solenoid apparatus is combined with a printed circuit board to form an improved combination of structures. The solenoid apparatus includes a solenoid that is situated on a frame that is formed from an electrically nonconductive material. In another embodiment, a frame of a solenoid apparatus is modified to remove a dependent structure in order to avoid a frame from being soldered together with an electrical connector of a solenoid. In a third embodiment, a solenoid apparatus includes a frame having a protuberance that is situated at a location spaced equally from each of a pair of electrical connectors of the coil. In a fourth embodiment, a solenoid apparatus includes a frame with a protruding structure, but the protruding structure is spaced from a circuit board and thus does not become electrically connected therewith. 
     Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide an improved combination that includes an improved solenoid apparatus and a printed circuit board wherein the solenoid apparatus includes a frame that is electrically disconnected from the printed circuit board. 
     Another aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide an improved method of avoiding a frame of a solenoid apparatus from becoming electrically connected with a printed circuit board with which a solenoid of the solenoid apparatus is electrically connected. 
     As such, an aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide an improved combination that can be generally stated as including a solenoid apparatus that can be generally stated as including a solenoid and a frame, the solenoid can be generally stated as including a coil situated on the frame and a pair of electrical connectors that are electrically connected with the coil, the pair of electrical connectors being situated adjacent the frame and protruding beyond an edge of the frame, and a printed circuit board having a number of conductive elements, the pair of electrical connectors being electrically connected with at least a portion of the number of conductive elements, the frame being electrically disconnected from the number of conductive elements. 
     Another aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide an improved method of avoiding a frame of a solenoid apparatus from becoming electrically connected with a printed circuit board having a number of conductive elements. The solenoid apparatus can be generally stated as including a solenoid and a frame. The solenoid can be generally stated as including a coil situated on the frame and a pair of electrical connectors that are electrically connected with the coil, the pair of electrical connectors being situated adjacent the frame and protruding beyond an edge of the frame, the pair of electrical connectors being electrically connected with at least a portion of the number of conductive elements. The method can be generally stated as including performing at least one of: i) prior to electrically connecting the pair of electrical connectors with the at least portion of the number of conductive elements, removing from the edge a protuberant structure that is situated adjacent an electrical connector of the pair of electrical connectors, ii) providing the frame with a protuberance situated on the edge and spaced substantially equally from each of the electrical connectors of the pair of electrical connectors, iii) forming the frame out of an electrically insulative material, and iv) configuring the frame to have a protruding structure situated on the edge, with the edge and the protruding structure being spaced from the printed circuit board when the pair of electrical connectors are electrically connected with the at least portion of the number of conductive elements. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A further understanding of the disclosed and claimed concept will be gained from the following Description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is perspective view of an improved solenoid apparatus; 
         FIG. 2  is an end view of the solenoid apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a view of an improved combination demonstrating the solenoid apparatus of  FIG. 1  being assembled to a printed circuit board; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the combination of  FIG. 3 , partially cut away; 
         FIG. 5  is a view of an improved combination in accordance with a second embodiment of the disclosed and claimed concept; 
         FIG. 6  is a view of an improved combination in accordance with a third embodiment of the disclosed and claimed concept; 
         FIG. 7  is a view of an improved combination in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the disclosed and claimed concept; and 
         FIG. 8  is a side view, partially cut away, of the fourth embodiment. 
     
    
    
     Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the specification. 
     DESCRIPTION 
     An improved solenoid apparatus  8  in accordance with the disclosed and claimed concept is depicted in  FIGS. 1-4 . The solenoid apparatus  8  is a part of an improved combination  4  that is in accordance with the disclosed and claimed concept and that is depicted in  FIGS. 3 and 4  and that will be discussed in greater detail elsewhere herein. The combination  4  includes, in addition to the solenoid apparatus  8 , a printed circuit board  36  such as is depicted in  FIG. 3 . The solenoid apparatus  8  is advantageously configured to avoid unintended electrical connection between it and the printed circuit board  36 . 
     The solenoid apparatus  8  can be said to include a solenoid  12  and a frame  16 , with the solenoid  12  being situated on the frame  16 . The frame is formed of an electrically nonconductive material, i.e., an electrically insulative material, such as plastic, glass-filled resin, or any of a variety of other nonconductive materials. 
     The solenoid  12  includes a coil  20  and a pair of electrical connectors  24 A and  24 B (which may be collectively or individually referred to herein with the numeral  24 ) that are electrically connected with the coil  20 . The frame  16  has an elongated edge  28 , and the electrical connectors  24  protrude beyond the edge  28 , as can be seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the printed circuit board  36  includes a plurality of conductive elements that are indicated generally at the numeral  40 , and two particular ones of which are indicated at the numerals  40 A and  40 B. The printed circuit board  36  additionally includes a number of openings formed therein, one of which is indicated at the numeral  44  and which is situated adjacent the conductive element  40 B. 
     As can be understood from  FIGS. 1-4 , the frame  16  includes a lug  32  that protrudes outwardly therefrom beyond the edge  28 . When the solenoid apparatus  8  is mounted to the printed circuit board  36 , the electrical connector  24 A is received in the conductive element  40 A (which is in the form of a receptacle), the electrical connector  24 B is received in the conductive element  40 B (which is likewise in the form of a receptacle), and the lug  32  is received in the opening  44 . In performing the installation, the electrical connector  24 A and the conductive element  40 A are soldered together, and the electrical connector  24 B and the conductive element  40 B are likewise soldered together. For the sake of completeness, it is noted that other methodologies may be employed to electrically connect the electrical connectors  24  with the conductive elements  40 . The portions of the electrical connectors  24  that protrude beyond the printed circuit board  36  are then trimmed to result in the assembly as indicated in  FIG. 4 . 
     Notably, since the frame  16  and thus the lug  32  are formed of an electrically insulative and non-conductive material, the proximity of the lug  32  to the conductive element  40 B when the combination  4  is assembled will not result in the frame  16  being electrified. The lug  32  can even be affixed in the opening  44  such as through the use of adhesives or other materials, and the lug  32  thus can physically affix the frame  16  to the printed circuit board  36  to provide additional support for the solenoid  12 . Nevertheless, the frame  16  advantageously is not electrified because the frame  16  is formed on an electrically insulative material. 
     An improved combination  104  in accordance with a second embodiment of the disclosed and claimed concept is depicted in  FIG. 5  as including an improved solenoid apparatus  108  and a printed circuit board  136 . The solenoid apparatus  108  is different from the solenoid apparatus  8  because the solenoid apparatus  108  includes a frame  116  that is formed of an electrically conductive material. The frame  116  is manufactured with an edge  128  and a protuberant structure  132 , but the protuberant structure  132  is removed from the frame  116 , such as by cutting or other appropriate methodology. 
     The solenoid apparatus  108  further includes a solenoid  112  having a coil  120  and a pair of electrical connectors  124 A and  124 B that are electrically connected with a pair of conductive openings  140 A and  140 B of a printed circuit board  136 . Since the protuberant structure  132  is removed from the frame  116  prior to the solenoid apparatus  108  being mounted to the printed circuit board  136  to form the combination  104 , the printed circuit board  136  need not have an opening formed therein to receive the protuberant structure  132 . Since the edge  128  of the frame  116  may be situated closely adjacent the printed circuit board  136  after the combination  104  is formed, it may be desirable to configure the printed circuit board  136  such that no conductive elements underlie the edge  128  or, potentially, to slightly space the edge  128  from the printed circuit board  136 . In the combination  104 , the frame  116  is advantageously not electrified because the protuberant structure  132  which might have been electrically connected with the conductive element  140 B has been removed from the frame  116  prior to assembly of the combination  104 . 
     An improved combination  204  in accordance with a third embodiment of the disclosed and claimed concept is depicted generally in  FIG. 6 . The combination  204  includes a solenoid apparatus  208  and a printed circuit board  236 . The solenoid apparatus  208  includes a solenoid  212  situated on a frame  216 , with the solenoid  212  including a coil  220  and a pair of electrical connectors  224 A and  224 B. 
     As can be understood from  FIG. 6 , the frame  216  has an edge  228  and further has a protuberance  232  that protrudes from the edge  228 . It is noted, however, that the protuberance  232  is configured to be situated such that it is spaced a substantially equal distance from both of the electrical connectors  224 A and  224 B. 
     The printed circuit board  236  includes a pair of conductive elements  240 A and  240 B that are electrically connected with the electrical connectors  224 A and  224 B, respectively. The printed circuit board  236  further has an opening  244  formed therein that is spaced equally from the conductive elements  240 A and  240 B. 
     The frame  216  may be formed of an electrically conductive material such as metal, or it may alternatively be formed of an electrically nonconductive material. Regardless, the frame  216  is electrically disconnected with the printed circuit board  236  inasmuch as the protuberance  232  is spaced equally from the electrical connectors  224 A and  224 B as well as from the conductive elements  240 A and  240 B. As such, when the solenoid apparatus  208  is received on the printed circuit board  236 , the electrical connectors  224 A and  224 B are received in the conductive elements  240 A and  240 B, respectively, and the protuberance  232  is received in the opening  244 . 
     The electrical connector  224 A and the conductive element  240 A can be electrically connected together, and the electrical connector  224 B and the conductive element  240 B can likewise be electrically connected together, such as by soldering or other methodology, without a meaningful risk of the protuberance  232  becoming electrically connected with either of the conductive elements  240 A and  240 B since it is spaced equally from each. The protuberance  232  can be affixed in the opening  244 , such as with the use of adhesives or some other appropriate affixing methodology, thereby enabling the printed circuit board  236  to provide physical support to the frame  216  and thus to the solenoid  212 , which is advantageous, without a meaningful concern of the frame  216  becoming electrified. 
     An improved combination  304  in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the disclosed and claimed concept is depicted generally in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . The combination  304  includes a solenoid apparatus  308  and a printed circuit board  336 . The solenoid apparatus  308  includes a solenoid  312  and a frame  316 , with the solenoid  312  being situated on the frame  316  and including a coil  320  and a pair of electrical connectors  324 A and  324 B that are electrically connected with the coil  320 . The frame  316  is formed of an electrically conductive material, such as metal or other such material, and is configured to include an edge  328  and further include a protruding structure  332  that protrudes from the edge  328 . It is noted, however, that the edge  328  is positioned such that the free end of the protruding structure  332  is spaced from the printed circuit board  336  and is thus also spaced from a pair of conductive elements  340 A and  340 B of the printed circuit board  336  when the solenoid apparatus  338  is mounted thereon. As such, no opening needs to be formed in the printed circuit board  336  for the reception of the protruding structure  332  inasmuch as the protruding structure  332  is spaced from the printed circuit board  336 . 
     As such, even though the frame  316  may be formed of an electrically conductive material, the frame  316  is electrically isolated from the printed circuit board  336  by virtue of the frame  316  and the protruding structure  332  being spaced from the printed circuit board  336 , thus effectively electrically insulating the printed circuit board  336  and the frame  316  from one another. The solenoid  312  and its coil  320  can thus be electrically connected with the printed circuit board  336  without the frame  316  additionally becoming electrically connected with the printed circuit board  336 . 
     It thus can be seen that the combinations  4 ,  104 ,  204 , and  304  are each advantageously configured to avoid having the frame  16 ,  116 ,  216 , and  316 , respectively, become electrically connected with the printed circuit board  36 ,  136 ,  236 , and  336 , respectively. Avoiding such electrification of the frames is highly desirable for the reasons set forth elsewhere herein. 
     Also disclosed is an improved method of avoiding the frame  16 ,  116 ,  216 , and  316  from becoming electrically connected with the printed circuit board  36 ,  136 ,  236 , and  336 . The method includes any one or more of i) prior to electrically connecting the pair of electrical connectors with the conductive elements, removing a protuberant structure from an edge of a frame that is electrically conductive, ii) providing a frame with a protuberance situated on the edge and spaced substantially equally from the electrical connectors, iii) forming the frame out of an electrically insulative material, and iv) configuring the frame to have a protruding structure, but configuring the frame such that the protruding structure is spaced from the printed circuit board. Other variations will be apparent. 
     While specific embodiments of the disclosed concept have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the disclosed concept which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.