Patent Publication Number: US-2005117314-A1

Title: Assembly structure for hiding electronic components

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to an assembly structure for hiding electronic components, especially to the assembly structure of electronic components and PCBs being broadly applied to motherboard, displaying card, sound card, network card or other PCBs with additional functions.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      There are some electronic circuits on a PCB, and some specific electronic components are welded on the PCB for special functions, hence this is the assembly for traditional PCBs and electronic components (IC chip, resistance, capacitance or LED, etc.), such as PCBs for motherboard, displaying card, memory card, network card, mobile phone and other PCBs with additional functions. The present electronic products tending to be small volumes, lightweights and multiple functions is an important issue, therefore how to integrally and effectively utilize PCB space to layout more or multiple electronic components becomes a challenge for IC designer.  
      Additionally the prior PCBs have a plurality of types of welded electronic components thereon and cannot suitably hide some electronic components with specific technologies. Competitors are able to recognize those electronic components with specific technologies from layout surfaces of the PCBs very easily, and improper ways to gain confidential technologies and imitation may then be derived. As it can be seen, the exposed assembly structures for the electronic components and PCBs are not able to fully employ their spaces thereon and protect specific technologies.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an assembly structure for hiding electronic components, especially the structure is broadly applied to the multiple types of PCBs and electronic components for effectively employing the PCBs&#39; spaces to reduce volumes and hiding the electronic components with specific technologies.  
      According to above objective, the present invention adopts that setting at least one containing hole structure with ladder or opening shape penetrating through a PCB or sunken shape, and laying out electronic circuits aside of the containing hole, then at least one electronic component is contained in the containing hole, and two legs of the electronic component are able to extend to a surface of the PCB for welding. The assembly structure may then hide electronic components to further save the PCBs&#39; spaces; more, while other components are arranged above the containing hole, a purpose to disguise those components with specific technologies is achieved. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a 3-D sketch of the present invention applied on a PCB;  
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the present invention applied on a PCB;  
       FIG. 3  is a sketch of plural electronic components arranged side by side of containing holes of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a sketch of plural electronic components stacked up in containing holes of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a sketch of a preferred embodiment of a welding point with through hole of the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a sketch of a preferred embodiment of a welding point without through hole of the present invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a sketch of a PCB with a hollow containing hole of the present invention;  
       FIG. 8  is a sketch of double surfaces with hollow containing holes of a PCB of the present invention;  
       FIG. 9  is a sketch of a preferred embodiment of a penetrating containing hole with ladder shape;  
       FIG. 10  is a sketch of a preferred embodiment of a hollow containing hole with ladder shape. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Please refer to  FIG. 1 . The present invention is to design an assembly structure for hiding electronic components; the assembly structure can be broadly applied onto a plurality of types of PCBs of motherboard, displaying card, memory card, network card, mobile phone and others with specific technologies. The embodiment is as following:  
      According to specific functions of circuits as aforesaid motherboard, memory card, etc. or space need, to set and penetrate at least one containing hole  11  (refer to  FIG. 2 ) on a certain position of a PCB  1 , and the containing hole  11  is shaped as a rectangular or other needed figures, a plurality of welding points  12  (refer to  FIG. 5 ) of circuits (probably printed circuits) are made on a side or a side edge of the containing hole  11 ; the containing hole  11  has at least one electronic component  2  for containing to let legs  21  of the electronic component  2  (IC chip, resistance, capacitance or LED, etc.) elongate to a surface of the PCB  1  for welding so as to construct the assembly structure of the present invention; due to the leg  21  being suitably folded (a plurality of legs of two sides of IC chip), the only necessary procedure to weld the assembly structure mentioned above is to reversely insert the electronic component into the containing hole  11  of the PCB  1  to assemble the structure of the present invention.  
      Please refer to  FIG. 3 . The containing hole  11  is able to reserve at least one electronic component  2 , and the embodiments comprise: a structure for welding at least two electronic components  2  arranged side by side in the containing hole  11 ; having circuits on two surfaces of predetermined side edges around the containing holes  11  for two electronic components stacked up in the containing hole  11  (shown as  FIG. 4 ) and extending the legs  21  to the two surfaces for welding, hence it is to approach the purpose of fully employing the PCB spaces.  
      Please refer to  FIG. 5 . The welding points  12  can be further added through holes  13  so as to that the electronic components  12  being sunken into the containing holes  11  and the legs  21  being planted into the through holes  13  to connect to the welding points  12  for welding; on the other hand, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the welding points  12 ′ are defined as connecting points between circuits of PCBs and themselves, that is, the embodiment is without through holes  13 , however, the embodiment provides that the electronic components  2  are sunken into the containing hole  11  as well, and the legs  21  and the welding points  12 ′ are connected each other on the surface. Referring to  FIG. 7 , the scope of the structure of the containing hole  11  is not limited by the PCB  1  with through holes; the containing hole  11  can be a sunken figure arranged on a surface of the PCB  1  or two surfaces of the PCB  1  with different positions, shown as in  FIG. 8 , therefore the structure to provide the electronic component  2  sunken for assembling is complete.  
      Due to the electronic components  2  being sunken into the PCB  1 , other electronic components with big volumes as processor chip, memory chip, connector, etc. can be covered on the containing holes  11  for inserting or welding connection, shown as in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . It is to not only save the space, but also hiding the specific means for the electronic components  2  to avoid imitation.  
      Referring to  FIG. 9 , the containing hole  11  can be as a vertical penetrating through hole or a hollow hole on the PCB  1  for sinking the electronic component  2 , and further that a ladder shape of the through containing hole  11 ′ is applied to the multi-layer PCB  1 ′, or a ladder shape of the sunken containing hole  11 ′ being as well, shown as in  FIG. 10 . By means of the embodiment, the plurality of tiny electronic components  2  are sunken and assembled in each layer of the containing hole  11 ′ individually and electrically connected to circuits of each layer so as to save spaces and keep confidential information.  
      Based on the preferred embodiments mentioned, the tendency of the current PCB may be smaller in volume to match with the present electrical products with small volumes and lightweights. As a conclusion, to employ spaces under the bigger elements  3  to have the containing hole  11  are able to hide other smaller electronic components  2  for welding, therefore the exposed configurations of mounting electronic components on a PCB side by side in prior arts can be avoided. Obviously, it is known that the present invention further employs the PCB spaces and narrows the PCB volumes to conceal the confidential theory of the technologies for preventing imitation.  
      While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.