Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US8014158?dq=2040248
Timestamp: 2014-03-07 20:13:28
Document Index: 183208288

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 2007', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 55', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 55', 'application No. 2007', 'application No. 08', 'application No. 08019771']

Patent US8014158 - Electronic control apparatus - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsIn an electronic control apparatus, a connector mounted on a circuit board accommodated in a casing body constructed with top and bottom casings is partially exposed outside the casing body to be mated with an external connector. A sealant is interposed between the top and bottom casings, between the...http://www.google.com/patents/US8014158?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US8014158 - Electronic control apparatusAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS8014158 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/292,232Publication dateSep 6, 2011Filing dateNov 14, 2008Priority dateNov 15, 2007Also published asEP2061292A1, EP2061292B1, US20090129035Publication number12292232, 292232, US 8014158 B2, US 8014158B2, US-B2-8014158, US8014158 B2, US8014158B2InventorsAkiyoshi KojimaOriginal AssigneeDenso CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (19), Non-Patent Citations (3), Referenced by (5), Classifications (11), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetElectronic control apparatusUS 8014158 B2Abstract In an electronic control apparatus, a connector mounted on a circuit board accommodated in a casing body constructed with top and bottom casings is partially exposed outside the casing body to be mated with an external connector. A sealant is interposed between the top and bottom casings, between the top casing and the connector, and between the bottom casing and the connector. A sealing part of at least one of the top and bottom casings has a substantially rectangular ring shape with rounded four corners. A sealing part of the connector faces two adjacent corners of the rectangular sealing part and one side of the rectangular sealing part directly connecting the two adjacent corners.
the first depth portion is deeper than the second depth portion. Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-297136 filed on Nov. 15, 2007.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electronic control apparatus having a casing, a circuit board accommodated in a water-sealed inner space of the casing, and a connector mounted on the circuit board and partially exposed outside the casing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A waterproof electronic control apparatus has been proposed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,707,678 corresponding to JP 2001-85858. In an electronic control apparatus proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,707,678, a circuit board and a connector mounted on the circuit board are accommodated in an inner space of a casing. The casing is sealed by a sealing material so that the inner space of the casing can be water-sealed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic control apparatus having a reduced size in a longitudinal direction of a connector mounted on a circuit board accommodated in a casing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An electronic control apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to FIGS. 1-18. The electronic control apparatus 10 has a waterproof structure. Therefore, for example, the electronic control apparatus 10 can be suitably applied to a vehicle engine electronic control unit (ECU) installed in a vehicle engine room, which can be exposed to water (moisture).
The casing sealing projection 56 includes a first projection 56 a and a pair of second projections 56 b. The first projection 56 a extends along the flange 53 and has a substantially U-shape with two rounded corners. Each second projection 56 b has a substantially straight shape with a predetermined length. Each second projection 56 b has a width substantially equal to a width of the first projection 56 a. The pair of second projections 56 b are joined to opposite longitudinal ends of the first projection 56 a to face each other. As can be seen from FIG. 5, each second projection 56 b has a height, measured from a surface of the flange 53, less than that of the first projection 56 a. Further, the facing distance between the pair of the second projections 56 b is greater than the facing distance between the opposite longitudinal ends of the first projection 56 a. As described in detail later, the casing sealing projection 56 forms the casing seal 170 in cooperation with a casing sealing recess 76 and a pair of common recesses 78 of a bottom sealing part 75 of the bottom casing 70. The second projection 56 b of the casing sealing projection 56 and a bottom sealing projection 120 (i.e., second projection 120 b) of the connector housing 111 are arranged side by side in each common recess 78 of the bottom casing 70. Thus, the casing seal 170 and the connector bottom seal 172 are arranged side by side as mentioned previously.
In the embodiment, the bottom sealing part 75 is configured as a recess. The bottom sealing part 75 has the casing sealing recess 76, the bottom sealing recess 77, and the pair of common recesses 78. The casing sealing recess 76 forms the casing seal 170 in cooperation with the casing sealing projection 56 of the top casing 50. The bottom sealing recess 77 forms the connector bottom seal 172 in cooperation with the bottom sealing projection 120 (i.e., first projection 120 a) of the connector housing 111. The pair of common recesses 78 form the casing seal 170 and the connector bottom seal 172 in cooperation with the casing sealing projection 56 and the bottom sealing projection 120 (i.e., second projection 120 b). The casing sealing recess 76, the bottom sealing recess 77, and the pair of common recesses 78 are joined together such that the bottom sealing part 75 has the rectangular ring shape.
Specifically, the casing sealing recess 76 of the bottom sealing part 75 forms the casing seal 170 in cooperation with the first projection 56 a of the casing sealing projection 56. The casing sealing recess 76 is formed in the flange 73 and recessed with respect to the flange 73. The casing sealing recess 76 extends along the flange 73 and has a substantially U-shape with two rounded corners. The common recess 78 is formed at each longitudinal end of the casing sealing recess 76. The common recess 78 has a width greater than that of the casing sealing recess 76. One end of the common recess 78 is joined to one end of the casing sealing recess 76. The other end of the casing sealing recess 76 is elongated to the longitudinal end of the flange 73. In such an approach, the second projection 56 b of the top casing 50 and the bottom sealing projection 120 (i.e., second projection 120 b) can be arranged side by side in the common recess 78. As shown in FIGS. 6-8, the common recess 78 has inner and outer portions 78 a, 78 b having different depths (i.e., heights). Specifically, the outer portion 78 b has a depth less than (i.e., height greater than) the inner portion 78 a. The second projection 120 b of the bottom sealing projection 120 is inserted in the inner portion 78 a of the common recess 78. The second projection 56 b of the casing sealing projection 56 is inserted in the outer portion 78 b of the common recess 78.
The casing inside portion 114 is elongated toward the mating portion 113 to provide the bottom sealing extension 115. The bottom sealing extension 115 extends substantially parallel to the bottom casing 70. As shown in FIG. 11, the first projection 120 a of the bottom sealing projection 120 is formed in the bottom sealing extension 115. The first projection 120 a corresponds to (i.e., is received in) the bottom sealing recess 77 of the bottom casing 70. That is, the first projection 120 a has two rounded corners and one side directly connecting the two rounded corners. In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the second projection 120 b of the bottom sealing projection 120 is formed at a lower portion of each longitudinal end of the casing inside portion 114. The second projection 120 b corresponds to (i.e., is received in) the inner portion 78 a of the common recess 78. The second projection 120 b is joined to each rounded corner of the first projection 120 a so that the bottom sealing projection 120 can have the substantially U-shape with the two rounded corners.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, when the top casing 50 and the connector 110 are assembled together, the second projection 56 b of the casing sealing projection 56 and the second projection 120 b of the bottom sealing projection 120 of the connector 110 are arranged side by side to overlap each other in the longitudinal direction of the connector housing 111. Further, the second projection 120 b of the bottom sealing projection 120 of the connector 110 and the first projection 56 a of the casing sealing projection 56 are substantially arranged in a line and joined together.
In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, an outer projection 121 is formed on an outer edge of the bottom sealing extension 115 to surround the first projection 120 a, which is formed on an inner edge of the bottom sealing extension 115. The outer projection 79 of the bottom casing 70 is inserted in a recess formed between the first projection 120 a and the outer projection 121.
Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the circuit board 90, on which the electronic device 91 and the connector 110 are already mounted, is placed in the bottom casing 70 in such a manner than the bottom sealing projection 120 of the connector housing 111 is inserted in a corresponding recess of the bottom sealing part 75 and in contact with the sealing material 130. As a result, the first projection 120 a of the bottom sealing projection 120 is inserted in the bottom sealing recess 77 and in contact with the sealing material 130, and the second projection 120 b of the bottom sealing projection 120 is inserted in the inner portion 78 a of the common recess 78 and in contact with the sealing material 130. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the top sealing recess 119 of the connector housing 111 and the bottom sealing part 75 of the bottom casing 70 are joined together at each common recess 78 of the bottom sealing part 75.
Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the sealing material 130 is applied to the top sealing recess 119. Thus, the sealing material 130 for forming the casing seal 170 is joined to the sealing material 130 for forming the connector top seal 171 and the sealing material 130 for forming the connector bottom seal 172 at each longitudinal end of the connector housing 111. Then, the top casing 50 is attached to the bottom casing 70 in such a manner that the first projection 56 a of the casing sealing projection 56 is inserted in the casing sealing recess 76 and in contact with the sealing material 130, and that the second projection 56 b of the casing sealing projection 56 is inserted in the outer portion 78 b of the common recess 78 and in contact with the sealing material 130. Finally, the top and bottom casings 50, 70 are fixed together by inserting the screw 150 in the screw holes 60, 80. Thus, the assembly of the electronic control apparatus 10 is completed.
In the assembled electronic control apparatus 10, the casing sealing projection 56 on the flange 53 of the top casing 50 is inserted in the casing sealing recess 76 and the common recess 78 (i.e., outer portion 78 b). The casing sealing projection 56 is buried in the sealing material 130 in the casing sealing recess 76 and the common recess 78 (i.e., outer portion 78 b). Thus, the casing seal 170 shown in FIG. 4 is formed by the casing sealing projection 56, the casing sealing recess 76, the common recess 78, and the sealing material 130 interposed therebetween. Further, the top sealing projection 57 on the connector opening edge 54 of the top casing 50 is inserted in the top sealing recess 119 of the connector housing 111. The top sealing projection 57 is buried in the sealing material 130 in the top sealing recess 119. Thus, the connector top seal 171 shown in FIG. 4 is formed by the top sealing projection 57, the top sealing recess 119, and the sealing material 130 interposed therebetween. Furthermore, the bottom sealing projection 120 (i.e., first projection 120 a) of the connector housing 111 is inserted in the bottom sealing recess 77 on the connector opening edge 74 of the bottom casing 70. The bottom sealing projection 120 is buried in the sealing material 130 in the bottom sealing recess 77. Thus, the connector bottom seal 172 shown in FIG. 4 is formed by the bottom sealing projection 120, the bottom sealing recess 77, and the sealing material 130 interposed therebetween. In this way, the inner space of the casing body 30 is water-sealed by the seals 170-172. Further, in the embodiment, the bottom sealing projection 120 (i.e., second projection 120 b) of the connector housing 111 is inserted in the common recess 78 on the flange 73 of the bottom casing 70. As a result, the connector bottom seal 172 is elongated beyond a joint with the connector top seal 171 in a direction opposite to the connector 110 side. Thus, the casing seal 170 and the connector bottom seal 172 are arranged side by side over a predetermined length to overlap each other in the longitudinal direction of the connector housing 111.
According to the embodiment, the bottom sealing projection 120 (i.e., the first projection 120 a) of the connector housing 111 is shaped to follow the bottom sealing recess 77, which provides two adjacent rounded corners of the rectangular-ring-shaped bottom sealing part 75 and one side of the bottom sealing part 75 directly connecting the two adjacent rounded corners. That is, the bottom sealing projection 120 of the connector housing 111 has a substantially U-shape corresponding to the one side and the two adjacent corners of the bottom sealing part 75 of the bottom casing 70. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, the connector bottom seal 172 seals two adjacent corners of the bottom casing 70 and one side of the bottom casing 70 directly connecting the two adjacent corners. In such an approach, the length of the bottom casing 70 can be almost equal to the length of the connector 110. The size of the electronic control apparatus 10 in the longitudinal direction of the connector 110 can be reduced accordingly.
According to the embodiment, the bottom sealing part 75 of the bottom casing 70 has the rectangular ring shape. The connector housing 111 has the top sealing recess 119, which faces the top sealing part 55 of the top casing 50 to form the connector top seal 171. The connector housing 111 further has the bottom sealing projection 120, which faces the bottom sealing part 75 to form the connector bottom seal 172. The first projection 120 a of the bottom sealing projection 120 is located closer to the mating portion 113 of the connector housing 111 than the top sealing recess 119 in the mating direction of the connector 110. That is, the first projection 120 a is located ahead of the top sealing recess 119 in the direction from inside to outside of the casing body 30 via the connector opening. The casing seal 170, the connector top seal 171, and the connector bottom seal 172 are joined together at each longitudinal end of the connector housing 111 to form the three-way joint like the T-shaped joint.
As described above, according to the embodiment, the bottom sealing part 75 of the bottom casing 70 has the rectangular ring shape. Alternatively, instead of the bottom sealing part 75, the top sealing part 55 can have the rectangular ring shape. In this case, the top sealing recess 119 is located closer to the mating portion 113 of the connector housing 111 than the first projection 120 a of the bottom sealing projection 120 in the mating direction of the connector 110.
According to the embodiment, as clearly shown in FIG. 18, the second projection 56 b of the casing sealing projection 56 and the second projection 120 b of the bottom sealing projection 120 of the connector housing 111 are inserted in the common recess 78 and arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the connector housing 111. Thus, the casing seal 170 and the connector bottom seal 172 are arranged side by side over a predetermined length. In such an approach, even when manufacturing variations occur, it can be ensured that the inner space of the casing body 30 is water-sealed. Further, the length of a leak path 151 at the three-way joint can be increased. The leak path 151 is indicated by a dot-dash-line of FIG. 18 and represents a path through which water can enter the inner space of the casing body 30. Therefore, the inner space of the casing body 30 can be surely water-sealed.
According to the embodiment, as clearly shown in FIG. 18, the common recess 78 has inner and outer portions 78 a, 78 b having different depths. The second projection 120 b is inserted in the inner portion 78 a, and the second projection 56 b is inserted in the outer portion 78 b. In such an approach, the leak path 151 is increased so that the inner space of the casing body 30 can be surely water-sealed.
According to the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 13, the outer projection 121 is formed on the outer edge of the bottom sealing extension 115 to surround the first projection 120 a, which is formed on the inner edge of the bottom sealing extension 115. The outer projection 79 of the bottom casing 70 is inserted in the recess formed between the first projection 120 a and the outer projection 121. That is, a combination of a projection and a recess is located outside the first projection 120 a, which forms the connector bottom seal 172. In such an approach, even if the sealing material 130 applied to the first projection 120 a is too much, the combination of the projection and the recess prevents the connector bottom seal 172 from being exposed outside the casing body 30. Further, the leak path is increased by the combination of the projection and the recess. Such a combination of a projection and a recess can be used to prevent the casing seal 170 and the connector top seal 171 from being exposed outside the casing body 30.
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