Patent Application
20240334654
This application claims priority to EP 23 166 022 filed Mar. 31, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
The present disclosure relates to an adapter for an upgradable electronic control unit, in particular an adapter providing a thermal and mechanical contact between a printed circuit board and a housing of an upgradable unit. The present disclosure is particularly relevant to adapters for units in a vehicle that have upgradable electronic components.
Electronic control units (ECUs) are provided to house electrical components and to provide electric connections between the components and/or wires in many fields. ECUs may be used in a variety of devices, machines, and vehicles (e.g. automobiles, ships, and aircraft).
ECUs typically comprise a printed circuit board (PCB) supporting one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips with a particular layout. However, over the lifetime of the unit, the IC chip on the PCB may need to be exchanged to provide upgrades to the electronics unit, or to change components on the PCB. A new layout of IC chips on a PCB may require a replacement of the whole electronics unit which leads to additional costs and increased material usage. It is also well known that electronic components on the PCB may generate heat in use and so any heat sink structures need to be maintained after the upgrade is performed.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide an upgradable unit by which the aforementioned problems are overcome. In particular, an upgradable unit that does not require complete replacement when components within the unit are changed and/or upgraded.
The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
In light of the above, the present invention seeks to propose an improvement, particularly a replaceable heat transfer device that enables the substitution and/or upgrade of electronic components within the housing of an electronic control unit, thereby minimizing material usage and reducing costs associated with manufacturing complete units. The heat transfer device is referred to herein as a “removable adapter” and is understood to function as any suitably formed block or plate of heat conductive material which can contact and provide a bridge for heat transfer between an electronic component on a PCB and the internal wall of a housing, which further functions to dissipate heat from the electronic components which generate heat in use.
A first aspect of the invention is outlined according to claim 1 of the appended claims. Broadly, a removable adapter for a housing of an upgradable electronic control unit, comprising a body forming a top surface and a base surface. The base surface of the body configured to contact the housing, and the top surface of the body comprising one or more pedestals configured for contacting one or more electronic components of a PCB.
In this way, the adapter is configured to be removable from an ECU, along with a corresponding PCB, so that the ECU can be upgraded, or at least replaced (e.g. for repair), with a new PCB and its electronic functions. The adapter provides an interface between the PCB and a wall of the ECU housing that functions as a bridge for heat transfer, so that the heat dissipating function of the housing or an associated heat sink can be maintained.
The term “pedestal” used herein refers to a part of the removable adapter that protrudes out from the top surface. For example, the term “pedestal” can be used interchangeably with terms column, plinth, platform, or support.
In one form, each of the one or more pedestals comprise a contact surface. The contact surface being defined by an area and located at a height above the top surface (i.e., the height of the pedestal from the top surface of the body). In this way, the contact surface can be configured to contact a surface of an electronic component that, in use, will generate heat.
In one form, at least two of the contact surfaces of the one or more pedestals have an area and/or height that is different. In an alternate form, at least two of the contact surfaces of the one or more pedestals have an area and/or height that is the same. A contact surface may, in practice, span more than one PCB components if they are of the same height from the board.
In one form, the body further comprises a securing means for coupling the body to the housing. The securing means can be a hole configured to receive a fastener. In this way, the adapter is securable to the housing and/or PCB so that a heat bridge is maintained.
In one form, the base surface comprises one or more locating pins. A pin is able to simplify locating the adapter upon a surface of the housing, i.e. an interface surface.
In a further aspect, the body housing is formed of a heat conductive material, such as a metallic alloy. The body can be manufactured from an aluminium alloy and can be die-cast. In this way, the adapter is heat conducting and may be formed by an efficient process. In practice, a large number of adapters may be produced to correspond with a PCB upgrade program for an ECU.
A second aspect of the invention is outlined according to claim 11 of the appended claims. Broadly, an upgradable electronic control unit comprising a removable adapter, being of any configuration as described herein. The upgradable electronic control unit further comprising a housing. The housing comprising an interface configured to receive the removable adapter. The upgradable electronic control unit further comprising a printed circuit board supporting one or more integrated circuit chips, wherein the one or more pedestals of the removable adapter contact the one or more integrated circuit chips.
In one form, the unit comprises a first layer of thermal interface material between the removable adapter and the housing. In this way, heat transfer is facilitated so that the adapter can function as a bridge between PCB components and the housing and/or associated heat sink. At the same time, the one or more pedestals of the removable adapter are in thermal contact with the one or more integrated circuit chips via standard thermal interface material, so the combined assembly executes the role of thermal bridge with low thermal resistance assured.
In a further form, the housing is a die-cast aluminium alloy. However, any suitable material can be used that can act as a heat transfer device.
A third aspect of the invention is outlined according to claim 15 of the appended claims, namely a method of upgrading an ECU by substituting both a printed circuit board and corresponding adapter, where the PCB will provide updated functionality. In the case of mere repair, a PCB may be replaced without changing the adapter.
The invention is applicable not only to automotive applications, but to any field where electrical components are changed and/or upgraded within a housing of an upgradable unit.
The same approach in design may be executed in applications with at least two different circuit boards with separate layouts of ICs, but same housing. By applying an adapter specified for a particular circuit board, one housing may be maintained.
Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, the claims, and the drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
Illustrative embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similar and/or identical elements.
The following description presents example embodiments and, together with the drawings, serves to explain principles of the invention. However, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise details of the embodiments or exact adherence with all features and/or method steps of implementation, since variations will be apparent to a skilled person and are deemed also to be covered by the description. Terms for components used herein should be given a broad interpretation that also encompasses equivalent functions and features. In some cases, several alternative terms (synonyms) for structural features have been provided but such terms are not intended to be exhaustive. Descriptive terms should also be given the broadest possible interpretation; e.g. the term “comprising” as used in this specification means “consisting at least in part of” such that interpreting each statement in this specification that includes the term “comprising”, features other than that, in addition to, or those prefaced by the term may also be present. Related terms such as “comprise” and “comprises” are to be interpreted in the same manner. Directional terms such as “vertical”, “horizontal”, “up”, “down”, “sideways”, “upper” and “lower” are used for convenience of explanation usually with reference to the orientation shown in illustrations and are not intended to be ultimately limiting if an equivalent function can be achieved with an alternative dimension and/or direction. Therefore, all directional terms are merely relative to each other.
The description herein refers to embodiments with particular combinations of steps or features, however, it is envisaged that further combinations and cross-combinations of compatible steps or features between embodiments will be possible. Indeed, isolated features may function independently as an invention from other features and not necessarily require implementation as a complete combination.
It will be understood that the illustrated embodiments show applications only for the purposes of explanation. In practice, the invention may be applied to many different configurations, where the embodiment is straightforward for those skilled in the art to implement.
Automotive vehicles consist of numerous upgradable electrical units such as, but not limited to, the electronic control unit (ECU) and infotainment unit. These units include electronic components, which may be upgraded and/or changed during the lifespan of the automotive vehicle. For example, the infotainment unit may be upgraded to support extra functions and/or to replace existing electronic components for newer versions. However, there are multiple disadvantages associated with conventional units that will be addressed in the present disclosure.
The body 11 of the removable adapter 10 can be made of any suitable material, such as plastic, metal, or a combination thereof. The body 11 of the removable adapter 10 is made from a heat conductor such as aluminum, or an aluminum alloy. In some arrangements, the body 11 of the removable adapter 10 may be molded or machined to form the desired shape and size for the removable adapter 10. For example, the removable adapter 10 can be made by die casting a metal, such as an aluminum alloy. The base surface 13 of the removable adapter 10 may comprise one or more locating pins 15 to correctly position the removable adapter 10 in the housing. Two or more locating pins 15 ensure that the adapter cannot rotate relative to the housing.
The one or more pedestals 14 protruding from the top surface 12 (i.e. embossed, die cast) of the removable adapter 10 are configured to correspond with a layout of IC chips on a PCB of the electrical component. The one or more pedestals 14 can be arranged in any suitable configuration (e.g. area and height) to match the layout of the IC chips on the PCB. For example, the one or more pedestals 14 may be arranged in a linear or grid pattern, or any combination thereof.
The one or more pedestals 14 of the removable adapter 10 are, in use, in thermal contact with the one or more IC chips on the PCB. In some arrangements, the housing of the control unit functions as a heatsink, or heat spreader. As such, the removable adapter 10 acts to provide a thermal interface or bridge between the housing and the IC chips on the PCB. Therefore, heat can be dissipated from the IC chips on the PCB and transferred to the housing to reduce the temperature of the IC chips.
In one arrangement, the removable adapter 10 comprises a securing means for coupling the body 11 of the removable adapter 10 to the housing. In the illustrated form, the securing mechanism includes a hole 16 into which a fastener is inserted to couple the removable adapter 10 to the housing. However, other suitable arrangements or surface features to couple the removable adapter 10 to the housing can be used. For example, clips, sliding guides/rails provided on the housing may be used to couple the removable adapter 10 to the housing.
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The removable adapter described herein provides a convenient and versatile solution for upgrading or replacing electrical components in an upgradable unit. Specifically, when the layout of IC chips on a PCB are altered to include upgrades and/or other modifications. The adapter is easy to install and remove and can be used when new features are added and/or replaced on a PCB without the need to replace the whole housing. Therefore, the removable adapter 10 improves sustainability and reduces aluminium reusage for upgradable units. Using the removable adapter 10 reduces new aluminium usage when upgrading units. For example, conventionally the whole housing would be replaced when electronic components are upgraded or changed on the PCB, which requires approximately 500 g of aluminium to produce. The removable adapter 10 of the present disclosure reduces the new aluminium required to around 50-100 g.
Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope defined by the appended claims.
The term non-transitory computer-readable medium does not encompass transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagating through a medium (such as on a carrier wave). Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory computer-readable medium are nonvolatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit, an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-only memory circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static random access memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit), magnetic storage media (such as an analog or digital magnetic tape or a hard disk drive), and optical storage media (such as a CD, a DVD, or a Blu-ray Disc).
The term “set” generally means a grouping of one or more elements. The elements of a set do not necessarily need to have any characteristics in common or otherwise belong together. The phrase “at least one of A, B, and C” should be construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.” The phrase “at least one of A, B, or C” should be construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23166022 | Mar 2023 | EP | regional |
