Method of determining the minimum number of securing points required on an electronic isolation shield to sufficiently secure the shield to a circuit board

Abstract

An electronic isolation shield mounts on a circuit board, around an electronic component to provide a minimum amount of shielding over a set period of time. The shield has a body made from a shielding material that is sized and shaped to fit around and cover the electronic component. The body has a sealing edge that is adapted to contact an upper surface of the circuit board and surround the electronic component. Resilient downwardly projecting tabs are attached to the body and each includes a securing end that extends past the sealing edge. The tab is securable to the circuit board along a securing axis. The sealing edge of the body is forced into sealing engagement with the upper surface of circuit board. The tab is laterally displaced with respect to the securing axis continuously over the set period of time so that the sealing edge is forced into the circuit board sufficiently to provide the minimum amount of shielding to the electronic component over the set period of time. A method of determining the minimum number of tabs that are required includes ascertaining the creep strain for the tab material, determining the mathematical ratio between pressure applied by the tabs at the beginning of the shield's service life to the pressure applied at the end of the service life, determining the minimum amount of pressure that is required to be applied by the tabs throughout the service life, and determining the minimum number of tabs that are required to apply the determined minimum pressure throughout the entire set period of time based on the determined mathematical ratio.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.