Environmentally tuned circuit card assembly and method for manufacturing the same
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorRandolph G. Nichols
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A circuit card assembly and a method for manufacturing the circuit card assembly are disclosed. The circuit card assembly includes a printed wiring board with electronic components bonded thereto. The printed wiring board and electronic components are placed in an outer shell made of lightweight stiff material. The spaces or voids between the outer shell and the printed wiring board and the electronic components are filled with lightweight filling material and thermal filler material. The outer shell and the filling material provide increased rigidity to the electronic components and the thermal filler material increases heat transfer from a given electronic component to outside the circuit card assembly.
Claims12
A circuit card assembly, comprising:
- a printed wiring board with electronic components mounted thereto;
- a shell comprising planar sheets of composite material disposed on opposite sides of the printed wiring board, the planar sheets being spaced from each other via at least one of a spacer and a connector for electrically connecting the printed wiring board and electronic components with an external circuit;
- a thermal filler disposed between the shell and at least one of the electronic components that generates heat when in use, the thermal filler substantially filling without interruption a space defined by the at least one of the electronic components and a portion of the shell directly opposite the at least one of the electronic components;
- and
- a lightweight material, different in composition from the thermal filler, filling a void between the shell and the printed wiring board and electronic components that is not filled by the thermal filler.
An apparatus for providing rigidity to a circuit card assembly, wherein the circuit card assembly comprises a printed wiring board and electronic components mounted thereon, the apparatus comprising:
- a shell comprised of thin lightweight planar sheets for covering the printed wiring board and electronic components mounted thereon, wherein the planner sheets are spaced from each other via at least one of a spacer and a connector for electrically connecting the printed wiring board and electronic components mounted thereon with an external circuit;
- a thermal filler disposed in a region between the shell and at least one of the electronic components that generates heat when in use, the thermal filler substantially filling without interruption a space defined by the at least one of the electronic components and a portion of the shell directly opposite the at least one of the electronic components;
- and
- a lightweight material substantially filling any remaining voids between the shell and the printed wiring board and electronic components.
A method of manufacturing a circuit card assembly, comprising:
- mounting electronic components on a printed wiring board, wherein the printed wiring board comprises a connector for electrically connecting the printed wiring board with an external electrical circuit;
- placing the printed wiring board with the electronic components into a shell made of a lightweight material, wherein the connector extends outwardly from the shell;
- injecting a thermal filler into the shell in a region between the shell and at least one electronic component that generates heat when in use;
- and
- injecting a lightweight filling material to substantially fill any remaining voids in the shell after the thermal filler is injected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.