Patent Grant
10938136
The present application relates generally to field of electrical contacts, and more particularly to a type of electrical contact pair used to connect printed circuit boards (PCBs) in a perpendicular orientation.
The following description is provided to assist the understanding of the reader. None of the information provided or references cited are admitted to be prior art.
Various types of connectors are used for forming electrical and mechanical connections between PCBs. These connectors can play a crucial role in achieving a design's size, cost, and performance constraints. Traditionally, to connect two PCBs in a perpendicular orientation, a minimum of two electrical contacts are required. Affixing the electrical contacts to the PCB can be a difficult and inefficient process, as failure to hold a tight tolerance between the electrical contacts can result in suboptimal mating between the two PCBs. Thus, an efficient and reliable contact pair that can be precisely mounted on the edge of a PCB is needed.
The systems, methods, and devices of this disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein. One embodiment of the invention relates to a card edge contact pair for electrically coupling printed circuit board assemblies. The card edge contact pair includes a first contact body and a second contact body. The first contact body includes a first solder joint end and a first deflection end. The second contact body includes a second solder joint end and a second deflection end. The card edge contact pair further includes an integral carrier component. The integral carrier component is detachably coupled to the first contact body and the second contact body.
In an embodiment, the first deflection end and the second deflection end are shaped using a forming process.
In another embodiment, the card edge contact pair includes a joint component that couples the first solder joint end and the second solder joint end to the integral carrier component. In such an embodiment, the joint component is configured to detachably couple from the first contact body and the second contact body. Further, in such an embodiment, the card edge contact pair further includes a first score feature located at the intersection of the joint component and the first solder joint end, and a second score feature situated at the intersection of the joint component and the second solder joint end.
In an embodiment, the integral carrier component is oriented parallel to the first solder joint end and the second solder joint end.
A system includes a first printed circuit board assembly and a second printed circuit board assembly. The first printed circuit board assembly includes a first printed circuit board and a first card edge contact pair coupled to the first printed circuit board. The first card edge contact pair includes a first contact body, a second contact body, and an integral carrier component detachably coupled to the first contact body and the second contact body. The second printed circuit board assembly is oriented perpendicularly with respect to the first printed circuit board assembly. The second printed circuit board assembly includes a second printed circuit board with a slot feature. A first contact surface and a second contact surface are located proximate to the slot feature. When the first printed board is inserted into the slot feature of the second printed circuit board, the first contact body is coupled to the first contact surface, and the second contact body is coupled to the second contact surface.
In an embodiment, the first contact body and the second contact body each include a solder joint end and a deflection end. Moreover, the deflection ends are shaped using a forming process. In addition, the integral carrier component is oriented parallel to the solder joint ends.
In another embodiment, the first circuit board assembly includes a second card edge contact pair coupled to the first printed circuit board. The second card edge contact pair includes a third contact body and a fourth contact body. Moreover, the second printed circuit board assembly includes a third contact surface and a fourth contact surface. The third contact body couples to the third contact surface and the fourth contact body couples to the fourth contact surface.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method affixing a card edge contact pair to a printed circuit board assembly. The method includes removing a card edge contact pair from a packaging component. The card edge contact pair includes a first contact body and a second contact body detachably coupled to an integral carrier portion. The method further includes locating the card edge contact pair on a printed circuit board, fastening the card edge contact pair to the printed circuit board, and detaching the integral carrier portion from the first contact body and the second contact body.
In an embodiment, the first contact body and the second contact body each include a solder joint end and a deflection end. In addition, the deflection ends are shaped using a forming process. Moreover, locating the card edge contact pair on the printed circuit board includes aligning the solder joint ends with solder pads located on the printed circuit board.
In another embodiment, the method is performed at least in part by automated component placement equipment. Moreover, removing the card edge contact pair from the packaging component includes the automatic component placement equipment gripping the integral carrier portion by a vacuum device or a magnetic device.
In an embodiment, fastening the card edge contact pair to the printed circuit board includes a reflow solder process. In another embodiment, the packaging component includes tape and reel packaging.
Reference will now be made to various embodiments, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the figures. The embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the invention, and are not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used with another embodiment to yield still a further embodiment. It is intended that the present application encompass these and other modifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of the invention.
Disclosed herein is a surface mounted card edge contact pair with an integral pick-up carrier. Such a contact pair may be used to mechanically and electrically couple two electrical current paths from a first printed circuit board (PCB) to a second PCB oriented in a direction perpendicular to the first PCB. The inclusion of the integral pick-up carrier allows the two contacts to be precisely located relative to one another for optimal functioning. Existing card edge contact pair designs often utilize separately placed contacts, which may float relative to each other during a solder reflow process. If a tight tolerance is not enforced on the contact spacing, the result may be a sub-optimal contact gap and electrical connection.
Referring to
The deflection ends 110 and 112 may be shaped to apply and maintain compression force between the contact bodies 102 and 104 and the contact surfaces of the mating PCB to maintain the required electrical connections. As depicted in
The first contact body 102 and the second contact body 104 are shown to be mounted on a PCB 114 through a first solder pad 116 and a second solder pad 118. The PCB 114 may be fabricated from any suitable material (e.g., FR4) and may be any required number of layers. In an illustrative embodiment, PCB 114 is smaller than the mating PCB (described in further detail below with respect to
First contact body 102 and second contact body 104 may be fabricated from any suitable conductive material, in any dimensions required to withstand the deflection forces generated as the contact pair assembly 100 is mated with a corresponding PCB assembly. In some embodiments, the first contact body 102 and the second contact body 104 are fabricated from gold-plated beryllium copper (BeCu). BeCu may be selected for its high deflection range and good fatigue resistance, while gold plating may enhance the conduction capabilities of the first contact body 102 and the second contact body 104. Gold plating is non-reactive as compared with other most other metals, and does not oxidize or rust in the presence of moisture and heat.
Referring now to
The depth that the slot feature 208 extends into the PCB 202 may be selected such that the deflection ends 110 and 112 of the contact pair assembly 100 make full contact with the contact surfaces 204 and 206. As the deflection ends 110 and 112 slide over the contact surfaces 204 and 206, the deflection ends 110 and 112 deflect away from the center of the contact pair assembly 100. The first contact surface 204 and the second contact surface 206 may be fabricated from any suitable conductive material. For example, in some embodiments, the first and second contact surfaces 204 and 206 are gold plated.
Turning now to
Mating PCB assembly 400 is shown to include a PCB 402 with a first contact surface 404 and a second contact surface 406 situated above and below a slot feature 408 (third and fourth contact surfaces, not shown, may be located on the opposite side of PCB 402). In various embodiments, contact surfaces 404 and 406 are identical or substantially similar to contact surfaces 204 and 206, described above with reference to
Referring now to
Turning now to
Card edge contact pair 608 is further shown to include a first score feature 618 situated between the intersection of the first contact body 614 and the carrier joint 612, and a second score feature 620 situated between the intersection of the second contact body 616 and the carrier joint 612. Once card edge contact pair 608 has been removed from packaging materials and is located on a PCB (e.g., using a soldering process), the integral carrier portion 610 and the carrier joint 612 may be detached from the first contact body 614 and the second contact body 616, resulting in fully separate yet precisely located contact bodies 614 and 616. First score feature 618 and second score feature 620 may increase the ease of detaching the integral carrier portion 610 and the carrier joint 612 from the contact bodies 614 and 616 by providing clean lines along which the carrier joint 612 can be detached from the contact bodies 614 and 616. In various embodiments, integral carrier portion 610 and carrier joint 612 may be detached from contact bodies 614 and 616 via any suitable manual or automatic process. For example, detaching the integral carrier portion 610 and carrier joint 612 may comprise rotating the integral carrier portion 610 relative to the contact bodies 614 and 616 until the integral carrier portion 610 and carrier joint 612 snap free of the contact bodies 614 and 616 along the first score feature 618 and the second score feature 620.
Referring now to
Referring now to
In an operation 1204, the contact pair is located on a PCB. In some embodiments, the PCB is identical or substantially similar to PCB assembly 900, described above with reference to
In an operation 1208, the integral carrier portion is detached from the card edge contact pair. In some embodiments, features of the contact pair may aid in the detachment operation. For example, the integral carrier portion 610 and the joint portion 612 may be detached from the contact bodies 614 and 616 of the contact pair 608 along the first score feature 618 and the second score feature 620. In some embodiments, method 1200 does not include operation 1208. For example, if the card edge contact pair is identical or substantially similar to contact pair 1100, described above with reference to
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
The foregoing description of illustrative embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and of description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting with respect to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/677,476, filed May 29, 2018, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
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