CA1291274C - Wire/disk board-to-board interconnect device - Google Patents
Wire/disk board-to-board interconnect deviceInfo
- Publication number
- CA1291274C CA1291274C CA000574175A CA574175A CA1291274C CA 1291274 C CA1291274 C CA 1291274C CA 000574175 A CA000574175 A CA 000574175A CA 574175 A CA574175 A CA 574175A CA 1291274 C CA1291274 C CA 1291274C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- disk
- printed circuit
- disks
- circuit board
- wire
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
- H05K3/30—Assembling printed circuits with electric components, e.g. with resistor
- H05K3/32—Assembling printed circuits with electric components, e.g. with resistor electrically connecting electric components or wires to printed circuits
- H05K3/325—Assembling printed circuits with electric components, e.g. with resistor electrically connecting electric components or wires to printed circuits by abutting or pinching, i.e. without alloying process; mechanical auxiliary parts therefor
- H05K3/326—Assembling printed circuits with electric components, e.g. with resistor electrically connecting electric components or wires to printed circuits by abutting or pinching, i.e. without alloying process; mechanical auxiliary parts therefor the printed circuit having integral resilient or deformable parts, e.g. tabs or parts of flexible circuits
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
- H01R12/50—Fixed connections
- H01R12/51—Fixed connections for rigid printed circuits or like structures
- H01R12/52—Fixed connections for rigid printed circuits or like structures connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures
- H01R12/523—Fixed connections for rigid printed circuits or like structures connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures by an interconnection through aligned holes in the boards or multilayer board
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
- H05K2201/10—Details of components or other objects attached to or integrated in a printed circuit board
- H05K2201/10227—Other objects, e.g. metallic pieces
- H05K2201/10295—Metallic connector elements partly mounted in a hole of the PCB
- H05K2201/10303—Pin-in-hole mounted pins
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
- H05K2201/10—Details of components or other objects attached to or integrated in a printed circuit board
- H05K2201/10227—Other objects, e.g. metallic pieces
- H05K2201/1031—Surface mounted metallic connector elements
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
- H05K2201/10—Details of components or other objects attached to or integrated in a printed circuit board
- H05K2201/10431—Details of mounted components
- H05K2201/1059—Connections made by press-fit insertion
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
- H05K3/30—Assembling printed circuits with electric components, e.g. with resistor
- H05K3/306—Lead-in-hole components, e.g. affixing or retention before soldering, spacing means
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
- H05K3/40—Forming printed elements for providing electric connections to or between printed circuits
- H05K3/4038—Through-connections; Vertical interconnect access [VIA] connections
- H05K3/4046—Through-connections; Vertical interconnect access [VIA] connections using auxiliary conductive elements, e.g. metallic spheres, eyelets, pieces of wire
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
- H05K3/40—Forming printed elements for providing electric connections to or between printed circuits
- H05K3/4092—Integral conductive tabs, i.e. conductive parts partly detached from the substrate
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
- H05K3/46—Manufacturing multilayer circuits
- H05K3/4611—Manufacturing multilayer circuits by laminating two or more circuit boards
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
- Y02P70/50—Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Metallurgy (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Printing Elements For Providing Electric Connections Between Printed Circuits (AREA)
- Structure Of Printed Boards (AREA)
- Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION
An apparatus and method for creating a stack assembly of print circuit boards and for providing electrical interconnection between the individual through-plated hole pads of the circuit boards is described. The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a device comprised of two parts: a slotted disk and a wire. The slotted disk is attached to the surface of the printed circuit board so as to cover a hole pad and form an electrical connection therewith.
The covered holes of the printed circuit board are axially aligned between circuit boards and an electri-cally conducting wire is inserted through the slotted disks on the circuit boards to form an electrical con-nection therewith.
An apparatus and method for creating a stack assembly of print circuit boards and for providing electrical interconnection between the individual through-plated hole pads of the circuit boards is described. The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a device comprised of two parts: a slotted disk and a wire. The slotted disk is attached to the surface of the printed circuit board so as to cover a hole pad and form an electrical connection therewith.
The covered holes of the printed circuit board are axially aligned between circuit boards and an electri-cally conducting wire is inserted through the slotted disks on the circuit boards to form an electrical con-nection therewith.
Description
r~
WIRE/DISK BOARD-TO-BOARD
INTERCONNECT DEVICE
Technical Field of the Invention -The present invention relates to wire/disk board-to-board interconnect devices for use in creating a stacked assembly of printed circuit boards.
Background of the Invention Current methods for creating a stacked assembly of printed circuit boards and for providing an electrical interconnection between individual holes of the circuit boards are often accomplished with complex, large or unreliable connecting devices. Various msthods and structures have been used to provide such intercon-nection, like the utilization of electrically conduct-ve p-ns and bushings. This two-step method of interconnec-tion requires the insertion of bushings into holes bet-ween which connection is desired, then insertion of pins into the bushings.
Another method of interconnection does not mandate the use of bushings, but does require a large amount of force to insert the pins directly into the holes and still provide a solid electrical connection.
If greater space between the pin and the hole is pro-vided, such that insertion is easier, the electrical connection is less sound.
Other problems in the prior art center on the ability of current methods of interconnection to be miniaturized only to a certain degree, a difficulty of great importance given the ever-increasing miniaturiza-tion of other electrical components.
The present invention overcomes the above-enumerated problems and other shortcomings associated with current printed circuit board interconnection devi-ces.
Summary of ths Invention The present invention relates to a device for detachably interconnectiny stacked printed circuit boards. The device is of two parts: a slotted disk and a wire. The slotted disk may be connected to the surface of a printed circuit board so as to co~er a hole pad in the printed circuit board. The hole of the printed circuit board may be plated through with a conducting metal, so as to provide good electrical conduction in the circuit. In the preferred embodiment, this conducting metal is a noble metal such as gold.
The wire of the device is made of a conducting material and when in use extends through a plurality of slotted disks and the printed circuit boards to which the disks are attached. Thus, the wire may detachably interconnect individual portions of a plurality of printed circuit boards.
The slotted disk through which the wire extends is of a thin, substantially flat character and has at least three slits meeting at a common point at substantially the center of the disk, then extending along radii of the disk nearly to its edge. The slits are formed by chemically etching or mechanically punching a single-sided etch (top-down) in the disk. This action forms an angle of approximately 45 degrees in the edge of the etched slit, thus facilitating the entry of the wire.
An advantage of one embodiment of the present invention is its simple construction and use. After the disks have been secured to the printed circuit board, simple insertion of the wire provides a strong electrical contact, with no bushings or other additional parts necessary.
~ P 1~3~ a tf~
An advantage of an aspect of the present invention lies in the small amount of Porce necessary to provide a strong electrical contact between the printed circuit boards. This reduction in force from that necessary in the prior art is facilitated by the presence of the disks, so that more space may be provided between the wire and the through-plated hole of ~he printed circuit board, and by the approximately ~5 degree angle etched in the slots of the disk, which allows easy entry of the wire into and through the disk.
An advantage of an aspect of the present invention is its ability to be miniaturized to a great degree, allowing compatibility with other miniaturized electrical components.
An aspect of the invention is as follows:
~ device for detachably interconnecting stacked printed circuit boards so that an electrical current may be established between tràce connectors on the boards, comprising:
a plurality of separate hole pad members each adapted to be received in a hole formed in a printed circuit board, each of said hole pad members having means defining a bore therein, said hole pad members further including flange portions which are adapted to extend axially beyond a surface of the printed circuit board;
a plurality of thin, substantially flat separate disks each having slits meeting at a common point in a central portion thereof, each of said disks substantially conforming to the outside dimensions of and bonded to one of said flange portions of said hole pad members so said central portions of said disk are substantially aligned with said bore, said disks being adapted for electrical connection to trace connectors on the printed circuit boards; and ~ "r ~ t j1 ~
3a a plurality of conducting rod means for insertion between said slits and into said bores, whereby an electrical connection may be made between the printed circuit board and another circuit board in a compact, high density arrangement.
The above-described features and advantages, along with various other advantages and features of novelty, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and objects attached by its use, reference should be had to the drawings which form a further part hereof and to the accompanying descriptive matter in which there is lllustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the nvention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings, in which like reference numerals generally indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views;
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a universal disk pattern and a printed circuit board (PCB) in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIGURE 2 illustrates several disks in accordance with the principles of the present invention and shows various geometries which may be utilized in disposal of ~f'-'9~
slits on the disk.
FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the disk and wire, showing the 45 angle of the edge of the slit.
FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of several stac~ed PCBs in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 4, in which the disks are disposed on the lower face of the PCBs.
FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a hole pad, disk and wi~e in accordance with the principles of the present invention, illustrating the deforming action of wire as it passes through the slits of the disk.
FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 5, in which the disks are disposed on the upper face of the PCB.
Detailed Description o the Invention In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, reference is made to accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which the invention may be practiced. This embodiment is described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utili~ed and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
Referring now to the drawing, in Figure 1 is illustrated a prin~ed circuit board (PCB) 20 in accor-dance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is intended ~or dense micro intercon-nections between stacked PCBs. ~he PCB 20 has hole pads 22 on which disks 24 are secured. The hole pads 22 are plated through in the preferred embodiment with a noble metal such as copper, silver or gold; however, non-noble metals may be used as long as they are conducting, such as solder, tin, lead, etc. The disks 24 are formed of an electrically conducting material such as copper, silver or gold and are placed on the PC~ 20 by aligning a universal etched disk pattern 26 with the PCB 20 through alignment holes 27, one disposed at each of the four corners of the PCB 20 and the universal etched disk pattern 26; pinning the alignment holes 27 together; then soldering, welding or bonding the disks 24 to the hold pads 22 of the PCB 20. Since the univer-sal disk pattern 25 is constructed using a photo-lithography process, very accurate alignment can be achieved. After all disks 24 are secured to the PCB 20, the universal etched cisk pattern 26 is peeled off and discarded, while the disks 24 remain secured to the PCB
20. The through-plated holes in the preferred embodi-ment are as small as 0.005 inch (0.127 mm) in diameter with the associated disks 24 being as small as 0.0083 inch (O.211 mm) across. The spacing is intended to be 5000 holes per inch in density. The wires 30 can be as small as 0.003-0.004 inch (0.0762-0.1016 mm) in diameter if the length is kept short (between 0.100-0.500 inch).
Each disk 24 is composed of a substan-tially flat, thin portion of metal having at least three slits 28 meeting at a common point, as illustrated in Figure 2. The size and shape of each disk 24 are designed to conform to the outside dimensions of the hole pads 22 on the PCB 20. The slits 28 of each disk 24 are ~ormed by mechanically punching or chemically ~ 3~4'~
etcning them into the disk 24, such that the slits 28 are disposed along radii of the disk 24 and meet at substantially the center of the disk 24 while extending nearly to the edges of the disk 24. A single-sided etch (top-down) of the disks 24 produces an angle of approximately 45 in the preferred ~mbodiment in the edge of the etched slit, as shown in Figure 3. This angle facilitates the entry of a stiff electrically con-ducting wire or rod 30 into the disk 24 and thus through the PCB 20. This wire or rod can be formed of any electrically conducting material such as gold, silver or copper alloys or as a metal plated non-conducting rod.
As the wire 30 enters the disk 24, it deforms the edges of the slits 28, such that a strong electrical contact i5 formed. The wire 30 is in the preferred embodiment commonly made of beryllium copper or stair~less steel and plated with a noble metal such as gold. When wires 30 are pushed through a plurality of stacked PCBs 20, the circuits of one PCB 20 may thus be independently connected to circuits of other PCBs 20.
The wire 30 is designed to alLow the stacking of several PCBs 20. Oisassembly of the stacked PCBs 20 may be accomplished simply by removing wires 30 from the PCBs 20, pulling the wires 30 in the same direction out of the PCBs 20 as they were pushed into the PCBs 20.
The disks 24 of the PCB 20 can be made of beryllium copper or another metal having a spring-like character, then plated with a noble metal such as gold.
Alternate methods of coating the beryllium copper would be evaporating or sputtering the gold onto the disks.
Plating, however, is performed after formation of the slits 28 to insure edge coverage of the slits 28 by the plating. The disks 24 may then be bonded to either the upper face 32 or the lower face 34 of the PCBs 20 in the process previously described, as most clearly illustrated in Figures 5 and 7.
In use, the disks 24 are bonded to the PCB 20 through application of the univer~al etched pattern 26.
The universal etched pattern 26 is then peeled away from the PCB 20, so that the disks 24 remain bonded to either face of the PCB 20. Several PC~s 20 are treated in this manner, so that a wire or wires 30 may be inserted through the disks 24 and thus connect individual cir-cuits in a stack of the PCBs 20. A strong electrical contact is achieved and maintained in this connection through the deformation of slits 28 in the disks 24 by the wires 30. The wires 30 must be removed in the same direction in which they were inserted in order to unstack and disconnect the PCBs 20.
While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that many modifications will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and this application is intended to cover any adap-tations or variations thereof. Therefore, it is mani-festly intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.
WIRE/DISK BOARD-TO-BOARD
INTERCONNECT DEVICE
Technical Field of the Invention -The present invention relates to wire/disk board-to-board interconnect devices for use in creating a stacked assembly of printed circuit boards.
Background of the Invention Current methods for creating a stacked assembly of printed circuit boards and for providing an electrical interconnection between individual holes of the circuit boards are often accomplished with complex, large or unreliable connecting devices. Various msthods and structures have been used to provide such intercon-nection, like the utilization of electrically conduct-ve p-ns and bushings. This two-step method of interconnec-tion requires the insertion of bushings into holes bet-ween which connection is desired, then insertion of pins into the bushings.
Another method of interconnection does not mandate the use of bushings, but does require a large amount of force to insert the pins directly into the holes and still provide a solid electrical connection.
If greater space between the pin and the hole is pro-vided, such that insertion is easier, the electrical connection is less sound.
Other problems in the prior art center on the ability of current methods of interconnection to be miniaturized only to a certain degree, a difficulty of great importance given the ever-increasing miniaturiza-tion of other electrical components.
The present invention overcomes the above-enumerated problems and other shortcomings associated with current printed circuit board interconnection devi-ces.
Summary of ths Invention The present invention relates to a device for detachably interconnectiny stacked printed circuit boards. The device is of two parts: a slotted disk and a wire. The slotted disk may be connected to the surface of a printed circuit board so as to co~er a hole pad in the printed circuit board. The hole of the printed circuit board may be plated through with a conducting metal, so as to provide good electrical conduction in the circuit. In the preferred embodiment, this conducting metal is a noble metal such as gold.
The wire of the device is made of a conducting material and when in use extends through a plurality of slotted disks and the printed circuit boards to which the disks are attached. Thus, the wire may detachably interconnect individual portions of a plurality of printed circuit boards.
The slotted disk through which the wire extends is of a thin, substantially flat character and has at least three slits meeting at a common point at substantially the center of the disk, then extending along radii of the disk nearly to its edge. The slits are formed by chemically etching or mechanically punching a single-sided etch (top-down) in the disk. This action forms an angle of approximately 45 degrees in the edge of the etched slit, thus facilitating the entry of the wire.
An advantage of one embodiment of the present invention is its simple construction and use. After the disks have been secured to the printed circuit board, simple insertion of the wire provides a strong electrical contact, with no bushings or other additional parts necessary.
~ P 1~3~ a tf~
An advantage of an aspect of the present invention lies in the small amount of Porce necessary to provide a strong electrical contact between the printed circuit boards. This reduction in force from that necessary in the prior art is facilitated by the presence of the disks, so that more space may be provided between the wire and the through-plated hole of ~he printed circuit board, and by the approximately ~5 degree angle etched in the slots of the disk, which allows easy entry of the wire into and through the disk.
An advantage of an aspect of the present invention is its ability to be miniaturized to a great degree, allowing compatibility with other miniaturized electrical components.
An aspect of the invention is as follows:
~ device for detachably interconnecting stacked printed circuit boards so that an electrical current may be established between tràce connectors on the boards, comprising:
a plurality of separate hole pad members each adapted to be received in a hole formed in a printed circuit board, each of said hole pad members having means defining a bore therein, said hole pad members further including flange portions which are adapted to extend axially beyond a surface of the printed circuit board;
a plurality of thin, substantially flat separate disks each having slits meeting at a common point in a central portion thereof, each of said disks substantially conforming to the outside dimensions of and bonded to one of said flange portions of said hole pad members so said central portions of said disk are substantially aligned with said bore, said disks being adapted for electrical connection to trace connectors on the printed circuit boards; and ~ "r ~ t j1 ~
3a a plurality of conducting rod means for insertion between said slits and into said bores, whereby an electrical connection may be made between the printed circuit board and another circuit board in a compact, high density arrangement.
The above-described features and advantages, along with various other advantages and features of novelty, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and objects attached by its use, reference should be had to the drawings which form a further part hereof and to the accompanying descriptive matter in which there is lllustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the nvention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings, in which like reference numerals generally indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views;
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a universal disk pattern and a printed circuit board (PCB) in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIGURE 2 illustrates several disks in accordance with the principles of the present invention and shows various geometries which may be utilized in disposal of ~f'-'9~
slits on the disk.
FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the disk and wire, showing the 45 angle of the edge of the slit.
FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of several stac~ed PCBs in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 4, in which the disks are disposed on the lower face of the PCBs.
FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a hole pad, disk and wi~e in accordance with the principles of the present invention, illustrating the deforming action of wire as it passes through the slits of the disk.
FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 5, in which the disks are disposed on the upper face of the PCB.
Detailed Description o the Invention In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, reference is made to accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which the invention may be practiced. This embodiment is described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utili~ed and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
Referring now to the drawing, in Figure 1 is illustrated a prin~ed circuit board (PCB) 20 in accor-dance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is intended ~or dense micro intercon-nections between stacked PCBs. ~he PCB 20 has hole pads 22 on which disks 24 are secured. The hole pads 22 are plated through in the preferred embodiment with a noble metal such as copper, silver or gold; however, non-noble metals may be used as long as they are conducting, such as solder, tin, lead, etc. The disks 24 are formed of an electrically conducting material such as copper, silver or gold and are placed on the PC~ 20 by aligning a universal etched disk pattern 26 with the PCB 20 through alignment holes 27, one disposed at each of the four corners of the PCB 20 and the universal etched disk pattern 26; pinning the alignment holes 27 together; then soldering, welding or bonding the disks 24 to the hold pads 22 of the PCB 20. Since the univer-sal disk pattern 25 is constructed using a photo-lithography process, very accurate alignment can be achieved. After all disks 24 are secured to the PCB 20, the universal etched cisk pattern 26 is peeled off and discarded, while the disks 24 remain secured to the PCB
20. The through-plated holes in the preferred embodi-ment are as small as 0.005 inch (0.127 mm) in diameter with the associated disks 24 being as small as 0.0083 inch (O.211 mm) across. The spacing is intended to be 5000 holes per inch in density. The wires 30 can be as small as 0.003-0.004 inch (0.0762-0.1016 mm) in diameter if the length is kept short (between 0.100-0.500 inch).
Each disk 24 is composed of a substan-tially flat, thin portion of metal having at least three slits 28 meeting at a common point, as illustrated in Figure 2. The size and shape of each disk 24 are designed to conform to the outside dimensions of the hole pads 22 on the PCB 20. The slits 28 of each disk 24 are ~ormed by mechanically punching or chemically ~ 3~4'~
etcning them into the disk 24, such that the slits 28 are disposed along radii of the disk 24 and meet at substantially the center of the disk 24 while extending nearly to the edges of the disk 24. A single-sided etch (top-down) of the disks 24 produces an angle of approximately 45 in the preferred ~mbodiment in the edge of the etched slit, as shown in Figure 3. This angle facilitates the entry of a stiff electrically con-ducting wire or rod 30 into the disk 24 and thus through the PCB 20. This wire or rod can be formed of any electrically conducting material such as gold, silver or copper alloys or as a metal plated non-conducting rod.
As the wire 30 enters the disk 24, it deforms the edges of the slits 28, such that a strong electrical contact i5 formed. The wire 30 is in the preferred embodiment commonly made of beryllium copper or stair~less steel and plated with a noble metal such as gold. When wires 30 are pushed through a plurality of stacked PCBs 20, the circuits of one PCB 20 may thus be independently connected to circuits of other PCBs 20.
The wire 30 is designed to alLow the stacking of several PCBs 20. Oisassembly of the stacked PCBs 20 may be accomplished simply by removing wires 30 from the PCBs 20, pulling the wires 30 in the same direction out of the PCBs 20 as they were pushed into the PCBs 20.
The disks 24 of the PCB 20 can be made of beryllium copper or another metal having a spring-like character, then plated with a noble metal such as gold.
Alternate methods of coating the beryllium copper would be evaporating or sputtering the gold onto the disks.
Plating, however, is performed after formation of the slits 28 to insure edge coverage of the slits 28 by the plating. The disks 24 may then be bonded to either the upper face 32 or the lower face 34 of the PCBs 20 in the process previously described, as most clearly illustrated in Figures 5 and 7.
In use, the disks 24 are bonded to the PCB 20 through application of the univer~al etched pattern 26.
The universal etched pattern 26 is then peeled away from the PCB 20, so that the disks 24 remain bonded to either face of the PCB 20. Several PC~s 20 are treated in this manner, so that a wire or wires 30 may be inserted through the disks 24 and thus connect individual cir-cuits in a stack of the PCBs 20. A strong electrical contact is achieved and maintained in this connection through the deformation of slits 28 in the disks 24 by the wires 30. The wires 30 must be removed in the same direction in which they were inserted in order to unstack and disconnect the PCBs 20.
While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that many modifications will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and this application is intended to cover any adap-tations or variations thereof. Therefore, it is mani-festly intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.
Claims (4)
1. A device for detachably interconnecting stacked printed circuit boards so that an electrical current may be established between trace connectors on the boards, comprising:
a plurality of separate hole pad members each adapted to be received in a hole formed in a printed circuit board, each of said hole pad members having means defining a bore therein, said hole pad members further including flange portions which are adapted to extend axially beyond a surface of the printed circuit board;
a plurality of thin, substantially flat separate disks each having slits meeting at a common point in a central portion thereof, each of said disks substantially conforming to the outside dimensions of and bonded to one of said flange portions of said hole pad members so said central portions of said disk are substantially aligned with said bore, said disks being adapted for electrical connection to trace connectors on the printed circuit boards; and a plurality of conducting rod means for insertion between said slits and into said bores, whereby an electrical connection may be made between the printed circuit board and another circuit board in a compact, high density arrangement.
a plurality of separate hole pad members each adapted to be received in a hole formed in a printed circuit board, each of said hole pad members having means defining a bore therein, said hole pad members further including flange portions which are adapted to extend axially beyond a surface of the printed circuit board;
a plurality of thin, substantially flat separate disks each having slits meeting at a common point in a central portion thereof, each of said disks substantially conforming to the outside dimensions of and bonded to one of said flange portions of said hole pad members so said central portions of said disk are substantially aligned with said bore, said disks being adapted for electrical connection to trace connectors on the printed circuit boards; and a plurality of conducting rod means for insertion between said slits and into said bores, whereby an electrical connection may be made between the printed circuit board and another circuit board in a compact, high density arrangement.
2. A device in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the disk is defined by the presence of at least three slits disposed only along radii of the disk, meeting at a common point at substantially the center of the disk and extending nearly to the edge of the disk and having no slots or apertures along the circumference of the disk.
3. A device in accordance with Claim 1, wherein each of said bores is plated through with a conducting metal.
4. A device in accordance with Claim 1, wherein said disks are constructed of a resilient base metal and are plated over with a bondable conducting metal.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US10484887A | 1987-10-05 | 1987-10-05 | |
| US104,848 | 1987-10-05 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1291274C true CA1291274C (en) | 1991-10-22 |
Family
ID=22302715
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000574175A Expired - Fee Related CA1291274C (en) | 1987-10-05 | 1988-08-09 | Wire/disk board-to-board interconnect device |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0436525A1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH03504549A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1291274C (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1989003165A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5196822A (en) * | 1991-12-12 | 1993-03-23 | Amphenol Corporation | Stacked termination resistance |
| DE19535490A1 (en) * | 1995-09-23 | 1997-03-27 | Bosch Gmbh Robert | Circuit board and method for manufacturing a circuit board |
| JP2778575B2 (en) * | 1996-03-29 | 1998-07-23 | 日本電気株式会社 | How to connect printed circuit boards |
| CN116634664A (en) * | 2023-07-06 | 2023-08-22 | 荣耀终端有限公司 | Circuit board assembly, electronic equipment and preparation method of circuit board assembly |
Family Cites Families (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE1915780A1 (en) * | 1969-03-27 | 1970-10-08 | Standard Elek K Lorenz Ag | Electrical connector |
| US3670409A (en) * | 1970-11-19 | 1972-06-20 | Gte Automatic Electric Lab Inc | Planar receptacle |
| FR2417236A1 (en) * | 1979-02-07 | 1979-09-07 | Chuo Meiban Mfg Co Ltd | Printed circuit board assembly fixing terminals of components to board - drills holes through insulation sealed by conducting layer with smaller hole dia. than that of component leads |
| WO1985002751A1 (en) * | 1983-12-15 | 1985-06-20 | Laserpath Corporation | Partially aligned multi-layered circuitry |
-
1988
- 1988-08-09 CA CA000574175A patent/CA1291274C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1988-08-12 JP JP63506502A patent/JPH03504549A/en active Pending
- 1988-08-12 EP EP88907514A patent/EP0436525A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1988-08-12 WO PCT/US1988/002744 patent/WO1989003165A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0436525A1 (en) | 1991-07-17 |
| WO1989003165A1 (en) | 1989-04-06 |
| JPH03504549A (en) | 1991-10-03 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKLA | Lapsed |