Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Electric switch details – Contact
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-07
2001-05-29
Donovan, Lincoln (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Electric switch details
Contact
C361S288000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06239393
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a contact device comprising an electrically conducting helical spring, said helical spring being formed with a base portion to be positioned on and attached to a contact face by soldering or gluing, and formed with a top portion, and to a tool for handling the contact device.
For electrical contacting of separate components for printed electrical circuits it is known to provide the component with spring contacts, or to provide the circuit with a contact housing which contains the desired number of spring contacts to establish electrical connections. The spring contacts may be of different types, e.g. elastomer contacts either with carbon contact elements or gold wires. It is moreover known to provide differently constructed metal contacts or contact faces with a metal plating of superior conductivity or wear resistance.
It is known from EP-A1-0 755 165 to use a helical spring for contacting between a circuit board and an electro-acoustic transducer, where the helical spring is firmly connected with the transducer outside the diaphragm face, i.e. where the transducer housing has a special protruding housing part in which a base part of the contact spring is secured.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,293 discloses an electrically conducting contact spring which, according to the document, may be wave soldered at a solder point. In its unstressed state the windings of that spring are open. A problem in connection with this spring is that it is not suitable for automatic handling in SDM mounting, since vacuum retention of the upper air permeable windings of the spring in a suction tool is difficult or directly impossible. It should be recalled in this connection that handling of very small contact springs of the above-mentioned type will be difficult if not impossible, as the springs with very small diameters and wire diameters will be extremely vulnerable to e.g. deformations caused by inexpedient adaptation of a necessary and sufficient vacuum suction.
The object of the invention is to provide a contact device of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph which makes it possible to achieve a generally better and less expensive contacting between separate components, such as acoustic transducers, batteries, etc. and printed circuit boards, by means of simple features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The contact device according to the invention is characterized in that the top portion is adapted for SMD mounting, said helical spring being formed with a base part adapted to be positioned on and attached to a contact face by soldering or gluing, and formed with a top portion adapted for handling with a pneumatic tool, preferably associated with an SMD robot, said top portion having a predominantly cylindrical shape with two or more closely wound windings and having a plane top or contact face.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the top portion is formed with a winding diameter as small as possible with respect to the wire diameter, thereby achieving an increased air resistance.
By means of simple features it is hereby possible to obtain a generally better and less expensive mounting of contact springs for contacting between components, such as acoustic transducers, batteries or the like and printed circuit boards.
A further advantage of the invention is achieved in that the contact spring may be used in SMD tools at very high rates, since the springs may be handled at relatively small suction pressures because of the increased engagement face. This moreover results in a very small percentage of faulty mounting, as a relatively small suction pressure directed against a relatively fragile contact spring subjects the contact spring to a minimum of strain during handling.
Providing the top portion of the contact spring with a closed suction face formed by one of the windings thus enables the contact spring to be “gripped” by a vacuum suction, as the air resistance of the very small tube formed by the windings is so great that this provides a relatively great air resistance with respect to an enclosing part of a corresponding suction tool.
To enable simple and safe handling of the contact device according to the invention by means of simple vacuum pick-up, it may be advantageous that said top portion is given a predominantly cylindrical shape with one or more closely wound windings and has a plane top or contact face. The predominantly cylindrical top portion is important to achieve a sufficient contact face with the suction air along the outer side of the top portion. The plane top or contact face of the stable top portion may be relatively small, which reduces the necessary contact area on the component, thereby allowing its overall size to be minimized.
The longitudinal ratio of unaffected to affected contact device may be maximized according to the invention in that the helical spring has a conical shape between said top and base portions. The conical shape of the screw or helical moreover counteracts tipping over of the contact spring device during the soldering process.
It may also be advantageous that the contact device according to the invention is constructed such that, in addition to the top portion, the base portion has one or more closely wound, conical windings. In other words, it may be advantageous that the top portion as well as the base portion of the contact device has two or more closely wound windings having a pitch which corresponds to the wire diameter or slightly more than this, it being thereby possible to separate the contact devices in a vibrator feeder for positioning in tape and reel or in another standard package for feeding in an SMD mounting robot. Also a stabilization of the contact position of the contact device with respect to the soldering point is obtained.
Construction of the contact device as a screw or helical spring provides a great safeguard against transfer of laterally directed forces or moments from the contact force which destroy the contact face and/or the solder connection with the printed circuit.
The designation SMD (Surface Mounted Device) refers to components having one or more contact faces which are adapted or intended for direct connection soldering or optionally gluing) with contact points of circuit boards.
Expediently and according to the invention, with a view to ensuring a good and stable connection with the contact face of the circuit board, the contact device may alternatively be constructed such that said base portion is wound with one or more additional windings to form a wide base portion which is flush with the contact face and the soldering face.
A contact device according to the invention may e.g. be wound of spring wire with a thickness of the order of 0.2 mm, a top diameter of about 1.1 mm, a base portion with a diameter of about 2.4 mm, a winding spacing of about 0.5—0.5 mm and a free height of about 4 mm.
Or a contact device according to the invention may be wound of spring wire with a thickness of the order of 0.2 mm, a top diameter of about 1.1 mm, a base portion with a diameter of about 2.4 mm, a free height of about 2 mm, a compressed height of about 0.8 mm and a lower portion of great conicity. The actual thickness of the spring wire must be adapted to the actual spring size, of course.
The invention also relates to a tool for handling the contact device according to the invention, said tool being characterized in that it consists of a preferably vacuum driven mounting pick-up having a central control mandrel which fits loosely inside the top portion of the contact device, and which has an enclosing recess adapted to the external shape of the top portion of the contact device.
Preferably, the tool is moreover constructed such that said recess preferably has a greater depth than the length of the control mandrel and has a downwardly/outwardly increasing cross-section with an outer lip-shaped mouth. The tool can hereby grip and position a contact device more easily, if the cylindrical top portion is e.g. not positioned or oriented completely correctly with respect to the
Donovan Lincoln
Kirk Acoustics A/S
Nguyen Nhung
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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