Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Including compound movement of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-09
2003-12-30
Gilman, Alexander (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Including compound movement of coupling part
C439S857000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06669499
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to a pin grid array contact, and more particularly to an pin grid array contact that provides more efficient assembly into an electrical connector.
Connectors are known for interconnecting various electrical media components, such as printed circuit boards (PCB), discrete circuit components, flex circuits and the like. Many printed circuit boards are connected to pin grid substrates by way of ZIF (zero insertion force) connectors. Typically, ZIF connectors include single or double point contacts that connect conductive pins, which extend from the pin grid substrate, to traces on the printed circuit board. Typically, the pin grid substrate, the connector, and printed circuit board are compressed together in order to ensure a conductive path between the pins, contacts and the traces on the printed circuit board.
FIG. 1
is an isometric view of a conventional connector including pin grid substrate
10
, a printed circuit board
16
and ZIF electrical connector
20
. The pin grid substrate
10
includes a member
12
from which pins
14
outwardly extend. The circuit board
16
includes circuitry connected to plated through holes
18
. The connector
20
includes a housing
22
, contact elements
24
, a cover
26
and a lever
28
. The housing
22
carries a number of regularly spaced cavities (not shown), positioned below the pins
14
. A groove
54
is open at one end
60
to accommodate the lever
28
.
Two blocks
64
with holes
66
therethrough are located on each side of the housing
22
. The holes receive roll pins
68
. The blocks
64
, holes and roll pins
68
cooperate with structures on the cover
26
to hold the cover on the housing
22
. The cover
26
, preferably molded with the same material as the housing
22
, contains vertical openings
70
therethrough in the same number and on the same spacing as cavities in the housing
22
.
Cam block
74
extends down below the lower surface
76
of the cover
26
and is channeled along its downwardly facing surface as indicated by reference numeral
78
. One corner of the cover
26
adjacent end
80
is recessed as indicated by reference numeral
82
to provide room for the lever
28
.
Blocks
84
extend downwardly from opposing sides
86
and
88
of the cover
26
. Both blocks
84
are outwardly displaced relative to the vertical plane of the sides. Further, the block
84
on side
86
is displaced downwardly, relative to top surface
72
, to provide a space for the arm of lever
28
. Each block contains an aperture
90
in each end face to receive roll pin
68
. One section of the member
92
extends outwardly from that side.
The lever
28
, a one piece member, includes handle
96
and cam section
98
. The cam section
98
is perpendicular to the handle
96
. A short connecting piece
100
joins the handle
96
and cam section
98
and displaces one relative to the other. After loading the contact elements
24
into the cavities, the lever
28
is placed into the housing
22
. The connecting piece
100
and the handle
96
extend out of the groove through open end
60
.
The cover
26
is placed onto the top surface
32
so that blocks
84
slide in between blocks
64
and block
74
enters into the enlarged portion
58
. The cover
26
is slidably attached to the housing
22
by sliding the roll pins
68
into the holes
66
in blocks
64
and the apertures
90
in the blocks
84
. The cover
26
is actuated against the top surface
32
of the housing
22
by the pivoting handle
96
of the lever
28
. Thus, the lever
28
provides the actuation necessary to mate the pins
14
with the contacts
24
.
The contacts
24
may contact the pins
14
at a single point, or at two points. Typically, a contact
24
that contacts a pin
14
at a single point is less reliable than a contact
24
that contacts a pin
14
at two points. A contact
24
that contacts a pin
14
at two points, moreover, is a redundant contact system. A redundant contact system is more reliable than a single contact system in that if the pin is slightly out of position, while one contact may not abut the pin
14
, another contact may abut the pin
14
. In other words, two points of contact are better than one point of contact.
Typically, the two point contact straddles the pin
14
, thereby offering another advantage over the single point contact. That is, the two point contact ensure proper positioning of the pin
14
because the pin
14
is positioned between two contact portions of the two point contact, as opposed to touching one point of contact, as with the single point contact.
Typically, two point contacts are stamped, or blanked, in conjunction with a carrier strip, from a unitary piece of conductive material. The two point contact is typically stamped such that the contact portions are oriented in a straight line. That is, one contact portion is located at one end of the line, while the other contact portion is located at the other end of the line.
FIG. 2
is an isometric view of a conventional two point contact
24
.
FIG. 3
is an illustration of a conventional preformed, blanked two point contact
24
attached to a carrier strip
140
. As shown in
FIG. 3
, while in the preformed, blanked state, the contact portions
122
are aligned with one another such that the top surfaces
118
of the contact portions
122
are co-linear with each other. That is, line segment AB and line segment CD may be connected by dashed line BC, wherein line AD is a straight line. In order to form the contact, the contact portions
122
are bent as shown in FIG.
2
.
Forming two point contacts through stamping or blanking, however, produces wasted material. As shown in
FIG. 3
, the stamped, preformed contact typically must be sufficiently wide to allow the proper size of the contacting portions
122
, while at the same time ensuring that the contacting portions
122
will align with, or mirror, each other when the contact is formed. As a result, a greater portion of conductive material is wasted during the stamping process as compared to the stamping of a single point contact.
Further, unlike single point contacts, double point contacts typically cannot be stamped the same distance apart, that is, stamped on the same pitch, as that of the cavities in the connector housing. Typical connector housing cavities, or receptacles are positioned 1.27 mm, or 0.05″, apart from one another. However, stamped double point contacts typically cannot be stamped that same distance from each other. The pitch, or spacing, between center lines of formed contacts on a carrier strip may be 0.10″. Thus, when the double point contacts are inserted into the cavities, the contacts are individually inserted into the housing cavities. Alternatively the double point contacts may be skip inserted into the contacts because the contacts may be spaced twice the distance between the cavities of the connector housing. For example, a connector housing may include a matrix of 24 cavities by 24 cavities. If the contacts are skip inserted into a row (or column) of the matrix, 12 contacts may be inserted at one time. That is, the double point contacts may be stamped on double the pitch as that of the cavities.
Thus a need has existed for a more efficient way of method of stamping, or blanking double point micro pin grid array contacts. Further, a need has existed for a more efficient method of inserting double point pin grid array contacts into cavities or receptacles of a connector housing.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention, A pin grid array contact has been developed that comprises a planar main body defining, and arranged within, a primary contact plane. The main body has edges along opposed sides and along opposed ends. The contact also includes first and second spring beams integral with the main body and extending from a common one of the edges by different first and second lengths, respectively. The first length being longer than the second lengt
Grzybowski Richard W.
Whyne Richard Nicholas
Gilman Alexander
Tyco Electronics Corporation
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