Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-09
2004-05-11
Gushi, Ross (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06733301
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a connector for connecting circuit boards oriented at an angle to one another and more particularly relates to an electrical connector that connects a backplane board and a daughter card in close proximity to one another.
In certain computer applications, such as telecommunications computer systems, large printed circuit boards called backplane boards are retained within a computer cabinet and are electrically connected to several smaller printed circuit boards called daughter cards. The terms “board” and “card” are used interchangeably throughout. In the telecommunications industry, by way of example only, daughter cards carry processing programs that allow the backplane board to route information. Optionally, parallel rows of daughter cards are oriented at an angle, such as acutely or perpendicularly, to the backplane board. The common parallel alignment of multiple daughter cards is, in part, due to the need to afford a space-efficient and good signal quality connection with the backplane. A right-angle electrical connector connects the daughter cards to the backplane board at a perpendicular orientation.
FIGS. 6-8
illustrate a conventional right angle electrical connector that has a receptacle housing
204
(
FIG. 6
) and a header housing
230
(FIG.
7
). As shown in
FIG. 6
, receptacle contacts
270
, retained in the receptacle housing
204
, have compliant pins
206
that extend from a first end
208
of the receptacle housing
204
. The compliant pins
206
are received in apertures in the backplane board (not shown). Parallel slots
210
located at a second end
214
of the receptacle housing
204
extend into receptacle channels
218
within the receptacle housing
204
. The receptacle channels
218
are separated by divider walls
222
and enclosed by side walls
226
.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, the header housing
230
has a box-shaped first chamber
234
that retains plate contacts
238
which are aligned parallel to each other. The plate contacts
238
are enclosed by top, bottom, and side walls
242
,
246
, and
250
. As shown in
FIG. 8
, the header housing
230
is formed with first and second chambers
234
and
254
, and the plate contacts
238
extend through both the first and second chambers
234
and
254
. The plate contacts
238
include a blade portion
239
held proximate a rear end
262
of the first chamber
234
, and compliant pins
266
that extend from the second chamber
254
in a direction perpendicular to the blade portion
239
. The compliant pins
266
of the header housing
230
are received in apertures in a daughter card
280
and connected to electrical traces (not shown) in the daughter card
280
. The compliant pins
206
of the receptacle housing
204
are received in apertures in a backplane board
281
and connected to electrical traces (not shown) in the backplane board
281
.
In operation, the header housing
230
is connected to the receptacle housing
204
such that the first chamber
234
of the header housing
230
receives the second end
214
of the receptacle housing
204
as the receptacle channels
218
(
FIG. 6
) in the receptacle housing
204
receive the plate contacts
238
in the first chamber
234
of the header housing
230
. Thus, the compliant pins
266
of the header housing
230
are oriented perpendicularly to the compliant pins
206
of the receptacle housing
204
, and the daughter card
280
is oriented perpendicularly to the backplane board
281
. As the plate contacts
238
enter the receptacle channels (
FIG. 6
) of the receptacle housing
204
, the plate contacts
238
engage the receptacle contacts
270
within the receptacle housing
204
such that the compliant pins
206
and
266
of the receptacle and header housings
204
and
230
are electrically connected. The compliant pins
106
may transmit power to the compliant pins
266
, or vice versa.
However, the typical right angle electrical connector suffers from several drawbacks. The header housing takes up a great deal of space within the cabinet. Because the receptacle housing is received in a first chamber that is connected to the backplane board through a second chamber, the header housing distances the daughter card from the backplane board by a space equal to the length of the first chamber. In the example of
FIGS. 6-7
, this spacing equals the length of the first chamber
234
. Because the daughter cards are spaced apart from the backplane board by this distance, smaller backplane boards and daughter cards may be positioned in a given cabinet. Thus, conventional right angle electrical connectors limit the space efficiency of a computer system. Additionally, because of the great distance between the backplane board and the daughter cards, the current flowing therebetween must travel across a long path and thus induces high inductance. The high inductance results in slow and inefficient power transmission between the backplane board and the daughter cards.
A need remains for an electrical connector that overcomes the above problems and addresses other concerns experienced in the prior art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Certain embodiments of the present invention include an electrical connector for joining circuit boards oriented at an angle to one another and in close proximity to one another. A header housing with a bottom wall and a side wall. The bottom wall includes a lower face configured to adjoin a first circuit board and an opposed upper face. The first housing has a plate contact extending upward from the upper face. The plate contact is configured to electrically communicate through the bottom wall with the first circuit board. The electrical connector includes a receptacle housing having a rear wall configured to adjoin a second circuit board and a receptacle channel formed in the receptacle housing. The receptacle channel securely receives a receptacle contact that extends along a longitudinal axis and is configured to electrically communicate through the rear wall with the second circuit board. The receptacle channel opens onto front and lower faces of the receptacle housing to define front and lower slots in the front and lower faces, respectively. The plate contact is inserted through the front and lower slots when the header and receptacle housings are joined to retain the circuit boards closely adjacent one another.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4632475 (1986-12-01), Tomita
patent: 5674078 (1997-10-01), Davis et al.
patent: 5727961 (1998-03-01), Landis et al.
patent: 6319075 (2001-11-01), Clark et al.
patent: 6350154 (2002-02-01), Fu
Gushi Ross
Tyco Electronics Corporation
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