CIRCUIT PANEL CONNECTOR, PANEL SYSTEM USING THE CONNECTOR, AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE PANEL SYSTEM

Abstract: An improved circuit panel connector comprises an electrically insulating body having a plurality of openings extending through the body and has electrical contacts such as screw machine contact assemblies movably mounted in the respective body openings so that posts extend from the openings at one side of the body and terminal entry portions of the contacts are accessible at an opposite side of the body. A plate having a plurality of protuberances formed therein is disposed over the opposite connector body side with the protuberances fitted into the terminal entry portions of the contacts for spacing the movably mounted contacts relative to each other in the connector body openings. A polyimide tape is adhesively and detachably secured to the body over the plate holding the plate on the body and for sealing the body openings. The contact posts are inserted into corresponding openings in a circuit panel and soldered to circuit paths on the panel. If desired, conformal coating materials are applied to the circuit panel over the connector, the tape serving to exclude such coating materials from the contact members in the connector body openings. The tape is then detached for permitting insertion of component terminals into the terminal entry portions of the connector contacts for mounting the component on the connector. If desired, the connector body carries an additional flexible, heat-curable sealing layer on said one body side to be cured and sealingly secured to the circuit panel during the contact soldering prior to application of the conformal coating.

Description: The field of this invention is that of circuit panel systems and the inventions relates more particularly to improved connectors for use in such systems and to methods for making such systems. Typically screw machine contact assemblies used in high reliability military printed circuit panel connectors and the like are mounted in openings in insulating connector bodies and are retained in those openings by individual metal C-clips. The connectors are mounted on a circuit panel with contact member posts extending from the connector body and fitted into corresponding openings in the circuit panel and soldered to circuit paths on the circuit panel. The cost of fabricating and assembling these numerous tiny clips adds significantly to the total connector manufacturing cost and the clips tend to be difficult to remove when replacement of a contact member soldered in a circuit panel system is required. In US-A-4 010 992, there is described a multi-terminal socket suitable for an integrated circuit, for example, the socket having a plurality of terminal pins, each with a receptacle for an integrated circuit terminal at one end and a contact post at the other end. The contact posts extend through respective apertures in an electrically insulating housing into corresponding through holes in a printed circuit board. The receptacles of the terminal pins are contained in open recesses in the housing which has flexible flaps engaging the contact posts at the bottom of the recesses. A perforated lid may be provided to cover the open tops of the recesses. In EP-A-0 060 644, there is described an electrical connector having a plurality of generally parallel resilient terminal elements extending through respective holes in an electrically insulating housing. A contact region of each terminal element fits into an individual recess in a wall of the housing, with the other end of the element projecting from the housing for soldering to a conductor on a circuit board. In order to facilitate the insertion of the ends of the elements into apertures in the circuit board a cover is provided having a tongue shaped to prevent the contact regions of a plurality of the terminal elements from flexing out of their recesses so that the ends of the terminals can withstand a longitudinal force tending to push them back into the holes in the housing. It is an object of this invention to provide a novel and improved circuit panel connector; to provide a novel and improved circuit panel system using such a connector; and to provide a novel and improved method for making such a circuit panel system. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a connector for mounting a component and for electrically connecting component terminals to circuit paths on a circuit panel comprising an electrically insulating body having a plurality of through openings, and a plurality of electrical contact members respectively mounted in the openings, the contact members having post portions at one end extending from the openings at one side of the body and available to be soldered to selected circuit paths on a circuit panel and having respective terminal entry and contact portions at an opposite end accessible from an opposite side of the body for resiliently receiving and electrically engaging respective component terminals, and a plate disposed over the opposite body side, characterized in that the contact members are arranged so as to be laterally movable in the respective openings, the plate has a plurality of portions disposed in selected spaced relation to each other engaging the respective contact members so as to position the movable contact members relative to each other at said selected spacing in the body openings and retain the contact members in the openings with said spacing, and means detachably securing the plate to the body for positioning the contact members relative to each other in the body openings so as to facilitate the attachment by soldering of the contact members to circuit paths on a circuit panel in said selected spaced relation and for allowing removal of the plate after such soldering to permit insertion of component terminals into the terminal entry portions (28.2) of the contact members. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a circuit panel system for mounting a component and for electrically connecting component terminals in an electrical circuit, comprising a circuit panel having circuit paths defined thereon and having a plurality of openings disposed at selected locations on the circuit paths, an electrically insulating connector body having a plurality of openings extending through the body and aligned with respective ones of the openings in the circuit panel, each of the openings through the body having a rigid shoulder facing away from the side of the body, and a plurality of electrical contact members disposed in the openings in the connector body, each contact member having a post portion extending from one of the openings in the connector body at the one side of the body into a corresponding one of the openings in the circuit panel and being soldered to a selected circuit path on the circuit panel, and each contact member having a terminal contact portion accessible from an opposite side of the body for resiliently receiving and electrically engaging a component terminal therein for mounting the component on the circuit panel, characterised in that the terminal contact portions have abutments engaging the shoulders in the body openings, the contact members have clearance gaps between them and the walls of the openings in the connector body above and below the shoulders, and the contact members have selected spacing relative to each other in the body openings. According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for making a circuit panel system comprising the steps of providing a circuit panel having circuit paths defined thereon and having a plurality of openings disposed at selected locations on the circuit paths; providing a connector comprising an electrically insulating body having a plurality of openings extending through the body, a plurality of contact members disposed in the respective body openings, the contact members having respective post portions at one end extending from the body openings at one side of the body and having respective terminal entry and contact portions to be accessible from the opposite side of the body for receiving component terminals, the contact members being laterally movable in the body openings, the method further including the steps of providing a plate having a plurality of protuberances formed thereon disposed over the opposite connector body side with the protuberances fitted into respective terminal entry portions of the contact members so as to space the contact members relative to each other in the body openings, and a tape adhesively and detachably secured to the body over the plate and over the connector body openings at the opposite connector body side for sealing the openings; inserting the post portions of the contact members of the connector into corresponding openings in the circuit panel; soldering the post portions of the contact members in the circuit panel openings to selected circuit paths on the circuit panel; removing the tape and plate members from the connector; inserting terminals of an electrical component into the terminal entry portions of the contact member to be received and resiliently and electrically engaged by the contact members for mounting the component on the connector so as electrically to connect the component terminals to said selected circuit paths on the circuit panel. Briefly described, the novel and improved connector of this invention comprises an electrically insulating body having a plurality of openings extending through the body. Preferably the openings have a relatively small first portion at the bottom side of the connector body and have a relatively larger second portion adjacent the opposite top side of the body so that a shoulder is formed in each opening between the noted portions of the opening to face generally toward the top side of the connector. A plurality of electrical contact members, preferably comprising conventional screw machine contact assemblies or the like, are movably mounted in the respective connector body openings so that post portions of the contact members extend from openings at the bottom side of the connector bodies and so that terminal entry portions of the contact members are disposed within the relatively larger portions of the body openings to be accessible at the top side of the connector body for receiving and resiliently, electrically engaging terminals of an electrical component inserted therein. The contact members are movably mounted in the body openings to rest against the noted shoulders within the openings. Preferably the terminal entry portions of the contact members comprise generally cylindrical sleeves which extend around the outer periphery of the terminal entry portions of the contact members and which are open at one sleeve end for receiving the component terminals therein. In accordance with this invention, a plate having a plurality of protuberances formed thereon is removably disposed over the top side of the connector body with the protuberances fitted into the terminal entry portions of the contact members for spacing the movably mounted contact members relative to each other within the respective connector body openings and for retaining the contact members in the body openings. Preferably for example, the plate comprises a thin metal sheet of stainless steel or the like having a plurality of dimples therein forming the desired protuberances in a semispherical form and the protuberances are fitted into the open sleeve ends on the terminal entry portions of the contact members for centering the contact members on the protuberances to facilitate relative spacing of the contact members. Preferably also, an adhesive means such as a tape of a high-temperature-resistant polyimide material or the like having a layer of a high-temperature adhesive thereon is adhesively and detachably secured to the connector body over the plate for retaining the plate on the body bearing against the contact members to hold the terminal entry portions of the contact members against the shoulders in the openings and for sealing the body openings at the top of the connector. Preferably an additional, flexible, heat-curable adhesive sealing means such as a conventional epoxy or a silicone sealing means or the like is secured to the bottom of the connector body around the connector body openings. In the method of this invention, the improved connector as above described is mounted on a circuit panel of generally conventional type having circuit paths defined on the panel by having post portions of the contact members inserted into corresponding openings in the circuit panel at selected locations relative to the circuit paths. The contact members are then soldered to the circuit paths in conventional manner for securing the movable contact members in secure electrical engagement with the circuit paths and for holding the connector body in a fixed position on the circuit panel. If desired, a conformal coating of an acrylic material or the like is applied over the circuit panel and connector by dipping or spraying or the like in any conventional manner for providing a moisture seal over the circuit paths and the connector as will be understood. In that procedure, the tape on the connector body excludes the conformal coating materials from the connector body openings and from the terminal entry portions of the contact members in the body openings. The tape is then peeled off and removed from the connector body with the plate for permitting the insertion of terminals from an integrated circuit component or the like into the terminal entry portions of the contact members for mounting the component on the connector and electrically connecting the component terminals to selected circuit paths on the a circuit panel as will be understood. Where the connector has an additional flexible heat-curable sealing means secured to the bottom of the connector body as above described, the sealing means is engaged in sealing relation with the circuit panel around the body openings at the bottom of the connector and is preferably subjected to heat-treatment for curing the sealing means, preferably during soldering of the contact members to the circuit panel. In this way, a novel and improved circuit panel connector and system are provided which have improved low cost constructions while also being adapted to provide improved, more reliable service. The noted arrangement also permits easier replacement of a soldered connector contact, the contact being easily separated from its soldered connection by applying heat to the contact post and then being easily withdrawn from the top of the connector body. Description of the Drawings Other objects, advantages and details of the improved circuit panel connector, system and method of this invention appear in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, the detailed description referring to the drawings in which; Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a circuit panel system provided by this invention; and Fig. 2 is a section to enlarged scale along line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to the drawings, 10 in Fig. 1 indicates a novel and improved circuit panel system of this invention which is shown to include a generally conventional circuit panel 12 of an organic or ceramic electrical insulating material or the like having electrically conductive metal foil circuit paths 14 or the like defined thereon in a selected circuit pattern. Preferably a plurality of openings 16 are formed in the circuit panel in selected locations relative to the circuit paths in conventional manner. At least one novel and improved circuit panel connector 18 as provided by this invention is mounted on the circuit panel 12 and at least one electrical component such as a conventional integrated circuit component 20 having a plurality of component terminals 22 thereon is adapted to be mounted on the connector as is diagrammatically indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2. In accordance with this invention the improved circuit panel connector 18 comprises a body 24 of an electrically insulating material such as polyphenylenesulfide or diallylphthalate or the like and is provided with a plurality of openings 26 therein extending through the body. A plurality of generally conventional electrical contact members 28 are movably mounted in the respective connector body openings, each contact member having a post portion 28.1 extending from the body opening at one, bottom side of the connector body and having a terminal entry portion 28.2 accessible in the body opening at an opposite, top side of the connector body. Preferably the connector body openings have a first portion 26.1 of relatively small diameter receiving the post portion of the contact member and a relatively larger portion 26.2 adjacent the top of the connector body accommodating the terminal entry portion of the contact member therein. In that arrangement, a shoulder 26.3 is formed in each connector body opening between the noted portions of the body opening with the shoulder facing generally toward the top of the connector body and the contact member is disposed in the body opening with the terminal entry portion of the contact member resting against the shoulder 26.3. Preferably for example, the contact members 28 comprise generally conventional high-reliability, military, screw machine contact members incorporating a post portion 28.1 in the form of a rod of brass or the like. Preferably the terminal entry portion 28.2 of the contact member comprises a spring cylinder or clip 28.3 of beryllium copper or the like having spring leaves 28.4 formed therein and a sleeve or shroud 28.5 fitted around the outer perimeter of the terminal entry portion of the member and swaged as at 28.6 to a flanged stud part 28.7 of the brass rod, the sleeve having an opening 28.8 at one end for receiving a component terminal 22 therein to be resiliently electrically engaged in the clip 28.3 as shown particularly in Fig. 2. Preferably the contact member 28 is more or less symmetrical around a longitudinal axis extending through the terminal entry and post portions of the member as illustrated in Fig. 2 and the contact member is disposed in a connector body opening to be freely rotatable and axially slidable against shoulder 26.3 in the opening as shown. However, other contact member configurations including contact assemblies having flat posts and spring leaf portion blanked from a sheet material or the like and enclosed in a steel shroud are also adapted to be used in the connector of this invention. In accordance with this invention, the connector 18 further includes a plate 30 having a plurality of protuberances 32 formed therein, the plate being removably disposed on the top side of the connector body so the protuberances are fitted into the terminal entry portion of the contact member 28 for spacing the contact members relative to each other within the openings in the connector body. Preferably for example, the plate comprises a thin metal sheet of stainless steel or the like having a plurality of semispherical dimples formed therein for providing the desired protuberances. The protuberances are then received in the sleeve openings 28.8 on the terminal entry portions of the contact members so that the contact members tend to be centered on the protuberances, thereby to be precisely spaced relative to each other in the body openings, the plate bearing against the contact members to hold the contact members in that precisely spaced location bearing against the shoulders 26.3 in the connector body openings. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the plate member 30 is secured in the described position on the connector body 24 by adhesive means such as a tape 34 which is adhesively and detachably secured to the connector body over the plate and preferably over the openings 26 formed in the top of the connector body. That is, the tape 34 is preferably formed of material sold under the designation Kapton having layer 34.1 of a high-temperature- resistant polyimide material or the like and having an additional layer 34.2 of a conventional high temperature adhesive material. The plate 30 is preferably proportioned to substantially cover the top of the connector body and to extend over all of the connector body openings on the top side of the body and the tape is preferably folded over the top of the body and extended down along lateral sides of the body to adhere to the lateral body sides. Where the connector body has locating holes or pins or the like 24.1 therein, the tape 34 may cover such locating means as well if desired. In accordance with the invention, the connector 18 as above described is mounted on a circuit panel 12 by inserting the contact member posts in corresponding openings in the circuit panel and the posts are soldered to selected circuit paths on the pins in conventional manner. The engagement of the soldered contact members with the shoulders 28.3 in the openings secures the connector body in a fixed location on the circuit panel. Preferably a conformal coating 35 of an acrylic material or the like is applied over the circuit panel and connector by dipping or spraying or the like in conventional manner for providing a moisture seal. In that procedure, the tape 34 serves to exclude the conformal coating material from the connector body openings and from the terminal entry portions of the connector contacts in the openings. The tape 34 is then peeled from the connector body and the plate member is removed for permitting insertion of the component terminals 22 into the terminal entry portions of the contact members for mounting the component 20 on the connector and for electrically connecting the component terminals 22 to the selected circuit paths on the circuit panel. Where desired, an additional, either rigid or flexible, heat-curable otherwise adherent adhesive sealing means 36 of an epoxy material or a silicone material or the like is secured by adhesion of the like to the bottom side of the connector body so that when the connector is mounted on the circuit panel the additional adhesive layer engages the circuit panel. The panel system is then subjected to heat-treatment (as during the soldering of the contact members to the circuit paths or the like) for curing the additional adhesive layer to seal the bottom side of the connector body to the circuit panel, thereby to further assure exclusion of subsequently applied conformal coating materials and other extraneous materials from entry into the connector body openings from the bottom side of the connector. In that arrangement, the connector 18 is easily and economically manufactured and assembled. The plate and tape elements are adapted to be fed from reels and cut off at appropriate lengths either as they are disposed on the connector body or immediately prior to being attached to the connector body. Connector contacts are movably mounted in the connector body openings with ease and convenience to facilitate precise mounting and spacing of the contact members in circuit panel openings substantially free of stresses thereon and are provided with improved, more uniform spacing relative to each other in the connector body openings by the plate element. The tape 34 excludes conformal coating materials from the connector 18 and is then easily and conveniently removed for permitting insertion of electrical component terminals into the connector contact members. It should be understood that although particular embodiments of this invention have been described by way of illustrating the invention, this invention includes all modifications and equivalence of the disclosed embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims: A connector for mounting a component and for electrically connecting component terminals to circuit paths (14) on a circuit panel (12) comprising an electrically insulating body (24) having a plurality of through openings (26), and a plurality of electrical contact members (28) respectively mounted in the openings, the contact members having post portions (28.1) at one end extending from the openings (20) at one side of the body (24) and available to be soldered to selected circuit paths (14) on a circuit panel (12) and having respective terminal entry and contact portions (28.2) at an opposite end accessible from an opposite side of the body (24) for resiliently receiving and electrically engaging respective component terminals, and a plate (30) disposed over the opposite body side, characterized in that the contact members (28) are arranged so as to be laterally movable in the respective openings (26), the plate (30) has a plurality of portions (32) disposed in selected spaced relation to each other engaging the respective contact members (28) so as to position the movable contact members (28) relative to each other at said selected spacing in the body openings (26) and retain the contact members in the openings with said spacing, and means (34) detachably securing the plate (30) to the body (24) for positioning the contact members (28) relative to each other in the body openings (26) so as to facilitate the attachment by soldering of the contact members (28) to circuit paths (14) on a circuit panel (12) in said selected spaced relation and for allowing removal of the plate (30) after such soldering to permit insertion of component terminals into the terminal entry portions (28.2) of the contact members (28). A connector according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of portions (32) on said plate (30) disposed in selected spaced relation to each other are protuberances disposed in the selected disposition over the opposite body side with the protuberances fitted into respective terminal entry portions (28.2) of the contact members (28) and wherein said means (34) detachably securing the plate to the body is an adhesive means. A connector according to claim 2 further characterized in that the plate (30) comprises a flat sheet having dimples (32) formed therein to provide said protuberances and the contact members (28) include generally cylindrical sleeves (28.5) disposed around the outer perimeters of the terminal entry portions (28.2) of the contact members (28), the sleeves (28.5) being open at one end (28.8) for receiving component terminals therein, and that the protuberances (32) are received in said open sleeve ends (28.8) to centre the movable mounted contact members (28) thereon for facilitating spacing of the contact members (28) relative to each other in the connector body openings (26). A connector according to either one of claims 2 and 3 characterized in that the adhesive means (34) comprises a tape adhesively and detachably secured to the body over the plate (30) and over the body openings (26) for sealing the openings at the opposite body side, whereby, when conformal coating or other materials are applied to a circuit panel over the connector after soldering of the contact members (28) to circuit paths (14) on the circuit panel (12), the tape (34) is able to exclude the materials from the body openings (26) and is adapted to be subsequently removed to permit component terminals to be inserted into the terminal entry portions (28.2) of the contact members (28). A connector according to any one of the preceding claims further characterized in that an additional, flexible, sealing-means (36) is provided on said one body side able to be sealingly engaged with a circuit panel (12) during Soldering of the contact members (28) to circuit paths (14) on the circuit panel (12) so as to exclude entry of material into the body openings (26) at said one body side. A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that each body opening (26) has a first portion (26.1) of a selected size and has a second portion (26.2) of a larger size adjacent the body side opposite to the one side forming a shoulder (26.3) between said portions, the contact members (28) have the terminal entry portions thereof disposed in the larger portions of the body openings to engage said shoulders within the openings, the plate (30) bearing against the contact members for normally holding the contact members against said shoulders, the means detachably securing the plate (30) to the body (24) is a polyimide tape (34) adhesively and detachably secured to the body over the plate, and the plate being able to hold the contact members in said selected spacing relative to each other against said shoulders during soldering of the contact members to the circuit paths on the circuit panel. A circuit panel system for mounting a component and for electrically connecting component terminals in an electrical circuit, comprising a circuit panel (12) having circuit paths (14) defined thereon and having a plurality of openings (16) disposed at selected locations on the circuit paths, an electrically insulating connector body (24) having a plurality of openings (26) extending through the body and aligned with respective ones of the openings in the circuit panel, each of the openings (26) through the body having a rigid shoulder (26.3) facing away from the side of the body, and a plurality of electrical contact members disposed in the openings in the connector body, each contact member having a post portion (28.1) extending from one of the openings in the connector body at the one side of the body into a corresponding one of the openings in the circuit panel and being soldered to a selected circuit path on the circuit panel, and each contact member having a terminal contact portion (28.2) accessible from an opposite side of the body for resiliently receiving and electrically engaging a component terminal therein for mounting the component on the circuit panel, characterised in that the terminal contact portions have abutments (28.7) engaging the shoulders (26.3) in the body openings, the contact members (28) have clearance gaps between them and the walls of the openings in the connector body (24) above and below the shoulders, and the contact members have selected spacing relative to each other in the body openings. A method for making a circuit panel system comprising the steps of providing a circuit panel (12) having circuit paths (14) defined thereon and having a plurality of openings (16) disposed at selected locations on the circuit paths; providing a connector comprising an electrically insulating body (24) having a plurality of openings (26) extending through the body, a plurality of contact members (28) disposed in the respective body openings, the contact members having respective post portions (28.1) at one end extending from the body openings at one side of the body and having respective terminal entry and contact portions (28.2) to be accessible from the opposite side of the body for receiving component terminals, the contact members (28) being laterally movable in the body openings, the method further including the steps of providing a plate (30) having a plurality of protuberances (32) formed thereon disposed over the opposite connector body side with the protuberances fitted into respective terminal entry portions (28.2) of the contact members so as to space the contact members relative to each other in the body openings (26), and a tape (34) adhesively and detachably secured to the body (24) over the plate and over the connector body openings at the opposite connector body side for sealing the openings; inserting the post portions (28.1) of the contact members of the connector into corresponding openings (16) in the circuit panel; soldering the post portions (28.1) of the contact members in the circuit panel openings to selected circuit paths (14) on the circuit panel; removing the tape (34) and plate (30) members from the connector; inserting terminals of an electrical component into the terminal entry portions of the contact member to be received and resiliently and electrically engaged by the contact members for mounting the component on the connector so as electrically to connect the component terminals to said selected circuit paths on the circuit panel.

Inventors: JOHNSON, LARRY K., O'MALLEY, AUSTIN S., YEVAK, HAROLD M., JR.
Applicants: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
Application year: 1986
Main classification: H01R9
IPC codes: H01R13, H01R33, H01R43, H01R24, H05K3, H01R12