Abstract:
Apparatus is provided for terminating a connector ( 12 ) to a circuit board ( 16 ) by coupling multiple contacts ( 28 ) of the connector to multiple areas of the circuit board, which leaves one face ( 52 ) of the circuit board free of holes so surface mount circuit components ( 22 ) can be mounted on that face of the circuit board. A termination adaptor ( 14 ) is provided that includes an insulative frame ( 64 ) with multiple through passages extending between its opposite faces, and multiple intercontacts ( 62 ) each lying in one of the passages. Each intercontact has a resilient beam ( 76 ) that projects slightly beyond a first face ( 70 ) of the termination frame, so when the termination frame is pressed against first face of the circuit board that has traces ( 80 ) on it, the beams resiliently press against the traces. Second ends ( 74 ) of the intercontacts form clamps that receive projecting ends or tails ( 30 ) of the contacts of the connector and clamp to them. The assembly avoids the need for solder connections.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In many applications, the multiple contacts of a connector must be terminated to locations on a circuit board that holds circuit components. The most direct approach is to provide plated holes in the circuit board, insert pinlike contact tails into the holes, and solder the pins in the holes. Perhaps the greatest disadvantage of this approach is that the multiple pins and holes occupy a considerable area of the circuit board, and circuit components cannot be mounted there. Another disadvantage is that this approach usually requires reflow soldering to solder the pins in place, and the soldering not only adds cost but can damage solder joints where components are already soldered to the circuit board. It has been suggested to form holes only part way through the circuit board, but plating such blind holes is difficult and expensive. A system for connecting multiple contacts of a connector to multiple locations on a circuit board, which was simple and of low cost, and which avoided holes in one face of the circuit board so circuit components could be mounted thereon, would be of value. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, apparatus is provided that includes a connector with contacts and a circuit board with locations that are to be connected to the contacts, which enables connection of the contacts and circuit board locations in a low cost manner that facilitates use of one face of the circuit board to hold circuit components. Both the upper and lower faces of the circuit board are provided with conductive traces. Circuit components such as integrated circuits, capacitors, inductors, and resistors, of the surface mount type, have their terminals soldered to traces on the upper face of the board. The traces on the lower surface are connected to the connector contacts through intercontacts. The intercontacts can be separate elements with lower ends connected to the contact ends and upper ends forming resilient beams for pressing against the traces. As a circuit board is mounted in place, its traces downwardly deflect the resilient beams of the intercontacts to establish reliable contact with them. 
     In one system, the intercontacts lie in passages of an intercontact frame that is sandwiched between the circuit board and connector. The connector contacts have projecting pin-like tails that project into the passages of the intercontact frame. Lower ends of the intercontacts have clamps that to automatically clamp to the contact tails. The connection of the intercontacts with the contact tails and with the circuit board traces do not require solder connections. This reduces the cost of assembling the intercontacts to the connector and circuit board, and avoids heating the circuit board with soldered components already in place thereon. 
     The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of a connector assembly of one embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the connector assembly of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded isometric view showing two intercontacts, two contact tails, and a portion of a circuit board of the connector of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a partially sectional side view of the connector assembly of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of area  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is a view taken on line  6 — 6  of FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 7 is a bottom isometric view of one of the interconnectors of FIG. 3, and showing a contact tail engaged therewith. 
     FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the intercontact and a portion of the contact tail of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 9 is a right side elevation view of the intercontact and contact tail of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view of the circuit board of FIG. 1, showing a circuit component mounted thereon. 
     FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a combined contact-and-intercontact, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 12 is an isometric view of a combined contact-and-intercontact of another embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing an intercontact of another embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing an intercontact of still another embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a connector assembly  10  which includes a connector  12 , a termination adaptor  14 , and a circuit board  16 . The circuit board has an upper face  52  with traces thereon that are soldered to terminals of electrical components  22 . Electrical components are integrated circuits, capacitors, inductors, and resistors, that significantly alter electrical signals and that are usually represented by a symbol on a schematic diagram (other than by a simple line). As shown in FIG. 2, the electrical connector includes an insulator  24  with numerous passages  26 , and also includes numerous contacts  28  mounted in the passages. Each contact has an upstanding or projecting contact part which can be referred to as a tail  30 . The lower end  32  of each contact is mateable to another contact of another connector. Although the opposite ends of the contacts are usually vertically spaced, it should be noted that some contacts have an L-shape, where the contacts are bent 90° C. The contacts  28  are arranged in multiple rows  40  and columns  42 . The particular connector shown is a type manufactured by applicant, which has 260 contacts arranged in two groups on opposite sides of a center rod  44 . In that example, each group has ten rows  40  and thirteen columns  42 . Many of the contact tails are intended to be connected to selected traces  50  on the upper face  52  of the circuit board. The circuit components shown in FIG. 1 at  22 , have terminals that are soldered to the traces  50 . It may be noted that the circuit board  20  is shown split into two circuit board parts  54 ,  56 . 
     In accordance with the present invention, applicant provides the termination adaptor  14  which has a plurality of intercontacts  62 . Each intercontact connects one of the contact tails  30  of the connector contacts to a corresponding location on the circuit board  16 . As shown in FIG. 6, the termination adaptor  14  includes a dielectric termination frame, or intercontact frame  64  with numerous bores or passages  66  that extend between upper and lower ends  70 ,  72  of the frame. Each intercontact  62  has a lower or first part  74  that directly engages one of the contact tails  30  to make electrical connection therewith. Each intercontact also has an upper or second part  76  which is resiliently biased upwardly against an electrically conductive trace  80  on the lower face  82  of the circuit board. As shown in FIG. 5, the first part  74  of the intercontact forms a clamp that clamps to the contact tail  30 . The clamp shown includes a pair of spring legs  84 ,  86  with at least one of them and preferably both being resiliently biased towards each other so both are deflected apart when the contact tail  30  is moved upwardly between them. 
     FIG. 3 shows that the traces  80  on the lower surface of the circuit board, are arranged in rows and columns corresponding to the positions of the contact tails  30 . Each intercontact  62  is formed from a piece of sheet metal that has been cut and folded to the shape shown. The resilient second part  76  is in the form of a strip having a width A that is a plurality of times its thickness T. This strip is bent into a largely S-shape or a shape with two U-parts, to provide high resilience. The legs  84 ,  86  are also in the form of strips that each has a width B that is a plurality of times its thickness T. This construction results in engagement of the upper or second part  76  with a circuit board trace  80  along an elongated area or line contact area  90  on the trace. Similarly, each of the legs engages a contact tail along a wide area  92  of the contact tail. The lower or first part  74  of each intercontact is formed by folding a flat piece of sheet metal, into which the legs  84 ,  86  have been cut, into a U shape, with a pair of arms  100 ,  102  connected by a base  104 . The second part  76  is a resilient beam that is an upward extension of the base  104 . The arms have barbs  105  that form retention parts. 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each intercontact  62  can be installed in the intercontact frame  64  by pushing it upwardly into one of the bores  66 . The intercontact is pushed upward until retention parts in the form of edges  106  at the top of the lower part abut corresponding shoulders  108  formed in the bore. At this position, a contacting part  110  of the intercontact lies at the position  110 A wherein it is slightly above the upper surface  70  of a plate-part of the intercontact frame. The circuit board  16  is then lowered into place so its traces engage the intercontacts. The upper and lower faces  70 ,  72  of the frame lies substantially facewise adjacent to the circuit board lower face  82  and to the connector insulator upper face  113 . The contacting part is formed by a bend  110  at the upper end of a main part  107  of the resilient beam  76 . A short extension  111  (less than half the height of the beam) on a side of the bend opposite the main part is free to deflect downwardly. 
     FIG. 2 shows that the connector assembly  10  can be assembled by moving the termination adaptor  14  downwardly onto the insulator  24  of the connector  12 , so the contact tails  30  project into bores of the intercontact frame  64  to engage the intercontacts  62 . A pair of screws  112  are shown that enter threaded holes  114  in the connector to securely mount the adaptor  14  to the connector. The parts  54 ,  56  of the circuit board  16  can then be lowered within a rim  120  of the adaptor and fastened in place with several screws  122 , to a plate-like portion  124  of the intercontact frame. 
     In commercial practice, the electrical connector  12  and adaptor  14  are provided by a manufacturer of large quantities of these items. The connector and adaptor are then sold to an assembly firm that constructs a circuit board assembly with components, such as shown at  130  in FIG. 1, and assembles the circuit board assembly to the adaptor and connector. The circuit board assembly  130  includes a circuit board  16  which is manufactured with numerous traces on its lower face that correspond with many if not all of the positions of the intercontacts  62  (FIG.  2 ). The upper face of the circuit board is provided with traces at positions where the terminals of circuit components will be mounted. The circuit components  22  are then mounted on traces at the upper surface of the circuit board by soldering. As discussed above, the circuit board is then ready to be assembled to the adaptor and connector and fastened by the screws  122 . 
     FIG. 10 shows traces  80 ,  134  on the lower and upper faces  82 ,  52  of the circuit board  16 . The figure also shows a terminal  136  of a circuit component  22  soldered to one of the traces  134  on the upper face. The particular circuit board illustrated has three layers  141 ,  142 ,  143 , with a series of traces  146 ,  148  between layers. Each of the layers has holes filled with conductive material at  151 ,  152 ,  153  to interconnect selected traces on the bottom and top faces of the board. The use of a plurality of circuit board layers with holes containing conductors, is known in the prior art. 
     By manufacturing and assembling the components in the manner described above, the assembly firm can manufacture the circuit board assembly before assembling it. When the circuit board assembly is assembled to the adaptor and connector, additional soldering steps are not required. If, for example, the contact tails  30  or intercontact  62  had to be soldered to the circuit board, then this would require applying heat to the circuit board, which might damage solder connections already made on the upper face of the circuit board. The lower and upper traces  80 ,  134  on the lower and upper faces of the circuit board lie opposite each other, that is, a plurality of the upper traces  134  lie between pairs of lower traces  80 , as would be seen in a plan view in which both lower and upper traces could be seen. As a result, where there is limited space available for holding the circuit components  22 , as shown in FIG. 1, substantially the entire upper surface area of the circuit board is available to hold components. It may be noted that in addition to the circuit components, it is possible to provide a connector or header indicated at  160 , although it is usual to fill the upper face of the circuit board with circuit components. 
     While applicant prefers to mount the intercontacts  62  within a frame  64 , it should be noted that it is possible to mount individual intercontacts directly on the contact tails. 
     FIG. 11 shows a combination contact  170  which includes a contact portion  172  that can extend through an insulator and with its lower end forming a mating contact or forming a termination to a wire. An upper portion  174  forms a resilient beam that is biased against traces on a lower face of a circuit board. The particular combination contact  170  is shown formed of a piece of sheet metal that has been bent to the shape illustrated. FIG. 12 shows another combination contact  180  that is formed of a metal rod, with its lower portion  182  forming a contact that can lie in a connector insulator. The upper portion  184  is formed by flattening an upper portion of the rod to form the resilient beam. 
     FIG. 14 shows a connector  190  with socket contacts  192  whose tails do not project but which form sockets. An intercontact  194  has a pin portion  196  that extends downwardly into a bore  198  in the insulator of the connector, and into the socket to make electrical connection with the contact of the connector. FIG. 13 shows a connector  200  with contacts forming upwardly-projecting tails  202  that are designed to engage similarly-shaped tails. The intercontact  204  has a downwardly-extending pin portion  206  that engages the contact tail. 
     While terms such as “top”, “bottom”, etc. have been used to describe the invention and its parts as illustrated, it should be understood that the electrical to connector can be used in any orientation with respect the Earth. 
     Thus, the invention provides an electrical connector that includes a circuit board with circuit components thereon, where contacts of the electrical connector are easily coupled to the circuit components. The circuit board is provided with traces on its lower face which are connected to selected traces on its upper face, the circuit components being connected to the traces on the upper face. Intercontacts couple the connector contacts to the traces on the lower face of the circuit board, the intercontacts having beams that are spring loaded to provide resilient contact with the circuit board traces. Where the connector contacts have upwardly projecting rigid portions or tails, each intercontact has a portion such as a clamp for engaging the contact tail, with the upper portion of the intercontact being resiliently biased upwardly against the circuit board traces. Applicant prefers to construct each intercontact with a resilient beam that can be downwardly deflected. The resilient beam can be in the form of a wire that can even be a coil, although applicant prefers a strip. The invention permits the circuit board to be constructed with solder connections, and enables connection of the circuit board to the connector contacts in a simple manner that can be accomplished without soldering connections between the intercontacts and traces on the circuit board. 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.