Electrical bridge device including a support bracket and a flex bridge subassembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10038262-B1
Application number	US-201715453172-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 8, 2017
Priority date	Mar 8, 2017
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

An electrical bridge device includes a support bracket and a flex bridge subassembly. The support bracket includes a frame that extends axially between top and bottom ends of the support bracket. The flex bridge subassembly includes upper and lower carriers held in the frame at least proximate to the top and bottom ends, respectively. The flex bridge subassembly further includes an electrically conductive flex circuit strip coupled to and extending between the upper and lower carriers. The flex circuit strip electrically connects to a first connector on a host circuit board and a second connector on a mating circuit board to provide an electrical circuit path between the host circuit board and the mating circuit board. The upper carrier within the frame is floatable relative to the support bracket to allow the flex circuit strip to align with the second connector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical bridge device comprising:
a support bracket extending a height between a top end and an opposite bottom end, the bottom end configured to be mounted to a host circuit board, the support bracket including a frame that extends axially between the top and bottom ends; and
a flex bridge subassembly including an upper carrier held in the frame at least proximate to the top end and a lower carrier held in the frame at least proximate to the bottom end and spaced apart from the upper carrier along the height of the support bracket, the flex bridge subassembly further including an electrically conductive flex circuit strip coupled to the upper carrier and the lower carrier and extending therebetween, the flex circuit strip extending between a host end and a mating end, the host end configured to electrically connect to a first connector on the host circuit board and the mating end configured to electrically connect to a second connector on a mating circuit board to provide an electrical circuit path between the host circuit board and the mating circuit board,
wherein the upper carrier within the frame is floatable relative to the support bracket along a vertical axis parallel to the height of the support bracket to allow the mating end of the flex circuit strip to align with the second connector.

2. The electrical bridge device of claim 1 , wherein the upper carrier within the frame is floatable along a lateral axis and a longitudinal axis that are perpendicular to the vertical axis.

3. The electrical bridge device of claim 1 , wherein the flex circuit strip has a first side and an opposite second side, the flex circuit strip including a first set of contact pads disposed on the first side at the host end and a second set of contact pads disposed on the first side at the mating end.

4. The electrical bridge device of claim 3 , wherein the second side of the flex circuit strip engages the upper carrier and the lower carrier.

5. The electrical bridge device of claim 1 , wherein the support bracket further includes a guide barrel coupled to the frame, the guide barrel defining an aperture that is open along the top end of the support bracket and receives an alignment pin mounted to the mating circuit board to provide coarse alignment between the mating end of the flex circuit strip and the second connector.

6. The electrical bridge device of claim 1 , wherein the mating end of the flex circuit strip protrudes beyond the top end of the support bracket.

7. The electrical bridge device of claim 1 , wherein the upper carrier and the lower carrier are spaced apart from each other in the frame by a gap having a first distance, an intermediate segment of the flex circuit strip extending across the gap having a length greater than the first distance such that the intermediate segment of the flex circuit strip is curved.

8. The electrical bridge device of claim 1 , wherein the upper carrier extends between an inner end and an opposite outer end, the inner end facing the lower carrier, the support bracket further including a spring engaging the inner end of the upper carrier and forcing the upper carrier within the frame upwards toward the top end of the support bracket.

9. The electrical bridge device of claim 1 , wherein the support bracket includes a slot at the top end of the support bracket to receive the lower carrier and the upper carrier into the frame, the support bracket further including two sockets at the top end on opposite sides of the slot, the upper carrier including a main body portion that engages the flex circuit strip and two ears extending laterally from the main body portion in opposite directions, each of the ears received in a corresponding one of the sockets and being retained in the corresponding socket via at least one deflectable finger.

10. The electrical bridge device of claim 9 , wherein the sockets are sized greater than the ears of the upper carrier such that at least one clearance gap is defined between each of the ears and interior surfaces of the support bracket that define the corresponding sockets, the upper carrier movable into the at least one clearance gap to float relative to the support bracket.

11. The electrical bridge device of claim 1 , wherein the lower carrier extends between an inner end and an opposite outer end, the inner end facing the upper carrier, the frame defining a track that receives the lower carrier therein, the frame including a deflectable retention latch with a hook that extends into the track and engages the inner end of the lower carrier to block vertical movement of the lower carrier within the track towards the top end of the support bracket.

12. The electrical bridge device of claim 1 , wherein the support bracket includes an alignment post protruding from the bottom end thereof, the alignment post received in an alignment hole of the host circuit board to align the support bracket thereto.

13. An electrical bridge device comprising:
a support bracket extending a height between a top end and an opposite bottom end, the bottom end configured to be mounted to a host circuit board, the support bracket including a frame that extends axially between the top and bottom ends, wherein the frame has two parallel guide members and cross members extending between and connecting the two guide members, the guide members including channels; and
a flex bridge subassembly including an upper carrier held in the frame at least proximate to the top end and a lower carrier held in the frame at least proximate to the bottom end and spaced apart from the upper carrier along the height of the support bracket, the lower carrier including ledges received in the channels of the guide members, the flex bridge subassembly further including an electrically conductive flex circuit strip coupled to the upper carrier and the lower carrier and extending therebetween, the flex circuit strip extending between a host end and a mating end, the host end configured to electrically connect to a first connector on the host circuit board and the mating end configured to electrically connect to a second connector on a mating circuit board to provide an electrical circuit path between the host circuit board and the mating circuit board,
wherein the upper carrier within the frame is floatable relative to the support bracket to allow the mating end of the flex circuit strip to align with the second connector.

14. An electrical bridge device comprising:
a support bracket extending a height between a top end and an opposite bottom end, the bottom end configured to be mounted to a host circuit board, the support bracket including a guide barrel and a frame coupled to the guide barrel, the frame extending axially between the top and bottom ends, the guide barrel defining an aperture that is open along the top end for receiving an alignment pin that is mounted to a mating circuit board; and
a flex bridge subassembly including an upper carrier held in the frame at least proximate to the top end and a lower carrier held in the frame at least proximate to the bottom end and spaced apart from the upper carrier along the height of the support bracket, the flex bridge subassembly further including an electrically conductive flex circuit strip coupled to the upper carrier and the lower carrier and extending therebetween, the flex circuit strip extending between a host end and a mating end, the host end configured to electrically connect to a first connector on the host circuit board and the mating end configured to electrically connect to a second connector on the mating circuit board to provide an electrical circuit path be

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Behziz Arash
• Costello Brian Patrick
• Herring Michael David

Classifications

• H01R12/79 Primary

  connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures · CPC title

• H01R12/712

  co-operating with the surface of the printed circuit or with a coupling device exclusively provided on the surface of the printed circuit (H01R12/72 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R2201/06

  for computer periphery · CPC title

• H01R13/6315

  allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating connection (for coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R12/91 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05K2201/2036

  Permanent spacer or stand-off in a printed circuit or printed circuit assembly · CPC title