Misalignment-tolerant flexible type electrical feed-through

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10424345-B1
Application number	US-201816231499-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 22, 2018
Priority date	Jun 11, 2018
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

A misalignment-tolerant flexible type electrical feed-through assembly, which is able to tolerate connector misalignment, involves a flexible circuit assembly (FCA) part constructed as a laminate structure of a base insulating layer, a conductor layer, and a cover insulating layer, where the FCA part is wrapped around a plurality of metal parts, where the metal parts are slidable relative to each other. Such a feed-through assembly may be used at an interface between a hermetically-sealed internal environment, such as in a lighter-than-air gas filled data storage device, and the external environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hermetically-sealed data storage device, comprising:
an enclosure base; and
an electrical feed-through connector assembly bonded to the base, the feed-through connector assembly comprising:
a flexible circuit assembly comprising a laminate of a base insulating layer, a conductor layer over the insulating layer, and a cover insulating layer over the conductor layer, wherein the conductor layer comprises a plurality of electrical connection pads and electrical conductors connecting pairs of the pads, and
a plurality of adjacent metal parts enveloped at least in part by, and at least two metal parts of the plurality of adjacent metal parts adhered to, the flexible circuit assembly, forming an electrical feed-through assembly comprising first pads of the pairs on one side of the feed-through assembly electrically connected via the conductors to second pads of the pairs on the opposing side of the feed-through assembly.

2. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the electrical feed-through connector assembly further comprises:
a friction-inhibiting material positioned at an interface between a pair of adjacent metal parts of the plurality of adjacent metal parts.

3. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of adjacent metal parts comprises only two metal parts.

4. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of adjacent metal parts comprises more than two metal parts.

5. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein:
the electrical feed-through connector assembly further comprises a first board-to-board (BTB) connector receptacle electrically connected to the second pads;
the data storage device further comprises a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) and a first BTB connector plug coupled with the PCB; and
the PCBA is electrically connected to the electrical feed-through connector assembly via a mating of the first BTB connector plug and the first BTB connector receptacle.

6. The data storage device of claim 5 , wherein:
the electrical feed-through connector assembly further comprises a second board-to-board (BTB) connector receptacle electrically connected to the first pads;
the data storage device further comprises a flexible cable assembly (FCA) coupled with a second BTB connector plug; and
the FCA is electrically connected to the feed-through connector assembly via a mating of the second BTB connector plug and the second BTB connector receptacle.

7. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein:
the electrical feed-through connector assembly further comprises a board-to-board (BTB) connector receptacle electrically connected to the first pads;
the data storage device further comprises a flexible cable assembly (FCA) coupled with a BTB connector plug; and
the FCA is electrically connected to the feed-through connector assembly via a mating of the BTB connector plug and the BTB connector receptacle.

8. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein:
the electrical feed-through connector assembly further comprises a first board-to-flex (BTF) connector part electrically connected to the first pads;
the data storage device further comprises a flexible cable assembly (FCA) coupled with a second BTF connector part; and
the FCA is electrically connected to the feed-through connector assembly via a mating of the first BTF connector part and the second BTF connector part.

9. An electrical feed-through connector assembly configured to interface between a hermetically-sealed environment and an external environment, the electrical feed-through connector assembly comprising:
a flexible circuit assembly comprising a laminate of a base insulating layer, a conductor layer over the insulating layer, and a cover insulating layer over the conductor layer, wherein the conductor layer comprises a plurality of electrical connection pads and electrical conductors connecting pairs of the pads, and
a plurality of stacked metal parts enveloped at least in part by, and at least two of the plurality of stacked metal parts adhered to, the flexible circuit assembly, thereby forming an electrical feed-through assembly comprising first pads of the pairs on one side of the feed-through assembly electrically connected via the conductors to second pads of the pairs on the opposing side of the feed-through assembly.

10. The electrical feed-through connector assembly of claim 9 , further comprising:
a friction-inhibiting material positioned at an interface between a pair of adjacent metal parts of the plurality of stacked metal parts.

11. The electrical feed-through connector assembly of claim 10 , wherein the friction-inhibiting material comprises a material coating at least one side of at least one metal part of the pair.

12. The electrical feed-through connector assembly of claim 10 , wherein the friction-inhibiting material comprises a tape material between the metal parts of the pair.

13. The electrical feed-through connector assembly of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of stacked metal parts comprises only two metal parts.

14. The electrical feed-through connector assembly of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of stacked metal parts comprises more than two metal parts.

15. The electrical feed-through connector assembly of claim 9 , further comprising:
a board-to-board (BTB) connector part electrically connected to at least one of the first pads and the second pads.

16. The electrical feed-through connector assembly of claim 9 , further comprising:
a first board-to-board (BTB) connector part electrically connected to the first pads; and
a second board-to-board (BTB) connector part electrically connected to the second pads.

17. A method of manufacturing an electrical feed-through component, the method comprising:
providing a laminate flexible cable assembly (FCA) comprising a base insulating layer, a conductor layer over the insulating layer, and a cover insulating layer over the conductor layer, wherein the conductor layer comprises a plurality of electrical connection pads and electrical conductors connecting pairs of the pads;
folding the FCA at least in part around a plurality of stacked metal plates; and
adhering the FCA to at least two metal plates of the plurality of stacked metal plates, thereby forming an electrical feed-through assembly comprising first pads of the pairs on an upper side of the feed-through assembly electrically connected via the conductors to second pads of the pairs on the lower side of the feed-through assembly.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
positioning an anti-sticking material at an interface between a pair of adjacent metal plates of the plurality of stacked metal plates.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
electrically connecting a board-to-board (BTB) connector part to at least one of the first pads and the second pads.

20. A method of sealing an electrical feed-through configured to interface between a hermetically-sealed environment and an external environment, the method comprising:
positioning an electrical feed-through to interface with an outer surface of a metal enclosure base, wherein the electrical feed-through comprises:
a flexible circuit assembly comprising a laminate of a base insulating layer, a conductor layer over the insulating layer, and a cover insulating layer over the conductor layer, wherein the conductor layer comprises a plurality of electrical connection pads and electrical conductors connecting pairs of the pads,
a plural

Assignees

• Western Digital Tech Inc

Inventors

• Namihisa Miki
• Sudo Kimihiko
• Hayakawa Takako
• Arai Yuichi

Classifications

• G11B33/1466 Primary

  sealing gaskets, (gasket in general F16J) · CPC title

• G11B33/122

  Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches · CPC title

• G11B25/043 Primary

  using rotating discs · CPC title

• H05K5/069

  Other details of the casing, e.g. wall structure, passage for a connector, a cable, a shaft · CPC title