Doubling available printed wiring card edge for high speed interconnect in electronic packaging applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016043484-A1
Application number	US-201414452221-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 5, 2014
Priority date	Aug 5, 2014
Publication date	Feb 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An interconnection assembly for a motherboard uses right-angle edge connectors attached to a bottom side of the motherboard, and vertical header connectors attached to the top side. The header connectors mate with a transition card assembly which includes a transition card having plated through holes that receive pins of the header connectors. Right-angle mezzanine connectors mounted on the transition card have pins that extend into the plated through holes from the top side. The edge connectors and mezzanine connectors both face forward in a common direction. The transition card has holes along a rear edge to retain pressed-in nuts for mounting to a stabilizing bezel. Instead of pins being part of the header connectors, connector caps may be provided with pins having first ends that extend into sockets of the header connectors and second ends that extend into the plated through holes of the transition card.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic interconnection assembly comprising:
a first circuit board having first and second opposing surfaces and at least one edge defining a forward area in front of said circuit board; a first right-angle connector mounted to said first surface of said first circuit board proximate said edge, providing electrical connections with a first plurality of connection points on said first surface of said first circuit board, and having a first interconnect facing toward said forward area; a header connector mounted to said second surface of said first circuit board proximate said edge, providing electrical connections with a second plurality of connection points on said second surface of said first circuit board, and having a first plurality of pins extending away from said second surface of said first circuit board; a second circuit board having first and second opposing surfaces and a plurality of plated through holes which receive said first plurality of pins along said first surface of said second circuit board; and a second right-angle connector mounted to said second surface of said second circuit board having a second plurality of pins which are received by said plated through holes along said second surface of said second circuit board, and having a second interconnect facing toward said forward area.

2 . The electronic interconnection assembly of claim 1 wherein said first interconnect and said second interconnect face a common direction which is generally orthogonal to said edge and generally parallel to a plane formed by said first circuit board.

3 . The electronic interconnection assembly of claim 1 wherein said header connector is mounted to said first circuit board behind said first right-angle connector with respect to said edge.

4 . The electronic interconnection assembly of claim 1 wherein:
a first forward face of said first interconnect is located in front of said edge; and
a second forward face of said second interconnect is located behind said edge.

5 . The electronic interconnection assembly of claim 1 wherein said first and second circuit boards are generally parallel.

6 . The electronic interconnection assembly of claim 1 wherein:
said first right-angle connector is one of a first plurality of right-angle connectors mounted to said first surface of said first circuit board proximate said edge;
said header connector is one of a plurality of header connectors mounted to said second surface of said first circuit board proximate said edge; and
said second right-angle connector is one of a second plurality of right-angle connectors mounted to said second surface of said second circuit board.

7 . The electronic interconnection assembly of claim 6 wherein said second circuit board is generally elongate and has a rear edge, with a plurality of holes formed therein proximate said rear edge which retain pressed-in nuts for mounting said second circuit board to a support structure.

8 . An electronic interconnection assembly comprising:
a first circuit board having first and second opposing surfaces and at least one edge defining a forward area in front of said circuit board; a first right-angle connector mounted to said first surface of said first circuit board proximate said edge, providing connections with a first plurality of connection points on said first surface of said first circuit board, and having a first interconnect facing toward said forward area; a header connector mounted to said second surface of said first circuit board proximate said edge, providing connections with a second plurality of connection points on said second surface of said first circuit board, and having a plurality of sockets facing away from said second surface of said first circuit board; a second circuit board having first and second opposing surfaces and a plurality of plated through holes, said second circuit board being generally parallel to said first circuit board; a connector cap mounted to said first surface of said second circuit board, said connector cap retaining a first plurality of pins having first and second ends, said first ends being removably received by said sockets of said header connector, and said second ends being received by said plated through holes along said first surface of said second circuit board, said connector cap engaging said header connector; and a second right-angle connector mounted to said second surface of said second circuit board having a second plurality of pins which are received by said plated through holes along said second surface of said second circuit board, and having a second interconnect facing toward said forward area.

9 . The electronic interconnection assembly of claim 8 wherein said first interconnect and said second interconnect face a common direction which is generally orthogonal to said edge and generally parallel to said first and second circuit boards.

10 . The electronic interconnection assembly of claim 8 wherein:
said first right-angle connector is one of a first plurality of right-angle connectors mounted to said first surface of said first circuit board proximate said edge in a first row;
said header connector is one of a plurality of header connectors mounted to said second surface of said first circuit board proximate said edge in a second row;
said connector cap is one of a plurality of connector caps mounted to said first surface of said second circuit board in a third row which engage said plurality of header connectors; and
said second right-angle connector is one of a second plurality of right-angle connectors mounted to said second surface of said second circuit board in a fourth row which generally overlaps said second and third rows.

11 . The electronic interconnection assembly of claim 10 wherein said second circuit board is generally elongate in a direction of said rows and has a rear edge, and further comprising a stabilizing bezel wherein said second circuit board is affixed along its rear edge to said stabilizing bezel.

12 . A card edge interconnection assembly comprising:
a motherboard having first and second opposing surfaces and at least one straight forward edge; a plurality of right-angle edge connectors mounted to said first surface of said motherboard in a first row proximate said forward edge and parallel thereto, each right-angle edge connector providing electrical connections with a corresponding set of first connection points on said first surface of said motherboard, and having a first interconnect facing away from said forward edge in a direction which is generally orthogonal to said forward edge and generally parallel to said motherboard; a plurality of header connectors mounted to said second surface of said motherboard in a second row generally parallel to said first row proximate said forward edge and behind said right-angle edge connectors, each header connector providing electrical connections with a corresponding set of second connection points on said second surface of said motherboard, and having a plurality of sockets facing away from said second surface of said motherboard; a transition card having first and second opposing surfaces and sets of plated through holes, said transition card disposed generally parallel to said motherboard; a plurality of connector caps mounted to said first surface of said transition card in a third row generally parallel to said first and second rows, each connector cap retaining a plurality of first pins having first and second ends, said first ends being received by sockets of a corresponding one of said header connectors, and said second ends being received by a corres

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Brodsky William L
• Genest Robert R
• Loparco John J
• Peets Michael T
• Torok John G

Classifications

• H01R11/01 Primary

  characterised by the form or arrangement of the conductive interconnection between the connecting locations · CPC title

• H01R12/716 Primary

  Coupling device provided on the PCB · CPC title

• H01R12/724

  containing contact members forming a right angle · CPC title

• H05K2201/10189

  Non-printed connector · CPC title

• H05K3/368

  parallel to each other (H05K3/361 takes precedence) · CPC title