Contact element for connecting to a circuit board, contact system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9484643-B2
Application number	US-201314411551-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2013
Priority date	Jun 27, 2012
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a contact element for connecting to a circuit board. The circuit board has at least one substrate layer, particularly an electrically insulating substrate layer. The circuit board also has at least one electrically conductive layer. The contact element is designed for connecting to the electrically conductive layer. According to the invention, the contact element is designed to be pushed onto a circuit board edge of the circuit board. The contact element is designed to reach over the circuit board edge and has at least one cutting blade with a cutting edge, the cutting edge having a harder metal in the area of a severing section than in an adjoining contact section alongside the cutting edge. The cutting edge is designed to cut through the substrate layer with the severing section when pushed onto the circuit board edge and to contact the electrically conductive layer electrically with the contact section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) for connecting to a circuit board ( 3 ) having at least one substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ) and having at least one electrically conductive layer ( 5 , 6 , 7 ) which is connected to the substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ), the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) being configured to connect to the electrically conductive layer ( 5 , 6 , 7 ), characterized in that the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) is configured to be pushed onto a circuit board edge of the circuit board ( 3 ) and to reach over the circuit board edge, wherein the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) has at least one cutting blade with a cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ), the cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) having a harder metal in an area of a severing section ( 23 , 24 , 46 , 48 , 67 ) than in an adjoining contact section ( 21 , 22 , 44 , 45 , 62 ) alongside the cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ), and said cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) being configured to cut through the substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ) with the severing section ( 23 , 24 , 46 , 48 , 67 ) when pushed onto the circuit board edge and to contact the electrically conductive layer ( 5 , 6 , 7 ) electrically with the contact section ( 21 , 22 , 44 , 45 , 62 ).

2. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) has at least two cutting edges ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) and is configured to reach over the circuit board edge and to contact the at least one electrically conductive layer ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) from two sides by means of the cutting edges ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ).

3. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) has an opening ( 13 , 55 ) which taper towards one end and extends longitudinally, the cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) forming an opening edge of the opening ( 13 , 55 ).

4. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) is U-shaped and has U-limbs configured as a clamping jaw ( 19 , 20 ).

5. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) runs circumferentially about a rotational axis ( 50 ) so as to be spaced apart radially from said axis and the contact element ( 40 ) is configured to cut into the circuit board edge by being moved rotationally about the rotational axis ( 50 ).

6. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according claim 1 , characterized in that the cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) is configured in the severing section to cut through fibers integrated into the substrate layer ( 4 ) when pushed onto the circuit board edge.

7. A contact system ( 1 ) having at least one contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 1 , comprising a circuit board ( 3 ) having the at least one substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ) and having the at least one electrically conductive layer ( 5 , 6 , 7 ), wherein a material of the cutting blade is harder in an area of the contact section ( 21 , 22 , 42 , 44 , 62 ) than a material of the electrically conductive layer ( 5 , 6 , 7 ).

8. The contact system ( 1 ) according to claim 7 , characterized in that the substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ) to be severed by the cutting edge ( 22 , 24 ) has a thickness of at least one tenth of a thickness of the circuit board ( 3 ).

9. A method for connecting a circuit board ( 3 ) to a contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ), the method comprising:
providing the circuit board ( 3 ) having a circuit board edge, wherein the circuit board ( 3 ) has at least one electrically conductive layer ( 5 , 6 , 7 ) and at least one electrically insulating substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ) connected to the electrically conductive layer ( 5 , 6 , 7 );
providing the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ), wherein the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) has at least one cutting blade with a cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ), the cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) having a harder metal in an area of a severing section ( 23 , 24 , 46 , 48 , 67 ) than in an adjoining contact section ( 21 , 22 , 44 , 45 , 62 ) alongside the cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 );
severing the substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ) with the cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) when the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) is pushed onto the circuit board edge; and
electrically contacting the electrically conductive layer ( 5 , 6 , 7 ), in the area of the severed substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ), when the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) is pushed onto a circuit board edge of the circuit board ( 3 ).

10. The method according to claim 9 , in which the substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ) comprises fibers and is severed together with the fibers.

11. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ) is an electrically insulating substrate layer, and the electrically conductive layer is an internal, electrically conductive layer ( 5 , 6 , 7 ).

12. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 2 , characterized in that the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) has an opening ( 13 , 55 ) which taper towards one end and extends longitudinally, the cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) forming an opening edge of the opening ( 13 , 55 ).

13. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 12 , characterized in that the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) is U-shaped and has U-limbs configured as a clamping jaw ( 19 , 20 ).

14. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 13 , characterized in that the at least one cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) runs circumferentially about a rotational axis ( 50 ) so as to be spaced apart radially from said axis and the contact element ( 40 ) is configured to cut into the circuit board edge by being moved rotationally about the rotational axis ( 50 ).

15. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according claim 14 , characterized in that the cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) is configured in the severing section to cut through fibers integrated into the substrate layer ( 4 ) when pushed onto the circuit board edge.

16. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) is configured to generate a cold weld between the contact section ( 21 , 22 , 44 , 45 , 62 ) of the cutting edge ( 10 , 12 , 42 , 44 , 61 ) and the electrically conductive layer ( 5 , 6 , 7 ) in the area of the circuit board edge when pushed onto or turned onto said circuit board edge.

17. The contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the cutting edge ( 61 ) has teeth ( 65 ) in the area of the separating section ( 23 , 24 , 46 , 48 , 67 ), wherein the cutting edge ( 61 ) is configured to cut fibers of the substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ) with the teeth ( 65 ), and wherein the substrate layer ( 4 , 4 a ) is an epoxy resin substrate layer.

18. The contact system ( 1 ) according to claim 7 , wherein the contact element ( 8 , 9 , 40 ) is U-shaped and has U-limbs configured as a clamping jaw ( 19 , 20 ).

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Schaefer Rainer
• Wiesa Thomas
• Klein Christian

Classifications

• H01R12/721

  cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits · CPC title

• H01R12/675

  with contacts having at least a slotted plate for penetration of cable insulation, e.g. insulation displacement contacts for round conductor flat cables · CPC title

• H01R4/242 Primary

  the contact members being plates having a single slot · CPC title

• H01R4/2404 Primary

  the contact members having teeth, prongs, pins or needles penetrating the insulation · CPC title