Helical spring backplane circuit board connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9887475-B2
Application number	US-201615373693-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 9, 2015
Publication date	Feb 6, 2018
Grant date	Feb 6, 2018

Abstract

A low-cost electrical connector that is capable of providing a single or a multiplicity of continuous electrical connections between two individual printed circuit boards, and method of making thereof.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An electrical assembly comprising:
a circuit board containing a top surface, an opposed bottom surface, a front edge, and a plurality of holes that extend from the top surface through to the bottom surface and are disposed in a row along and parallel to the front edge; and
at least a portion of a helical spring disposed within the plurality of holes and configured to contact one or more conductive pads on a surface of an other circuit board, thereby placing the circuit board in electrical communication with the other circuit board.

2. The electrical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least the portion of the helical spring further comprises a plurality of helical spring segments.

3. The electrical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the helical spring comprises phosphor bronze.

4. The electrical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the helical spring comprises beryllium copper.

5. The electrical assembly of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of helical spring segments is plated with a material to improve electrical conductivity.

6. The electrical assembly of claim 5 , wherein the plating material is selected from a group including gold, tin, tin-lead alloys, copper, and nickel.

7. The electrical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the circuit board comprises at least one notch configured to retain the circuit board in a housing.

8. The electrical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of holes are evenly spaced.

9. The electrical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of holes further comprises a first group of holes with a first spacing and a second group of holes with a second spacing that is different than the first spacing.

10. A method for creating an electrical connector, the method comprising:
threading a helical spring comprising a first end, a second end, and a plurality of coils into a plurality of holes disposed in a row parallel to an edge of a circuit board, wherein at least one of the plurality of holes is plated with an electrically conductive material; and
soldering the helical spring to the circuit board where the helical spring passes through the at least one plated hole.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising removing a section from each coil in the helical spring.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of holes are evenly spaced.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of holes further comprises a first group of holes with a first spacing and a second group of holes with a second spacing that is different than the first spacing.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising plating at least a portion of the helical spring with a plating material to improve electrical conductivity prior to threading the helical spring into the plurality of holes.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein plating the at least a portion of the helical spring further comprises controlling a depth that the plurality of coils of the helical spring are immersed in a bath of the plating material to improve electrical conductivity.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plating material is selected from a group including gold, tin, tin-lead alloys, copper, and nickel.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein threading further comprises aligning non-plated portions of the helical spring within the plurality of holes.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein soldering comprises one of wave soldering, solder paste and reflow, or a solder fountain.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Loy Garry M

Classifications

• H01R12/728 Primary

  Coupling devices without an insulating housing provided on the edge of the PCB · CPC title

• H01R43/205

  with a panel or printed circuit board · CPC title

• H01R13/33

  Contact members made of resilient wire · CPC title

• H01R13/2442

  with a single cantilevered beam · CPC title