CA1207856A - Solder bearing edge clip - Google Patents
Solder bearing edge clipInfo
- Publication number
- CA1207856A CA1207856A CA000436338A CA436338A CA1207856A CA 1207856 A CA1207856 A CA 1207856A CA 000436338 A CA000436338 A CA 000436338A CA 436338 A CA436338 A CA 436338A CA 1207856 A CA1207856 A CA 1207856A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- solder
- mass
- body portion
- clip
- edge
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Landscapes
- Multi-Conductor Connections (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION
A solder-bearing edge clip or connector for attachment to a contact pad on a substrate, wherein a compact mass of solder is gripped by the edges of fingers formed in a thin flat blank of any desired configuration, the axis of the solder wire from which the mass of solder is cut being perpendicular to the plane of the flat blank.
A solder-bearing edge clip or connector for attachment to a contact pad on a substrate, wherein a compact mass of solder is gripped by the edges of fingers formed in a thin flat blank of any desired configuration, the axis of the solder wire from which the mass of solder is cut being perpendicular to the plane of the flat blank.
Description
~2(~
SOLDER BEARING EDGE CLIP
This invention relates to a solder bearing edge clip or connector for attach~
ment to a contact pad on a substrate, and particularly to such a cllp wherein the solder mass is gripped by the edges of fingers formed in a thin flat blank of any desired configuration, the axis of the solder wire being perpendicular to the plane of the blank.
Background of the Invention In assembling a substrate (chip) on which conductive paths have been deposited with connecting elements in the nature of terminal clips, it îs customary to provlde a small quantity of solder at each point where a connector makes contact with a "pad" on the substrate, so that a good electrical path will be established. Several specifically different ways of attaching small solder masses at the critical points are disclosed in Seidler Patent No. 4,203,648 and patents cited therein. In such prior terminal clips or connectors the means for attaching each solder mass com-prises a flat finger of thin metal stamped out of the blank and bent tightly around the solder wire which latter is usually cut to form a small cylindrical plug.
The axis of the solder has, customarlly, extended parallel to the plane of the flat metal blank.
l~ith ~he trend toward miniaturization oE circuit-bearing substrates~ it has becnme important to provide terminal clips which can be arranged in close lateral proximity to each other and a step ln that direction is disclosed in Seidler U.S.
application Serial No. 230,907, filed February 2, 1981, now Patent No. 4,367,910 where each terminal element is constituted by a finger which retains sufficient material to be adequately conductive and self-sustaining while being narrowed by longitudinal folding.
Objects of the Invention It is an object of this invention to provide a solder bearing clip wherein each solder mass is held by the oppositely disposed edges of fingers cut or 7~6 stamped from a flat blank.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an array of such edge clips which can be attached to contact pads very closely spaced along the margins of acircuit-bearing substrate, the edge clips lying in parallel planes, equally closely spaced.
It is another object of the invention to provide an edge clip wherein the body of the clip is formed by stamping from flat sheet metal and the solder wire, from which each solder mass is formed, has its axis perpendic~llar to the plane of said sheet metal.
It is a still further object of the inventi~n to provide certain improvements in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts by which the above named and other objects may effectively be attained.
The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of the i-nvention will be indicated in the claims.
Brief Description of the Drawings Practical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a single edge clip associated with a substrate portion, shown in broken lines;
F~g. 2 represents a similar view of an array of edge clips mounted on a com-mon bandolier;
Fig. 3 represents a transverse section on the line III-I`II of Fig. l;
Fig. 4 represents a similar section showing the solder mass after melting;
Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a first modified Eorm of edge clip and a modified form of bandolier mounting;
Fig. 6 represents a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a second modified form of edge strip connected to a supporting strip at one end and a bandolier at the other end;
~2C~
Fig. 7 represents a detail perspective view of two clip fingers with solder buttons mounted therein;
Fig. 8 represents a section on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7, and Fig. ~ represents the same section as Fig. 8, before "riveting" of the solder mass.
Referring to the drawings, a first form of clip lO is shown in Figs. 1 to 4, Fig. 1 showing the relation of a single clip to an edge portion 11 of a substrate on which a contact pad 12 has been deposited. The contact pad 12 and its counterpart, if any, on the opposite face of the substrate are assumed to be terminals of an electronic circuit (not shown) deposited on the substrate and requiring connection to other circuit elements for any appropriate purpose.
The clip 10 comprises a body portion 14, shown as having a goose-neck configu-ration, with spaced arms 15, 16 projecting laterally in the plane of the body to provide a gap 17 which approximates the thickness of the substrate. Each arm terminates in a pair of spaced arcuate fingers 18, 19 and, in the completed clip, each pair of fingers embraces tightly a cylindrical solder mass 20, 21O ~t its opposite end the clip body is connected to a mounting block 22 having a depending tab 23 which can be fitted in a slot 24 of the carrying bandolier 25 and riveted in place, e.g. by upsetting the ends of the tab as shown at 23' in Fig. 2. The connection of the clip body 14 to the block 25 is marked by a break-away no~ch 26, for easy removal of the bandolier and mounting blocks when a clip or an array of clips has been soldered in place on a substrate.
To manufacture cmy desired multiplicity of such clips, the blanks (as shown in Fig. 1 but with open fingers and without solder) are stamped from a strip or sheet of metal and are mounted automatically on a carrying bandolier 25. Solder wires 30 are laid between the respective fingers which are then closed tightly enough to indent the softer (lead) so~der wire~ as shown in Fig. 3. The wires are then cut away to remove short sections 31 and leave discrete solder masses firmly gripped between each pair of fingers. As an additional refinement, the clip faces are desirably coated with tin 32, at least in the finger areas, in order to provide a compatible path for the solder to follow, when melted, and thus assure formation of a good electrical bond with the pads on the substrate, as illustrated in Fig. 4.
A modified form of clip is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein the body portion 41 is elongated and extends in apposite directions from the arms 42, 43 with fingers 44, 45 as before. In one direction the body portion is a goose-neck 46 and in the other direction it is a flat strip 47 which is bent 90 at 48 and continues to provide a stem end 49 adapted ~o be frictionally engaged between the elongated parallel lugs 50 of a carrying bandolier 51. Because of the elongated form of the clip it is desirable to support also the goose-neck end, as shown in Fig. 6, where a break-away connection 52 is provided between the clip and a carrying strip 53. The solder masses 55 correspond to the masses 20, 21 and are formed and attached in the same manner as described above.
An alternative form of solder mass is shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 as used in clips of the type shown in Figs. 1 to 6. In this alternative form the solder wire is replaced by solder spheres 60 which are inserted with a friction fit, in apertures 61 formed in the enlarged end portions ~2 of con~act arms 63, corresponding to arms 15, 16, 42 and 43. After insertion the spherical masses (Fi~. 9) are upsat as shown in Fig. 8 to achieve a two-~ay mushroom configuration 64 whereby they are very firmly retained in the clip. The con-tact arm surfaces may be provided with a tin coating 65, for solder flow assistance as mentioned above.
In the form shown in Figs. l to 4 the maximum thickness of the clip, before assembly with a circuit chip, is only the length of the solder mass, and this could be reduced by using solder balls as shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9. That is, the body of the clip is a flat sheet, in a single plane, which permits assembling the clips with a very close pitch, as now frequently required or desired~ In the modified clip of Figs. 5 and 6 the over-all width is slightly greater due to the ~2~
bending of the stem end into a different plane but a relatively close pitch can still be attained slnce the stem is straight and narrow.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above article without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
SOLDER BEARING EDGE CLIP
This invention relates to a solder bearing edge clip or connector for attach~
ment to a contact pad on a substrate, and particularly to such a cllp wherein the solder mass is gripped by the edges of fingers formed in a thin flat blank of any desired configuration, the axis of the solder wire being perpendicular to the plane of the blank.
Background of the Invention In assembling a substrate (chip) on which conductive paths have been deposited with connecting elements in the nature of terminal clips, it îs customary to provlde a small quantity of solder at each point where a connector makes contact with a "pad" on the substrate, so that a good electrical path will be established. Several specifically different ways of attaching small solder masses at the critical points are disclosed in Seidler Patent No. 4,203,648 and patents cited therein. In such prior terminal clips or connectors the means for attaching each solder mass com-prises a flat finger of thin metal stamped out of the blank and bent tightly around the solder wire which latter is usually cut to form a small cylindrical plug.
The axis of the solder has, customarlly, extended parallel to the plane of the flat metal blank.
l~ith ~he trend toward miniaturization oE circuit-bearing substrates~ it has becnme important to provide terminal clips which can be arranged in close lateral proximity to each other and a step ln that direction is disclosed in Seidler U.S.
application Serial No. 230,907, filed February 2, 1981, now Patent No. 4,367,910 where each terminal element is constituted by a finger which retains sufficient material to be adequately conductive and self-sustaining while being narrowed by longitudinal folding.
Objects of the Invention It is an object of this invention to provide a solder bearing clip wherein each solder mass is held by the oppositely disposed edges of fingers cut or 7~6 stamped from a flat blank.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an array of such edge clips which can be attached to contact pads very closely spaced along the margins of acircuit-bearing substrate, the edge clips lying in parallel planes, equally closely spaced.
It is another object of the invention to provide an edge clip wherein the body of the clip is formed by stamping from flat sheet metal and the solder wire, from which each solder mass is formed, has its axis perpendic~llar to the plane of said sheet metal.
It is a still further object of the inventi~n to provide certain improvements in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts by which the above named and other objects may effectively be attained.
The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of the i-nvention will be indicated in the claims.
Brief Description of the Drawings Practical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a single edge clip associated with a substrate portion, shown in broken lines;
F~g. 2 represents a similar view of an array of edge clips mounted on a com-mon bandolier;
Fig. 3 represents a transverse section on the line III-I`II of Fig. l;
Fig. 4 represents a similar section showing the solder mass after melting;
Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a first modified Eorm of edge clip and a modified form of bandolier mounting;
Fig. 6 represents a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a second modified form of edge strip connected to a supporting strip at one end and a bandolier at the other end;
~2C~
Fig. 7 represents a detail perspective view of two clip fingers with solder buttons mounted therein;
Fig. 8 represents a section on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7, and Fig. ~ represents the same section as Fig. 8, before "riveting" of the solder mass.
Referring to the drawings, a first form of clip lO is shown in Figs. 1 to 4, Fig. 1 showing the relation of a single clip to an edge portion 11 of a substrate on which a contact pad 12 has been deposited. The contact pad 12 and its counterpart, if any, on the opposite face of the substrate are assumed to be terminals of an electronic circuit (not shown) deposited on the substrate and requiring connection to other circuit elements for any appropriate purpose.
The clip 10 comprises a body portion 14, shown as having a goose-neck configu-ration, with spaced arms 15, 16 projecting laterally in the plane of the body to provide a gap 17 which approximates the thickness of the substrate. Each arm terminates in a pair of spaced arcuate fingers 18, 19 and, in the completed clip, each pair of fingers embraces tightly a cylindrical solder mass 20, 21O ~t its opposite end the clip body is connected to a mounting block 22 having a depending tab 23 which can be fitted in a slot 24 of the carrying bandolier 25 and riveted in place, e.g. by upsetting the ends of the tab as shown at 23' in Fig. 2. The connection of the clip body 14 to the block 25 is marked by a break-away no~ch 26, for easy removal of the bandolier and mounting blocks when a clip or an array of clips has been soldered in place on a substrate.
To manufacture cmy desired multiplicity of such clips, the blanks (as shown in Fig. 1 but with open fingers and without solder) are stamped from a strip or sheet of metal and are mounted automatically on a carrying bandolier 25. Solder wires 30 are laid between the respective fingers which are then closed tightly enough to indent the softer (lead) so~der wire~ as shown in Fig. 3. The wires are then cut away to remove short sections 31 and leave discrete solder masses firmly gripped between each pair of fingers. As an additional refinement, the clip faces are desirably coated with tin 32, at least in the finger areas, in order to provide a compatible path for the solder to follow, when melted, and thus assure formation of a good electrical bond with the pads on the substrate, as illustrated in Fig. 4.
A modified form of clip is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein the body portion 41 is elongated and extends in apposite directions from the arms 42, 43 with fingers 44, 45 as before. In one direction the body portion is a goose-neck 46 and in the other direction it is a flat strip 47 which is bent 90 at 48 and continues to provide a stem end 49 adapted ~o be frictionally engaged between the elongated parallel lugs 50 of a carrying bandolier 51. Because of the elongated form of the clip it is desirable to support also the goose-neck end, as shown in Fig. 6, where a break-away connection 52 is provided between the clip and a carrying strip 53. The solder masses 55 correspond to the masses 20, 21 and are formed and attached in the same manner as described above.
An alternative form of solder mass is shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 as used in clips of the type shown in Figs. 1 to 6. In this alternative form the solder wire is replaced by solder spheres 60 which are inserted with a friction fit, in apertures 61 formed in the enlarged end portions ~2 of con~act arms 63, corresponding to arms 15, 16, 42 and 43. After insertion the spherical masses (Fi~. 9) are upsat as shown in Fig. 8 to achieve a two-~ay mushroom configuration 64 whereby they are very firmly retained in the clip. The con-tact arm surfaces may be provided with a tin coating 65, for solder flow assistance as mentioned above.
In the form shown in Figs. l to 4 the maximum thickness of the clip, before assembly with a circuit chip, is only the length of the solder mass, and this could be reduced by using solder balls as shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9. That is, the body of the clip is a flat sheet, in a single plane, which permits assembling the clips with a very close pitch, as now frequently required or desired~ In the modified clip of Figs. 5 and 6 the over-all width is slightly greater due to the ~2~
bending of the stem end into a different plane but a relatively close pitch can still be attained slnce the stem is straight and narrow.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above article without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Claims (13)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An edge clip for securement to a contact pad on a circuit-bearing substrate, comprising a clip body portion of sheet metal and at least one compact mass of solder, the body portion being flat and provided with a pair of integral flat contact arm elements lying in the plane of the body portion and each arm element being provided with a pair of arcuately shaped fingers adapted to engage edgewise a mass of solder.
2. An edge clip according to claim 1 wherein the contact arm elements project from the clip body portion in positions which define, between each pair of said elements, a gap adapted to receive an edge of a circuit-bearing substrate.
3. An edge clip according to claim 1 wherein edges of the fingers are indented in the engaged solder mass.
4. An edge clip according to claim 1 wherein the solder mass is cylindrical and has its axis disposed perpendicularly to the plane of the body portion.
5. An edge clip according to claim 1 wherein the integral flat contact arm element is traversed by an opening and the mass of solder is spherical and fitted in said opening.
6. An edge clip according to claim 4 wherein the mass of solder is expanded to engage the margins of said opening.
7. An array of spaced edge clips for securement to the contact pads of a circuit bearing substrate, each clip comprising a clip body portion of sheet metal and at least one compact mass of solder, the body portion being flat and provided with a pair of integral flat contact arm elements lying in the plane of the body portion and each arm element being provided with a pair of arcuately shaped fingers adapted to engage edgewise a mass of solder.
8. An array of spaced edge clips according to claim 7 wherein the solder masses are cylindrical and have their axes perpendicular to the planes of the clip bodies.
9. An edge clip according to claim 2 wherein each pair of arcuately shaped fingers includes a shorter finger and a longer finger, each shorter finger being located on the side of the respective contact arm element which is closer to the other contact arm element of the same pair.
10. An edge clip according to claim 9 wherein each longer finger extends around the mass of solder through an arc of more than 180°.
11. An array of spaced edge clips as in claim 7, further including a bandolier for supporting said clips at one end in substantially parallel and equally spaced arrangement.
12. An edge clip for securement to a contact pad on a circuit-bearing substrate, comprising a clip body portion of sheet metal and at least one compact mass of solder, the body portion being flat and provided with at least one integral flat contact arm element lying in the plane of the body portion and said arm element being provided with an opening adapted to engage edgewise a mass of solder.
13. An edge clip as in claim 12 wherein said opening is formed by at least one curved finger substantially coplanar with said body portion plane and adapted to engage a mass of solder edgewise.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000436338A CA1207856A (en) | 1983-09-09 | 1983-09-09 | Solder bearing edge clip |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000436338A CA1207856A (en) | 1983-09-09 | 1983-09-09 | Solder bearing edge clip |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1207856A true CA1207856A (en) | 1986-07-15 |
Family
ID=4126039
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000436338A Expired CA1207856A (en) | 1983-09-09 | 1983-09-09 | Solder bearing edge clip |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1207856A (en) |
-
1983
- 1983-09-09 CA CA000436338A patent/CA1207856A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |