MXPA00005314A - Ground clip apparatus for circuit boards - Google Patents

Abstract

A ground clip apparatus is designed to make ground contact between two circuit boards (22, 24) as they are mated together. A standoff member (10) is mounted on one of the boards and a spring clip (12) member is mounted on the other board facing the standoff member. The spring clip member has spring arms (18) which are biased against the standoff member when the boards are mated together to make a reliable ground contact. At the same time, the standoff member resists deflection of either board towards the other board.

Description

new and improved to link two printed connection boards such as a main printed wiring board and a superimposed keyboard. According to the present invention, there is provided a grounding clamp apparatus for connecting a ground connection on a circuit board to another circuit board, which comprises a supporting member of conductive material for mounting on a first board of circuits, and an elastic loop member of conductive material for mounting on a second circuit board facing the support member, the elastic clip member has a base for connecting to the second circuit board and a pair of spring arms that are project from the base to elastically couple with the support member when the two circuit boards are connected together, whereby the support member and the elastic clip member together provide a ground connection between the two boards, and the member R support limits the deflection of the second circuit board. Preferably, the support member has an outer spacer surface and a pair of opposing surfaces sloping from the spacer surface, and the arms of the elastic loop are designed to rest against at least one of the surfaces when the two boards are connected together . In one embodiment, * the elastic clip has a "mustache" shape, with the elastic arms being curved towards, inward from each other, so that each arm forms at least a larger portion of a circle and has a curved portion facing inwardly to Rest against the surface of the support member. When the boards are connected together, the spring arms snap onto opposing surfaces of the support member. The height of the support member is selected according to the "desired support" between the two boards, or the spacing between the boards when connected together with suitable fasteners. In another embodiment, the elastic arms are each V-shaped with the vertex of the V oriented inwardly. When the boards are connected together, the arms can be compressed by the external spacer surface of the support member or they can be snapped onto the opposite outer surfaces of the support member. In any case, the arms are deflected against the respective surface or surfaces of the support member to ensure that a ground bond is created.

In another alternative, the spring arms are tilted away from one another, and deflected outwardly by the support member when the boards are connected together, again ensuring that the ground bond between the boards is created. Typically, one of the members will be soldered to a ground adapter on one of the boards, so that the link or ground connection is provided to the board. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a circuit board assembly is provided which comprises a pair of circuit boards secured together with a predetermined spacing between the boards, each board having an inner surface facing the other board, one of the boards has a grounded earth adapter, at least one spacer member connected to the inner surface of one of the boards, one grounding clip member connected to the inner surface of the other board facing the spacer member , one of the members is connected to the grounding adapter, the grounding clip member has a pair of opposed spring arms biased against the spacing member to make a ground connection between the two boards and the spacer member resists the deflection of the boards one towards the other. With this arrangement, the contact of the ground connection between the board is ensured even when the keyboard is moved. Since the keyboard will be made of a material that has some inherent elasticity, it will be pressed inward in regions where a key is pressed and will move outward in adjacent regions. Due to the deflection of the elastic arms against the support member, the two members will remain in contact even when such slight movements of the keyboard occur. More than one set of grounding clip component may be provided on a keyboard. When two keyboards are connected or secured together, the support member is forced between or against the elastic arms of the clip, making a reliable ground contact between the boards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which similar reference characters identify everything corresponding and where: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the elastic clip and support components according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a side view, surface cut, showing a circuit board containing the elastic clip seated on the support that is attached to a main circuit board; Figure 3 is a perspective view of an alternative elastic clip; Figure 4 is a side view showing the use of the clip of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of an additional clip type; Figure 6 is a side view showing a use of the clip of Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a similar side view showing an alternative use of the clip of Figure 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings illustrate a grounding clip device according to a first embodiment of the invention. The apparatus comprises two components, a support member 10 and an elastic loop member 12, each of conductive material such as brass, or other similar material. The support member 10 has a top panel 13 and a pair of legs hanging downwards 14 to define a table-like shape. It may also have tabs at the ends 15 if it is required to be seen by an optical removal and positioning device. The elastic clip member 12 has a base 16 and a pair of elastic arms 18 hanging from the opposite ends of the base. In the illustrated embodiment, the elastic clip member is generally "mustache" in shape, and is formed of a single sheet of material with the opposite ends bent downward and curved inward to form the main portion of a circle at each end of the web. the clip, so that the bent or curved regions 20 go inward towards one another. Figure 2 illustrates the assembly of the grounding clamp apparatus of Figure 1 between two circuit boards 22, 24 which are connected or coupled together in any conventional manner. The boards can, comprise a main electrical connection board and a keyboard of a cell phone or similar. One of the boards 24 has a ground adapter 26 on its inner face which is suitably linked to ground. The base 16 of the elastic clip 12 is suitably welded in face-to-face engagement with the ground adapter 26, so that the elastic arms hang away from the board and towards the second board 22. The two legs 14 of the support member 10 are welded suitably to welding adapters 28 provided on the inner surface of the opposite board 22. It will be understood that the illustrated arrangement must be inverted, with the board ground adapter 22 and the support member welded to the ground adapter, if you want When the two boards 22, 24 are connected, the support member 10 is forced between the arms of the elastic clip 12 as illustrated in Figure 2, producing an electrical ground between the boards. The spring arms 18 will be forced outward, so that they are deflected inwardly against the opposing outer surfaces of the legs 14, ensuring that the ground connection is maintained even if the boards move slightly during the use of the device in which they are mounted the boards. The support member 10 is of a determined height depending on the "desired support" between the boards. The printed connection boards are usually made of material which has some elasticity, so that a keyboard, for example, can be bent towards an underlying main printed circuit board when the user presses the keys. A support member is arranged to limit such deflection of the keyboard. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, the two boards are held apart by a distance equal to the height of the support member 10 plus the thickness of the base 16 of the elastic loop member 12. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the same support member 10 is used, and similar reference numbers have been used as appropriate. However, a spring clip member 30 is different in this embodiment. The elastic clip member 30 has a base 32 and a pair of spring arms inclined outwardly 34. The two members are secured to the boards 22, 24 in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. In this case, when the two boards are connected together, the upper end of the support member 10 will contact the elastic arms 34 and force them upwards and outwards, creating an electrical earth between the boards. The arms will deflect against the opposite edges of the support member, so that the electrical ground will be maintained even if the deflection of the board 24 causes some movement of the elastic clip member 30. At the same time, a support will be maintained between the boards depending on of the height of the support member. Figures 5-7 illustrate a third embodiment of the invention in which a different elastic clip 40 was used but the other parts are the same as in the previous embodiments, and similar reference numbers were used for similar parts as appropriate. In this embodiment, the elastic clip 40 has a base 42 and a pair of elastic arms 44 which each generally have a V-shape, with the apex 45 of the V facing inward toward the other arm, and providing a narrowing or waist 46. As in the above embodiments, the base 42 of the elastic clip is welded to a ground adapter 26 on the board 24, while the support member 10 is welded to welding adapters 28 on the other board 22. In this case, depending on the dimensions of the clip 40 and the support member 10, there are two alternative mounted configurations which are illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. In the first configuration of Figure 6, the separation between the vertices of the elastic arms 44 in the unpressed condition is only slightly smaller than the width of the support member 10, so that the arms are deflected outwardly around the legs 14 when the boards s are connected together. In this case, the support member is clamped between the arms 44 and the deflecting force of the arms against the opposing surfaces of the legs 14 keeps the ground contact between the boards. In the second embodiment, the spacing between the vertices 44 is less than the width of the support member, so that the arms can not spring around the member 10. Instead, the elastic arms 44 are compressed upwards by the top panel in a way similar to an accordion. In this configuration, the arms 44 are deflected downward toward the upper panel 13 when the boards are connected together, maintaining the ground contact between the boards even in the case of slight deflections of the board 24. In both configurations, a support that resists downward deflection of the board 24. In the configuration of Figure 6, the boards are kept spaced at a distance equal to the height of the support member 10 and the thickness of the base 42 of the elastic clip. In the configuration of Figure 7, the boards will be kept spaced a distance equal to the height of the support member 10 and the height of the elastic clip at its maximum compression. In each of the previous modalities, a reliable electrical ground connection occurs when the elastic clip and the support members are coupled together. The ground connection is maintained in the case of slight deflections of the boards due to the elasticity of the elastic arms that are deflected from the opposite surfaces of the support member. At the same time, the assembly will act to prevent the keyboard from bending too much and damaging the underlying components when the user presses keys, since the support member will keep the two boards separated by the desired amount. Although some of the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above by way of example only, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. . It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is the conventional one for the manufacture of the objects to which it relates.

Claims (16)

CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property:

1. A grounding clamp apparatus for grounding a circuit board to another circuit board, characterized in that it comprises: a support member of conductive material for mounting on a first circuit board; and an elastic loop member of conductive material for mounting on a second circuit board facing the support member; the elastic clip member has a base for connecting to the second circuit board and a pair of spring arms projecting from the base to elastically couple with the support member when the two circuit boards are connected together, whereby the member of support and the elastic clip member together provide a ground link between the two boards, and the support member limits the deflection of the second circuit board.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the support member has an outer separating surface and a pair of opposing surfaces hanging from the separating surface, and the arms of the elastic clip comprise means for resting against at least one of the surfaces when the members are connected together.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the elastic arms are curved inwards toward each other.

The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that each elastic arm is curved to form at least a greater portion of a circle, and has a curved portion facing inward, oriented towards the other elastic arm, the curved portions oriented toward inside comprise means for engaging with the opposing surfaces of the support member.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the elastic clip has the shape of a mustache.

The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that each elastic arm has a V-shape and has a vertex facing inward towards the other elastic arm.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic arms are inclined outwardly away from each other.

8. A circuit board assembly, characterized in that it comprises: a pair of circuit boards secured together with a predetermined spacing between the boards, each board has an internal surface facing the other board, one of the boards has a ground adapter grounded; at least one spacer member connected to the inner surface of one of the boards; a spring clip member connected to the inner surface of the other board facing the spacer member; one of the members is connected to a ground adapter, and the elastic clip member has a pair of opposed elastic arms biased against the spacer member to create a ground connection between the two boards, and the spacer member that resists the deflection of the boards one towards the other.

The assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the separating member has a separating surface, external, and a pair of legs hanging from the separating surface and joined to the respective board, and the elastic arms are coupled on the legs of the separating member.

The assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the elastic arms are compressed between the spacer surfaces of the support member and the respective board on which the elastic clip member is mounted.

The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that each elastic arm is curved to form at least a greater portion of a circle, and has a curved portion facing inward, oriented towards the other elastic arm, the curved portions oriented towards inside they are attached on the support member.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the elastic clip has the shape of a mustache.

The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that each elastic arm is V-shaped and has a vertex oriented inwards away from the other elastic arm.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the elastic arms are compressed in a manner similar to an accordion between the separating surface of the support member and the board on which the elastic clip member is mounted.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the elastic arms are coupled on the support member.

16. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the elastic arms are inclined outwardly away from each other and are coupled on the support member.