US3323099A - Electrical apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Ma 30,1967 F T,SPERA 3,323,099

ELECTRI CAL APPARATUS Filed July 14, 1965 United States Patent 3,323,099 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Frank T. Spera, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Philco Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 14, 1965, Ser. No. 471,900 3 Claims. (Cl. 339-192) This invention relates to electrical apparatus, and more particularly to connector means for providing common electrical connections to large numbers of adjacent-1y disposed modular micro-circuit socket assemblies.

Modular micro-circuit socket assemblies of one well known type comprise a multiplicity of individual socket contact elements extending through tubular insulators disposed within spaced apertures in a back plate. Each socket contact element includes a portion within the insulator adapted electrically to engage an inserted terminal of a module and a portion outside the insulator about which an electrical conductor is wrapped. The pattern of the selected apertures, and the socket assemblies therein, matches the pattern of plug connectors of integrated circuit elements to be mounted upon the metal back plate through the agency of the socket assemblies.

In apparatus of the above described type it has been a practice to interconnect appropriate ones of the socket contact elements in provision of operating voltages, signals, or ground connections. Means heretofore used to provide such interconnections, in the fabrication of such apparatus, have involved the making of numerous individual connections to a common circuit element. This is not only time consuming, but also not all connections are uniformly made, with the result that there is a tendency to introduce non-uniform voltage drops through the interconnections to the common circuit element, with consequent degradation in performance.

It is therefore the general objective of this invention to provide improved interconnecting means of substantially unitary construction that minimizes the number of electrical connections in apparatus of the above described type.

It is therefore the general objective of this invention to vide unitary bus bar and contact strip means, the latter adapted for cooperative disposition with respect to selected individual socket assemblies to establish electrical interconnection thereof.

It is a further objective of the invention to provide a connecting strip or bar for the above described purposes that lends itself to electrical shielding from other circuit elements.

The invention contemplates that an electrically conductive bus bar be disposed to the component side of a back plate as hereinabove described, and include contact elements which extend into predetermined apertures of the insulators, thereby both supporting the bus bar and constituting a spring contact within such insulators adapted both frictionally and electrically to engage pronged terminal elements of components mounted Within such insuilators.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention may best be achieved will be more clearly understood upon referring to the following description, taken in light of the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded, perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of fragments of a back plate and module assembly embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional elevational view, on a still further enlarged scale, and showing portions of the back plate and module assembly illustrated in FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of arrows 22 applied thereto; and

3,323,099 Patented May 30, 1967 FIGURE 3 is a large scale perspective view similar to portions of FIGURE 1 and illustrating a modification of the invention.

With more particular reference to the drawing, and first to FIGURES 1 and 2, preferred apparatus embodying the invention comprises a metal back plate 10 provided with apertures 1'1 within which are frictionally retained closely spaced groups of insulative members 12 having axially aligned bores 13 and 14 of different diameters. Preferably, but not necessarily, insulative members 12 are made of a flexible and resilient material, such for example as nylon, which affords frictional retention in the panel apertures. Some of the insulative members 12 have terminals 15, each comprising a lower, straight portion 16 frictionally retained within one of the smaller bores 14, and a bifurcate, resilient portion 17 disposed Within one of the larger bores 13. Each portion 17 is adapted to receive and frictionally retain pins or prongs 21 of an electrical component 20, such for example as a micro-circuit module device.

In especial accordance with the invention, reversely bent, generally U-shapcd resilient contact elements 24 are formed integrally with, and presented transversely of, an electrically conductive bus or strip 23 extending along the upper side of back plate 10. Each of the resilient contact elements 24 extends into the larger diameter bore 13 of a corresponding insulative member 12. The U- shaped contact elements 24 are so proportioned and positioned that their leg portions engage lateral walls of the insulative member defining the larger diameter bore 13, and are flexed inwardly by contact with such Walls. The free ends of contact elements 24 further are turned to- Ward, and tend to dig into, the aforesaid lateral walls of the insulative members, whereby retention of the contact elements in the member is enhanced. Also, the relatively wider portion of contact element 24 adjacent strip 23 is so shaped and disposed as resiliently to urge the strip into frictional holding engagement with the outer surface portions of the aligned insulative members 12 (FIGURE 2). o

By virtue of the above described frictional engagement,

.. .strips 23 are held firmly in place during insertion and removal of the component connector prongs.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the strip 23 is stamped from .015 inch thick sheet stock of a beryllium-copper alloy, and is nickle plated, then gold plated. The portion of strip 23 extending in closely spaced relation to back plate It) further is provided with electrical insulation 25, such for example as a dielectric paint. This serves to prevent inadvertent electrical contact of the strip with the back plate. As is illustrated in FIGURE 2, construction and arrangement of a contact element 24 is such that a prong 21 inserted in aperture 13 is resiliently engaged by the leg portions of the plated contact element, thereby aifording firm electrical contact between the prong and the element.

In the present preferred embodiment of the invention it is the purpose of strip 23 to provide each of a plurality of closely spaced micro-circuit modules 20 with a common ground circuit connection. However it will be appreciated that the strip 23 may be utilized for other purposes, for example to supply operating voltages or signals. Advantageously the unitary means comprising connecting strip 23 and resilient con-tact elements 24 affords a common electrical connection, with a minimum number of junctions. The unitary connector has particular utility in high speed computer applications where it aifords isola- A dium for electronic devices of various types which use a majority of serial wiring.

In the modification of the invention illustrated in FIG- URE 3, the connecting element 27 of the strip 26a, which also is partially insulated as seen at 25a, includes a resilient, reversely bent prong-engaging portion 28 that extends into the larger diameter section 13 of insulator 12, as well as a portion 29 that extends into smaller diameter section 14, in substantial frictional engagement with the latter, To ensure frictional retention of the strip, portion 29 inincludes opposed lateral slots or notches which become engaged in the material of insulative member 12, upon insertion of the latter into an opening 11. In this latter embodiment, the resilient portion of contact 27 will bear forcibly against lateral sections of a component prong (not shown) inserted into the bore of the insulator. It will be understood of course that the invention contemplates that in either of the disclosed embodiments the back plate may be made of an insulative material,

From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that the invention affords improved multi-terrninal interconnecting means of substantially unitary construction that minimizes and simplifies electrical connections, and which is particularly useful in combination with panel mounted electrical socket arrays.

I claim:

1. In combination with a panel board provided with electrical socket means having openings presented unidirectionally to one side of said board and arranged to receive terminal pins of electrical components, electrically conductive strip means extending over and adjacent the side of said board to which said openings are presented, said strip means being provided with an electrically insulative coating in the region of its adjacency to said panel board, said strip means further including a plurality of spaced resilient contacts integrally formed therewith, each of which contacts extend-s into an opening of a corresponding one of said socket means and supports said strip means, said contacts comprising elongate, generally U-shaped elements of electrically conductive material each having a portion frictionally engaging a wall of said socket means defining said opening, and a portion extending out of said opening and reversely bent into integral connection with said strip means, said contacts being disposed for frictional resilient engagement with such terminal pins upon insertion thereof into said openings of said socket means.

2. A panel board assembly comprising: back plate means having an array of adjacently disposed apertured socket means extending therethrough; electrical contact means extending into the apertures of said socket means, to one side of said back plate means, and including resilient contact members of generally U-shape, each member extending into a corresponding one of said apertures,.one end portion of each said U-shaped member being free and frictionally engaging the wall of said aperture and the other end portion of each said U-shaped member extending outwardly of said aperture, and further being reversely bent toward said socket means; and electrically conductive strip means disposed in close adjacency to said back plate and engaging said socket means, said strip means being formed integrally with said reversely bent other end portion of said U-shaped member and urged resiliently into the recited engagement with said socket means.

3. A panel board assembly comprising: back plate means having an array of adjacently disposed apertures extending transversely therethrough; tubular, electrically insulated socket members disposed to one side of said plate means and including portions extending through said apertures; reversely bent, flexible and resilient electrical contact means extending into the hollow portions of said tubular socket members, one leg of each said bent portion extending into frictional engagement with a wall defining the hollow portion of a corresponding socket member, and the other end of each said bent portion extending outwardly of the recited corresponding socket member and extending transversely thereof; and electrically conductive strip means formed integrally with said last recited legs of said contact means and urged by the latter into resilient frictional engagement with outer portions of said tubular socket members, said strip means including a covering of electrical insulation disposed between the strip means and both said 'backplate means and an outer surface portion of said tubular socket member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,870,424 1/1959 Franz 33917 2,916,718 12/1959 Hess 33914 X 3,086,074 4/1963 Just et -al 339-126 X MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner. W, DONALD MILLER, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A PANEL BOARD PROVIDED WITH ELECTRICAL SOCKET MEANS HAVING OPENINGS PRESENTED UNIDIRECTIONALLY TO ONE SIDE OF SAID BOARD AND ARRANGED TO RECEIVE TERMINAL PINS OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS, ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE STRIP MEANS EXTENDING OVER AND ADJACENT THE SIDE OF SAID BOARD TO WHICH SAID OPENINGS ARE PRESENTED, SAID STRIP MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH AN ELECTRICALLY INSULATIVE COATING IN THE REGION OF ITS ADJACENCY TO SAID PANEL BOARD, SAID STRIP MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACED RESILIENTLY CONTACTS INTEGRALLY FORMED THEREWITH, EACH OF WHICH CONTACTS EXTENDS INTO AN OPENING OF A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID SOCKET MEANS AND SUPPORTS SAID STRIP

Images