US3537063A - Circuit card connector - Google Patents

Circuit card connector Download PDF

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Publication number
US3537063A
US3537063A US737403A US3537063DA US3537063A US 3537063 A US3537063 A US 3537063A US 737403 A US737403 A US 737403A US 3537063D A US3537063D A US 3537063DA US 3537063 A US3537063 A US 3537063A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
circuit card
contact
connector
spring
point
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 - Lifetime
Application number
US737403A
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English (en)
Inventor
Philip E Beaulieu
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
International Business Machines Corp
Original Assignee
International Business Machines Corp
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by International Business Machines Corp filed Critical International Business Machines Corp
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3537063A publication Critical patent/US3537063A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
    • H01L23/34—Arrangements for cooling, heating, ventilating or temperature compensation ; Temperature sensing arrangements
    • H01L23/42—Fillings or auxiliary members in containers or encapsulations selected or arranged to facilitate heating or cooling
    • H01L23/427—Cooling by change of state, e.g. use of heat pipes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
    • H01R12/70—Coupling devices
    • H01R12/82—Coupling devices connected with low or zero insertion force
    • H01R12/85—Coupling devices connected with low or zero insertion force contact pressure producing means, contacts activated after insertion of printed circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/88—Coupling devices connected with low or zero insertion force contact pressure producing means, contacts activated after insertion of printed circuits or like structures acting manually by rotating or pivoting connector housing parts
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
    • H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
    • H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Definitions

  • BEAULIEU ,0 CIRCUIT CARD CONNECTOR I Filed June l7,' 1968 United States Patent Olfice 3,537,063 Patented Oct. 27, 1970 3,537,063 CIRCUIT CARD CONNECTOR Philip E.
  • the connector is a normally closed, zero or low insertion force, circuit card connector with a spring contact. It has a means (e.g.
  • a cam operatively engaging the spring contact for applying a force substantially normal to, and substantially through and away from, the point of contact of the spring contact with the circuit card.
  • This invention relates to a normally closed circuit card connector. More particularly, it relates to such a circuit card connector which is especially suitable for use with high speed computer circuitry.
  • U.S. Pat. 3,366,916 to Oktay assigned to IBM, discloses a zero insertion force circuit card connector design. This design is suitable for some computer uses, but the expandable pressure tubing used there to bias the contacts to their open position is located between the point of contact on the circuit card and the terminal of the contacts. For this reason, the design cannot incorporate a minimum distance feature between active elements on the circuit card and the contact terminals, and the design is unsuited for applications where speed is a critical parameter.
  • the Oktay patent also discloses a connector design wherein the expandable pressure tubing used to bias the contacts to the open position is not located between the contact point and the contact terminal. However, that design is not suited for use with circuit cards.
  • the expandable pressure tubing in both of the Oktay designs is placed between opposing contacts, it increases the spacing between the opposing contacts. This causes a lower capacitance between the contacts, thus increasing impedance between them, which causes noise, resulting in lower effective output signals transmitted through the contacts.
  • circuit card connector art is a highly sophisticated one, it thus becomes apparent that the art has not kept pace with the demands of ever increasing circuit speed caused by faster and faster computer operating times, now measured in nanoseconds.
  • Existing circuit card connectors can be used in the most advanced computers only at a sacrifice of eflFective operating times.
  • the connector includes a housing, which may be considerably less substantial than that employed in most prior art connectors, since forces imparted to it during operation of the connector are reduced.
  • the connector further includes spring contacts, usually of the leaf, cantilever beam type, which are supported by the housing at their terminal end. The contacts have a point of contact for a circuit card spaced from their point of support.
  • means, usually a cam, operatively engaging the spring contact for opening the contact is provided. This means is located to apply a force substantially normal to, and substantially through and away from the point of contact of the spring contact with the circuit card.
  • the spring contact By locating the spring contact in accordance with this principle, it is possible to provide a circuit card connector having a shorter eifective distance between active elements on the circuit card and the contact terminals than has hitherto been possible. This is true because the means for opening the spring contact is not placed between the circuit card and the contact terminal, and also because it is far enough removed from the point of support of the contact in the housing to reduce stress on the housing and on the contacts at the point of support by the housing. While the connector of this invention preferably has zero insertion force (i.e., the spring contacts can be lifted completely from a circuit card for insertion or removal of a card), this is not essential to obtain all of the advantages herein disclosed for the design.
  • circuit card connector design of this invention is particularly suited for the most advanced high speed computer circuitry, because the additional length imparted to computer circuitry by the connector itself is minimized.
  • the desirable features of this design make it suitable for a wide variety of other applications as well.
  • FIG. 1 is a side view of two arrays of the claimed connectors showing a circuit card being inserted in the arrays;
  • FIG. 2A is a cross section view of one of the arrays in FIG. 1 taken along the line 2A in FIG. 3 and showing details of the connector design in the closed position;
  • FIG. 2B is a cross section similar to that in FIG. 2A but taken along the line 2B in FIGS. 1 and 3, and showing the connector in the open position;
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the arrays in FIG. 1, together with their associated circuit cards, showing their environment in a computer;
  • FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cam rod used in the arrays shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
  • FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B there is shown an example of the claimed connector, showing its essential features.
  • Housing provides support for a pair of leaf spring contacts 12 and 12', of the cantilever beam type.
  • the housing 10 is made of a reasonably high strength resinous material, such as glass filled polycarbonate or epoxy resin.
  • the spring contacts are mounted in housing 10 so that their spring force tends to move them together in the direction of arrows 14 and 14, respectively, desirably until the two contact points 16 and 16' almost touch.
  • Cams 18 and 18 are provided to bias the spring contacts away from their normally closed position against a circuit card 20, as they are shown in FIG. 2A.
  • cams 18 and 18' are rotated 180 degrees to the position shown in FIG. 2B, thus lifting the contact points 16 and 16 of spring contacts 12 and 12 from the surface of circuit card 20. Opening 22 in housing 10 is provided for insertion of the circuit card 20.
  • the contact points 16 and 16 as well as conducting lines on circuit card 20 with which it is desired to make contact both have a gold plated or clad surface to give the best contact.
  • the pair of spring contacts 12 and 12 is provided for contacting a card having circuits on each side.
  • One spring contact may be employed where the card has circuitry on only one side.
  • spring contacts 12 and 12' allows earns 18 and 18' to apply the force for opening them substantially normal to, and substantially through and away from, the contact points 16 and 16' of the spring contacts with circuit card 20.
  • the spring contacts 12 and 12' have a substantially straight portion 24 extending from a support portion 26 to the contact points 16 and 16'.
  • An arcuate portion 28 extends around from the contact points 16 and 16' and back toward the support portion 26.
  • Cams 18 and 18 engage the arcuate portion 28 of spring contacts 12 and 12', respectively, to lift them from circuit card 20.
  • Terminal portion 30 on each spring contact 12 and 12' is provided for making electrical contact with other circuitry in a computer.
  • Substantially straight portion 24, support portion 26, and terminal portion 30 of the contacts 12 and 12' all provide substantially the most direct conductive path from contact points 16 and 16' to circuitry associated with that on circuit card 20.
  • Arcuate portion 28 is not part of the conductive path, and it does not interfere with circuit elements placed close to the edge of circuit card 20'. As a result of both of these factors, the distance between such elements and associated circuitry connected to terminal portion 30 is minimized.
  • a circuit card 20 is inserted in the connector in the following manner.
  • Rods 19 and 19' (aportion of which is shown in FIG. 4), of which earns 18 and 18 form an integral part, are rotated so that the earns 18 and 18' are in the position shown in FIG. 2B.
  • the rods 19 and 19 are supported in the array 32 by bearing surfaces 21, thus positioning the rods 19 and 19' serted in the opening 22 in housing 10 far enough so that the desired point of contact on the circuit card is opposite the contact points 16 and 16 on contact springs 12 and 12.
  • Shafts 19 and 19' are then rotated to move the cams 18 and 18 to the position shown in FIG. 2A. In this position, the cams 18 and 18' are out of engagement with the arcuate portion 28 of each contact 12 and 12, and the contacts are in their normally closed position.
  • the connector desing of this invention is particularly adapted for such a fluid coolant environment, as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawing.
  • Arrays 32 of the connectors are shown embedded in a wall 34 of tank 36.
  • the terminal portions 30 of the connectors project through the walls 34 of tank 36.
  • the circuit cards 20 are arranged in rows in the tank.
  • the tank contains a suitable liquid coolant 38, such as a high-purity Freon coolant or the like.
  • Cover 40 of the tank 36 has a heat exchanger 42 mounted thereon, which serves to conduct heat from the tank 36 during operation.
  • the operating temperatures of the circuit cards 20 are high enough to cause nucleate boiling in the fluid coolant 38. Such boiling is a very efficient way of transmitting heat from the cards 20 to the heat exchanger 42, and thence out of the system.
  • the connector design of this invention is capable of imparting a contact force of between and 500 grams between the point of contact on the spring contact and the circuit card. This amount of contact force is sufficient for a gold-on-gold connector in a controlled atmosphere, such as the highpurity fluid coolant employed in tank 30.
  • biasing member imparting force on the contact springs to cause additional contact force to be exerted against the circuit card 24 may be employed.
  • Such biasing members are desirably located at some point between the point of support for the spring contacts 12 and 12' and their points of contact 16 and 16'.
  • circuit card connector suitable for high speed computer operating times, which may be used in a high density in an array without requiring heavy structural supports.
  • the disclosed circuit card connector enables the distance between active elements on a circuit card and the terminal of the connector to be minimized. Finally, the spacing between opposing contacts of the connector is reduced, thus reducing objectionable noise in output caused by impedance.
  • these objects have been attained in a connector that is easier and cheaper to fabricate than prior art designs not capable of attaining the stated objects.
  • a normally closed circuit card connector comprismg:
  • (C) means operatively engaging the spring contact at a point along the spring contact at least as remote from the point of support as the point of contact for the circuit card for applying a force along an axis substantially normal to a surface of the circuit card, and substantially through and away from, the point of contact of the spring contact.
  • a circuit card connector as in claim 1 having zero insertion force wherein the spring contact is of the cantilever beam type and has a substantially straight portion extending from the support portion on the housing to the point of contact for a circuit card, and an additional portion extending from the point of contact, and wherein the means for applying a force to the spring contact engages the additional portion.
  • a circuit card connector as in claim 1 having a pair of spring contacts of the cantilever beam type for contacting opposite sides of a circuit card and a means operatively engaging each spring contact at a point along the spring contacts at least as remote from the point of support as the point of contact for the circuit card for applying a force along an axis substantially normal to a surface of the circuit card, and substantially through and away from, the point of contact of each spring contact.
  • a normally closed circuit card connector having a spring contact with a point of support and a point of contact for the circuit card spaced from the point of support
  • the improvement comprising means operatively engaging the spring contact at a point along the spring contact at least as remote from the point of support as the point of contact for the circuit card for applying a force along an axis substantially normal to a surface of the circuit card, and substantially through and away from, the point of contact of the spring contact with the circuit card.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
US737403A 1968-06-17 1968-06-17 Circuit card connector Expired - Lifetime US3537063A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US73740368A 1968-06-17 1968-06-17

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3537063A true US3537063A (en) 1970-10-27

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ID=24963774

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US737403A Expired - Lifetime US3537063A (en) 1968-06-17 1968-06-17 Circuit card connector

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (1) US3537063A (de)
JP (1) JPS471041B1 (de)
BE (1) BE734683A (de)
CH (1) CH494483A (de)
DE (1) DE1930369A1 (de)
FR (1) FR2011030A1 (de)
GB (1) GB1217455A (de)
NL (1) NL6908939A (de)
SE (1) SE362775B (de)

Cited By (17)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3744005A (en) * 1971-07-02 1973-07-03 Berg Electronics Inc Zero force type connector block
US3793609A (en) * 1971-12-13 1974-02-19 Microdot Inc Low insertion force printed board connector
US3848221A (en) * 1973-03-07 1974-11-12 Int Prod Technology Corp Contact assembly utilizing flexible contacts for pins of integrated circuits
DE2514123A1 (de) * 1974-04-19 1975-10-30 Ibm Anordnung fuer eine dichte packung von halbleitersubstraten
US3951491A (en) * 1974-12-19 1976-04-20 Molex Incorporated Electrical connector
DE2856071A1 (de) * 1977-12-30 1979-07-12 Itt Ind Gmbh Deutsche Buchsenleiste zur kraeftefreien steckverbindung
DE2914167A1 (de) * 1978-04-10 1979-10-18 Itt Ind Gmbh Deutsche Buchsenleiste zur kraeftefreien steckverbindung
FR2439534A1 (fr) * 1978-10-21 1980-05-16 Vero Electronics Ltd Support pour plaques de circuits electriques
US4252392A (en) * 1979-09-07 1981-02-24 Amp Incorporated Zero insertion force connector clip
US4417778A (en) * 1981-10-23 1983-11-29 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated Circuit interlock arrangement
US4478471A (en) * 1982-02-01 1984-10-23 Amp Incorporated Zero insertion force connector having improved cams
US4590538A (en) * 1982-11-18 1986-05-20 Cray Research, Inc. Immersion cooled high density electronic assembly
US4911645A (en) * 1988-12-14 1990-03-27 Cray Research, Inc. Parallel board ZIF module connector
US4984993A (en) * 1989-05-12 1991-01-15 Cray Research, Inc. Two-piece edge ZIF connector with sliding block
US5123848A (en) * 1990-07-20 1992-06-23 Cray Research, Inc. Computer signal interconnect apparatus
US5618197A (en) * 1993-10-12 1997-04-08 Telafonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson Arrangement for establishing electrical connection
US20020054483A1 (en) * 2000-10-30 2002-05-09 Helmuth Heigl Device and method for contacting at least one terminal of an electronic element

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS4876849U (de) * 1971-12-23 1973-09-22
DE2245033C2 (de) * 1972-09-14 1982-04-08 Robert Bosch Gmbh, 7000 Stuttgart Andruck-Steckverbinder
US4502601A (en) * 1982-10-18 1985-03-05 International Electronic Research Corp. Low friction insertion force retainer
GB2236217A (en) * 1989-08-23 1991-03-27 Itt Ind Ltd Improvement relating to electrical connectors

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2857577A (en) * 1955-11-01 1958-10-21 Hughes Aircraft Co Electrical connector
US3022481A (en) * 1960-02-26 1962-02-20 Stepoway Theodore Electrical connector
US3188598A (en) * 1962-06-20 1965-06-08 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Printed circuit board connector

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2857577A (en) * 1955-11-01 1958-10-21 Hughes Aircraft Co Electrical connector
US3022481A (en) * 1960-02-26 1962-02-20 Stepoway Theodore Electrical connector
US3188598A (en) * 1962-06-20 1965-06-08 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Printed circuit board connector

Cited By (19)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3744005A (en) * 1971-07-02 1973-07-03 Berg Electronics Inc Zero force type connector block
US3793609A (en) * 1971-12-13 1974-02-19 Microdot Inc Low insertion force printed board connector
US3848221A (en) * 1973-03-07 1974-11-12 Int Prod Technology Corp Contact assembly utilizing flexible contacts for pins of integrated circuits
DE2514123A1 (de) * 1974-04-19 1975-10-30 Ibm Anordnung fuer eine dichte packung von halbleitersubstraten
US3951491A (en) * 1974-12-19 1976-04-20 Molex Incorporated Electrical connector
DE2856071A1 (de) * 1977-12-30 1979-07-12 Itt Ind Gmbh Deutsche Buchsenleiste zur kraeftefreien steckverbindung
DE2914167A1 (de) * 1978-04-10 1979-10-18 Itt Ind Gmbh Deutsche Buchsenleiste zur kraeftefreien steckverbindung
US4272143A (en) * 1978-10-21 1981-06-09 Vero Electronics Gmbh Rack for circuit boards
FR2439534A1 (fr) * 1978-10-21 1980-05-16 Vero Electronics Ltd Support pour plaques de circuits electriques
US4252392A (en) * 1979-09-07 1981-02-24 Amp Incorporated Zero insertion force connector clip
US4417778A (en) * 1981-10-23 1983-11-29 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated Circuit interlock arrangement
US4478471A (en) * 1982-02-01 1984-10-23 Amp Incorporated Zero insertion force connector having improved cams
US4590538A (en) * 1982-11-18 1986-05-20 Cray Research, Inc. Immersion cooled high density electronic assembly
US4911645A (en) * 1988-12-14 1990-03-27 Cray Research, Inc. Parallel board ZIF module connector
US4984993A (en) * 1989-05-12 1991-01-15 Cray Research, Inc. Two-piece edge ZIF connector with sliding block
US5123848A (en) * 1990-07-20 1992-06-23 Cray Research, Inc. Computer signal interconnect apparatus
US5618197A (en) * 1993-10-12 1997-04-08 Telafonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson Arrangement for establishing electrical connection
US20020054483A1 (en) * 2000-10-30 2002-05-09 Helmuth Heigl Device and method for contacting at least one terminal of an electronic element
US6860740B2 (en) * 2000-10-30 2005-03-01 Helmuth Heigl Device and method for contacting at least one terminal of an electronic element

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
SE362775B (de) 1973-12-17
FR2011030A1 (de) 1970-02-27
CH494483A (de) 1970-07-31
DE1930369A1 (de) 1970-01-02
GB1217455A (en) 1970-12-31
JPS471041B1 (de) 1972-01-12
NL6908939A (de) 1969-12-19
BE734683A (de) 1969-12-01

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