CIRCUIT CARD ASSEMBLIES FOR A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20190319384A1
• Filed: 06/26/2019
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: TE Connectivity Corporation (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Consoli, John Joseph, Morgan, Chad William
• Granted Patent: US 10,756,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/712 co-operating with the surface of the printed circuit or with a coupling device exclusively provided on the surface of the printed circuit H01R12/72 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/727 Coupling devices presenting arrays of contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/737 Printed circuits being substantially perpendicular to each other for printed connections H05K3/366

Abstract

A communication system includes a first circuit card assembly having a first PCB including a first slot and a first electrical connector mounted to the first PCB along the first slot and having a first mating end. The communication system includes a second circuit card assembly having a second PCB and a second electrical connector mounted to the second PCB and having a second mating end. The first and second circuit card assemblies are mated along a board mating axis parallel to the first slot with the first PCB oriented perpendicular to the second PCB. The first and second mating ends are oriented parallel to the board mating axis. The second PCB is received in the first slot to align the second mating end with the first mating end.

Claims

1. A circuit card assembly for a communication system comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first surface and a second surface extending along a primary axis and a secondary axis, the PCB having a mating edge between the first and second surfaces generally parallel to the secondary axis, the PCB having a slot between the first and second surfaces, the slot open at the mating edge and extending a length generally along the primary axis, the PCB having a mounting area on the first surface adjacent the slot; and

an electrical connector mounted to the first surface at the mounting area, the electrical connector having a front and a rear opposite the front, the front being provided proximate to the mating edge, the electrical connector having a mounting end extending between the front and the rear being mounted to the mounting area, the electrical connector having a mating end extending between the front and the rear generally parallel to the primary axis, the mating end being configured to be mated to a mating circuit card assembly, the electrical connector having contacts including mating ends at the mating end of the electrical connector and terminating ends at the mounting end terminated to the PCB, the electrical connector including a connecting element at the mating end configured to engage the mating circuit card assembly to cause the mating end of the electrical connector or the electrical connector to move relative to the PCB to mate the mating end of the electrical connector with the mating circuit card assembly.

2. The circuit card assembly of claim 1, wherein the connecting element includes a groove to guide mating of the electrical connector and the mating circuit card assembly.

3. The circuit card assembly of claim 2, wherein the groove includes a cam surface controlling the mating direction of the electrical connector with the mating circuit card assembly.

4. The circuit card assembly of claim 1, wherein the slot in the circuit board is configured to receive a circuit board of the mating circuit card assembly in a board mating direction, the connecting element causing the mating end of the electrical connector to mate with the mating circuit card assembly in a connector mating direction non-parallel to the board mating direction.

5. The circuit card assembly of claim 1, wherein the PCB is configured to be mated to a PCB of the second circuit card assembly in a board mating direction parallel to the primary axis, the connecting element causing the mating end of the electrical connector to be mated to the mating circuit card assembly in a connector mating direction parallel to the secondary axis.

6. The circuit card assembly of claim 1, wherein the connecting element causes the mating circuit card assembly to move relative to the PCB toward the mating end of the electrical connector to mate the mating end of the electrical connector with the mating circuit card assembly.

7. The circuit card assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating end of the electrical connector and the mating edge of the PCB are perpendicular to each other.

8. The circuit card assembly of claim 1, wherein the front of the electrical connector is a first distance from the mating edge and the rear of the electrical connector is a second distance from the mating edge greater than the first distance, the mating end of the electrical connector spanning a majority of the distance between the front and the rear.

9. The circuit card assembly of claim 1, wherein the connecting element is a first connector element located proximate to the front, the electrical connector including a second connector element located proximate to the rear.

10. The circuit card assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical connector includes a top and a bottom, the connecting element being a first connector element located proximate at the top, the electrical connector including a second connector element located at the bottom.

11. The circuit card assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical connector includes a mating housing holding the mating ends of the contacts, the mating housing including the connecting element, the electrical connector includes contact modules coupled to the mating housing, the contact modules holding the terminating ends of the contacts for mounting to the PCB, the connecting element engaging the mating circuit card assembly to move the mating housing relative to the contact modules.

12. The circuit card assembly of claim 11, wherein the contacts include flexible sections between the mating ends and the terminating ends, the flexible sections allowing relative movement between the mating ends and the terminating ends.

13. The circuit card assembly of claim 1, wherein the connecting element causes the mating end of the electrical connector to mate with a mating electrical connector of the mating circuit card assembly in a connector mating direction.

14. A circuit card assembly for a communication system comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first surface and a second surface extending along a primary axis and a secondary axis, the PCB having a mating edge between the first and second surfaces generally parallel to the secondary axis, the PCB having a slot between the first and second surfaces configured to receive a mating PCB of a mating circuit card assembly in a board mating direction parallel to the primary axis, the slot open at the mating edge to receive the mating PC, the PCB having a mounting area on the first surface adjacent the slot; and

an electrical connector mounted to the first surface at the mounting area, the electrical connector having a front and a rear opposite the front, the front being provided proximate to the mating edge, the electrical connector having a mounting end extending between the front and the rear being mounted to the mounting area, the electrical connector having a mating end extending between the front and the rear generally parallel to the primary axis, the mating end being configured to be mated to a mating circuit card assembly of the mating circuit card assembly, the electrical connector having contacts including mating ends at the mating end of the electrical connector and terminating ends at the mounting end terminated to the PCB, the electrical connector including a connecting element at the mating end configured to engage the mating circuit card assembly to cause the mating end of the electrical connector to mate with the mating circuit card assembly in a connector mating direction non-parallel to the board mating direction.

15. The circuit card assembly of claim 14, wherein the connecting element moves the electrical connector closer to the mating circuit card assembly or moves the mating circuit card assembly closer to the electrical connector in the connector mating direction.

16. The circuit card assembly of claim 14, wherein the connecting element causes the mating end of the electrical connector or the electrical connector to move relative to the PCB to mate the mating end of the electrical connector with the mating circuit card assembly.

17. The circuit card assembly of claim 14, wherein the connecting element causes the mating circuit card assembly to move relative to the PCB toward the mating end of the electrical connector to mate the mating end of the electrical connector with the mating circuit card assembly.

18. The circuit card assembly of claim 14, wherein the connecting element includes a groove to guide mating of the electrical connector and the mating circuit card assembly.

19. The circuit card assembly of claim 18, wherein the groove includes a cam surface controlling the mating direction of the electrical connector with the mating circuit card assembly.

20. The circuit card assembly of claim 14, wherein the connector mating direction is generally parallel to the secondary axis.