PRE-SCREENING, COMPLIANT PIN GUIDING AND QUALITY MONITORING PRESS-FIT APPARATUS

• US 20200136333A1
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: YU, QIUYI, YANG, ZHONGFENG, MA, RUI, YIN, XIYUAN, FAN, ZHIYING, SONG, TAO, HU, JUN, XIE, PENGCHENG
• Granted Patent: US 11,050,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/585 Terminals having a press fit or a compliant portion and a shank passing through a hole in the printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/205 with a panel or printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53209 Terminal or connector

Abstract

A compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus is provided. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus includes a fixed plate, a movable plate, a printed circuit board (PCB) and a press-fit connector. The fixed plate defines a through-hole and is disposable above a working table. The movable plate is disposable to be urged by a bias against a first surface of the fixed plate facing the working table and includes pin extendable through the through-hole. The PCB defines a via and is disposable on a second surface of the fixed plate opposite the first surface whereby the pin is extendable through the via with the via corresponding in position to the through-hole and the pin. The press-fit connector is disposable to be secured in position proximate to the PCB and to be inserted into the via with guidance provided by the pin against the bias.

Claims

1. A compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a fixed plate defining a through-hole and being disposable above a working table;

a movable plate disposable to be urged by a bias against a first surface of the fixed plate facing the working table and comprising a pin extendable through the through-hole;

a printed circuit board (PCB) defining a via and being disposable on a second surface of the fixed plate opposite the first surface whereby the pin is extendable through the via with the via corresponding in position to the through-hole and the pin; and

a press-fit connector disposable to be secured in position proximate to the PCB and to be inserted into the via with guidance provided by the pin against the bias.

2. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the fixed plate defines the through-hole in a through-hole array,

the movable plate comprises the pin as a pin of a pin array, and

the PCB defines the via in an array of vias.

3. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixed plate is fixed in height above the working table.

4. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the movable plate is disposable in an abutting position at which the movable plate is urged by the bias against the first surface and an insertion position at which the movable plate is displaced in opposition to the bias from the first surface.

5. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a distance between the working table and the first surface is equal to or greater than a thickness of the movable plate and an insertion stroke length of the press-fit connector.

6. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pin comprises a funnel which is receptive of the press-fit connector.

7. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a configuration of the PCB is configured to be pre-screened with the via being misaligned with the through-hole and the pin.

8. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising monitoring circuitry operably coupled to the pin and the press-fit connector.

9. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the monitoring circuitry is configured to pre-screen a position of the pin prior to pin insertion.

10. A compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a fixed plate defining a through-hole array and being disposable above a working table;

a movable plate disposable to be urged by a bias against a first surface of the fixed plate facing the working table and comprising a pin array with pins extendable through through-holes of the through-hole array;

a printed circuit board (PCB) defining an array of vias and being disposable on a second surface of the fixed plate opposite the first surface whereby the pins are extendable through the vias with the vias corresponding in position to the through-holes and the pins; and

press-fit connectors disposable to be secured as a group in position proximate to the PCB and to be inserted as the group into the vias with guidance provided by the pins against the bias.

11. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the fixed plate is fixed in height above the working table.

12. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the movable plate is disposable in an abutting position at which the movable plate is urged by the bias against the first surface and an insertion position at which the movable plate is displaced in opposition to the bias from the first surface.

13. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a distance between the working table and the first surface is equal to or greater than a thickness of the movable plate and an insertion stroke length of the press-fit connector.

14. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each of the pins comprises a funnel which is receptive of a corresponding one of the press-fit connectors.

15. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a configuration of the PCB is configured to be pre-screened with one or more of the vias being misaligned with corresponding ones or more of the through-holes and the pins.

16. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising monitoring circuitry operably coupled to each of the pins and each of the press-fit connectors.

17. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the monitoring circuitry is configured to pre-screen a position of each of the pins prior to group insertions of the pins.

18. A compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring method, comprising:

disposing a fixed plate defining through-holes above a working table;

biasing a movable plate against a lower surface of the fixed plate such that pins of the movable plate extend through the through-holes;

disposing a printed circuit board (PCB) defining vias on an upper surface of the fixed plate whereby the pins extend through the vias with the vias corresponding in position to the through-holes and the pins;

disposing press-fit connectors to be secured as a group in position proximate to the PCB; and

inserting the press-fit connectors as the group into the vias with guidance provided by the pins against the biasing of the movable plate.

19. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring method according to claim 18, further comprising pre-screening the PCB with one or more of the vias being misaligned with corresponding ones or more of the through-holes and the pins.

20. The compliant pin pre-screening, guiding and quality monitoring method according to claim 18, further comprising engaging monitoring circuitry operably coupled to each of the pins and each of the press-fit connectors to pre-screen the press-fit connectors.