Board to board interconnect structure

• US 4,482,937 A
• Filed: 09/30/1982
• Issued: 11/13/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Control Data Corporation (Ceridian HCM Holding, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Control Data Corporation (Ceridian HCM Holding, Inc.)
• Inventors: Berg, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kucia, R. R.
• Application Number:
  US06/431,894
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 361/413, 361/414, 361/415, 339/17 LM, 339/176 MP
• US Class Current: 361/789
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/73 connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures

Abstract

A board to board interconnect assembly is installed between a first multilayer circuit board and a second multilayer circuit board. The assembly is comprised of a first housing member carrying electrical contacts and a second housing member carrying electrical contacts which mateably engage with the contacts of the first housing member. The first and second circuit boards have corresponding arrays of plated through apertures selectively connected to the circuit layers of the respective boards. Socket carrying contacts are frictionally engaged in certain of the plated through conductive apertures of the first and second circuit boards to secure the first housing member to the first circuit board and the second housing member to the second circuit board. Flex contacts are installed in conductive plated through apertures of the boards opposite each of the socket contacts and are frictionally engaged with the socket contacts. The socket and flex contacts are frictionally coupled to electrically connect the circuit layers of the first circuit board with the circuit layers of the second circuit board in a direct vertical relationship. The opposed first and second housing members support and position the contacts and serve as spacers between the circuit boards.

Claims

1. An assembly for interconnecting a first circuit board containing circuitry to a second circuit board containing circuitry, each board having a plurality of apertures for receiving pins, said assembly comprising:

first and second housing members each having a flat surface for abutting a surface of one of said circuit boards, an alignment projection, an alignment cavity, a plurality of socket apertures and a like plurality of pin apertures, said first and second housing members being identically configured and being mutually assemblable so that when the alignment projection of one member mates with the alignment cavity of the other member the pin apertures of each member confront the socket apertures of the other member;

a socket contact supported within each socket aperture, each socket contact having an electrically conductive pin portion and an electrically conductive socket end, the pin portion of each socket contact extending beyond the flat surface of the respective housing member and being frictionally engagable to a respective aperture of one said circuit boards; and

a pin contact supported within each pin aperture, each pin contact having an electrically conductive pin portion and an electrically conductive flex contact, the pin portion of each pin contact extending beyond the flat surface of the respective housing member and being frictionally engagable to a respective aperture of one of said circuit boards, each flex contact being frictionally engagable to a respective socket end of a socket contact when said first and second housing members are mated;

whereby identically configured housing members supporting socket contacts and pin contacts may be mutually engagable to interconnect said first and second circuit boards.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein each of said flex contacts comprises a pair of oppositely mounted spring legs which deflect inwardly upon insertion into the socket end of one of said socket contacts.