Interposer assembly

• US 6,176,707 B1
• Filed: 12/07/1999
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
• Original Assignee: InterCon Systems, Inc. (Amphenol Corporation)
• Inventors: Walden, John D., Neidich, Douglas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luebke, Renee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hammond, Briggitte R.
• Application Number:
  US09/455,989
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 439/66, 439/68, 439/591, 439/71
• US Class Current: 439/66
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7082 Coupling device supported only by cooperation with PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/714 with contacts abutting directly the printed circuit; Button contacts therefore provided on the printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2435 with opposite contact points, e.g. C beam
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1069 with spring contact pieces

Abstract

An interposer assembly includes an insulating plate with passages extending through the thickness of the plate and metal contacts loosely confined in the passages. The contacts include noses that project outwardly from the plate for engagement with contact pads on overlying and underlying circuit members.

Claims

1. An interposer component adapted to receive a plurality of like metal contacts to form an interposer assembly for establishing electrical connections between pairs of opposed contact pads arranged in a pattern, said interposer component comprising;

a plate formed from a single piece of insulating material;

said plate having a flat top surface, a flat bottom surface extending parallel to the top surface and a uniform thickness;

a plurality of single contact passages extending through the thickness of the plate from the top surface to the bottom surface thereof, said passages spaced apart from each other and arranged in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the pairs of spaced contact pad pairs;

each passage being elongate in transverse cross section and including opposed first and second passage ends, said first passage end being wider than said second passage end and comprising a first end wall, a pair of opposed parallel walls joining the first end wall and extending toward the second end, and a pair of opposed converging walls joining the parallel walls and extending to the second end, said parallel walls defining a uniform width portion of the passage adjacent the first end and said converging walls defining a reduced width portion of the passage adjacent the second end, said walls extending perpendicularly to the top and bottom surfaces of the plate; and

a plurality of projections integrally formed from the insulating material, each projection located in a passage within the thickness of the plate and extending from the second end a distance into the passage to a projection end, said projection end spaced from said first end wall to define a narrowed passage portion therebetween so that the projection obstructs said passage mediate said top and bottom surfaces, each projection including a first contact camming surface facing the top surface of the plate and sloping from the projection end toward the top surface of the plate and a first contact retention surface facing the bottom surface of the plate, said projection end located between the camming surface and the retention surface.

2. The interposer component as in claim 1 wherein in each cavity the distance between said first and second ends is approximately two times the distance between the parallel walls.

3. The interposer component as in claim 1 wherein each projection is integrally joined to the insulating material in the plate at the second end and at the converging walls of a passage, and each projection end is located in the reduced width portion of the passage and extends across the reduced width portion of the passage between the converging walls.

4. The interposer component as in claim 1 wherein each projection end is located in the center of a passage.

5. The interposer component as in claim 1 wherein said passages and projections are symmetrical to either side of a plane parallel to the top and bottom surfaces and each projection is located equidistant between the top and bottom surfaces.

6. The interposer component as in claim 1 wherein said passages are arranged in spaced perpendicular rows extending along the top and bottom surfaces of the component.

7. The interposer component as in claim 1 wherein each projection end of each projection is located in and extends completely across a reduced width portion of the passage.

8. The interposer component as in claim 7 wherein each projection is located in a reduced width portion of a passage.

9. The interposer component as in claim 1 wherein in each projection, the first retention surface comprises a second camming surface and the first camming surface comprises a second retention surface, wherein contacts may be inserted into the cavities from either the top surface or the bottom surface of the plate.

10. The interposer component as in claim 9 wherein said second camming surface is sloped.

11. The interposer component as in claim 10 wherein each camming surface extends from a second end of a passage to an end of a projection.

12. The interposer component as in claim 11 wherein said camming surfaces each extend at about 25°

to the axis of the passage.

13. The interposer component as in claim 6 wherein said camming and retention surfaces are flat.

14. An interposer assembly including the interposer component as in claim 1 and a plurality of metal contacts with a single contact disposed in each said passage in the interposer component between the parallel walls and the converging walls;

each of said metal contacts comprising a central portion, a pair of flexible spring members joining the central portion and having outer ends, a pair of contact noses located on the outer ends of the spring members, a pair of retention legs extending inwardly from the outer ends toward a projection, and a cam follower on one leg and facing away from the contact camming surface on the projection in the passage in which the contact is disposed, the projection in each passage located between the legs of the contact in the passage, said central portion engaging the first end wall, said contact noses normally being spaced apart a distance greater than the thickness of the plate; and

wherein upon insertion of said contacts into said passages towards said camming surfaces the cam followers engage the cam surfaces, are cammed past the projections and snap back behind the projections.

15. The interposer assembly as in claim 14 wherein each metallic contact includes a flat spine, each spine located within the thickness of the plate and engaging a first end wall.

16. The interposer assembly as in claim 14 wherein said contacts are formed from sheet metal stock and each spring member comprises a bowed, tapered arm.

17. The interposer assembly as in claim 16 including a rounded end on each retention leg, and wherein the rounded ends of the retention legs of each contact are spaced apart a distance greater than the height of the projection located between the retention legs when the contact is unstressed.

18. The interposer assembly as in claim 14 wherein each projection end is located in the center of a passage and each metal contact is symmetrical to either side of the central portion thereof.

19. The interposer assembly as in claim 18 wherein said passages and projections are symmetrical to either side of a plane parallel to the top and bottom surfaces, said plane located equidistant between the top and bottom surfaces.

20. The interposer assembly as in claim 19 wherein each projection includes a second contact camming surface facing the bottom surface.

21. The interposer assembly as in claim 20 wherein said first and second contact camming surfaces are flat.

22. An interposer component adapted to receive a plurality of like metal contacts to form an interposer assembly for establishing electrical connections between pairs of opposed contact pads arranged in a pattern, said interposer component comprising;

a plate formed from a single piece of insulating material;

said plate having a flat top surface, a flat bottom surface extending parallel to the top surface and a uniform thickness;

a plurality of single contact passages extending through the thickness of the plate from the top surface to the bottom surface thereof, said passages spaced apart from each other and arranged in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the pairs of spaced contact pad pairs;

each passage having a number of interior walls extending from the top surface to the bottom surface of the plate, the walls including first and second opposed end walls, a pair of spaced walls joining said first end wall and said second end wall, said second end wall being narrower than said first end wall, the distance between said spaced walls adjacent the first end wall being less than the distance between said end walls, said spaced walls defining a wide portion of the passage adjacent the first end wall and a narrow portion of the passage adjacent the second end wall; and

a plurality of projections integrally formed from the insulating material, each projection located within the thickness of the plate in a passage adjacent the second end wall thereof and integrally joined to the insulating material at the second end wall and to the insulating material in the spaced walls adjacent the second end wall, each projection including a projection end extending across the passage between the spaced walls and facing the first end wall to obstruct the passage mediate said top and bottom surfaces, each projection further including a first contact camming surface facing the top surface of the plate and sloping from the end of the projection toward the top surface of the plate and a first contact retention surface facing the bottom surface of the plate and extending from the end of the projection toward the second end wall.

23. The interposer component as in claim 22 wherein in each projection the first retention surface comprises a second camming surface and the first camming surface comprises a second retention surface wherein contacts may be inserted into the passages from either the top or the bottom surface of the plate.

24. The interposer component as in claim 22 wherein in each passage the distance between the first and second end walls is approximately twice the distance between the spaced walls adjacent the first end wall.

25. The interposer component as in claim 22 wherein each projection is located in a narrow portion of a passage.

26. An interposer component adapted to receive a plurality of like metal contacts to form an interposer assembly for establishing electrical connections between pairs of opposed contact pads arranged in a pattern, the interposer component comprising:

a plate formed from a single body of insulating material;

said plate having a flat top surface, a flat bottom surface parallel to the top surface and uniform thickness;

a plurality of single contact passages extending through the thickness of the plate from the top surface to the bottom surface thereof, said passages spaced apart from each other and arranged in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the pairs of spaced contact pads;

the interior of each said passage having a first end and a second end spaced across the passage from the first end, said first end being wider than said second end, and opposed walls extending between said ends, said ends and walls extending between said top and bottom surfaces; and

a plurality of projections formed from the insulating material, each projection located within the thickness of the plate at the second end of a passage between the top surface and the bottom surface of the plate and extending across the passage toward the first end thereof to a projection end obstructing the passage mediate said top and bottom surfaces, each projection further including a first contact camming surface facing the top surface of the plate and sloping from the end of the projection toward the top surface of the plate and a first contact retention surface facing the bottom surface of the plate.

27. The interposer component as in claim 26 wherein in each projection the first retention surface comprises a second camming surface and the first camming surface comprises a second retention surface wherein contacts may be inserted into the passages from either the top or the bottom surface of the plate.

28. The interposer component as in claim 26 wherein said passages and projections are symmetrical to either side of a plane parallel to the top and bottom surfaces and located between the top and bottom surfaces.

29. The interposer component as in claim 28 wherein said plane is located equidistant between the top and bottom surfaces.

30. An interposer assembly including the interposer component as in claim 26 and a plurality of like metal contacts, each such contact disposed in one of said passages in the interposer component and including contact members normally spaced apart a distance greater than the thickness of the plate.

31. The interposer assembly as in claim 30 wherein each contact includes a flat spine located within the thickness of the plate such spine engaging the first end of the passage.

32. The interposer assembly as in claim 30 wherein each of said metal contacts comprises a central portion and is symmetrical to either side of the central portion.

33. The interposer assembly as in claim 32 wherein each of said metal contacts includes a pair of flexible spring arms joining the central portion and having outer ends with contact noses located on the outer ends, a pair of retention legs extending inwardly from the outer ends toward a passage projection, and a cam follower on one leg, said cam follower facing away from the contact camming surface in such projection, such projection located between the legs of the contact in the passage.

34. The interposer assembly as in claim 32 wherein the central portion of each contact is located adjacent the first end of the passage in which the contact is disposed, each contact includes two spaced apart end portions, and the projection in such passage is located between the contact end portions.

35. The interposer assembly as in claim 34 wherein in each contact the central portion is wider than each end portion.