Electrical connector with elastomeric pad having compressor fingers each including a filler member to mitigate relaxation of the elastomer
First Claim
1. A connector for providing electrical connections to wiring on a printed circuit board, comprising:
- connector pads disposed within a contact region on the printed circuit board;
an insulating substrate having first and second sides;
contact members disposed within a contact region on the first side of the substrate, the contact region of the substrate being aligned with the contact region of the printed circuit board;
a compression mat having compressor fingers that contact the second side of the substrate in alignment with the contact regions on the first side;
a clamping arrangement that presses the compression mat toward the printed circuit board;
a plurality of filler members, each filler member disposed at least partially within one of the compressor fingers.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electrical connector includes connector pads on a printed circuit board and contact members on an insulating substrate. The contact members are pressed against the contact pads by a compression mat having compressor fingers. A clamping arrangement forces the compressor fingers against the substrate and thereby presses the contact members against the contact pads. To counteract the inherent tendency of the compressor fingers to undergo stress relaxation after the compressor mat has been clamped, the connector also includes filler members disposed at least partially within the compressor fingers, essentially a “button-within-a-button” arrangement. Optionally, a filler deflection member may be interposed between the compression mat and a clamping plate of the clamping arrangement so that the filler deflection member abuts against the filler members. Alternatively, the filler members may be integral features of the deflection member.
43 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A connector for providing electrical connections to wiring on a printed circuit board, comprising:
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connector pads disposed within a contact region on the printed circuit board; an insulating substrate having first and second sides; contact members disposed within a contact region on the first side of the substrate, the contact region of the substrate being aligned with the contact region of the printed circuit board; a compression mat having compressor fingers that contact the second side of the substrate in alignment with the contact regions on the first side; a clamping arrangement that presses the compression mat toward the printed circuit board; a plurality of filler members, each filler member disposed at least partially within one of the compressor fingers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for electrically connecting connector pads disposed within a contact region on a printed circuit board to contact members disposed within a contact region on a first side of an insulating substrate, comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing each of a plurality of compressor fingers of a compression mat with a filler member extending at least partially into the compressor finger; (b) placing the contact region of the substrate in face-to-face relationship with the contact region of the printed circuit board; (c) positioning the compression mat adjacent a second side of the substrate, with the compressor fingers being aligned with the contact members on the first side; (d) pressing the compression mat toward the printed circuit board. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification