Printed wiring board having edge plating interconnects

• US 7,304,862 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acleap Power Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Power Systems Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Busletta, Galliano R., Roessler, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zarroli; Michael C.
• Application Number:
  US11/559,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20070072447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 439/65, 361/760, 336198-200, 760/760
• US Class Current: 361/760
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2027/2819 Planar transformers with printed windings, e.g. surrounded by two cores and to be mounted on printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/086 for inductive purposes, e.g. printed inductor with ferrite core
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09063 Holes or slots in insulating substrate not used for electrical connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/092 Exposing inner circuit layers or metal planes at the walls of high aspect ratio holes forming plated-through holes H05K3/42; cutting around hole H05K2203/0242
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09645 Patterning on via walls; Plural lands around one hole
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/429 Plated through-holes specially for multilayer circuits, e.g. having connections to inner circuit layers

Abstract

The present invention provides a PWB for attaching electrical components thereto. The PWB includes a stack of insulating layers, conductive layers located between the insulating layers, wherein the conductive layers terminate at an edge of the PWB, and an edge plate interconnect located on the edge. The edge plate interconnect is free of a complementary via and contacts and electrically interconnects the conductive layers. The present invention also provides a method of making the PWB and also provides a power converter implementing the edge plate interconnects.

Claims

1. A power converter, comprising:

a printed wiring board (PWB)having conductive layers terminating at a continuous edge of the PWB wherein said continuous edge is an edge located on an edge of a core-on-board opening for a magnetic core of a transformer formed in said PWB;

edge plate interconnects located on said continuous edge of said PWB; and

a transformer including primary and second windings, said primary winding being coupled to a primary circuit by at least one via and said secondary winding being coupled to a secondary circuit by at least one of said edge plate interconnects.

2. The power converter as recited in claim 1 wherein said edge plate interconnect is a first edge plate interconnect that contacts a first set of said conductive layers at said continuous edge and said PWB further includes a second edge plate interconnect located on said edge that contacts a second set of said conductive layers at said continuous edge, said first and second edge plate interconnects forming separate interconnects.

3. The power converter as recited in claim 1 wherein said edge plate interconnect is a first edge plate interconnect that contacts a first secondary conductive winding of said transformer within said PWB, and said PWB further includes a second edge plate interconnect located on said continuous edge that contacts a second secondary winding of said transformer within said PWB, said first and second edge plate interconnects forming separate interconnects for said first and second conductive windings, respectively.

4. The power converter as recited in claim 3 wherein said primary windings are interconnected by vias, but not by said edge plate interconnects.