U.S. patent application number 11/715153 was filed with the patent office on 2008-09-11 for connector for stacking circuit boards.
This patent application is currently assigned to Tyco Electronics Corporation. Invention is credited to James Lee Fedder, Lynn Robert Sipe.
Application Number | 20080220630 11/715153 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39572847 |
Filed Date | 2008-09-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080220630 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sipe; Lynn Robert ; et
al. |
September 11, 2008 |
CONNECTOR FOR STACKING CIRCUIT BOARDS
Abstract
A connector assembly for connecting first and second circuit
boards in a substantially parallel relationship includes a first
connector matable to the first circuit board and a second connector
matable to the second circuit board. A third connector is matable
to the first and second connectors and is positioned therebetween.
The third connector includes a wafer configured to provide a
predetermined spacing between the first and second circuit
boards.
Inventors: |
Sipe; Lynn Robert;
(Mifflintown, PA) ; Fedder; James Lee; (Etters,
PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Robert J. Kapalka;Tyco Electronics Corporation
Suite 140, 4550 New Linden Hill Road
Wilmington
DE
19808-2952
US
|
Assignee: |
Tyco Electronics
Corporation
|
Family ID: |
39572847 |
Appl. No.: |
11/715153 |
Filed: |
March 7, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/74 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R 12/52 20130101;
H01R 12/7082 20130101; H01R 12/716 20130101; H01R 13/514
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
439/74 |
International
Class: |
H01R 12/00 20060101
H01R012/00 |
Claims
1. A connector assembly for connecting first and second circuit
boards in a substantially parallel relationship, said assembly
comprising: a first connector mountable on the first circuit board;
a second connector mountable on the second circuit board; and a
third connector matable to said first and second connectors and
positioned therebetween, said third connector including a contact
wafer having a spacing tab sized to provide a predetermined spacing
between the first and second circuit boards.
2. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein said third connector
further includes a first shroud and a second shroud, said first and
second shrouds holding said contact wafer.
3. (canceled)
4. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein said first and second
connectors are identical to one another.
5. The connector assembly of claim 1, said third connector further
includes a shroud having an inspection groove and said contact
wafer includes an inspection aperture aligned with said groove to
facilitate a line of sight inspection of said third connector when
said third connector is assembled.
6. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein said third connector
further includes a first shroud and a second shroud, said first and
second shrouds having a plurality of grooves formed therein and
said contact wafer includes retention barbs that engage bottom
surfaces of said grooves to secure said contact wafer in said
shrouds.
7. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein said third connector
further includes a first shroud and a second shroud, said first and
second shrouds holding said contact wafer and wherein said first
and second shrouds are identical to one another.
8. A connector assembly for connecting first and second circuit
boards in a substantially parallel relationship, said assembly
comprising: a first connector mountable on the first circuit board;
a second connector mountable on the second circuit board; and a
third connector matable to said first and second connectors and
positioned therebetween, said third connector including at least
two contact wafers defining an air flow path therebetween and
through said third connector when said first, second, and third
connectors are mated with one another, each of said contact wafers
having a spacing tab sized to provide a predetermined spacing
between said first and second circuit boards.
9. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein said third connector
further includes a first shroud and a second shroud, said first and
second shrouds holding said contact wafers.
10. (canceled)
11. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein each said contact
wafer includes a spacing tab that defines said air flow path
through said third connector.
12. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein said third connector
further includes a first shroud and a second shroud, and said
spacing tabs establish a spacing between said first and second
shrouds.
13. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein said third connector
further includes a first shroud and a second shroud, and said air
flow path is between said first and second shrouds.
14. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein said first and
second connectors are identical to one another.
15. The connector assembly of claim 8, said third connector further
includes a shroud having an inspection groove and each said contact
wafer includes an inspection aperture aligned with said groove to
facilitate a line of sight inspection of said third connector when
said third connector is assembled.
16. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein said third connector
further includes a first shroud and a second shroud, said first and
second shrouds having a plurality of grooves formed therein and
each said contact wafer includes retention barbs that engage bottom
surfaces of said grooves to secure said contact wafers in said
shrouds.
17. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein said third connector
further includes a first shroud and a second shroud, said first and
second shrouds holding said contact wafers and wherein said first
and second shrouds are identical to one another.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates generally to electrical connectors
and, more particularly, to a connector for interconnecting stacked
circuit boards.
[0002] Modern electronic systems such as telecommunications systems
and computer systems often include large circuit boards called
backplane boards which are rack mounted or retained in cabinets and
are electrically connected to a number of smaller circuit boards
called daughter cards. Electrical connectors establish
communications between the backplane and the daughter cards. In
some applications, the daughter cards contain circuitry for driving
the system and the backplane serves as a routing channel between
daughter cards.
[0003] A need may arise to add components to a daughter card, such
as, to add capability or upgrade the daughter card. Often this
requires the addition of components to the daughter card. If space
is not available on the daughter card, a mezzanine card may be used
which may be stacked on the daughter card. A mezzanine connector is
used to interconnect the mezzanine card and the daughter card. When
the mezzanine card and daughter card are stacked, the mezzanine and
daughter cards must be spaced apart a sufficient distance, called
the stack height, so that clearance is provided for the components
on the daughter card.
[0004] Typically, mezzanine connectors are two-piece connector
systems that include a connector for the daughter card and one for
the mezzanine card. The connectors are designed for a specific
stack height, such that different connectors are required to meet
different stack height requirements. For relatively high stack
heights, such as for instance, twenty five millimeters or greater,
multiple mezzanine connectors are some times stacked on top of one
another to achieve a desired stack height. Consequently, connector
systems tend to become more expensive as stack height increases.
Stability and reliability may also become a concern as
consideration must be given to the size and weight of the
components and of the connectors themselves. Furthermore, some
prior connector designs may also interfere with airflow or thermal
management in the system.
[0005] A need exists for a connector that is configurable to
provide the capability to vary the stack height between daughter
cards and mezzanine cards. A further need exists for a connector
that facilitates thermal management in the system by maintaining an
air flow path between the mezzanine and daughter cards.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In one embodiment, a connector assembly is provided for
connecting first and second circuit boards in a substantially
parallel relationship. The assembly includes a first connector
configured to be mounted on the first circuit board and a second
connector configured to be mounted on the second circuit board. A
third connector is matable to the first and second connectors and
is positioned therebetween. The third connector includes a wafer
configured to provide a predetermined spacing between the first and
second circuit boards.
[0007] Optionally, the third connector further includes a first
shroud and a second shroud and the first and second shrouds hold
the wafer. The first and second shrouds are identical to one
another. The wafer includes a spacing tab that is configured to
provide the predetermined spacing between the first and second
circuit boards. The first and second shrouds have a plurality of
grooves formed therein and the wafer includes retention barbs that
engage bottom surfaces of the grooves to secure the wafer in the
shrouds.
[0008] In another embodiment, a connector assembly is provided for
connecting first and second circuit boards in a substantially
parallel relationship. The assembly includes a first connector
configured to be mounted on the first circuit board and a second
connector configured to be mounted on the second circuit board. A
third connector is matable to the first and second connectors and
is positioned therebetween. The third connector includes a wafer
that defines an air flow path through the third connector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector assembly formed
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the connector assembly shown
in FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the mezzanine connector shown
in FIG. 2.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a wafer shown in FIG.
3.
[0013] FIG. 5 is an end view of the connector assembly shown in
FIG. 1 interconnecting a daughter card and a mezzanine card.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the assembly shown in
FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a connector
assembly 100 formed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the
connector assembly 100. The connector assembly 100 is a three-part
assembly that includes a first connector 102, a second connector
104, and a third connector 110 that is positioned between the first
and second connectors 102 and 104 and is configured to mate
simultaneously with the first and second connectors 102 and 104 to
interconnect the same. The assembly 100 will be described with
particular reference to a mezzanine connector assembly for
interconnecting circuit boards in a substantially parallel
relationship. However, it is to be understood that the following
description is for illustrative purposes only and the benefits
described herein are also applicable to other connectors for
interconnecting circuit boards.
[0016] In the exemplary embodiment, the first and second
connectors, 102 and 104 may be backplane connectors that are
identical to one another, and thus, are interchangeable. Each
connector 102, 104 includes a mounting face 114 for mounting the
connectors 102, 104 to a circuit board and a mating face 116
configured to mate with the third connector 110. For clarity in
viewing the connector assembly 100 the circuit boards are not shown
in FIGS. 1 and 2. The first connector 102 may be mounted on a
daughter card and the second connector 104 may be mounted on a
mezzanine card. The first and second connectors 102 and 104 may be
standardized and the third connector 110 may be configured to
provide a desired or predetermined stack height or spacing 120
between the daughter card and mezzanine card as will be described.
The connector assembly 100 is particularly useful in applications
requiring relatively high stack heights such as twenty-five
millimeters or more. Hereafter, the third connector 110 will be
referred to as the wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110.
[0017] The first and second connectors 102 and 104, each includes a
housing base 124 that holds a contact system 126. In one
embodiment, the first and second connectors 102 and 104 are
configured for press fit installation on the daughter card and
mezzanine card. The housing bases 124 are provided with alignment
posts 128 to position the connectors 102 and 104 on the daughter
and mezzanine cards. The contact systems 126 at the mating faces
116 of the first and second connectors 102 and 104 are configured
to mate with contact wafers 132 in the wafer/shroud sub-assembly
110 as will be described.
[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the wafer/shroud
sub-assembly 110. In FIG. 3, the wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110 is
rotated on its side relative to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and
2. The wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110 includes a first shroud 140
and a second shroud 142. Contact wafers 132 are held in the shrouds
140 and 142. Each wafer 132 has opposite mating edges 144. The
shrouds 140 and 142 are identical to one another. Each shroud 140,
142 includes an inner wall 150 and flanges 152 that extend from the
inner wall 150 in a substantially perpendicular relationship. A
plurality of slots 154 are formed in the inner wall 150. A
plurality of grooves 156 are formed in the inner side of each
flange 152. The grooves 156 are aligned with the slots 154 but do
not extend through the flanges 152 such that the grooves 156 have
bottom surfaces 158. Each slot 154 receives a mating edge 144 of a
contact wafer 132. The grooves 156 hold, stabilize, and align the
wafers 132 in the shrouds 140 and 142. An inspection groove 160 is
formed in the inner wall 150. Exterior molding grooves 162 are
provided for dimensional control of the shrouds 140 and 142 during
fabrication.
[0019] The mating edges 144 of the contact wafers 132 extend
through the slots 154 in the shrouds 140 and 142 to electrically
engage the contact systems 126 in the first and second connectors
102 and 104 (FIG. 2). Each contact wafer 132 includes spacing tabs
166 that engage edges 170 of the flanges to control a spacing
between the shrouds 140 and 142 and also the stack height 120 (FIG.
1) between the daughter and mezzanine cards (not shown) when the
wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110 is assembled. As illustrated in FIG.
3, the wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110 is a sixteen wafer assembly;
however, the number of contact wafers 132 may be varied in other
embodiments according to the needs of the particular application.
The contact wafers 132 are arranged along an axis 174 and may
rotated one hundred eighty degrees or flipped top to bottom about
the axis 174 without affecting the performance of the connector
assembly 100 (FIG. 1). Each contact wafer 132 is provided with
inspection apertures 176. When the wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110 is
assembled, the inspection grooves 160 in the shrouds 140 and 142
are aligned with the apertures 176 in the contact wafers such that
a line of sight is formed through the sub-assembly 110 to verify
proper positioning of the contact wafers 132 within the shrouds 140
and 142.
[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates a front elevational view of a contact
wafer 132. Contact pads 180 are distributed along the mating edges
144 of the contact wafer 132. Conductive traces 182 connect the
contact pads 180 on opposite mating edges 144 of the contact wafer
132. In the exemplary embodiment, contact pads 180 are provided on
only one side of the contact wafer 132 so that the contact wafer
132 may not be reversed in the wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110.
However, in some embodiments, traces 182 may be routed so that
contact pads 180 may be located on both sides of the wafer 132.
Retention barbs 184 frictionally engage the bottom surfaces 158 of
the grooves 156 on the shrouds 140 and 142 (FIG. 3) to secure the
contact wafers 132 in the shrouds 140 and 142. The spacing tab 166
has a height 186 and the contact wafer 132 has an overall height
188. The contact wafer 132 may be customized for particular
application requirements such as for signal transmission or for
power transfer.
[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates an end view of the connector assembly 100
interconnecting a daughter card 190 and a mezzanine card 192. FIG.
6 is a front elevational view of the assembly 100 shown in FIG. 5.
The first connector 102 is mounted on the daughter card 190. The
second connector 104 is mounted on the mezzanine card 192. The
third or wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110 is mated to the first and
second connectors 102 and 104 and is positioned between the first
and second connectors 102 and 104. The contact wafers 132 in the
wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110 are sized to provide a desired stack
height 120 between the daughter card 190 and the mezzanine card
192. More specifically, the height 186 of the spacing tab 166 is
established to provide the desired stack height 120 between the
daughter card 190 and the mezzanine card 192. As the height 186 of
the spacing tab 166 is changed, the overall height 188 (FIG. 4) of
the contact wafer 132 is changed a corresponding amount. That is,
the mating portion of the contact wafer 132 as well as the shrouds
140 and 142 remain unchanged as the overall height 188 of the
contact wafer is varied.
[0022] The spacing tabs 166 on the contact wafers 132 also
establish a spacing 194 between the shrouds 140 and 142 of the
wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110. The spacing tabs 166 on the contact
wafers 132 define a plurality of air flow paths 196 between the
shrouds 140 and 142 through the wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110.
[0023] The daughter card 190 has a connector mounting surface 200
that lies in a plane 202. The first connector 102 is mounted on the
mounting surface 200. The mezzanine card 192 has a connector
mounting surface 204 that lies in a plane 206 that is substantially
parallel to the plane 202 of the mounting surface 200 of the
daughter card 190. The second connector 104 is mounted on the
mounting surface 204. The mounting surface 200 of the daughter card
190 faces the mounting surface 204 of the mezzanine card 192. The
connectors 102, 104, and the sub-assembly 110 are stacked along the
direction of the arrow A which is transverse to the parallel planes
202 and 206 of the daughter card 190 and mezzanine card 192,
respectively. Further, the contact wafers 132 are held within the
wafer/shroud sub-assembly 110 in a perpendicular orientation with
respect to the planes 202 and 206 containing the mounting surfaces
200 and 204 of the daughter card 190 and mezzanine card 192.
[0024] The embodiments thus described provide a connector assembly
that is particularly suited for applications requiring a stack
height of fifteen millimeters or more. The assembly is a three part
system having interchangeable backplane connectors on the daughter
card and mezzanine card and a wafer/shroud sub-assembly that
interconnects the two backplane connectors. The wafer/shroud
sub-assembly includes a wafer system that allows the stack height
to be changed by changing the wafers in the wafer/shroud
sub-assembly while the backplane connectors remain unchanged. The
wafer/shroud sub-assembly also provides air flow paths between the
wafers for thermal management.
[0025] While the invention has been described in terms of various
specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that
the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit
and scope of the claims.
* * * * *