IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0986132
(2011-01-06)
|
등록번호 |
US-8485831
(2013-07-16)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Cipolla, Thomas M.
- Takken, Todd
- Coteus, Paul W.
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- International Business Machines Corporation
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
7 인용 특허 :
33 |
초록
▼
A tall mezzanine connector which connects the substantial middle half of each of a pair of circuit cards positioned normal thereto in such a way that there is compliance when the two halves of the circuit cards are not in alignment. The mezzanine connector comprises a header and a receptacle that in
A tall mezzanine connector which connects the substantial middle half of each of a pair of circuit cards positioned normal thereto in such a way that there is compliance when the two halves of the circuit cards are not in alignment. The mezzanine connector comprises a header and a receptacle that includes wafers having electrical contact means at each end thereof for contacting contacts in the respective circuit cards, the wafers being held in place by an upper base member and a lower base member.
대표청구항
▼
1. A wafer assembly comprising means for connecting at least two electronic circuit boards, at any location along said circuit boards, said wafer assembly means for connecting comprising a header assembly comprising a header base containing a plurality of pin assemblies, said header assembly pin ass
1. A wafer assembly comprising means for connecting at least two electronic circuit boards, at any location along said circuit boards, said wafer assembly means for connecting comprising a header assembly comprising a header base containing a plurality of pin assemblies, said header assembly pin assemblies adapted to contact a first electronic circuit board;a receptacle assembly, said receptacle assembly comprising a top base element, a bottom base element and a plurality of wafer assemblies,said top base element having contacts adapted to contact said pin assemblies in said header assembly, andsaid bottom base element having contacts adapted to contact pads on a second circuit boardeach said wafer assembly comprising a solid flexible printed circuit card connector substrate having edges defining a shape of said solid flexible connector substrate and having a thickness between about 0.1 mm and about 0.5 mm, andat least one conductive layer in said solid flexible connector substrate containing signal layers extending from a first edge of said solid flexible substrate to a second edge of said solid flexible substrate;a return current path ground means in said solid flexible connector substrate for providing a constant impedance and effective shielding between said signal conductors;means for contacting said signal layers to each of said two electronic circuit boards, which electronic circuit boards are in planes substantially parallel to each other,said wafer assembly means forming a tall, flexible mezzanine connector which provides sufficient freedom of movement to account for mechanical tolerances over large system boards while concurrently providing sufficiently high and varied mezzanine mounting height options that system boards can be connected while containing relatively high and large complexes of components. 2. The wafer assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said solid flexible printed circuit card connector substrate is a rectangular cuboid. 3. The wafer assembly defined in claim 2 wherein said rectangular cuboid has a front surface and a rear surface, and said edges comprise a top edge and a bottom edge, and side edges connecting said top edge to said bottom edge. 4. The wafer assembly defined in claim 3 wherein said signal layers in said rectangular cuboid extend from said top to said bottom of said rectangular cuboid and are in contact with said means for contacting said signal layers to each of said two electronic circuit boards. 5. The wafer assembly defined in claim 4 wherein said return current path ground means are provided by lines interspersed within the signals on the signal layers. 6. The wafer assembly defined in claim 4 wherein said return current path ground means is provided by planar lines in layers containing ground conductors. 7. The wafer assembly defined in claim 4 which comprises a return current path ground means on said front surface comprising a plurality of parallel signal lines and a plurality of parallel ground lines fixed to said front surface and extending lengthwise from said top edge to said bottom edge; said rear surface comprising a ground plane which is connected to said parallel ground lines by vias;means extending transversely across said top edge and said bottom edge of said wafer assembly for contacting each of said two electronic circuit boards. 8. The wafer assembly defined in claim 7 wherein said means extending transversely across said top edge of said wafer assembly for contacting each said electronic circuit board is selected from the group consisting of press fit pins, land grid array and fingers. 9. The wafer assembly defined in claim 7 wherein said means extending transversely across said bottom edge of said wafer assembly for contacting each said electronic circuit board is selected from the group consisting of press fit pins, land grid array, fingers or solder means. 10. The wafer assembly defined in claim 7 wherein said flexible wafer provides compliance by flexing along the X and Y axes when connected to a first circuit card and a second circuit card, both of which said first and said second circuit cards are not in vertical alignment. 11. The wafer assembly defined in claim 3 wherein said signal layers in said rectangular cuboid extend from said top or said bottom to one of said sides of said rectangular cuboid. 12. The wafer assembly defined in claim 11 which comprises a return current path ground means on said front surface comprising a plurality of parallel signal lines and a plurality of parallel ground lines fixed to said front surface and extending radially from said bottom edge to said side edge; said rear surface comprising a ground plane which is connected to said parallel ground lines by vias; and means extending transversely across said top edge and said bottom edge of said wafer assembly for contacting each said electronic circuit board. 13. The wafer assembly defined in claim 12 wherein said means extending transversely across said bottom edge of said wafer assembly for contacting each said electronic circuit board is selected from the group consisting of press fit pins, land grid array fingers or solder means. 14. The wafer assembly defined in claim 12 wherein said means extending transversely across said side edge of said wafer assembly for contacting each said electronic circuit board is selected from the group consisting of press fit pins, land grid array and fingers. 15. A connector assembly comprising: a header assembly comprising a header base containing a plurality of pin assemblies, said header assembly pin assemblies adapted to contact a first electronic circuit board;a receptacle assembly comprising a receptacle top base element, a receptacle bottom base element, and at least one printed circuit card wafer, said printed circuit card wafer comprising:a solid flexible connector substrate having edges defining a shape of said solid flexible connector substrate and having a thickness between about 0.1 mm and about 0.5 mm, andat least one conductive layer in said solid flexible connector substrate containing signal layers extending from a first edge of said solid flexible substrate to a second edge of said solid flexible substrate;a return current path ground means in said solid flexible connector substrate for providing a constant impedance and effective shielding between said signal conductors;means for contacting said signal layers to electronic circuit boards;a receptacle top base element which secures a top of said printed circuit card wafer;a receptacle bottom base element which secures a bottom of said printed circuit card wafer;said means for contacting said signal layers to said electronic circuit boards extending through openings in said receptacle top base element and said receptacle bottom base element and adapted to make electrical contact between said first electronic circuit board and said second electronic circuit board respectively, said flexible wafer providing compliance by flexing along the X and Y axes when connected to a first circuit card and a second circuit card, said circuit cards not being in vertical alignment,said wafer assembly means forming a tall, flexible mezzanine connector which provides sufficient freedom of movement to account for mechanical tolerances over large system boards while concurrently providing sufficiently high and varied mezzanine mounting height options that system boards can be connected while containing relatively high and large complexes of components. 16. The connector assembly defined in claim 15 wherein said flexible wafer provides compliance by flexing along the X and Y axes when connected to a first circuit card and a second circuit card, said circuit cards not being in vertical alignment. 17. The connector assembly defined in claim 16 wherein said signal layers in said rectangular cuboid extend from said top to said bottom of said rectangular cuboid and are in contact with said means for contacting said signal layers to each of said two electronic circuit boards. 18. The connector assembly defined in claim 17 wherein said return current path ground means are provided by lines interspersed within the signals on the signal layers. 19. The connector assembly defined in claim 18 wherein said return current path ground means is provided by planar lines in layers containing ground conductors. 20. The connector assembly defined in claim 19 which comprises a return current path ground means on said front surface comprising a plurality of parallel signal lines and a plurality of parallel ground lines fixed to said front surface and extending lengthwise from said top edge to said bottom edge; said rear surface comprising a ground plane which is connected to said parallel ground lines by vias;means extending transversely across said top edge and said bottom edge of said wafer assembly for contacting each said electronic circuit board. 21. The connector assembly defined in claim 20 wherein said means extending transversely across said top edge of said wafer assembly for contacting each said electronic circuit board is selected from the group consisting of press fit pins, land grid array and fingers. 22. The connector assembly defined in claim 20 wherein said means extending transversely across said bottom edge of said wafer assembly for contacting each said electronic circuit board is selected from the group consisting of press fit pins, land grid array, fingers or solder means. 23. A mezzanine connector for parallel-mounted cards comprising: a header assembly positioned atop and in electrical contact with a receptacle assembly;said receptacle assembly comprising a plurality of flexible printed circuit card components, each said printed circuit card being a rectangular cuboid having a top, a bottom and two sides connecting said top and said bottom, said circuit card having a thickness between about 0.1 mm and about 0.5 mm, and having signal lines and ground lines in parallel relationship extending from said top of said wafer circuit card to said bottom of said circuit card, said signal line and ground line optionally extending vertically from said top to said bottom thereof, or alternatively said cuboid is a 90 degree connector circuit card wherein said signal lines and said ground lines extend radially from said bottom to said side thereof;an upper receptacle contact finger assembly pivotally attached to said top of said printed circuit card having a plurality of conducting fingers in contact with said signal lines;a lower receptacle contact finger assembly pivotally attached to said bottom of said printed circuit card having a plurality of conducting fingers in contact with said signal lines;a receptacle base comprising four interconnected sides supported by a base element having a plurality of rows and columns openings therethrough;said wafer assembly with contact fingers being fixed into said receptacle base;said header assembly comprising four interconnected sides supported by a base element having a plurality of rows and columns of openings therethrough;a plurality of pin assemblies, each pin assembly having a frame which has a bottom and a top, a plurality of electrical contact elements on top of said frame, and a plurality of conductors extending from the bottom of said frame;said pins and fingers being in vertical contact with each other to pass signals from first circuit card to a second circuit card when said mezzanine connector is in contact with said circuit cards,said mezzanine connector means forming a tall, flexible mezzanine connector which provides sufficient freedom of movement to account for mechanical tolerances over large system boards while concurrently providing sufficiently high and varied mezzanine mounting height options that system boards can be connected while containing relatively high and large complexes of components. 24. The wafer assembly defined in claim 4 wherein there is a plurality of said signal layers in said rectangular cuboid extending from said top to said bottom of said rectangular cuboid and each said signal layer is in contact with said means for contacting said signal layers to each of said two electronic circuit boards. 25. A tall mezzanine connector comprising a header and a receptacle assembly; said header comprising a header base and a plurality of pin assemblies,said header base comprising a box-like structure having a level surface area connected to and within four sides, said four sides being perpendicular to said level surface area and to each other thus forming an interior dimension;said level surface area having a plurality of openings therethrough;each said pin assembly comprising a support frame having contacts along a top of said support frame and fingerlike conductors along a bottom of said support frame, each said contact on said top of said support frame adapted to connect to one of said plurality of openings to conductors in a first circuit card;said receptacle assembly comprising a bottom base, at least one wafer assembly and a top base;said top base of said receptacle assembly comprising a box-like structure having a level surface area connected to and within four sides, said four sides being perpendicular to said level surface area and to each other, said top base having a perimeter adapted to contact and fit within said interior dimension of said header base;said level surface area of said top base having a plurality of openings therethrough each said opening aligned with said openings in said header base when said top base of said receptacle is in contact with and within said header base;each said contact of said fingerlike conductor of said pin assembly extending through aligned openings in said header base and said top receptacle base;said wafer assembly comprising a flexible wafer circuit card having a thickness between about 0.1 mm and about 0.5 mm and having, an upper receptacle contact finger assembly and a an lower receptacle contact finger assembly;said upper receptacle contact finger assembly comprising a support frame securing wafer circuit card fingers and receptacle contact fingers which extending in a direction diametrically opposite to that of said wafer circuit card fingers;said lower receptacle contact finger assembly comprising a support frame securing receptacle contact fingers and wafer circuit card fingers, said wafer circuit card fingers extending in a direction diametrically opposite to that of said receptacle contact fingers;said flexible printed circuit card having a first edge and a second edge and a front surface and a back surface, said front surface of said flexible printed circuit card having signal lines and ground lines, said back surface having a ground plane;said signal lines and said ground lines extending the distance of said circuit card from said first edge to said second edge;said signal lines and said ground lines at said first edge of said flexible printed circuit card being in contact with said wafer circuit card fingers in said upper receptacle contact finger assembly, and said receptacle contact fingers being in contact with said fingerlike conductors of said pin assembly in said header base;said signal lines and said ground lines at said second edge said flexible printed circuit card being in contact with said wafer circuit card fingers in said lower receptacle contact finger assembly;said bottom base of said receptacle assembly comprising a box-like structure having a level surface area connected to and within four sides, said four sides being perpendicular to said level surface area and to each other;said level surface area of said bottom base having a plurality of openings therethrough, and having metal contacts extending through said openings said bottom base to contact conductor sites in a second circuit card.
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