Board-to-board flex connector
AssigneeTyco Electronics Corporation
InventorsJonathan Goodwin, Donald Amaral JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flex connector assembly for connecting circuit boards has been provided that includes a housing having at least one cavity holding a preloaded spring exerting an outwardly-directed force toward top and bottom ends of the housing; at least one pressure support member located at one of the top and bottom ends, the pressure support member exerting an inwardly-directed force on the preloaded spring; and at least one flex circuit having a flex array arranged on one of the top and bottom ends; and at least one compressible socket having a socket array overlapping the flex circuit. The preloaded spring acts to compress the flex array and the socket array onto one another.
Claims20
A flex connector assembly for connecting circuit boards, comprising:
- a housing having at least one cavity holding a preloaded spring exerting an outwardly-directed force toward top and bottom ends of said housing;
- at least one pressure support member located at one of said top and bottom ends, said pressure support member exerting an inwardly-directed force on said preloaded spring;
- and
- at least one flex circuit having a flex array arranged on one of said top and bottom ends;
- at least one compressible socket having a socket array overlapping said at least one flex circuit, said preloaded spring compressing said flex array and said socket array onto one another.
A system for connecting two printed circuit boards, comprising:
- a first printed circuit board having a first set of electrical contacts;
- a second printed circuit board having a second set of electrical contacts;
- a board-to-board flex connector comprising:
- a housing having at least one cavity holding a preloaded spring exerting an outwardly-directed force toward top and bottom ends of said housing;
- at least one pressure support member located at one of said top and bottom ends, said pressure support member exerting an inwardly-directed force on said preloaded spring;
- and
- at least one flex circuit having a flex array arranged on one of said top and bottom ends;
- at least one compressible socket having a socket array overlapping said at least one flex circuit, said preloaded spring compressing said flex array and said socket array onto one another.
A flex connector assembly, comprising:
- a housing having two cavities holding preloaded springs that exert an outwardly-directed force from first and second ends of said housing;
- a first pressure support member located on said first end of said housing, and a second pressure support member located on said second end of said housing, said first and second pressure support members mounted on said first and second ends resisting said outwardly-directed force;
- first and second compressible sockets arranged proximate said first and second ends, said first compressible socket having a first socket array and said second compressible socket having a second socket array;
- and
- at least one flex circuit having a main body, a first flex array located at one end of said main body and a second flex array located at another end of said main body, said first and second flex arrays being electrically connected through traces located on said flex circuit, said outwardly-directed force compressing said first flex array into said first socket array to form an electrical path therebetween, said outwardly-directed force compressing said second flex array into said second socket array to form an electrical path therebetween, said first socket array being configured to be compressed into contacts on a first circuit board, and said second socket array being configured to be compressed into contacts on a second printed circuit board.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.