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AssigneeDIT-MCO International Corporation
InventorPrice D. Wickersham
Estimating the term…
Apparatus having special utility for the electrical interfacing of multi-terminal circuit testing equipment to multi-contact printed circuit boards or the like employs a fluid pressure responsive, resiliently flexible diaphragm for controllably effecting concurrent, individual, substantially equal force engagements between shiftable, rigid contacting elements and corresponding stationary contact points on the unit to be tested, despite possible lack of precise co-planarity of such contact points. The arrangement is space conserving and permits the elimination of expensive and troublesome spring contact pins, the utilization of desirable wirewrap connection techniques in fabricating interfacing assemblies, and the convenient disposition of all points of electrical contact with both the testing equipment and the unit under test at one side of the interfacing assembly. The apparatus would appear also adapted for useful application in various other environments where controlled electrical connections must be concurrently made with substantially equal engagement forces to each of a sizeable plurality of electrical contacts, or even where such separate, substantially equal force engagements with a plurality of contactable structures are themselves the desired primary function to be accomplished, rather than the making of electrical connections thereto. The fluid pressure differential used to control the action of the diaphragm may be created by evacuation of a sealed chamber or by pressurization of a sealed chamber and the latter either through fluid or mechanical techniques.
In electrical interfacing apparatus for effecting concurrent, separate, electrical connections between respective ones of a plurality of individually engageable, electrically conductive, contact structures arranged in a first predetermined pattern of generally co-planar character in which some of said contact structures may be displaced in either direction from precise co-planarity with other of said contact structures and respectively corresponding ones of a plurality of individually engageable, electrically conductive, contact members arranged in a second predetermined pattern of generally co-planar character in which some of said contact members may be displaced in either direction from precise co-planarity with other of said contact members, wherein said connections to be effected preferably involve substantially equally forceful, respective engagements with each of said contact structures and each of said contact members:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.