High density zif edge card connector
AssigneeITT Corporation
InventorMichael K. Cabourne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A zero insertion force edge card connector is described, for connecting to cards with closely-spaced conductive pads, which is rugged and reliable. The connector includes numerous elongated contacts, each having a middle portion embedded in a dielectric frame element, a terminal end portion extending from the frame towards a card-receiving region, and a tail portion extending from the frame element to a base. The frame element is movably supported on the base by the flexible tail portions of the contacts, and can move towards and away from the card-receiving region by bending of the tail portions. The multiple contacts avoid uncontrolled rotation of the frame element. A spring urges a pair of frame elements together, and a cam controls movement of the frame elements.
Claims15
An electrical connector for connecting to a removable module, comprising:
- a base;
- a pair of frame elements of dielectric material, said elements having module-facing portions that are spaced apart to form a module-receiving region between them, said elements being moveable substantially in lateral directions toward and away from said module-receiving region;
- a plurality of elongated electrically conductive contacts, each contact having a middle portion held in one of said frame elements, each contact having a terminal end portion projecting from the frame element with a directional component toward said module-receiving region, and each contact having a flexible elongated tail portion extending between the frame element and said base and supporting the frame element in movement toward and away from said module-receiving region by bending of the flexible tail portion;
- each of said frame elements holding the middle portions of a plurality of said contacts, with said plurality of contacts having their tail portions extending primarily parallel but spaced apart;
- a device coupled to said frames and actuatable to cause said frames to move toward and away from said module-receiving region.
In a module-receiving connector which includes a module-receiving region and a plurality of elongated flexible electrically conductive contacts with flexible elongated tail portions mounted on a base, with terminal contact portions lying adjacent to a side of said region, and with middle contact portions between said tail and termination portions, the improvement including:
- a frame element of dielectric material spaced from said base, said middle portions of said plurality of contacts being substantially embedded in said frame element to fix their relative positions and orientations, said terminal contact portions extending generally toward said region, and said frame element being supported in movement generally toward and away from said module-receiving region primarily by said flexible elongated tail portions of said contacts.
An electrical connector for connecting to multiple electrically conductive pads on a module, comprising:
- a pair of frame elements that form a module-receiving region between them, and that are moveable toward and away from each other;
- a plurality of contacts mounted on each of said frame elements, said contacts having terminal portions that make and break contact with conductive pads on a module lying substantially in said module-receiving region when said frame elements move respectively toward and away from said module-receiving region;
- a spring with opposite frame-engaging portions engaged with said pair of frame elements and urging them toward said module-receiving region;
- means that includes a frame-separating portion which can move between an open position wherein it lies between said frame elements to keep them separated and away from said module-receiving region, and wherein said frame-separating portion can be deflected away from said open position to a closed position wherein it allows said frame elements to move closer together;
- a cam which is moveable between an open position wherein it allows said frame-separating portion to lie in said open position between said frame elements, and a closing position wherein it holds said fame separating portion away from said open position to allow said frame-engaging portions of said spring to move said frame elements toward each other.
A method for contacting conductive pads on a module, comprising:
- establishing first and second groups of elongated contacts that have elongated flexible tail portions, terminal portions, and middle portions between the tail and terminal portions, with the tail portions held to a base and with the terminal portions of each group lying on a different side of a module-receiving region;
- fixing the middle portions of each of said groups of contacts to a dielectric frame element spaced from said base, so said middle portions of each group are held at fixed distances from each other;
- applying forces to said frame elements to move them toward said module-receiving region, while supporting each of said frame elements primarily on the flexible tail portions of the corresponding group of contacts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.