Flexible electrical cable connector with double sided dots
AssigneeHughes Aircraft Company
InventorWilliam R. Crumly
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Electrically conductive traces (50) are formed on a surface (40a) of a flexible cable (40). Electrically conductive dots (62) are formed on the exposed surfaces (50b) of the traces (50) to facilitate connection of the traces (50) to a mating connector. Substantially rigid dots (68) are formed over the opposite sides (50a) of the traces (50), through or on the opposite surface (40b) of the cable (40), in alignment with the conductive dots (62). This locally increases the thickness of the cable (40) in the area of the dots (62), and minimizes the effects of plastic creep of the flexible material in the cable (40) which could cause poor electrical contact between the conductive dots (62) and traces on the mating connector.
Claims26
An electrical connector assembly, comprising:
- a flexible sheet having first and second sides;
- a plurality of electrically conductive traces formed over the first side of the sheet, the traces having first sides which face the sheet and second sides which face away from the sheet;
- a plurality of electrically conductive dots formed on the second sides of the traces in electrical connection therewith respectively;
- a plurality of substantially rigid dots which are carried by the sheet over the first sides of the traces in alignment with the conductive dots respectively;
- and
- a coverlay formed on the first side of the sheet over the traces, the conductive dots extending through the coverlay from the second sides of the trace beyond the surface of the coverlay.
An electrical connector assembly, comprising:
- a flexible sheet having first and second sides;
- a plurality of electrically conductive traces formed over the first side of the sheet, the traces having first sides which face the sheet and second sides which face away from the sheet;
- a plurality of electrically conductive dots formed on the second sides of the traces in electrical connection therewith respectively;
- a plurality of substantially rigid dots which are carried by the sheet over the first sides of the traces in alignment with the conductive dots respectively;
- and
- an electrically conductive layer formed over the second side of the sheet, the rigid dots being formed over the conductive layer.
An electrical connector assembly, comprising:
- a flexible sheet having first and second sides;
- a plurality of electrically conductive traces formed over the first side of the sheet, the traces having first sides which face the sheet and second sides which face away from the sheet;
- a plurality of electrically conductive dots formed on the second sides of the traces in electrical connection therewith respectively, and;
- a plurality of substantially rigid dots which are carried by the sheet over the first sides of the traces in alignment with the conductive dots respectively, the rigid dots being formed on the surface of the second side of the sheet.
A method of fabricating an electrical connector assembly, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a flexible sheet having first and second sides;
- (b) forming a plurality of electrically conductive traces over the first side of the sheet, the traces having first sides which face the sheet and second sides which face away from the sheet;
- (c) forming a plurality of electrically conductive dots over the second sides of the traces in electrical connection therewith respectively;
- (d) forming a plurality of substantially rigid dots which are carried by the sheet over the first sides of the traces in alignment with the conductive dots respectively;
- and
- in which step (c) comprises the substeps of:
- (e) forming a coverlay over the first side of the sheet and the traces;
- and
- (f) forming the conductive dots through the coverlay so as to extend from the second sides of the traces beyond the surface of the coverlay.
A method of fabricating an electrical connector assembly, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a flexible sheet having first and second sides:
- (b) forming a plurality of electrically conductive traces over the first side of the sheet, the traces having first sides which face the sheet and second sides which face away from the sheet;
- (c) forming a plurality of electrically conductive dots over the second sides of the traces in electrical connection therewith respectively;
- (d) forming a plurality of substantially rigid dots which are carried by the sheet over the first sides of the traces in alignment with the conductive dots respectively;
- and
- further comprising the step, performed between steps (a) and (d), of:
- (e) forming an electrically conductive layer over the second side of the sheet;
- step (d) including forming the rigid dots over the conductive layer.
A method of fabricating an electrical connector assembly, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a flexible sheet having first and second sides;
- (b) forming a plurality of electrically conductive traces over the first side of the sheet, the traces having first sides which face the sheet and second sides which face away from the sheet;
- (c) forming a plurality of electrically conductive dots over the second sides of the traces in electrical connection therewith respectively;
- and
- (d) forming a plurality of substantially rigid dots which are carried by the sheet over the first sides of the traces in alignment with the conductive dots respectively;
- in which step (d) comprises forming the rigid dots on the surface of the second side of the sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.