Raised feature/gold dot pressure interconnections of rigid-flex circuits and rigid circuit boards

A rigid-flex circuit assembly comprising:

• a rigid-flex multi-layer circuit including:
• a plurality of flexible layers each formed of a flexible dielectric and a pattern of conductive traces thereon, and
• a rigid substrate,
• said layers and substrate being laminated together to form said multi-layer circuit,
• a plurality of circuit boards having contact pads, and
• connection means for connecting said circuit boards with said rigid-flex multi-layer circuit, said connection means comprising:
• a plurality of connection arms, each being integral with a different one of said flexible layers and each defining a flexible connection arm that projects outwardly from said multi-layer circuit,
• a plurality of projecting contact features on each of said integral connection arms, each said contact feature of each arm being connected to a conductive trace on the associated one of said flexible layers, each said arm individually extending from said rigid-flex multi-layer circuit to a respective one of said circuit boards, and
• means for electrically connecting the projecting contact features of each arm to a respective one of said circuit boards.

In combination:

• a plurality of flexible circuit layers,
• a rigid substrate laminated to all of said circuit layers to form a rigid-flex circuit,
• a plurality of rigid circuit boards adjacent said rigid-flex circuit, and
• a plurality of connection arms connecting different ones of said flexible circuit layers with a respective one of said rigid circuit boards,
• each said connection arm comprising:
• a flexible circuit arm integral with and projecting laterally from an individual one of said flexible circuit layers,
• a plurality of gold dot projection features on an end portion of said flexible circuit arm, and
• means for pressing said gold dot projection features against an associated one of said circuit boards.