US 7,126,062 B1Granted

Compliant electrical contact assembly

AssigneeArdent Concepts, Inc.

InventorsGordon A. Vinther, Sergio Diaz

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

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Abstract

A compliant electrical contact assembly for temporarily interfacing two electrical devices. The assembly includes a contact having loops with axes forming with a closed coil with opposed contact points. The axes is angled from the direction of the compression force holding the assembly sandwiched between the electrical devices. The electrically shorted loops of the coil slide on the surfaces of one another as the compression force is applied, providing compliance. The contact can be made extremely small such that pitches in the micrometer range can be achieved with very low inductance values. The contact is installed in a through aperture in a dielectric panel such that the contact points extend from opposed openings of the aperture. Optionally, the aperture is filled with a compliant, conductive elastomer.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A compliant electrical contact assembly adapted to provide a temporary electrical connection between a conduction point of a first electrical device and a conduction point of a second electrical device, said electrical devices being compressed together by a compression force in a direction of compression with said assembly therebetween, said assembly comprising:

(a) at least one compliant electrical contact, said contact including a length of an electrically conductive, inherently elastic material, said material being formed into a coil having at least slightly more than one loop, a first lead, and a second lead, said coil axis being at a first angle from said direction of compression, and said contact having generally opposed contact points for electrical connection with said conduction points, said first lead being generally tangent to said coil and at a second angle to said direction of compression, one of said contact points being on a hook on said fit lead, the other of said contact points being on a side of said coil generally opposite said first lead, said second lead extending away from said coil;
and
(b) a dielectric panel having a through aperture for each of said at least one electrical contact, said contact being captured in said aperture by said second lead such that said contact points are accessible through opposed openings of said aperture.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/390,002Filed 27 Mar 2006 · continuation in part
Priority: 17 Jan 2002
Granted: 24 Oct 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G01R 1/06716
Probe needles; Cantilever beams; "Bump" contacts; Replaceable probe pins: elastic
G01R 1/06733
Probe needles; Cantilever beams; "Bump" contacts; Replaceable probe pins: geometry aspects
H01R 13/2421
Characterized by the resilient means: using coil springs
H01R 13/33
Contact members: contact members made of resilient wire

Family

Application60/349,850Us provisional application · filed 17 Jan 2002
Application60/349,852Us provisional application · filed 17 Jan 2002
Application10/341,723Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 14 Jan 2003
Application10/834,727Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 29 Apr 2004
Application11/116,776Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 28 Apr 2005
US 7,019,222 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,909,056 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,787,709 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2003/0132020 A1Published application
US 2004/0200633 A1Published application
US 2005/0250354 A1Published application
US 7,126,062 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.