Dip Header

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a header for receiving electrical contact members and retaining same therein, the header being utilized to receive electrical components through apertures at the top surface thereof which make contact with the electrical contact members therein, the electrical contact members depending below the header for contact and passage through apertures in an associated printed circuit board or the like for subsequent dip soldering thereto. The electrical contact member includes an apertured region thereon between the point of soldering to the printed circuit board and the contact portion thereof for mating with an external component which passes through the top surface of the dip header to prevent the creeping of solder into the resilient contact portion thereof during dip soldering to retain the desired resiliency of the contact for providing for the proper electrical connection to the external components.

Description

The invention relates to a receptacle assembly having solder posts and capable of receiving electronic components for connection thereto and adapted for connection by dip soldering techniques to printed circuit boards and the like.

Receptacle assemblies which are adapted to receive electronic components therein and which are also connectable through apertures in printed circuit boards to such printed circuit boards by means of dip soldering techniques and the like, have found wide use in the art and especially in miniature and microminiature circuitry. Assemblies of this type are readily amenable to automated techniques since soldering of the assembly to a printed circuit board or the like can be done automatically and components can be placed into apertures in the assembly by known automated techniques. However, the prior art receptacle assemblies of the above described type have suffered from the problem that, during dip soldering, the solder had a tendency to ride up along the connector contact and into the region of the resilient contact portion which was utilized for mating with external electrical components disposed within the assembly. The introduction of solder in this area and against the resilient portion of the connector decreased and even eliminated the resiliency of said connector, thereby introducing the obvious problems inherent therein, such as providing poor electrical connection with the inserted components and the like.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a receptacle assembly and connector for receiving electrical and electronic components therein and for insertion into apertures of printed circuit boards and the like for automatic dip type soldering and the like, the connector portion of the assembly having a detent portion in the form of an aperture which prevents the flow of solder beyond such aperture during dip soldering and which can also act to provide an interference fit with the printed circuit board to prevent movement between the assembly and the printed circuit board prior to soldering.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a receptacle assembly for receiving electronic components and for connection through apertures in a printed circuit board which prevents flow of solder into the assembly during soldering of the contact pin portions to the printed circuit board.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an electrical contact member having a resilient portion for mating the electrical components and a post portion whereby solder at the post portion is prevented from travel to the resilient contact portion.

The above objects and still further objects of the invention will immediately become apparent to those skilled in the art after consideration of the following preferred embodiments of the invention which are provided by way of example and not by way of limitation wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printed circuit board 1 having apertures 2 therein and a receptacle assembly 3 in accordance with the present invention mounted thereon with an electronic or electrical component 4 mounted on the receptacle assembly.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of a receptacle assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a receptacle assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7--7 of FIG. 5; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views of two types of contacts used in the present invention.

Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a printed circuit board 1 having apertures 2 extending therethrough. Mounted through predetermined ones of the apertures 2 is a receptacle assembly 3 having apertures 5 therein on the top surface thereof for receiving electronic or electrical components 4. One such electrical component 4 is shown mounted through a plurality of the apertures 5 of the receptacle assembly 3.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 to 4, there is shown a first embodiment of a receptacle assembly 3 in accordance with the present invention. The receptacle assembly includes an insulating body 7, preferrably of molded plastic or the like, having a plurality of T-shaped apertures 9 extending from the bottom surface of the receptacle 7 toward the top surface thereof but ending below the top surface, there being a small aperture 5 extending from the top surface of the receptacle 7 into the aperture 9 at one side thereof. In order to provide adequate spacing between contact members which are placed within the apertures 9, the T-shaped apertures are staggered whereby alternate ones of said apertures have the arms of the T in opposing directions as shown in FIG. 2.

Contact members 13 and 15 as shown in FIGS. 2, 8 and 9 are provided for insertion into the apertures 9, the contact members 13 including a rounded resilient portion 15 which extends within the aperture 9 and adjacent the upper surface of said aperture 9 as shown in FIG. 3. The resilient portion 15 thereof is outwardly biased and is positioned to extend toward the wall of the aperture 9 which is parallel to the slit or aperture 5 therein. It can be seen that contact 13 will be positioned within apertures 9 in alternately opposing positions as shown in FIG. 2 to accommodate the shapes of the apertures 9. In addition, adjacent apertures will overlap at their bottom portions of the T so that the downwardly extending finger 17 thereof of adjacent contact members 13 will be alined in a row as shown in FIG. 2. The finger 17 of the contact members 13 includes an aperture 19 formed therein by providing a slit in the central portion in the fingers 17 and then pushing opposite portions of the finger on opposite sides of the slit in opposite directions to provide the rounded aperture as shown more clearly in FIG. 3. A pair of ridges 20 may be provided within the aperture 9 whereby the flange portions 21 of the contact members 13 will ride over these ridges during insertion of the contact member 13 into the aperture 9. Said ridges will thereby retain a contact member 13 lockingly within the aperture 9.

With reference now to FIG. 3 in particular, the receptacle assembly of FIG. 2 is mounted onto a printed circuit board 1 with the contact fingers 17 extending through apertures 2 in the printed circuit board 1. The circular portion 19 of the fingers 17 can be sufficiently large to be in frictional engagement with the side walls of the apertures 2, thereby providing a temporary locking arrangement during soldering. The assembly including the printed circuit board 1 and the receptacle assembly 3 can then be passed through an automatic soldering device such as dip soldering techniques whereby solder 23 is applied at the base of the printed board 1 having a conductive portion 21 whereby solder 23 is applied between the finger 17 and the conductive portion 21 of the printed circuit board 1.

It will be noted that under conditions of the prior art, during soldering techniques, the solder 23 had a tendency to ride up along the finger 17 and into the aperture 9 whereby the solder would foul the resilient portion 15 of the contact 13, thereby decreasing the reliability thereof in terms of making good contact with electrical or electronic components 4 which are later inserted either manually or by automatic machine into the slits 5 for contact with the resilient portion 15. It has been found that the circular aperture 19 formed at the central portion of the finger 17 prevents the flow of solder up into the cavity 9, the excess solder 23 riding up as far as the aperture 9 and some of the solder collecting therein.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 to 7, there is shown a second embodiment of the invention. As can be seen, all of the elements are identical to the first embodiment and labelled the same with the exception of the contact members 13' and 15'. It will be noted that the finger portions 17' of contact members 13' and 15' are positioned so that said fingers of adjacent contact members are staggered rather than alined as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. This embodiment would be used when the apertures 2 of the printed circuit board 1 are staggered rather than alined.

It can be seen that, in accordance with the present invention there is provided a receptacle assembly with contact member therein which is readily adaptable to automation techniques and also prevents the inherent solder flow problems encountered by the prior art.

Though the invention has been described in respect to a specific preferred embodiment thereof, many variations and modifications thereof will immediately become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is therefore the intention that the appended claims be interpreted as broadly as possible in view of the prior art to include all such variations and modifications.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connecting device for disengageably connecting the leads from an integrated circuit device or the like to conductors on a panel-like member, said connecting device comprising:

an insulating housing having upper and lower sides,

at least one row of side-by-side aligned openings extending inwardly from said upper side, said openings being adapted to receive a plurality of aligned conductors,

a plurality of enlarged cavities extending inwardly from said lower side, said openings communicating with said cavities adjacent to said upper side,

said cavities being on staggered centers relative to said aligned openings, each of said cavities having one side which is in alignment with its associated opening and having an opposite side which is spaced laterally from said associated opening,

said cavities being adapted to receive electrical contact terminals of one type having a post portion which is in alignment with said one cavity side so that said post portions are in alignment with each other, and said cavities being adapted to receive contact terminals of another type having a post portion which is in alignment with said opposite cavity side so that said post portions are on staggered centers.

2. An electrical connecting device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cavities are generally T-shaped in cross-section, adjacent cavities in said one row being in opposite orientations.

3. An electrical connecting device as set forth in claim 2 including a second row of side-by-side aligned openings in said housing, said second row extending parallel to, and beside, said one row, a second plurality of enlarged cavities extending inwardly from said lower side said openings of said second row communicating with said second plurality of cavities, said second plurality of cavities being identical to said plurality of cavities and having the same relationship to said second row of openings as said plurality of cavities to said row of openings, and corresponding cavities of said plurality of cavities and said second plurality having the same orientations.

4. A connecting device as set forth in claim 2 including terminals of said one type in said cavities.

5. A connecting device as set forth in claim 2 including terminals of said other type in said cavities.

6. A connecting device as set forth in claim 4, said terminals of said one type each comprising a resilient contact surface bearing against said one cavity side of its respective cavity, said contact surface being in alignment with said post portion.

7. A connecting device as set forth in claim 5, each of said terminals of said other type having a contact surface disposed against said opposite side of its respective cavity and having a post portion which is offset from said contact surface.