SINGLE-IN-LINE PIN HYBRID CIRCUIT MOUNTING DEVICE

DISPOSITIF DE MONTAGE DE CIRCUITS HYBRIDES A RANGEE DE BROCHES UNIQUE

English Abstract

AN IMPROVED SINGLE-IN-LINE
PIN HYBRID MOUNTING DEVICE
ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION
An improved terminal device for mechanically retaining and
electrically connecting a planar substrate such as a thick/thin film
circuit to a printed wiring card. The terminal device is
characterized by a substrate accepting section arranged to engage a
metallic contact pad on an edge of the substrate, a compliant section
for buffering any flexure or displacement imparted to the terminal
device and a terminal section including a standoff wing arranged for
insertion into a hole on a printed wiring card. The improvement
comprising the forming of a V-shaped knee on the terminal section
arranged to have a portion of the knee extending outward of the
printed wiring card hole when the terminal section is fully inserted
into the printed wiring card.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. In improved terminal device for mechanically retaining
and electrically connecting a planar substrate to a printed wiring
card, said planar substrate including at least one terminal pad
located adjacent one edge of said substrate and said printed wiring
card including a top and a bottom surface, said terminal device
including a substrate accepting section arranged to accept said edge
of said substrate engaging said terminal pad retaining and connecting
said terminal device to said substrate and a terminal section
including standoff means extending from said terminal section, the
improvement comprising:
retentive means formed on said terminal section in spaced
relationship to said standoff means wherein said terminal section is
inserted into said printed wiring card hole and said standoff means
rests on said printed wiring card top surface and a portion of said
retentive means extends outward of said printed wiring card hole
engaging said printed wiring card bottom surface retaining and
connecting said terminal device to said printed wiring card.
2. An improved first terminal device for mechanically
connecting a planar substrate to a printed wiring card, said planar
substrate including at least a first terminal pad located adjacent one
edge of said substrate and said printed wiring and including a top and
a bottom surface and at least a first plated through hole extending
between said printed wiring card top and bottom surfaces, said first
terminal device including a substrate accepting section arranged to
accept said edge of said substrate engaging said terminal pad,
retaining and connecting said first terminal device to said substrate

and a terminal section including at least one standoff wing extending
from said terminal section, the improvement comprising:
a V-shaped knee extending in a first direction formed on
said terminal section in spaced relationship to said standoff wing,
wherein said terminal section is inserted into said printed wiring
card hole and said standoff wing rests on said printed wiring card top
surface and a portion of said knee extends outward of said printed
wiring card hole engaging said printed wiring card bottom surface
retaining and connecting said first terminal device to said printed
wiring card.
3. An improved terminal device as claimed in Claim 2,
wherein: there is further provided a second terminal device
substantially identical to said first terminal device and said knee
extends in a second opposite direction and said substrate further
includes a second terminal pad adjacent said first terminal pad
arranged to accept said second terminal device substrate accepting
section and said printed wiring card further includes a second plated
through hole arranged to accept said second terminal device terminal
section with a portion of said second terminal device knee extending
outward of said printed wiring card second hole engaging said printed
wiring card bottom surface retaining and connecting said second
terminal device to said printed wiring card.
4. An improved terminal device as claimed in Claim 2, wherein:
said first terminal device and said second terminal device each are
constructed of a conductive material as a one piece unit.

Description

1239671
~N DMPRoVED SINGLE-IN-LINE
_
PIN HYBRID CIRCUIT MCUNTING DEVI OE
-
BACRGROUND OF THE INVENTICN
This invention relates in general to Single-In-Line Pin
(SIP) hybrid circuit unting devices and more particularly to a SIP
device which fir~ly retains hybrid circuits in an upright p~sition in
printed wiring cards during oomponent insertion and subsequent
soldering operations.
Typically, electrical connections to thick/thin film hybrid
circuits are made through wires or terminal devices such as SIP
devices. These devices are soldered onto a hybrid circui~s edge with
an opposite end plugged into a socket or more likely, into holes in a
Printed Wiring d (PWC).
This method finds disadvantage in that the hybrid circuits
are not firmly retained in the PWC during the assembly operation and
are therefore susceptible to dislodging from the PWC. Further, in
many cases the hybrid circuits are not retained in an upright position
(perpendicular to the PWC) and are soldered in a angular or displaced
position interfering with the other components populating the PWC.
The final inspection of assembled PWC's required
straightening those hybrid circuits not in a upright position in order
to view and inspect the solder connections. The straightening of the
hybrid circuit deformed the SIP device material exceeding its elastic
limit and thereby increasing the susceptibility of the SIP leads to
early failure as a result of other induced external stresses.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to
prcvide SIP device with a retentive feature which rigidly retains the
hybrid circuit to the PWC during assembly, handling and soldering
operations.
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SUMM~RY OF THE INVEN~TIoN
In accomplishing the object of the present invention there
is provided on improved terminal device for mechanically retaining and
electrically connecting a planar substrate such as a thick/thin film
hybrid circuit to a printed wiring card. The planar substrate
includes at least one terminal pad located adjacent an edge of the
substrate. The printed wiring card includes a top and a bottcm
surface and at least one plated through hole extending between the
printed wiring card top and bottom Æ faces.
The terminal device includes a substrate accepting section
arranged to accept the edge of the substrate and engage the term mal
pad; retaining and connecting the terminal device to the substrate. A
terminal section including standoff means extends from the terminal
section.
The improvement comprises, retentive means formed on the
terminal section in spaced relationship to the standoff means. m e
terminal section is fully inserted into the printed wiring card hole
allcwm g the standoff means to rest on the printed wiring card top
surface and a portion of the retentive means to extend outward of the
printed wiring card hole engaging the printed wiring card kottom
surface, retaining and connecting the te i l device to the printed
wiring card.
BRIEF DESCRI TICN OF THE DR~ING
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a Single-In-Line Pin (SIP)
terminal device including the present invention and embodying a
retentive form in a first direction.

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FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the SIP terminal device of
FIG. 1 embodying a retentive form in a secor~d direction.
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the SIP terminal devices
of FIG. 1 ard FIG. 2 as would be used to advantage in a hybrid circuit
assembly.
DESCRIPTICN OF THE PFE~3~gED E~D~DIMENT
Turning now to FIG. l, a Single-In-Line (SIP) terminal
device of the type to which the present invention may be used to
advantage is illustrated. m e SIP terminal is characterized by three
major sections defined generally as the hybrid accepting section lO,
the compliant section 20 and the terminal sectio~ 30.
The hybrid accepting section comprises a U-shaped member
having parallel arms 11 and 12 arranged to accept an edge of a hybrid
circuit therebetween. It should be noted that the hybrid circuit in
this embodiment is a thick/thin fi~m circuit formed on a ceramic
substrate which includes metalized contact pads formPd adjacent one
edge of the substrate. Contact surfaces 13 and 14 of arms 11 and 12
respectively normally make intimate contact with the metalized contact
pads of the hybrid circuit electrically connecting the hybrid circuit
to the SIP terminal.
The compliant section 20, also comprises a U-shaped member
disposed perpendicularly to the hybrid accepting section 10. The
cc~pliant section buffers any flexuxe or displacement of the printed
wiring card (PWC) relative to an installed ~ybrid circuit and thus
prevents the full induction of forces to the ceramic substrate
material.

lZ3967~
The terminal section 30 which is normally configured as a
vertical strip member embodies the present invention. The present
invention is realized by forming a lower portion of the terminal
section 30 into an indented form or knee 31. A standoff wing 32
extends from a side ~11 of the upper portion of terminal section 30.
A second standoff wing may also be included extending from an opposite
side wall.
It should be noted that the SIP terminal device just
described is oonstructed from a single stamping of a phosphor bronze
material which is finished in a 60/40 tin lead electroplate. The
stamping is then formed into the shape described and shown.
In order to use the invention to advantage two different
knee orientations are formed. On a first group of SIP terminals the
knee is formed in the direction as shown by knee 31 in Fig. 1. On a
second group of SIP terminals the knee is formed in a second opposite
direction as shcwn by knee 31' in FIG. 2. The other terminal sections
as well as standoff wing 32 re~ain in the same configuration for both
groups of SIP terminals.
Turning now to FIG. 3 of the included drawings, an
explanation of the way by which the invention is used to advantage
will be given. The SIP terminals are first assembled to the hybrid
circuit by sliding each hybrid circuit accepting section 10 along the
edge of hybrid circuit 50 until surfaces 13 and 14 contact respective
contact pads.
The SIP terminals are arranged on the hybrid circuit 50 by
placing the SIP terminal shown by FIG. 1 adjacent to a SIP terminal
shown by FIG. 2. This arrangement orients half the SIP terminals with

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each knee 31 in a first direction and the other half with each kn e
31' in a second direction. m is arrangement equalizes termlnal
lateral pressure applied to the hybrid circuit when the SIP terminals
are installed on the painted wiring card (PWC).
The hybrid circuit 50 including the SIP terminals is then
installed on the PWC 60 by inserting each terminal section 10 into a
respective .042 inch. diameter hole 61. During the insertion the apex
of knee 31 and 31' contacts the internal wall of hole 61 and slides
down the wall until the apex projects slightly outward of the bottom
periphery of PWC hole 61 and stand off wing 32 rests on the PwC. When
fully inserted the slight outward projection of each knee 31 and 31'
locks the SIP terminal in place retaining the asse~bly perpendicular
to PWC 60. Solder may then be applied to each PWC hole 61 fixing as
well as electrically connecting the hybrid circuit to the PWC.
Although the preferred embodlment of the invention has been
illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be readily
apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be
made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or
from the scope of the appended claims.