Electrical connection for printed circuits on common board, using bellows principle in rive

Gould, C. W.

English

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-r ANh r . 
REPLY TO 
ATTN OF: 
FROM : 
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 
WASIIINGTON, D C. 10546 
October 16, 1970 
~ ~ ~ / ~ c i e n t i f i c  & Technical Information Divis ion  
At tent ion:  M i s s  Winnie M. Morgan 
~ ~ / 0 f f i c e  of A s s i s t a n t  General 
Counsel f o r  Pa ten t  Mat ters  
SUBJECT: Announcement of NASA-Owned 
U.S. Pa ten t s  i n  STAR 
I n  accordance wi th  t h e  procedures contained i n  t h e  Code GP 
t o  Code US1 memorandum on t h i s  s u b j e c t ,  dated June 8,  1970, 
t h e  a t t a c h e d  NASA-owned U.S. p a t e n t  i s  being forwarded f o r  
a b s t r a c t i n g  and announcement i n  NASA STAR. 
The fol lowing information i s  provided: 
U.S. Pa ten t  No. 
Corporate Source 
Supplementary 
Corporate Source 
: C a l i f .  I n s t i t u t e  of Technology 
: J e t  Propulsion Laboratory 
NASA Pa ten t  Case NO.: XNP-05082 
P lease  note  t h a t  t h i s  p a t e n t  covers  an  invent ion  made by an 
employee of a NASA con t rac to r .  Pursuant t o  Sec t ion  305(a) of 
t h e  Nat ional  Aeronautics and Space Act, t h e  name of t h e  
Administrator  of NASA appears  on t h e  f i r s t  page of t h e  p a t e n t ;  
however, t h e  name of t h e  a c t u a l  inven to r  (author)  appears  a t  
t h e  heading of Column No. 1 of t h e  Spec i f i ca t ion ,  following t h e  
words ". . . with  r e s p e c t  t o  an  
- Gayle Parker  - 
Enclosure: 
Copy of Pa ten t  
(NASA CR OR TMX OR AD NUMBER) 
u. (CATEGORY) 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19700032644 2020-03-17T02:16:36+00:00Z
May 23, 1967 J A M E S  E WEBB 3,32 1,578 
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTlClS  
AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD WITH BELLOWS RIVET CONNECTION 
Fi led  Jan. 19, 1966 
FIG. I' 
PRIOR ART 
3,!,32?, ,570
ce Pa,temted M.ay 2& 196'7 
-*--""------ 
H 2 
FIGURE 3 i s  a view in cross qcction i;i an3 ih . r  CQE- 
3,321,570 bodiment of this invcniion. 
PRINTED CPRCUHT BOARD WITH BELLOWS Referring now to FIGURE I,  there is shown a ci'liver:- 
RIVET CONNECTION 
lamer E. Webb, Adlninisfntor of the Apronan- tional rivet connection for printed circiziti on opiv'sifc 
and *dministra60n. widb to en hven- 5 sides of a cornrnon board. 
'Thus. designiiteci LIP 2 i s  a 
tion of Clarence W. Gould, Sen Gabriel, Calif. printed circuii on one side of board .3! and a prinlcd circuit 
Fikd Jan. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 521,953 6 on the other side of board 4, Since i t  is iiesirabie lu 
$ Claims. (CB. X 7 L 6 8 . 5 )  provide ,an  electrical connectior~ between these priruted 
circuits. a comnlon method is to provide 3 rivet 8 which 
has flanges ihereon siici~ as shown at 80. This rivet is 
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOS-E fitted within a bore 12 of board ,4 and soldered sfich as 
This invention provides a connection between print+ shown at 14 to the respective printed circirits. This type 
circuits on board consisting of a bellow,s of construction, however, suffers a disadv:ictafe when Ihi: 
rivet movably fitted a hole opposite device is s~abjected to vibration which leiads 10 loosen !he 
side of a circlrit board wlricl, has means at each 15 soldered connection ihiis providing a poor or. even inter- 
end for connecting to each circuit on each side of mittent electrical connection between printed circuit 2 
and printed circuit 6. the board. FIGURE 2 is illustrative of one embodirncnt tof t3is 
invention. Similar i o  the structure shown in FIGB:RE 1 ,  
. . This invention relates to a bello\vs rivet and more Par- is a Prir:ted circili~ 46, a board 18 ant6 epoihcr ;::::!?:! 
titularly to a rivet connection for a printed circuit which circili: 20. A bore 22 is provided in r?oarii 18. S~!d:ret '~ 
connects circuits from opposite sides of a board. for example. at 24 is a flange 26 and in  .imi:dr m;tn:,cr 
I n  the field of electronics, thc advent of printed circuits fjangcs 28, 30 aIld 32 are provjdc:i, all of which are ~ 0 1 -  
has revolutionized the industry. In this type of circuit, dered to their respccrive poi-tiocs of the print:;rl c!r;ui;. 
~ f i r i n z  i? printed on a board to connect the leads of cir- 25 Mounted between the Ranges on circl~ii 29 and :,he fiallges 
cuit cornponciit\. l n  recent years, it has been found ad- 16 i s  a belltlwS 34. 'rhiS b e i i o ~ ~ ; ~  is x p a n d ; ~ n l c  
vantageous to havc printed circuits on opposite sides of in the axial directicrn is free to shEf",Iran:;7ier.bciv si; 
a coinmon hoard. It is therefore necessary that some that vibration imparleci lo  the hoard will be 1::kefi " 9  b l  
menns be provided to connect the leads of the printed cir- the bellows 34, 'l-his beiiows is Inetal~ic and is free xcj 
cuits on one side of the board to the leads of the circuit 3o elec.iicity fsonl circuits 16 to 20 a:,d ..ice 
on the opposite side of the board. Typically. these leads versa. Bellows 34 is attached to the flanges as soid-:- 
comprise a rivet which is electrically cond~~ct ive  and jng such as shown at 36 2nd 38. 
which is placed in a bore in the board and connected to FIGURE 3 is illustrative of another emi?odin-.eint of 
the desirable printed circuits on one side of the board this invention. A board $0 has on one .ji.ic. i:-,t.;cc:f 1 
to the other side of the board. 35 printed circuit 42 and a component 44 on rho ot11i.r side 
A printed circuit connection for connecting the circuits sucl, as a dioSje. ~ i ~ d ~  44 has lcaciing .ihercfrom jeads 
from one side of the board to the other side is disclosed 46 ant\ 48. lii this particul:ir ,-cljc it is tiesirat,]c to f,:ll,c 
and claimed in the U.S. patent to Litlle er al., 1.10. 2,902,- lead 48 electrically conl~ectcd to printed eiicuit 12. 1 his 
629. This patent uliiizes the dipped soldering connection is accompiis13ed by a bore i n  board 40 nl?",a 
niethod with an improvement lhereover for connecting 40 bellows 52, proviclzd to fit within (he bore, prini,& cir- 
the opposite board circuit. ctrit board 40 has a shou!der 54 Ihcseor: so as to ii:7-;1 ;L 
Another conneciing means for printed circuits is dis- I?arrow por t ion  of the bore. B ~ ] : ~ ~ , ,  52 a n  e.icn,.iorl 
closed in the U.S. patent to Berger, No. 2,889,393. or  an axiaily extending portion 56 wllirh i r ! ~  rig!illj \i.irhin 
In the prior art. however, there are problelns in con- the bore 50 sho~jidei- 54. A[iachcd to rhe a.~,i;!ly 
necling the cil-cuits from one side of a printed circuit board 4j by so]dcricg or  !he ] ; k c  i >  a 5% 
lo the circuits on the opposite side thereof due to vibra- kvhicj, is (a0 lo L i l  clj:t 42. I -?  
tion and thermal cfrects encou!~tercd during usc. This is this particular embotjinlent. the ic, mt;Lnxed >ilLk! 
pcirticularly ;I critical problem ir? the aerospace indiistry as to both axi i i l  and iransvci-ce ici.ci5sei ii! 
since these boards are subject to scvcre vibrations which pediiious manner. 73,is relieves on .,uch fr:rgjic 
tend to break the soldered co!~riection due to the rigid na- colmponents djo(jcs 4.4, 
lure of rhc connection bctween the two ci~cilits. Due to The rivet ciln be forn~cd by ;my convenient m e a l s  zacii 
these vibrations and high tempcraturcs to which thesc 
.as an  e j e c ~ r o ~ e p o s i ~ i o n  pi-occss or. by a dr:l,vjn2 arid 
boards .we 5iibjected, the soldered connections to the con- sure forming process, e n  el,el1r, [he method fern,- 
nector breaks. leaving a poor or even an intermittent elec- ins the bellows of the ernbociil?tent of FI(;~.;RE 2 or FIG- 
trical connection. . 55 URE 3 forms no part of this invention. 
This invention in its most brief aspects provides an clec- Thus, il can be seen t h ; ~ ~  by t h i 4  invcntioi; ;:n elcc~ric,il 
trical connection betwcen the circuits on oppositc sides connection is pr.ovided t,elv,,ccn side a c;rcuj? bclar j  
of a common board by relieving the axial a i ~ d / o r  the anti another side ttIercof which relieves ii,-e15es jn i j i l l c t j  
transverse stresses imposed on the connection. This is by mean? as ihernlal ;trt.ss(:s or ~ , i h ~ : ~ i i ~ n  :,!;cliei 
done by ailowing the connection to expand and contract 60 or s in lp l r  st:,tic sii.esses i n  tk!e prin~.ed c i , c r l i i  bOzird, 
by employing a bellows principle In the connection rivet. Having decribed %his invention. it is 10 he undcrirouil 
It is therefore an object of this invention lo provide an that it is to be 1irnited only by the the cl;ii:.is 
inlproved electrical connection between the circuils on appended hereto, 
opposite sides of a printed circuit board. What is claimed is: 
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be- I. In an e1ec:ronie printed circiijt hoard ivherein priiiti.6 
come apparent as this description proceeds taken in con- '" circlliis are provjdzj on both of i a i , j  t,onrii junction with the drawings in which: conductors inlerconnectin said ciicuits, The iinprave:i~ci~t 
FIGURE 1 is a view in cross section of a prinled circuit whicil compri.;cs: 
board having thereon a printed circuit wilh the typical a first elccirical connector connecfed to !he circuit oi l  
rivet connsclion shown in the prior art; 7 0 a first side of %aid board; FIGURE 2 is a view in cross section of one embodi- a second electrical conrteclor coz~ncctcd to thc cir;uir 
lnent of this invention; and c.)n the otl>er sidc of stlid ho:ird: 
3,321,878 
3 4 
a bore extending through said board from said first 7. In an electronic printed circuit accorti~ng lo ci:iim &n 
connector to said second connector; and wherein said bcllo~vs is loosely n?c~~ii?Lccl wiliiiri 5:tiil bort:. 
an  electrically conductive bellows mounted in said bore, 8. iin an clect~.onic pi'i~iccii cilciiit hci.brii of illc i!pc 
said bellows being in electrical contact with each of having a prinletl circtiit on c;lcil sit.lc 6 i i  k:iicE i i o ; ~ r t i ,  ; i i l tP  , t  
said connectors; 5 hole bored through said bo:~rci f u r  cn:ihlinfi rlic iiilercoiz- 
whereby stresses on electrical connections between said ncc[ion of said circuits, the irnprtivcr~~crit in i11c:lns for 
circuits are absorbed by said bellows. interconnecting said circt~ils conlp~.i\ing: 
2. In an elcctronic printed circuit hoard according to an  electrically contluciive bellows movably fitted wi fh i !~  
' 
claim 1 wherein at  least one of said electrical connectors said hole and extending from onc side tl~ci'cof 10 the 
comprises a flange, said flange being soldered to one of l o  olher; and 
said circuits and to said bellows. means at each end of said bellows for elccil.ic;tiiy con- 
3. In an  electronic printed circuit according to claim 2 necting each end of said bcliowi; to il:c res;ccfivc 
wherein the other of said electrical connectors comprises printed circuits on each side of ?;;iiit prrilicdi circliit 
a flange soldered to the other of said circuits and to said board. 
bellows. 13 
4. In an  electronic printed circuit board according to References Cited by Plne Exa~niancr 
claim 1 wherein one end of said bore is narrovced, said UNrTED STATES PATENTS 
bellows having at  one end thereof an ax i~ l ly  extending 3,065,293 11/19hZ Overman . ----------- 1'74-XX portion tightly fitted within said narrowed portion of said 3,268,652 8,1966 Bllrns et - 
bore. o II '.." 
5. In an electronic printed circuit according to claim 4 References Cited by tale hpp8ii:ant 
whcrein said first electrical connector is a flange, said axi- 
ally extending portion is in electrical contact with said UNIT'ED STATES PATENTS 
flange. 2,889,393 6/1959 Bcrgrr. 
6 .  In an electronic printed circuit according to claim 5 23 2,902,629 9/1959 I.iitle. 
wherein said second electrical connector is a lead of an 
electrical component, and means at said other end of said LEWIS M. 'R!f'I(ERS, Piir?rriry Exa~?iir~er. 
bellows for attaching said lead on said other end of said D. E. CLAY, E ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ; ~ ~ ~ ,  bellows. 


Printed circuit board with bellows rivet connection Patent

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