Stacking connector system

Claim 2

A stacked circuit board arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said housing of said stacking connector includes upper and lower housing parts (166, 168) that can be mated and unmated from each other, each housing part having a plurality of apertures aligned with apertures (172,174) of the other housing part with pairs of said apertures forming said housing holes; each of said dielectric devices includes upper and lower dielectrics (192,194) mounted respectively in said apertures of said upper and lower housing parts; each of said contact devices includes upper and lower contacts (182,184) lying respectively in said upper and lower dielectrics, each said upper contact (182) having an upwardly projecting pin end (200) projecting into one of said pin-receiving holes (204) of said first board and having a downwardly-projecting pin end; each of said lower contacts (184) has an upper end (212) forming a socket which mates with said downwardly-projecting end of a corresponding upper contact when said housing parts mate, and each of said lower contacts have a downwardly projecting pin end projecting into one of said pin-receiving holes of said second board, whereby with said upper and lower housing parts and corresponding contacts mounted respectively on said first and second circuit boards, traces on said boards can be connected and disconnected by respectively mating and unmating said housing parts.

Claim 3

A stacked circuit board arrangement according to claim 2, wherein each of said lower contacts includes a middle (222) which is substantially pin-shaped and forms substantially an extension of said downwardly projecting pin end, said socket (220) being of larger outer diameter than said middle; each of said lower dielectrics surrounds said middle of one of said lower contacts but not said socket, with air lying between said socket and the walls of the corresponding aperture, whereby to maintain a substantially constant characteristic impedance.

Claim 4

A stacked circuit board arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said downwardly-projecting pin ends of said upper contacts, project downwardly beyond a corresponding housing aperture; said upper housing part has a pair of opposite sides with a downwardly projecting plate portion at each of said sides, and said lower housing part has a pair of opposite sides with walls forming a pair of recesses that are each adapted to receive one of said plate portions, with each of said plate portions having a lower end lying below the lower ends of said downwardly-projecting pin ends of said upper contacts.

Claim 5

A stacked circuit board arrangement according to claim 2, wherein a first of said housing parts has a pair of opposite sides with a grounding finger (280,282) at each side projecting toward the other housing part, and a second of said housing parts has a pair of opposite sides with walls forming a pair of recesses (284, 286) that is each adapted to receive one of said fingers, with each of said walls forming one of said recesses, having a sidewardly projecting grounding protuberance over which one of said fingers rides as said housing parts become fully mated.

Claim 6

A stacked circuit board arrangement according to claim 1, including a third circuit board which is of similar construction to said first and second circuit boards, lying above said first and second circuit boards, with said first board lying between said third and second boards; a pass-through lying between said third and first boards, said pass-through having a conductive housing member with a plurality of holes, and having a dielectric member fixed in each of said holes of said housing member with each dielectric member having a dielectric member hole; said top pin portions each projects through corresponding hole in said first circuit board, in said dielectric member of said pass-through, and in said third circuit board.

Claim 7

A stacking connector for connecting traces of first and second circuit boards that lie in parallel planes, where each of said boards includes a ground plane, a plurality of conductive traces that each can carry high frequency signals, and a plurality of pin-receiving holes with conductive walls that are each connected one of said traces, comprising first and second electrically conductive housing parts having mating ends that can be brought substantially together and that can be separated, each housing part having apertures that are aligned with apertures of the other housing part when said housing parts are together, said housing parts each having a board-engaging housing end opposite its mating end, with said board-engaging housing ends of said first and second housing parts designed to lie substantially against said first and second boards; first and second dielectrics lying in said apertures respectively of said first housing part and of said second housing part; a plurality of first contacts, each having a middle lying in one of said first dielectrics in said first housing part, and each having opposite pin ends projecting respectively from said board-engaging housing end and from said mating end of said first housing part, with said pin ends that project from said board-engaging housing end designed to project into one of said pin-receiving holes of said first board and electrically connect to the conductive walls thereof; a plurality of second contacts each mounted in one of said second dielectrics in said second housing part, each second contact having a socket end which can receive one of said pin ends of a first contact, and each second contact having a pin end that projects from said board engaging housing end and which is designed to project into one of said pin-receiving holes of said second board and electrically connect to the conductive walls thereof.

Claim 8

A stacking connector according to claim 7, wherein said downwardly-projecting pin ends of said upper contacts, project downwardly beyond a corresponding aperture; said upper housing part has a pair of opposite sides with a downwardly projecting plate portion at each of said sides, and said lower housing part has a pair of opposite sides with walls forming a pair of recesses that is each adapted to receive one of said plate portions, with each of said plate portions having a lower end lying below the extreme lower ends of said downwardly projecting pin ends of said upper contacts.

Claim 9

A stacking connector according to claim 7, wherein a first of said housing parts has a pair of opposite sides with a grounding finger at each side projecting toward the other housing part, and a second of said housing parts has a pair of opposite sides with walls forming a pair of recesses that is each adapted to receive one of said fingers, with each of said walls that forms one of said recesses having a sidewardly projecting grounding protuberance over which one of said fingers rides as said housing parts become fully mated.

Claim 10

A stacked circuit board arrangement comprising first and second circuit boards lying in parallel planes with said second board below said first board, each of said boards including a ground plane, a plurality of conductive traces that each can carry high frequency signals and a plurality of pin-receiving holes that each have metal plated walls connected to one of said traces; an electrically conductive housing member lying between said upper and lower boards and having a plurality of housing holes each aligned with one of said pin-receiving holes on each of said boards; a plurality of dielectric devices each fixed in one of said housing member holes and having a dielectric device hole; a stacking connector lying below said second board, including a pin holder and a plurality of pin contact devices in said holder, each contact device having an upper pin end portion projecting upwardly from said pin housing through corresponding holes in said dielectric devices and through corresponding pin-receiving holes in said second and first boards and electrically connected to said plated walls of said pin-receiving holes of said first and second boards.

Claim 11

A stacked circuit board arrangement according to claim 10, wherein said pin holder of said stacking connector includes a plate-like conductive housing member having a plurality of housing member holes, and a plurality of dielectric members each fixed in one of said housing member holes, with each of said pin contact devices fixed in one of said dielectric members.

Claim 12

A stacked circuit board arrangement according to claim 11, including a third circuit board which is similar to said first and second circuit boards and which lies below said stacking connector, said third board having pin-receiving holes, each of said pin contact devices has a lower pin end portion projecting downwardly from said stacking connector into said pin-receiving holes of said third circuit board.

Claim 13

A stacked circuit board arrangement according to claim 10, including a plurality of socket contact elements mounted in said pin-receiving holes of said first and second circuit boards and connected to said plated walls of said pin-receiving holes, each of said socket contact elements having an end portion projecting into an end of one of said housing holes and having an extreme end, each of said dielectric devices having upper and lower surface lying adjacent respectively to an extreme end of a different one of said socket contact extreme ends.

Claim 14

A stacking connector according to claim 10, wherein, said pin holder of said stacking connector includes a plate-like housing of dielectric material, with each of said pin contact devices having a lower end fixed in said dielectric material.

Claim 16

A method according to claim 15, wherein said step of forming said connector housing includes forming upper and lower separate electrically conductive housing parts that can be mated and unmated from each other, and that have apertures that form portions of said housing holes and that are aligned when said housing parts are mated; said step of mounting a plurality of dielectric devices includes mounting an upper dielectric in each of said apertures of said upper housing part, and mounting a lower dielectric in each of said apertures of said lower housing part; said step of mounting a plurality of contact devices includes fixing upper and lower contacts respectively in said dielectrics of said upper and lower housing parts, with said upper contacts forming said pin portions that project upwardly from said upper housing part and with said lower contacts forming said pin portions that project downwardly from said lower housing part, including constructing said contacts so said upper contacts have depending pin ends projecting downwardly from said upper housing part and said lower contacts have upper ends forming sockets that can mate with said depending pin ends; said step of inserting includes permanently fixing said upper housing part adjacent to a lower face of said first circuit board, and permanently fixing said lower housing part adjacent to an upper face of said second circuit board, including soldering each pin portion to the walls of a corresponding board hole; and including with said upper and lower housing parts respectively permanently fixed to said first and second boards, temporarily mating said housing parts including inserting each of said depending pin ends into a corresponding one of said sockets.