APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN TWO SUBSTRATES

Abstract

A first and second substrate, and electrically conductive first and second connection parts are provided in a method for establishing an electrically conductive connection between two substrates. The first connection part is mounted on the first substrate by a first releasable connection and the second connection part is respectively mounted on the second substrate by a releasable connection. An electrically conductive connection assembly containing the first connection part and the second connection part is established by either a cohesive connection between a connection portion of the first connection part and a connection portion of the second connection part or an electrically conductive crossmember provided and a cohesive connection of a first length portion of the crossmember to the connection portion of the first connection part and a second cohesive connection of a second length portion of the crossmember to the connection portion of the second connection part being established.

Claims

1. A method for establishing an electrically conductive connection between two substrates, comprising: providing a first substrate and a second substrate, providing an electrically conductive first connection part, mounting the first connection part on the first substrate by establishing a first releasable connection between a mounting portion of the first connection part and the first substrate, providing an electrically conductive second connection part, mounting the second connection part on the second substrate by establishing a second releasable connection between a mounting portion of the second connection part and the second substrate, and producing an electrically conductive connection assembly which contains the first connection part and the second connection part, wherein producing the connection assembly comprises: either establishing a cohesive connection between a connection portion of the first connection part and a connection portion of the second connection part or providing an electrically conductive crossmember, establishing a cohesive connection of a first length portion of the crossmember with the connection portion of the first connection part and establishing a second cohesive connection of a second length portion of the crossmember to the connection portion of the second connection part.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a welded connection is established as the cohesive connection and possibly as the second cohesive connection.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an electrically conductive first punched strip is provided as the first connection part and an electrically conductive second punched strip is provided as the second connection part, the first substrate and the second substrate are mounted in a position fixed relative to one another in such a way that the connection portion of the first punched strip and the connection portion of the second punched strip overlap in an overlap region, and the cohesive connection between the connection portion of the first connection part and the connection portion of the second connection part is established within the overlap region.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the connection portion of the first punched strip extends substantially parallel to a main plane of extent of the first substrate after the first releasable connection is established and before the cohesive connection is established and/or in that the connection portion of the second punched strip extends substantially parallel to a main plane of extent of the second substrate after the second releasable connection is established and before the cohesive connection is established, and in that a length portion of the first punched strip, which length portion adjoins the mounting portion, runs substantially at a right angle to the connection portion of said first punched strip and/or a length portion of the second punched strip, which length portion adjoins the mounting portion, runs substantially at a right angle to the connection portion of said second punched strip.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein there is a gap between the connection portion of the first punched strip and the connection portion of the second punched strip transversely to a longitudinal direction of the connection portion of the first punched strip and/or transversely to a longitudinal direction of the connection portion of the second punched strip after the step of mounting the first substrate and the second substrate in a position fixed relative to one another, this gap being reduced or eliminated by elastically bending the first punched strip and/or the second punched strip, before the connection portion of the first punched strip is connected to the connection portion of the second punched strip by the cohesive connection.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an electrically conductive first platform is provided as the first connection part and an electrically conductive second platform is provided as the second connection part, a crossmember is provided as the electrically conductive crossmember, the first length portion of said crossmember adjoining its first longitudinal end and the second length portion of said crossmember adjoining its second longitudinal end, the first substrate and the second substrate are mounted in a position fixed relative to one another in such a way that the first length portion of the crossmember overlaps the connection portion of the first platform in a first overlap region and that the second length portion of the crossmember overlaps the connection portion of the second platform in a second overlap region, and the cohesive connection between the first length portion and the first connection portion is established within the first overlap region and the second cohesive connection between the second length portion and the second connection portion is established within the second overlap portion.

7. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the step of mounting the first substrate and the second substrate in a position fixed relative to one another involves the first substrate and the second substrate being attached to a carrier which is jointly associated with them, in particular to a technical device, to a housing or to a heat sink, such as a metal plate for example.

8. A method for releasing an electrically conductive connection between two substrates wherein a method for establishing an electrically conductive connection between two substrates is executed as claimed in claim 1 and, following the method step of establishing the cohesive connection or connections the connection assembly is released from the first substrate and, respectively, from the second substrate by releasing the first releasable connection and/or by releasing the second releasable connection.

9. An arrangement, comprising: a first substrate, a second substrate, and an electrically conductive connection assembly, wherein the connection assembly contains an electrically conductive first connection part, which has a mounting portion and a connection portion, and an electrically conductive second connection part, which has a mounting portion and a connection portion, the mounting portion of the first connection part is connected to the first substrate by a releasable connection and the mounting portion of the second punched strip is connected to the second substrate by a releasable connection, and either the connection portion of the first connection part and the connection portion of the second connection part are connected by a cohesive connection or the connection assembly has an electrically conductive crossmember and a first length portion of the crossmember is connected to the connection portion of the first connection part by a cohesive connection and a second length portion of the crossmember is connected to the connection portion of the second connection part by a second cohesive connection.

10. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the crossmember is a flexible tape.

11. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first connection part contains copper or consists of pure copper and/or in that the second connection part contains copper or consists of pure copper and/or in that the crossmember contains copper or consists of pure copper.

12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first releasable connection and/or the second releasable connection are/is a soldered connection.

13. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first substrate and/or the second substrate are/is a circuit board, in particular a printed circuit board or a ceramic circuit board.

14. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first connection part is an electrically conductive first punched strip and the second connection part is an electrically conductive second punched strip, the first substrate and the second substrate are mounted in a position fixed relative to one another in such a way that the connection portion of the first punched strip and the connection portion of the second punched strip overlap in an overlap region, and the connection portion of the first punched strip and the connection portion of the second punched strip are connected within the overlap region by a welded connection as the cohesive connection.

15. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first connection part is an electrically conductive first platform and the second connection part is an electrically conductive second platform, the connection assembly has an electrically conductive crossmember as the crossmember, the first length portion adjoining the first longitudinal end of said crossmember and the second length portion adjoining the second longitudinal end of said crossmember, the first substrate and the second substrate are mounted in a position fixed relative to one another in such a way that the first length portion overlaps the connection portion of the first platform in a first overlap region and is connected to the connection portion of the first platform within the first overlap region by a welded connection as the cohesive connection, and the second length portion overlaps the connection portion of the second platform in a second overlap region and is connected to the connection portion of the second platform within the second overlap region by a welded connection as the second cohesive connection.

16. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein an electrically conductive first punched strip is provided as the first connection part and an electrically conductive second punched strip is provided as the second connection part, the first substrate and the second substrate are mounted in a position fixed relative to one another in such a way that the connection portion of the first punched strip and the connection portion of the second punched strip overlap in an overlap region, and the cohesive connection between the connection portion of the first connection part and the connection portion of the second connection part is established within the overlap region.

17. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein there is a gap between the connection portion of the first punched strip and the connection portion of the second punched strip transversely to a longitudinal direction of the connection portion of the first punched strip and/or transversely to a longitudinal direction of the connection portion of the second punched strip after the step of mounting the first substrate and the second substrate in a position fixed relative to one another, this gap being reduced or eliminated by elastically bending the first punched strip and/or the second punched strip, before the connection portion of the first punched strip is connected to the connection portion of the second punched strip by the cohesive connection.

18. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein an electrically conductive first platform is provided as the first connection part and an electrically conductive second platform is provided as the second connection part, a crossmember is provided as the electrically conductive crossmember, the first length portion of said crossmember adjoining its first longitudinal end and the second length portion of said crossmember adjoining its second longitudinal end, the first substrate and the second substrate are mounted in a position fixed relative to one another in such a way that the first length portion of the crossmember overlaps the connection portion of the first platform in a first overlap region and that the second length portion of the crossmember overlaps the connection portion of the second platform in a second overlap region, and the cohesive connection between the first length portion and the first connection portion is established within the first overlap region and the second cohesive connection between the second length portion and the second connection portion is established within the second overlap portion.

19. The arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first connection part contains copper or consists of pure copper and/or in that the second connection part contains copper or consists of pure copper and/or in that the crossmember contains copper or consists of pure copper.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] An aspect of the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the appended figures which show preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. In the figures:

[0046] FIG. 1 schematically shows, in respective sectional views, steps 1-3 when implementing a preferred exemplary embodiment of a method according to the invention for establishing an electrically conductive connection between two substrates and, in step 4, a preferred step for releasing the electrically conductive connection between the two substrates;

[0047] FIG. 2 likewise schematically shows a sectional view of a method step when executing a second preferred exemplary embodiment of a method according to the invention for establishing an electrically conductive connection between two substrates; and

[0048] FIG. 3 schematically shows a sectional view of a method step when executing, in a preferred manner, a second method according to an aspect of the invention for establishing an electrically conductive connection between two substrates.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0049] FIG. 1 shows, in steps 1, 2 and 3, method steps when executing a preferred exemplary embodiment of a first method according to the invention for establishing an electrically conductive connection between two substrates 1 and 2. In the example, the two substrates 1, 2 are each a printed circuit board (PCB) which comprises, in a manner not illustrated in any detail, one or more layers composed of electrically conductive material and electrically conductive conductor tracks adhering thereto. In the example, the method serves for establishing a connection with a high-current capability. In step 1, it is shown that a first punched strip 3 and a second punched strip 4, which are each flexible strips composed of pure copper, are provided for the connection. The first punched strip 3 comprises a mounting portion 5, a length portion 6 adjoining it and a connection portion 7, and the second punched strip 4 comprises a mounting portion 8, a length portion 9 adjoining it in a rectilinear manner and a connection portion 10. As a result of step 1, the first punched strip 3 was mounted on the first substrate 1 by means of an electrically conductive first releasable connection 11. In a corresponding manner, the second punched strip 4 was mounted on the second substrate 2 by means of establishing an electrically conductive second releasable connection 12 between the mounting portion 8 of the second punched strip 4 and the second substrate 2. In the example, the two releasable connections 11, 12 are each a soldered connection, not illustrated in any detail in the figures, established by means of through-hole technology (THT). After step 1, the two substrates 1, 2 with the punched strips 3, 4 mounted on them are still freely movable relative to one another.

[0050] The two substrates 1, 2 are mounted on a carrier 13 common to them in this respect, so that the two substrates 1, 2 are in a fixed position or have a fixed gap relative to one another, only in step 2. This mounting can be performed using customary techniques familiar to a person skilled in the art. The mounting is performed in such a way that the connection portion 7 and the connection portion 10 overlap in an overlap region 14, wherein there is initially a gap 15 between the two connection portions 7, 10 in a direction perpendicular to the substrates 1, 2.

[0051] In step 3, the gap 15 extending transversely to the connection portions 7, 10 was eliminated by way of the punched strips 3, 4 being slightly bent by means of a pair of pliers and the connection portions 7, 10 being connected by means of a welded connection 16 within the overlap region 14. In the example, the mounting portion 6 was electrically conductively connected, by means of the releasable connection 11 in a manner not shown in any detail in the figures, to an electrically conductive conductor track (likewise not shown) of the printed circuit board corresponding to the substrate 1. In a corresponding manner, the second punched strip was electrically conductively connected, at its mounting portion 8 by means of the second releasable connection 12, to an electrical conductor track of the printed circuit corresponding to the second substrate 2 in the example. The two conductor tracks of the substrates 1, 2 or the circuit boards corresponding to these substrates 1, 2 in the example were connected to one another with high-current capability in this way.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 1 relating to step 1, the connection portion 7 of the first punched strip 3 extends parallel to a plane spanned by the first substrate 1 (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1) after the first releasable connection 11 is established and before the welded connection 16 is established, wherein the connection portion 7 extends at a right angle to the length portion 6 adjoining the mounting portion 5 in a rectilinear manner. The same applies to the second punched strip 4. It is also clear from the illustration relating to step 3 in FIG. 1 that an areal extent of the welded connection 16 is smaller than an areal extent of the contact zone situated in the overlap region 14. Furthermore, in the illustrations, reference sign 1′ denotes the circuit board corresponding to the substrate 1 and reference sign 2′ denotes the circuit board corresponding to the substrate 2. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the two substrates 1, 2 were mounted next to one another in a common plane on the carrier 13. In this case, the illustration relating to step 3 shows, at the same time, a preferred exemplary embodiment of an arrangement 17 according to the invention as a result of the described method.

[0053] The illustration contained in FIG. 1 relating to step 4 relates to a method according to an aspect of the invention for releasing an electrically conductive connection between two substrates 1, 2. In the exemplary embodiment, this method first requires the above-described method to be executed. Then, it is provided that the two releasable connections 11, 12 are released again in order to be able to remove the mounting portions 5, 8 from the holes 18, 19, associated with them, in the substrates 1, 2 in the indicated arrow direction. In this way, the two punched portions 3, 4 which are connected by means of the welded connection 16 can be removed, for example for the purpose of repair work, and can be replaced, for example, by new punched strips and a new welded connection.

[0054] FIG. 2 schematically shows a method step when executing a further preferred exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention. For reasons of improved clarity, FIG. 2 (and also FIG. 3) contains the reference signs corresponding to FIG. 1 for corresponding or comparable details. In this case, the situation shown in FIG. 2 is comparable to step 2 of FIG. 1, apart from the geometric deviation. One difference is that, in FIG. 2, the two substrates 1, 2 were not mounted next to one another, but rather one above the other, on the carrier 13. The second punched strip 4 was angled several times, so that the connection portions 7, 10 again run parallel to one another and form a flat contact zone within which a welded connection 16 (not shown in FIG. 2) can be established.

[0055] FIG. 3 schematically shows a method step in a preferred exemplary embodiment of a further method according to the invention for producing an electrically conductive connection between two substrates 1, 2. The connection in the example is a connection with a high-current capability too. In the example, a first platform 21, a second platform 22 and a crossmember 20, which each consist of copper for achieving electrical conductivity, serve for connection purposes. The first platform 11 comprises a mounting portion 5 and a connection portion 10. The mounting portion 5 is electrically conductively connected to an electrical conductor track (not shown in FIG. 3) of the first circuit board 1 by means of an electrically conductive first releasable connection 11. The second platform 22 is electrically conductively connected to a conductor track of the second circuit board 2′ at its mounting portion 8 in a corresponding manner by means of an electrically conductive second releasable connection 12. The first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 are mounted on a common carrier 13 in a non-variable position in relation to one another. The crossmember 20, which has a first longitudinal end 23 and a length portion 24 adjoining it as well as a second longitudinal end 25 and a length portion 26 adjoining it, was then supported on the two platforms 21, 22 and in the process positioned such that its first length portion 24 overlaps the connection portion 7 of the first platform 21 in a first overlap region 14 and so that its second length portion 26 overlaps the connection portion 10 of the second platform 22 in a second overlap region 14. As indicated by the two arrows, the first length portion 24 was then connected to the first connection portion 7 by means of a first welded connection 16 within the first overlap region 14. In a corresponding manner, the second length portion 26 was connected to the second connection portion 10 by means of a welded connection 16′ within the second overlap portion 14′. The welded connections 16, 16′ produced by means of a green laser are not shown in any detail in the example.

[0056] FIG. 3 is, at the same time, a preferred exemplary embodiment of an arrangement 27 according to the invention, including two platforms 21, 22 and a crossmember 20.

[0057] All of the disclosed features are essential to aspects of the invention (individually but also in combination with one another). The dependent claims, by way of their features, characterize independent inventive developments of the prior art, in particular for the purpose of filing divisional applications on the basis of said claims.