Circuit board stiffener

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is a member mountable to a circuit board spanning several sites of electrical connectors, which is rigid and precisely rectilinear along a board-proximate surface and when fastened to the board can minimize warping of the board during the vapor phase soldering operations.
The member is preferably molded of especially heat resistant material to define a rigid dimensionally stable member, and thereby the integrity of its molded shape and dimensions is maintained to stiffen the adjacent board against warping when secured to the board at a plurality of sites along its length.
The stiffening member is adapted for connectors to be mounted therealong at selected precise positions for their contact arrays to be associated with corresponding arrays of circuit terminus locations of the board for electrical connection therewith.
Precisely shaped and dimensioned recesses along a side surface or bottom surface of the stiffening member receive respective connector housings thereinto, such as by interference fit.
The bottom surface of the stiffening member is held firmly in close or abutting relationship with the board surface and also may preferably include a plurality of channels therealong for the flow of cleaning solvent used in the vapor phase or wave soldering operation to clean excess flux from the board following soldering to define the solder joints at the electrical connections of the connector contacts with the circuit termini.
A secondary benefit is to permit a level of air flow adjacent the board surface and contacts during inservice use of the board to dissipate heat generated by the board and its components and connectors.
An example of an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.