Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-07
2002-06-11
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06402528
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a mounting device for electrically connecting an electronic part and each of its terminals to a substrate board for testing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Often, integrated circuit (IC) chips which are sealed in resin after their manufacture are subjected to a reliability testing called a burn-in test and/or an electric properties test prior to their shipment to distinguish between satisfactory product and unsatisfactory product.
Such an electric properties test, tests the input and output characteristics of the IC chips, pulse characteristics and noise leeway, etc. In the burn-in test, IC packages are arranged in an oven and then functionally tested for a selected period of time at an elevated temperature and voltage level (e.g., 125° C. at 120% of normal voltage level). Only those that pass these tests are shipped out as satisfactory products.
One common package in use today is a BGA (Ball Grid Array) package with connective terminals made up of globular solder balls arranged in a matrix or zigzag fashion on the underside of the package. The advantages of this BGA package design exists in having wider connective terminal pitches while the outside dimensions are small and the connective terminals are strong.
FIGS.
7
(
a
) and
7
(
b
) show a prior art socket for the burn-in test built for mounting a BGA package. The socket
101
has a square-shaped base
102
made of a plastic resin or the like, on which a slider member
103
is arranged in such a manner as to freely slide back and forth in the horizontal direction during the mounting of BGA package
100
.
Above base
102
, an attached cover
104
with an opening
104
a
is constructed so as to move up and down as compared with base
102
by the means of compressive coil springs
105
. Slider
103
and base
102
are configured with through holes (not shown in the drawing) that correspond to each solder ball
100
a
of the BGA package. A plurality of contacts
106
are mounted in base
102
for compressively making electrical contact with the solder balls
100
a
of the BGA package with each contact
106
extending through the through hole of base
102
and slider
103
. Each contact
106
has a centered body portion made of metal with a pair of metallic arms
106
a
and
106
b
provided at one tip thereof.
On both sides of slider
103
, a slide mechanism is provided for moving the slider
103
in parallel with the bottom of base
102
. The slide mechanism includes first L-shaped lever members
108
freely rotatably installed at both ends of a shaft
107
that is positioned on one edge (right-side edge in the drawings) of base
102
with a short arm portion
108
a
of lever member
108
freely rotatably linked to a shaft
109
positioned vertically below shaft
107
that touches slider
103
.
Second lever members
111
are installed freely rotatably at both ends of a shaft
110
that are positioned on the other edge side of base
102
from shaft
107
. At the middle of each second lever member
111
, the tip of first lever member
108
is fixed in a freely swinging manner by means of a pin
112
.
When the cover
104
is in the up position FIG.
7
(
a
), the tip part
111
a
of second lever member
111
is so arranged as to touch a protuberant part
104
b
of cover
104
. In the vicinity of shaft
110
, a compressive coil spring
113
is provided in base
102
for the purpose of biasing slider
103
toward one preferred at rest position.
In a socket
101
described above, when cover
104
is pressed down from a state shown in FIG.
7
(
a
) to a state shown in FIG.
7
(
b
), first and second lever members
108
and
111
rotate toward base
102
and, along with the movement of lever members
108
, shaft
109
engages slider
103
, thereby moving it in the X-direction. As a result of this movement of slider
103
, one arm
106
a
of contact
106
moves away from arm
106
b
to an open position. In this state, BGA package
100
can be placed on an adaptor
103
c
of slider
103
with each solder ball
100
a
of BGA package
100
positioned between arms
106
a
and
106
b
. When the pressure on the cover is released, first and second lever members
108
and
111
rise and the slider
103
is restored toward its original position by the force of compressive coil spring
113
with the consequence that the arms
106
a
and
106
b
are closed and each solder ball
100
a
of BGA package
100
is held by the arms of each contact. In such position, each solder ball
100
a
of package
100
and each contact
106
are electrically connected.
This socket has proved to be useful in the operation but has a large number of parts with a somewhat complex construction. It requires the movement of linking mechanisms
108
,
111
and slider
103
to cause the opening and closing of arms
106
a
,
106
b
in a set sequence of operations. Moreover, socket
101
tends to be large and heavy compared to other sockets with the various moving parts subject to wear in the case of the resin slider causing wear particles in the socket.
Still further, wear between moving parts (actuator and slider) can cause powder particles which can cause failure of electronic package mounting device. Also, there can be a problem with uniformly maintaining proper contact opening distance when there is bending of the wiring substrate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is the provision of a mounting device/system which overcomes the prior art limitations described above and which prevents concomitant trouble resulting from using a drive mechanism as the cover or lever, etc., to control the movement of the contact arms.
Another object of this invention lies in providing an electronic part mounting device using a contact opening and closing tool separate from the base member and where the friction to open and close the socket contacts is reduced to increase the interval between maintenance work and particularly suitable for an electronic part mounting device with a large number of contact members.
Yet another object of this invention lies in offering an electronic part mounting device where there is uniformity in the amount of opening of the arm-shaped contact parts.
Other objects, advantages and details of the novel and improved electronic part mounting device of the present invention appear in the following detailed description of the prepared embodiments of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4468072 (1984-08-01), Sadigh-Behzadi
patent: 5147213 (1992-09-01), Funk et al.
patent: 5807127 (1998-09-01), Ohshima
patent: 5989039 (1999-11-01), Sik
patent: 6027355 (2000-02-01), Ikeya
patent: 6050836 (2000-04-01), Tohyama
patent: 6106319 (2000-08-01), Fukunaga et al.
patent: 6126467 (2000-10-01), Ohashi
patent: 6149449 (2000-11-01), Abe
Ezura Toyokazu
Takahashi Hideyuki
Baumann Russell E.
Patel Tulsidas
Telecky, Jr. Fredrick J.
Texas Instruments Incorporated
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