Electrical connectors – Coupling part having handle or means to move contact...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-23
2002-03-12
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part having handle or means to move contact...
C439S073000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06354856
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an IC socket having a plurality of contact pins for connecting terminals of an integrated circuit (IC) and an external circuit board for the purpose of conducting an electric test for the IC.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 13
, an IC socket
100
of an open top type has a plurality of contact pins
101
attached to a socket body
102
for connecting terminals
111
of an IC (e.g. QFP, SOP, TSOP)
110
(see
FIG. 14
) and an external electric testing circuit (not shown). Each contact pin
101
comprises a movable pin
105
and a stationary pin
107
. A cover
104
having an IC loading window
103
is supported by the socket body
102
so as to be vertically movable in FIG.
13
.
When the cover
104
is pushed downward in
FIG. 13
, the movable pins
105
are pushed by the cover
104
to be bent so that movable contact portions
106
of the movable pins
105
retreat from stationary contact portions
108
of the corresponding stationary pins
107
to receive the corresponding IC terminals
111
on the stationary contact portions
108
. Then, when the cover
104
returns to the initial position, each of the IC terminals
111
is pressed against the stationary contact portion
108
due to an elastic force of the movable pin
105
so as to be firmly held between the movable contact portion
106
and the stationary contact portion
108
(see FIG.
14
). In this state, the IC terminals
111
are energized to conduct an electric test for the IC
110
.
As best seen in
FIG. 14
, each stationary contact portion
108
is increased in size as compared with the other portions of the stationary pin
107
for stably receiving the IC terminal
111
thereon, while the socket body
102
is recessed for ensuring a sufficient space for each of the enlarged stationary contact portions
108
.
After the electric test for the IC
110
has been finished, the cover
104
is again pushed downward in
FIG. 13
to retreat the movable contact portions
106
from the stationary contact portions
108
so that the IC
110
is removed from the IC socket
100
.
In the foregoing conventional IC socket
100
, each of the contact pins
101
is mounted to the socket body
102
such that the corresponding stationary pin
107
is forcibly displaced from a dotted line position to a solid line position as shown in
FIG. 13
, so as to support the corresponding IC terminal
111
on the stationary contact portion
108
. However, as seen from
FIGS. 13 and 14
, no means are provided for positioning the stationary contact portions
108
in vertical directions in the figures. Thus, it is possible that manufacturing errors of the contact pins
101
and/or assembling errors thereof relative to the socket body
102
cause supporting positions of the IC terminals
111
to be largely dispersed among the contact pins
101
.
In such a case, if the IC terminals
111
are made of a relatively soft material such as copper, they may be deformed when sandwiched between the stationary contact portions
108
and the movable contact portions
106
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an IC socket which is capable of improving accuracy of supporting positions of IC terminals and thus avoiding deformation of the IC terminals.
It is another object of the present invention to provide contact pins for use in such an IC socket.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an IC socket comprising a socket body elastically supporting a cover having an IC loading window, the cover being movable toward and away from the socket body; and a plurality of contact pins attached to the socket body for connecting IC terminals and an external electric testing circuit, each of the contact pins comprising: a base portion fixed to the socket body; a first contact portion connected to the base portion via a first spring portion for supporting corresponding one of the IC terminals; and a second contact portion connected to the base portion via a second spring portion, the second contact portion forced by the cover, when the cover is moved toward the socket body, so as to elastically deform the second spring portion so that the second contact portion retreats from the first contact portion to allow the one of the IC terminals to be received on the first contact portion, and the second contact portion pressing the one of the IC terminals against the first contact portion by means of an elastic force of the second spring portion when the cover returns to an initial position, wherein each of the first contact portions is formed with a positioning stepped portion, and the socket body is formed with a positioning engaging portion which engages with the positioning stepped portion in a state where the first spring portion is elastically deformed, so that the positioning stepped portion is pressed against the positioning engaging portion by means of an elastic force of the first spring portion.
It may be arranged that the positioning stepped portion is pressed against an upper surface of the positioning engaging portion by means of a tensile force of the first spring portion.
It may be arranged that the positioning stepped portion is pressed against a lower surface of the positioning engaging portion by means of a compressive force of the first spring portion.
It may be arranged that the positioning stepped portion is in the form of one of a projection and a recess, and the positioning engaging portion is in the form of one of a recess and a projection, which are engaged with each other.
It may be arranged that contact surfaces of the positioning stepped portion and the positioning engaging portion are inclined surfaces.
It may be arranged that the positioning engaging portion is detachably mounted to the socket body.
According to another aspect of the present invention, for use in an IC socket having a plurality of contact pins attached to a socket body for connecting IC terminals and an external electric testing circuit, the socket body elastically supporting a cover having an IC loading window and movable toward and away from the socket body, each of the contact pins comprising a base portion fixed to the socket body; a first contact portion connected to the base portion via a first spring portion for supporting corresponding one of the IC terminals; and a second contact portion connected to the base portion via a second spring portion, the second contact portion forced by the cover, when the cover is moved toward the socket body, so as to elastically deform the second spring portion so that the second contact portion retreats from the first contact portion to allow the one of the IC terminals to be received on the first contact portion, and the second contact portion pressing the one of the IC terminals against the first contact portion by means of an elastic force of the second spring portion when the cover returns to an initial position, wherein each of the first contact portions is formed with a positioning stepped portion which engages with a positioning engaging portion formed at the socket body in a state where the first spring portion is elastically deformed, so that the positioning stepped portion is pressed against the positioning engaging portion by means of an elastic force of the first spring portion.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5713751 (1998-02-01), Fukunaga
Bachman & LaPointe P.C.
Enplas Corporation
Nguyen Son V.
Sircus Brian
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