Electrical connectors – Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient... – Spring actuated or resilient securing part
Reissue Patent
2001-02-27
2003-01-07
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...
Spring actuated or resilient securing part
Reissue Patent
active
RE037961
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pin connector, a holder for holding such a pin connector, and an electronic component packaging board for mounting an electronic component thereon, and more particularly to the structure of an electronic component packaging board suitable for mounting thereon an electronic component such as a device socket by which a semiconductor device can detachably be supported.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has heretofore been well known in the art to mount a device socket by which a semiconductor device can detachably be supported, on a packaging board in a semiconductor device testing apparatus for measuring operating conditions of the semiconductor device support by the device socket.
FIG. 1
of the accompanying drawings shows a conventional electronic component packaging board for soldering an electronic component thereto. As shown in
FIG. 1
, a packaging board
1
has a plurality of through holes
4
for inserting therein external leads
3
of a device socket
2
as an electronic component. When the external leads
3
are inserted into the through holes
4
and soldered thereto, the device socket
2
is electrically connected to patterns on the packaging board
1
. The device socket
2
supports a semiconductor device
5
thereon which has external leads electrically connected respectively to the external leads
3
by contact elements
6
.
FIG.
2
(a) of the accompanying drawings shows another conventional electronic component packaging board to which an electronic component is detachably attached. FIG.
2
(b) of the accompanying drawings is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of a small-size socket on the conventional electronic component packaging board shown in FIG.
2
(a), and FIG.
2
(c) of the accompanying drawings is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of another small-size socket which may be used on the conventional electronic component packaging board. Although not shown in FIGS.
2
(b) and
2
(c), the conventional electronic component packaging board shown in FIG.
2
(a) has a plurality of small-size sockets.
As shown in FIG.
2
(a), an electronic component packaging board
7
has a plurality of through holes defined therein at positions in alignment with external leads
3
of a device socket
2
, and a plurality of small-size sockets
8
inserted and secured in the respective through holes. The electronic component packaging board
7
allows the device socket
2
to be electrically connected to patterns on the electronic component packaging board
7
simply when the external leads
3
are inserted into the respective small-size sockets
8
. The inserted external leads
3
can easily be pulled out of the respective small-size sockets
8
.
As shown in FIG.
2
(b), each of the small-size sockets
8
comprises a tubular sleeve
10
inserted in a through hole
9
defined in the electronic component packaging board
7
and a contact
11
mounted in the tubular sleeve
10
for exerting resilient forces radially of the tubular sleeve
10
. As shown in FIG.
2
(c), each of the small-size sockets
8
may comprise a tubular sleeve
10
having a tip end portion inserted in the through hole
9
defined in the electronic component packaging board
7
and having an outside diameter greater than the outside diameter of a portion of the tubular sleeve
10
which houses a contact
11
therein. The portion of the tubular sleeve
10
which houses the contact
11
therein projects largely from the electronic component packaging board
7
.
The electronic component packaging board
7
shown in FIGS.
2
(a) through
2
(c) suffers the following disadvantages:
If each of the small-size sockets
8
for holding the device socket
2
detachably is of the structure shown in FIG.
2
(b), then the spacing between the small-size sockets
8
on the electronic component packaging board
7
cannot be reduced because of required distances to be kept between adjacent ones of the through holes. Reducing the spacing between the small-size sockets
8
requires the diameter of the sleeve
10
to be reduced, but there is a certain limitation on the reduction of the diameter of the external leads
3
which are inserted in the sleeves
10
. The structure shown in FIG.
2
(b), therefore, does not permit the external leads of an electronic component for use on the device socket
2
to be reduced in pitch.
On the other hand, if each of the small-size sockets
8
for holding the device socket
2
replaceably is of the structure shown in FIG.
2
(c), then it is possible to reduce the diameter of the through holes for inserting the small-size sockets
8
therein. The reduced diameter of the through holes allows the adjacent small-size sockets
8
to be positioned closely to each other, so that the small-size sockets
8
can be spaced closely on the electronic component packaging board
7
. However, since the portion of the tubular sleeve
10
which houses the contact
11
therein projects largely from the electronic component packaging board
7
, the distance over which the external leads
3
of the device socket
2
are electrically connected to the through holes in the electronic component packaging board
7
is large.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic component packaging board which allows an electric component mounted thereon to be replaced easily, permits external leads of an electric component to be spaced a reduced pitch, and can be electrically connected to an electric component over a short distance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pin connector for use in such an electronic component packaging board.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a pin connector holder for holding such a pin connector highly accurately in position.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pin connector comprising a metallic slender sleeve, an outer contact bent outwardly from at least a portion of a side wall of the metallic slender sleeve, and an inner contact bent inwardly from at least a portion of a side wall of the metallic slender sleeve, the outer contact and the inner contact being resilient radially of the metallic slender sleeve. The metallic slender sleeve may have a contact region including the outer contact and the inner contact, a lead extending from the contact region, and a sealed portion disposed between the contact region and the lead.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a pin connector holder for holding a plurality of pin connectors each according to the first aspect of the present invention, having a plurality of through holes for being electrically connected to the outer contacts of the pin connectors, the through holes being positioned to keep the pin connectors spaced at a relatively small pitch.
The pin connectors may be inserted and held in the through holes and have end portions projecting from the through holes and fixed in position by a viscous adhesive.
The pin connector holder may further comprise a fixing member having a plurality of holes which receive the end portions projecting from the through holes, the end portions being fixed to the fixing member in the holes therein. It is preferable to employ a positioning structure by which the end portions projecting from the through holes and the holes in the fixing member are positioned with respect to each other.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is further provided an electronic component packaging board for supporting a pin connector according to the first aspect of the invention, comprising a board having a through hole defined therein in alignment with an external lead of an electronic component, the pin connector being inserted and held in the through hole. The pin connector may have an end portion projecting from the through hole and fixed to a land of the through hole.
The electronic component packaging board may further compris
Advantest Corporation
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP
Prasad Chandrika
Sircus Brian
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