Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-27
2001-01-23
Sircus, Brian (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
06176709
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a socket and an adapter for an integrated circuit which permit an integrated circuit such as a CPU package to be mounted on a primary wiring board such as a motherboard, and to an integrated circuit assembly, such as a CPU accelerator, which utilizes the socket and the adapter.
2. Description of Related Art
Motherboards incorporated in personal computers are generally provided with a socket for mounting of a CPU. The socket is adapted to be fitted with a so-called PGA (pin grid array) package containing a chip such as a CPU.
With rapid CPU development, higher performance CPUs have successively be introduced onto the market. Personal computers are upgraded for higher-speed computation by replacing a CPU of old type with a higher-performance CPU of new type. The upgrade is indispensable for using more advanced software without any stress while efficiently utilizing existing hardware resources.
However, the old CPU and the new CPU do not necessarily have the same driving voltage and the same signal pin array, so that the upgrade cannot be achieved as desired only by the replacement of the PGA package.
The upgrade of the CPU is typically achieved by employing an adapter for adaptation of the driving voltage and signals between the socket on the motherboard of the existing personal computer and the new CPU. The most common product for the CPU upgrade on the market is a CPU accelerator which includes an adapter as described above and a CPU of new type in combination.
FIG. 11
is a schematic diagram illustrating the construction of a conventional CPU accelerator. In
FIG. 11
, the CPU accelerator
100
attached to a socket
121
of a motherboard
120
is viewed along a surface of the motherboard
120
. The socket
121
is a so-called “Socket7” which is mounted on the motherboard
120
. A PGA package
130
(CPU package) incorporating a CPU is usually attached to the socket
121
as shown in FIG.
13
.
Referring to
FIG. 11
, the CPU accelerator
100
includes a PGA package
101
(CPU package) incorporating a CPU, a PGA socket
102
fitted with the PGA package
101
, a first intermediate printed wiring board
103
having the PGA socket
102
mounted thereon, a second intermediate printed wiring board
104
for adaptation of a driving voltage, a signal and the like, and a cooling device
105
provided on the PGA package
102
for cooling the CPU.
The PGA socket
102
receives and holds all of a plurality of pins
106
projecting from a lower surface of the PGA package
101
. More specifically, a plurality of pins
107
are implanted in a lower surface of the PGA socket
102
, and respectively have pin holders provided at heads thereof for receiving and holding the pins
106
of the PGA package
101
. The pins
107
of the PGA socket
102
are all fixed onto the first intermediate printed wiring board
103
by soldering.
The first intermediate printed wiring board
103
is provided with a voltage regulator circuit for transforming a voltage supplied from the motherboard
120
, for example, from 3.3V to 2.2V and supplying the voltage to the PGA package
101
, a circuit for setting a clock factor for generating a CPU drive clock by multiplying a base clock supplied from the motherboard
120
by an integer, a power supply circuit for supplying power to the cooling fan
105
, and the like.
The plurality of pins
107
of the PGA socket
102
include signal pins
107
A for transmission of an address signal and a data signal, setting pins
107
B for transmission of a clock factor setting signal and the like, and relay pins
107
C for supplying a source voltage from the first intermediate printed wiring board
103
to the PGA package
101
and for transmitting a signal which needs to be subjected to a signal adaptation process.
A plurality of pins
111
project from a lower surface of the first intermediate printed wiring board
103
in a parallel relation. Of the plurality of pins
111
, pins
111
A which are implanted in association with the signal pins
107
A are respectively connected to the signal pins
107
via solder portions
112
embedded in through-holes formed in the first intermediate printed wiring board
103
as shown in
FIG. 12
on a greater scale. The pins
111
are provided neither in association with the setting pins
107
B nor just below the relay pins
107
C. The relay pins
107
C are each connected to the voltage regulator circuit or the like on the first intermediate printed wiring board
103
or to an interconnection conductor provided on the first intermediate printed wiring board
103
. Of the plurality of pins
111
, pins
111
C associated with the relay pins
107
C are implanted in positions not just below the relay pins
107
C.
A circuit for supplying a source voltage from the motherboard to the pins
111
C and a circuit for converting a pin arrangement are provided on the second intermediate printed wiring board
104
. The pins
111
A of the first intermediate printed wiring board
103
associated with the signal pins
107
A extend through the second intermediate printed wiring board
104
to be held thereby. Further, the second intermediate printed wiring board
104
has pins
113
associated with the pins
111
C in a coaxial relation with respect to the relay pins
107
C. The pins
113
and the pins
111
A are fitted in the socket
121
on the motherboard
120
.
With the CPU accelerator
100
being mounted on the motherboard
120
as shown in
FIG. 11
, a lower surface of the second intermediate printed wiring board
104
abuts against an upper surface of the socket
121
, whereby the pins
113
,
111
A are prevented from being inserted slantwise into the socket
121
.
In the conventional CPU accelerator
100
described above, however, the two intermediate printed wiring boards, i.e., the first and second intermediate printed wiring boards
103
and
104
, are vertically stacked, so that a great number of components are incorporated therein. This increases component costs and production costs with an increased number of assembly steps.
With the two printed wiring boards vertically stacked, the CPU accelerator
100
inevitably has a greater height. Particularly, where the CPU accelerator
100
is to be accommodated in a smaller-size housing, the CPU accelerator will suffer from limitations of space, thereby spatially interfering with other components or interior wall surfaces of the housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a socket for an integrated circuit which allows for reduction in the number of components in an integrated circuit adapter and an integrated circuit assembly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adapter for an integrated circuit which has a reduced number of components.
It is further another object of the present invention to provide an integrated circuit assembly which has a reduced number of components.
The socket for an integrated circuit in accordance with the present invention is used for attaching the integrated circuit to a socket mounted on a primary wiring board with an intermediate wiring board interposed therebetween, and comprises: a housing to be directly fitted with the integrated circuit; a long insertion pin which is to be inserted through the intermediate wiring board and to be fitted in the socket of the primary wiring board; a short insertion pin which is to be inserted through the intermediate wiring board but not to reach the socket of the primary wiring board; and a surface-mount pin which is to be connected to a surface of the intermediate wiring board opposed to the housing; the long insertion pin, the short insertion pin and the surface-mount pin being implanted in the housing.
The primary wiring board may be, for example, a motherboard mounted in a personal computer. The integrated circuit may be, for example, a CPU package incorporating a CPU. Further, the intermediate wiring board may be provided with a source voltage transforming circuit for transforming a source
Nishida Osamu
Oya Makoto
Sonobe Yoshiiku
Watanabe Satoru
Melco Inc
Nguyen Son V.
Rader Fishman & Grauer
Sircus Brian
LandOfFree
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