Socket connector

Details Socket connector Socket connector

1999-07-15

2001-03-13

Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...

Including compound movement of coupling part

C439S070000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06200153

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a socket connector, and in particular to a simplified socket connector mounted to a circuit board which replaces a base thereof.
2. The Prior Art
A socket connector, such as Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) connector is often used to connect a central processing unit (CPU) module to a circuit board. As shown in
FIG. 1
of the attached drawings, a known socket connector
7
comprises a base
74
fixed on a circuit board (not shown) and a cover
71
mounted to the base
74
with a slide plate
72
movably received therebetween. A manual driving member
73
is pivotally supported between the cover
71
and the base
74
and is drivingly coupled to the slide plate
72
for moving the slide plate
72
. The manual driving member
73
partially extends beyond the cover
71
for facilitating manual operation thereof. The rotation of the manual driving member drives the slide plate
72
to move with respect to the base
74
and the cover
71
.
Contact elements
75
are received in bores
741
defined in the base
74
. The cover
71
defines a plurality of holes
711
corresponding to the contact elements
75
for receiving pins of a CPU module (not shown) therein. The pins are partially received in corresponding slots
721
defined in the slide plate
72
whereby the movement of the slide plate
72
causes conductive members (not shown) retained therein to simultaneously engage with the pins and the contact elements
75
.
The contact elements
75
are soldered to the circuit board by a solder ball technique and during the soldering process, heat is simultaneously applied to the base
74
and the circuit board which both undergo thermal expansion. Since the base
74
and the circuit board are often made from different materials having different thermal expansion coefficients, a relative shift occurs between the base
74
and the circuit board causing the solder balls to be undesirably displaced or damaged.
Furthermore, the base
74
shields the engagement between the contact elements
75
and the circuit board whereby it is difficult for a user to inspect and ensure a proper soldering engagement between the contact elements
75
and the circuit board.
Thus, it is desired to have a socket connector that eliminates the problems discussed above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a socket connector comprising contact elements directly mounted on a circuit board thereby eliminating problems associated with different thermal expansions.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a socket connector having exposed contact elements for facilitating visual inspection of solder joints thereof.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a socket connector having a simple structure.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a socket connector having a low manufacturing cost.
To achieve the above objects, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention comprises a pair of spaced locking blocks fixed to a circuit board. A plurality of contact elements is mounted to the circuit board between the locking blocks. A cover is fixed to the locking blocks and spaced from the circuit board for movably receiving a slide plate therebetween. The cover retains a CPU module thereon and defines a plurality of holes corresponding to the contact elements through which pins of the CPU module extend. The slide plate defines slots corresponding to the contact elements and the holes of the cover for partially receiving the pins and the contact elements therein whereby when the slide plate is moved to a predetermined position, electrical connection is established between each contact element and the corresponding pin of the CPU module for connecting the CPU module to the circuit board.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5342207 (1994-08-01), Sobhani
patent: 6030238 (2000-02-01), Dong
patent: 6062890 (2000-05-01), Pei et al.

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