Socket for electrical parts

Details Socket for electrical parts Socket for electrical parts

2002-02-01

2003-10-28

Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

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

For dual inline package

C439S342000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06638091

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to a socket for electrical parts for detachably accommodating an electrical part such as a semiconductor device (called as “IC package” hereinafter), and more particularly, to a socket for electrical parts having a structure for effectively acting an urging force of an urging member for urging an open/close member in a direction pressing it against an IC package body.
2. Related Art
As a “socket for electrical parts” of this kind, there is provided an IC socket for detachably accommodating an IC package as “electrical part”, and one example having such structure is shown in
FIGS. 6
to
8
.
FIG. 6
is a plan view of such IC socket including an upper half portion in which an open/close member is opened and a lower half portion in which the open/close member is closed.
FIG. 7
is a sectional view taken along the line VII—VII in
FIG. 6
, showing the closed state of the open/close member, and
FIG. 8
is also a sectional view taken along the line VIII—VIII in
FIG. 6
showing the opened state of the open/close member.
In a case where a performance test of an IC package is carried out by using this IC socket, as shown in
FIGS. 6
to
8
, an open/close member
41
having a heat sink
40
is mounted to a socket body
42
, to be rotatable (pivotal) about a rotational shaft
43
, so as to press downward the IC package body and to remove heat generated in the IC package. The IC package
50
is then rested on a mount surface portion
45
of an IC socket
44
, and thereafter, the heat sink
40
is disposed so as to abut against an upper surface of the IC package
50
to thereby press the body portion of the IC package
50
with a predetermined pressure and carry out the heat radiation during.this process.
A torsion coil spring
46
as a member for urging the open/close member
41
in a direction of closing the same is arranged between the socket body
42
and the open/close member
41
having the heat sink
40
. More specifically, the torsion coil spring
46
has a rod-like portion
46
a
, and a front end portion of the rod-like portion
46
a
is engaged with an end portion of the open/close member
41
positioned apart from the rotational shaft
43
of the open/close member
41
, a coil (coiled) portion
46
b
of the torsion coil spring
46
is wound up around the rotational shaft
43
, and the end portion
46
c
of the coil portion
46
b
is engaged with the rotational shaft
43
so as not to be rotated, thereby urging the open/close member
41
in its closing direction.
Further, in a case where the open/close member
41
is opened for mounting the IC package
50
, the end side of the open/close member
41
is opened against the urging force of the torsion coil spring
46
about the rotational shafts
43
as shown in FIG.
8
.
In the IC socket
44
of the structure mentioned above, the rod-like portion
46
a
of the torsion coil spring
46
is rotated by the same angle &thgr;
1
(displacement amount) of the open/close member
41
according to the opening movement of the open/close member, as shown in FIG.
7
.
On the other hand, in order to ensure a contact pressure sufficient for contacting the heat sink
40
against the IC package body, it will be done to increase the winding number of the coil portion
46
b
of the torsion coil spring
46
or to make large the coil portion in average diameter.
However, increasing of the urging force of the torsion coil spring
46
by increasing the winding number or making large the average diameter of the coil windings results in increasing of a force required for opening the open/close member
41
and, hence, increasing of a space for arranging the torsion coil spring
46
, and moreover, because of the rotation angle &thgr;
1
(displacement) of the rod-like portion
46
a
of the torsion coil spring
46
, the operational durability of the torsion coil spring
46
will be made worse.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defect or drawbacks encountered in the related art mentioned above and to provide a socket for electrical parts capable of, while maintaining a predetermined contact pressure contacting an open/close member against a body of an electrical part such as IC package, reducing a force for opening the open/close member by reducing an urging force of an urging member that generates such contact pressure, making compact the entire structure of the socket and improving an operational durability thereof.
This and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing, in one aspect, a socket for an electrical part which comprises an open/close member mounted, to be rotatable about a rotational shaft, to a socket body in which an electrical part is accommodated, an urging member for urging the open/close member in a closed direction thereof, and an operation member vertically movable with respect to the socket body and in which the open/close member is opened against the urging force of the urging member by depressing the operation member, wherein one end portion of the urging member is engaged with a portion of the open/close member apart from a rotation center thereof and another end portion of the urging member is engaged with the operation member.
According to this aspect of the invention, in accordance with the depressing motion of the operation member, the other end portion of the urging member is also lowered and escapes. Moreover, even if another urging member having an urging force weak in amount corresponding to the escaping amount be used, while a pressure contacting the heat sink to the IC package is maintained at a predetermined value, the urging force of the urging member generating such contacting pressure can be made weak to thereby reduce the opening force to the open/close member. Furthermore, the entire structure of the socket for electrical parts can be made compact in size. The operational performance and durability thereof can be also improved.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the urging member is a torsion coil spring having a coil portion, the one end portion extending from the coil portion and being engaged with that portion of the open/close member, and the another end portion extending from the coil portion, the coil portion being wound up around the rotational shaft.
The operation member is formed with an engagement portion with which the another end portion of the urging member is engaged and an escape portion, in which the another end portion is rotated according to lowering motion of the operation member, is formed to the operation member outside the engagement portion.
An auxiliary urging member for urging upward the operation member is disposed between the socket body and the operation member.
The open/close member is provided with a heat sink radiating a heat through contact to the electrical part. The heat sink is provided with an urging force adjusting device for urging the heat sink in a direction contacting to the electrical part. The urging force adjusting device includes a plurality of urging force adjusting members which are disposed apart from each other.
According to the structures of the above preferred embodiment, there acts a force for rotating the open/close member in its closing direction by means of the torsion coil spring with the contact portion between the inside portion of the coil portion of the torsion coil spring and the rotational shaft being fulcrum, and hence, the pressure for pressing the heat sink against the electrical part can be increased.
Furthermore, according to the formation of the escape portion, the other end portion of the urging member is guided to this escape portion by rotating at a predetermined degree of angles, so that the open/close member can be fully opened with a reduced rotation angle of the urging member. Thus, substantially the same urging force as that in the structure in which the other end is fixed can be achieved by using the urging member having a compact size and s

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