Electrical connectors – Coupling part having handle or means to move contact... – Expandable – prong receiving socket
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-30
2002-04-16
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part having handle or means to move contact...
Expandable, prong receiving socket
C439S331000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06371783
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to a socket for electrical parts or components for detachably holding an electrical part such as a semiconductor device (hereinafter, referred to as an IC (Integrated Circuit) package), and also relates to a method of assembling the socket.
2. Description of The Prior Art
In a known art, as a conventional “socket for electrical parts” of this kind, there is provided an IC socket for detachably holding an IC package as “electrical part”.
The IC socket is provided with a socket body and a top plate disposed on the socket body so that the IC package is mounted on the top plate. The IC socket is also provided with contact pins detachably contacted to terminals of the IC package and a slide plate arranged between the top plate and the socket body so as to be permitted to horizontally slide. Moreover, an upper operation member is disposed to the socket body so as to be movable vertically (upward and downward) with respect to the socket body.
When the upper operation member is moved downward, the slide plate located at an initial position is horizontally slid so as to elastically deform the contact pins, and a contact portion formed on an upper end of each of the contact pins moves away from an insertion area of the terminals of the IC package. After the contact pin moves away from the insertion area, the IC package is mounted on the top plate, and the upper operation member is moved upward so that the slide plate returns to the initial position, thereby releasing a pressing force against the contact pins. The release of the pressing force causes the contact pin to return an initial position by an elastic force so that contact portion of each of the contact pins contacts to each of the terminals of the IC package so as to be electrically connected thereto.
In these structures of the conventional IC socket, installation and removal of the IC package have been carried out only by sliding horizontally the slide plate without applying insertion and extraction force, making it possible to extremely improve efficiency of the installation and removal of the IC package.
However, in the conventional socket described above, in order to secure a contact pressure of the contact portion of each of the contact pins to each of the terminals of the IC package, it is necessary for each of the contact pins to have comparatively large rigidity. In a case where the contact pins must be arranged on the socket body so that each of the pitches (spaces) between the respective contact pins is narrow, it is necessary to use fine contact pins. Because the fine contact pin does not have sufficient rigidity, there is the possibility that a suitable contact pressure of the contact pin to the terminal of the IC package is not secured. In addition, in order to elastically deform the large number of contact pins each having large rigidity, there is a need of a large operating force for operating the upper operation member.
Furthermore, the contact portion of each contact pin must be arranged at a predetermined position so as to contact to each terminal of the IC package. However, since the contact pin, having long and thin structure, has a lower end disposed to the socket body and the upper end formed with the contact portion contacting to a solder ball, as the terminal of the IC package, a position of the contact portion is instable so that it is hard to arrange the contact portion of the contact pin to the predetermined position.
On the other hand, in this IC socket, the contact pins, which are arranged as an array on the whole, are pressed to fit in the socket body. The slide plate, the top plate and the like are successively laminated and arranged on an upper side of the contact pins.
Each of the plates is formed with through holes, and the upper end portions of the contact pins are inserted in the through holes, respectively.
However, in the conventional IC socket, when plate members, such as the slide plate, the top plate and so on, are assembled to the socket body, the respective upper end portions of the contact pins fitted in the socket body must be inserted in the respective through holes. Therefore, in a case where precision of the spaces between the respective upper end portions of the respective contact pins is deteriorated, it is very hard to carry out the insertion work of the respective contact pins, so that much time for carrying out the insertion work is required.
Especially, because the IC package is getting to rapidly small-sized so that the pitches between the respective terminals are getting to narrow, the pitches between the respective contact pins are getting to narrow. For this reason, the above problems caused by the insertion work of the contact pins are remarkably exposed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to overcome the foregoing problems.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a socket for electrical parts, which is capable of securing a reaction force (contact pressure) by using a thin contact pin and of operating the contact pin by using a small operating force.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide a socket for electrical parts, which is able to arrange a contact portion of a contact pin to a predetermined position.
It is a further object of the present invention is to provide a socket for electrical parts and a method of assembling the socket, which are capable of positioning front end portions of contact pins so that the front end portions thereof are aligned, thereby improving an assembly efficiency of an plate member of the socket.
These and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing, in one aspect, a socket for an electrical part comprising:
a socket body having a mount portion on which an electrical part is mounted, the electrical part having terminals;
a number of contact pins arranged to the socket body and adapted to be contacted to or separated from the terminals of the electrical part, respectively;
a movable plate disposed to the socket body so as to be movable with respect to the socket body,
each of the contact pins having an elastic piece formed at a front end portion thereof with a contact portion, the contact portion being displaced in accordance with the movement of the movable plate so as to contact to the terminal of the electrical part, thereby being electrically connected thereto; and
a press means for pressing a middle portion of the elastic piece of the contact pin arranged to the socket body so as to elastically deform the middle portion thereof along a direction in that the contact portion are contacted to the terminal of the electrical part.
In a preferred embodiment of this aspect, the press means comprises a press plate having press holes in which the middle portion of the elastic piece is inserted, the press plate being mounted on the socket body, while the middle portion of the elastic piece is inserted in the press hole and the press plate holes pressing the middle portion of the elastic piece so as to elastically deform the middle portion thereof.
The press member is detachably mounted on the socket body or mounted on the socket body integrally.
In another aspect, there is provided a socket for an electrical part comprising:
a socket body having a mount portion on which an electrical part is mounted, the electrical part having terminals;
a number of contact pins arranged to the socket body and adapted to be contacted to or separated from the terminals of the electrical part, respectively;
a movable plate disposed to the socket body so as to be movable with respect to the socket body,
each of the contact pins having a pair of elastic pieces, formed at front end portions thereof, with a pair of contact portions, each of the paired contact portions of the paired elastic pieces being opened or closed in accordance with the movement of the movable plate so as to clamp each of the terminals of the electrical part, thereby being electrically connected thereto; and
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Fukunaga Masami
Mori Kentaro
Ohashi Yoshiyuki
Enplas Corporation
Patel Tulsidas
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