Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Including compound movement of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-03
2001-07-03
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Including compound movement of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254415
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to a socket and actuator for connecting a pin grid-array (“PGA”) package to a circuit member.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A typical PGA package includes a silicon chip, a package including conductive and non-conductive components and a plurality of pins in a grid array depending downward from a bottom surface of the package. Conventionally, sockets for PGA packages include a plate-like base housing having a plurality of terminals arranged in the same grid pattern as the lead pins of the PGA package and a plate-like cover member having a plurality of through holes in the same grid pattern as the lead pins of the pin grid-array package, thus permitting the lead pins to be inserted in the through holes. The plate-like cover member is slidably positioned on the upper surface of the base housing. Some examples of such sockets are shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-142134 and Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 2-536440.
The base housing and cover are slidably interconnected so that the cover is driven in a plane parallel to the underlying base housing between a first position in which the lead pins of the PGA package can pass through the through holes of the cover to reach the terminals mounted in the underlying base housing without requiring any insertion force to be applied to the lead pins and a second position in which the lead pins of the PGA package contact the terminals.
A variety of terminal structures have been proposed as appropriate for use in such sockets. Some such terminals are configured such that their contact portions engage the lead pins of a PGA package upon movement of the cover of the socket, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-142134 and Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 2-536440 referred to above. Conversely, some terminals are configured such that the lead pins of a PGA package are brought to the contact portions of terminals in the base housing as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-185981.
Essentially all of the terminals have contact portions located in the terminal-receiving cavities of the base housing of the socket, and most have straight pin-like solder tails extending from the bottom of the base housing of the socket. These pin-like solder tails are inserted into through holes of a printed circuit board on which the socket is mounted, and are soldered to the printed circuit board.
The base housing typically has some type of drive mechanism formed thereon for slidably moving the cover over the underlying base housing. In some sockets, a cam is rotatably attached to one lateral side or end of the base housing, and the cam is adapted to be rotated with an associated handle, thereby permitting the cam axle to push or pull the cover over the underlying base housing. The handle may be rotated from a horizontal position in which it is parallel to the base housing to a vertical position in which it is perpendicular to the base housing.
The demand for ever smaller electronic devices has driven the demand for smaller components that make up the electronic devices. However, customers also desire increasing performance from these smaller devices. Thus, component designers must continue to shrink their designs while still improving their performance and ease of use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above one object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized socket structure for a pin grid-array package.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a zero insertion force electrical connector for mounting on a circuit member and receiving a device having a pin terminal array. The electrical connector includes a base housing and a cover. The base housing has an upper surface and a lower surface and a plurality of terminal-receiving cavities arranged in a terminal-receiving cavity array generally corresponding to the pin terminal array. The cover is mounted on the upper surface of the base housing and is movable relative to the base housing between a first pin insertion position and a second pin engagement position. One of the cover and the base housing may have a metal component adjacent an end thereof. The metal component has an opening for receiving an actuator therein and a metal component stop member adjacent the opening.
A plurality of conductive terminals are provided with one of the terminals being mounted in each cavity. A rotatable actuator is also provided and is operable to slide the cover relative to the base housing between the first insertion position and the second engagement position. The actuator has an actuator stop member configured to engage the metal component stop member upon rotation of the actuator in order to prevent rotation of the actuator past a predetermined angular position and thus limit linear motion of the cover relative to the base housing.
The base housing may include a metal component extending along one end of the base housing and being spaced from the terminal-receiving cavities. Such metal component includes an opening therein configured for engagement by the actuator. The metal component may further include arms extending along opposite sides of the base housing with the arms spaced from the terminal-receiving cavities. The cover may include guide structure that interacts with edges of the base member to guide the cover between the first insertion position and the second engagement position.
The cover may include a generally planar layer of sheet metal and a generally planar layer of insulative material. In addition, the cover may also include a second metal component which extends along one end of the cover and is spaced from the through holes. This metal component could include a cam follower surface configured to engage the socket actuator. The actuator may be a metal component. The metal component stop member may be a projection on the cover adjacent the opening and the projection may extend into the opening.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a socket similar to that described above but wherein the socket does not include a metal component with an opening therein. The actuator has an axis of rotation generally perpendicular to the plane of the cover and further includes an actuator stop member configured to engage the stop projection upon rotation of the actuator in order to prevent rotation of the actuator past a predetermined angular position and thus limit linear motion of the cover relative to the base housing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide still another socket similar to that described above and wherein the one of the cover and base housing further include a mounting region for receiving an actuator thereat. The actuator and the mounting region include orientation structure to prevent the actuator from being inserted into the mounting region when the actuator is oriented at certain predetermined angular orientations.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a socket similar to that described above but wherein the actuator and mounting region include securing structure to secure the actuator to one of the cover and base housing within the mounting region without any additional components. The actuator may include at least one projection to secure the actuator to the base housing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5569045 (1996-10-01), Hsu
Mizumura Akinori
Noda Atsuhito
Molex Incorporated
Nasri Javaid
Sircus Brian
Yesukevich Robert A.
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