IC socket with two point-contacts

Details IC socket with two point-contacts IC socket with two point-contacts

2001-12-21

2003-04-01

Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Coupling part having handle or means to move contact...

Reexamination Certificate

active

06540537

ABSTRACT:

This application is based on Patent Application No. 2000-396148 filed Dec. 26, 2000 in Japan, the content of which is incorporated hereinto by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an IC socket with two point-contacts, and more specifically, to an IC socket with two point-contacts which restrict the tracks of contacts that may contact with a lead terminal of an IC package to prevent the lead terminal from being deformed.
2. Description of the Related Art
IC sockets with two point-contacts have been commonly used because of their capability of reliably measuring the characteristics of IC packages at a high speed. An IC socket with two point-contacts and the operation of installing a IC package on an IC socket will be described in brief with reference to FIG.
3
.
FIG. 3A
shows a socket free state in which no IC package is installed on an IC socket. In this figure, the IC socket
1
is composed of a contact
2
, a base
8
, a platform
7
, and a cover
9
. The contact
2
is composed of a pair of contact portions
4
and
5
that sandwich a lead terminal
12
of an IC package
11
, a pressure receiving section
3
that engages with a contact opening cam
10
of the cover
9
to move the pair of contact portions
4
and
5
, and a terminal portion
6
that projects downward from the base
8
. A large number of elastic contacts
2
are arranged on the base
8
in a direction perpendicular to the sheet of the drawing. The IC package
11
is placed on the platform
7
. Further, the cover
9
is urged and biased upward by a coil spring (not shown).
To install the package
11
on the IC socket
1
constructed as described above, the cover
9
is first subjected to a pressure corresponding to a full stroke, as shown in FIG.
3
B. The pressure receiving section
3
of the contact
2
engages with contact opening cam
10
of the cover
9
and moves along the opening cam
10
. Thereby the contact portions
4
and
5
of the contact
2
also move backward (right side contact moves rightward in the drawing).
Then, the IC package
11
is placed on the platform
7
, and the cover
9
is subsequently released. Then, the pair of contact portions
4
and
5
of the contact
2
move forward or return to their original portions, while the lead terminal
12
of the IC package
11
placed on the platform
7
is sandwiched between the contact portions
4
and
5
(see FIG.
3
C).
After the IC package
11
has been tested, the cover
9
is subjected to a pressure corresponding to a full stroke to move the contact portions
4
and
5
backward, while the lead terminal
12
is released from the contact portions
4
and
5
to allow the IC package
11
to be removed from the IC socket
1
.
When the lead terminal
12
of the IC package
11
is sandwiched between the pair of contact portions
4
and
5
, the motion of the contact portions
4
and
5
is controlled by the shape of the contact opening cam
10
provided on the cover
9
. However, although the above described IC socket with two point-contacts is characterized by allowing the characteristics of the IC package to be reliably measured at a high speed, good electric contact is not always achieved partly owing to the shape of the lead terminal
12
and regardless of the shape of the contact opening cam
10
.
This will be described with reference to FIG.
4
. In this figure, the pair of contact portions
4
and
5
sandwich the lead terminal
12
therebetween while moving in the direction shown by the arrow in the figure. At this time, depending on the shape of the lead terminal
12
, the lower contact portion
5
, which comes in contact with the lead terminal
12
from below, abuts against an end of the lead terminal
12
to deform the lead terminal
12
(see the parts of the figure shown by the solid lines). This results in bad contact or in the worst case, hinders the lead terminal
12
from being sandwiched therebetween. Further, even if the lead terminal
12
is successfully sandwiched between the contact portions
4
and
5
, it is pressed by the upper contact portion
4
, which comes in contact with the lead terminal
12
from above, and is thus deformed downward (see the parts of the figure shown by the dot lines), depending on its shape. In some cases, the lower contact portion
5
cannot come in contact with the lead terminal
12
.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an IC socket constituted to restrict the tracks of the pair of contact portions, while allowing the pair of contact portions to contact with the lead terminal under a uniform pressure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An IC socket with two point-contacts according to the present invention is characterized by comprising contacts each having a pair of contact portions that sandwich a lead terminal of an IC package therebetween and that are urged and biased by elastic force in a direction in which the contact portions sandwich the lead terminal therebetween, and a contact track restricting means arranged between each pair of contact portions to restrict motion thereof.
Further, the IC socket with two point-contacts according to the present invention is characterized in that the contact track restricting means comprise at least a parallel portion, and the pair of contact portions each comprise an inclined surface on an inner side of a neighborhood of a tip thereof.
Furthermore, the IC socket with two point-contacts according to the present invention may further comprise a cover so that in response to vertical movement of the cover, the pair of contact portions of each contact move forward and backward along the contact track restricting means relative to the lead terminal of the IC package.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5443396 (1995-08-01), Tokushige
patent: 5713751 (1998-02-01), Fukunaga
patent: 6109944 (2000-08-01), Takeyama
patent: 6213803 (2001-04-01), Kato et al.
patent: 6296503 (2001-10-01), Shimada
patent: 6354856 (2002-03-01), Shimada

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