Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This in~ention relates to an electrical
connector for connec-ting a planar leadless
electronic component package to a substrate.
Electronic components such as integrated
circuit chips are frequently mounted on a planar
electrically insulating substrate of, for
example, ceramic material, the substrate having
thereon conductors connected to contact points
on the component, and serving for establishing
connections between the component and external
circuitry.
It i5 often necessary to mount such an
elec-tronic component and substrate leadless
package on a further substrate such as a printed
circuit board, with the conductors of the package
electrically connected to conductors on the
further substrate.
Many forms of electrical connector for
effecting such mounting are well known, and a
common type comprises a housing of electrically
insulating material, in the form of a frame,
carrying a plurality of resilient electrical contac-ts,
arranged in individual pockets in the housing walls.
Each contact has a first contact point for
engagement with a conductor on the package and
a second contact point for engagement with a
conductor on the substrate, all the first contact
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points l~Jillg sul~stalltially in a first plane, ancl
all the se~ond contact poi.nts lying substanti.ally
ln a second plaJIe spaced from and parallel to t:he
first plane~
Such connectc)rs are also known, wh.iceh
include a lid hin~ed]..y connectecl to the hous.Lng,
which lid when closed on~o the housing serves
to urge a package mounted on the housing, into
enga~ement with the first contact points of the
contacts r and to secure the package to tlle
connector.
A difficult~ which arises with known
connectors is that since the conductors on the
package are not resilient, the contact fQrce
between these conductor.s and the contacts is
dependent solely upon the resiliency of the contacts,
~nd the accuracy o the positioni.ny of the contacts
in the housing.
~ccording to this invention, there is
provided an electrical connector for connecting
a planar leadless electronic component package to
a substrate; comprising a housing of electrically
insulat:ing materi.al carrying a p].urality o
resilient electri.ccll contacts each haviny a
first contact point for engagement ~ith a
con~uctc)r on the package and a second contact
pOi.llt for engagement ~lith a conductor on the
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sllb~trate, all.t~he ~irs~ cont~ct po:ints l~ing
substanti.ally in a first plane, and ~11 the se~ond
contact poin~s l~i.rlg substantially in a second
plane spaced fxom, and parallel to, the first
plane, the housinq having a lid which when closed
serv~s ~o urge the package in~o enyagement with
the first contact points of the contacts, in whi.ch
the lid carries spring membexs which enyage a
pack~ge mounted on the connector when the lid i.s :.
closed, thereb~ to enhance the engagament between
th~ first contac~ points of the contacts and the
conductors on the package.
This invention wi.l~ now be described by
way of example, with reference to the drawings,
tn whi.ch:-
Figure 1 i~ a perspective view of a
connectox according to the inventioni
Figure 2 is a section on the line II - II
in Figure l; and
Fi~-ure 3 is an exploded perspective vi~w
of a detai]. of the connector of Figure 1 showi.ng
how the con~acts are mounted in the houslng
thereof.
The connector shown i.s for use in mounting
a planar leadless electronlc component package
100 (Figure 2) on a printed circuit boaxd substrate
200~ wh.ile electrically connectin~ conductox.~ 101
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on the package 100 to conductors 201 on the
printed circuit board 200.
The connector comprises a housing 1 moulded
from electrically insulating plastics material
in the form of a rectanguloid box having four
side walls 2 and a base 3. Each side wall 2
is formed with a plurality of cavities 4 separated
by partitions 5, each of which cavities 4
receives an electrical contact 6. As best seen
in Figure 2, each contact 6 is substantially
S-shaped, the upper l.imb 7 providing a first
contact point 8 for engagement with a conduc-tor
101 on the Rackage 100, and the lower limb 9
providing a second contact point 10 for engagement
with a conductor 201 on the prin-ted circuit board
200. All the first contact points 8 lie
substantially in a first plane, and all the
second contac-t points 10 lie substantially in a
second plane, spaced from7 and parallel to, the
first plane, the first plane being defined by the
conductor-carrying surface of the package 100
when mounted on the connector, and the second
plane being defined by the conductor-carrying
surface of the printed ci.rcuit board 200.
The inner surface of the base 3 of the
housing 1 is covered by a me-tal plate 11 having
a threaded hole at its centre, and the connector
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~.s secux~d to khe prlnted ci.rGu~ . boarcl 200 b-y a
bolt 12 w~hicll passr-s through the board 200 and
the base 3 of ~he ho~ls:ing 1I to enc~age i.n the
hole .in the pl ane 11. rrhe hase 3 o~ the housing
5 1 is formed ~ith fou.r out~A~ardly extenaing
cylindrical projecki.ons ~.0, one at each corner,
which projections 20 engac~e in holes in the hoard
200 to posi.tion the connector accurately.
The contacts 6 each have an ~-shaped tai.l
mountin~ porkion 13 exkendincJ up~ardly from the
lower limb 9 (as shown ln ~'igures 2 and 3), and
the con~acts 6 a~ each wall ~ of the housincJ 1 are
secured in ~heir cavities ~ by means of a con~on
securincJ arrangement comprising a first bar 14
15 of electric~tlly insulAt~ ny plastics material,
which bar 14 is SU~ stantially L- haped and has
a plurality of recesses 15 each of which receives
the knee of the tail portion 13 of a conkact 6,
and a s~cond bar 16 of el.ectrically i.nsulating
plastics materlal which engages i~ the knees of
the tail portions 13 of the contacls 6 to hold
the contacts in ~hei.r recesses 15 ln the first
bar 14. The bars 14 and 16 are~ se~l1red to the
housi.ng L at their ends either ~y means of an
adhesive, ul~.ra-sollic woldin~, or merely by be ~ ng
an interferellce f:it i.n suitably si.7~ed recesses,
the c.~on-c~ci:s 6 thus ~e.i.nc.~ secured to the housillg
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1 i.n thei~ individua:l cavit.ies 4 ln the ~alls 2
thereo~.
Such a rnethod o~ s~curing the cGntacts 6
in the hol1sing 1 makes manu:Ea.cture and assembly
of t.he connector easy and thus relat.i.vely cheap,
~h.ile still ensuring that the contact.s ~ ar~
accux~.tely posit.ioned relati.ve to the conductors
o~ the package and substrate.
The hous.ing 1 has a lid 17 which is rormed
from spri.ng metal and which is secured to the
housing 1 by means of two hinges 18 formed on the
housi.ng 1. The hinges 18 are such that the l.id
17 can be po~it:ioned over the housing 1 but out
O~ COlltaC t there~lth/ and can then be moved
towards the housing 1 to engage the housing 1
at all r~oi.nts around the periphery thereo~
simultaneously~
Thls is a particular advantageous feature,
since th~ substrates used in packages are oft~n
of a ceramic material which is brittle, and thus
a package can easily bs damaged or evell bro~en
by the applicati.oll of unequal forces thereto.
The hin~e arran~ement. of the connector bein~
described ensures that substantia].~y equal ~orces
are applied to the package 100 about its perlphery
when the lid 17 is c1.o3ed to secure the pac]cac3e
100 in the connector.
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The hinges 1~ are loc.lted at two corners
of the housing 1, wh:Lle catclles 19 are provided
at the other two corners r which catclles 19 sQrve
to retai.n the lid 17 in .its closed position~
The lid 17 is formed with four I.~shaped sprin~
arms 21 adapted and arranyed to engage ~ package
100 when l~ount~d on the connector ~as sho~m in
Figure 2~ alld the lid 17 is closQd lnto its
closed positionc The lld 17 thus serves to secure
the package 100 in the connector, while the spring
arms 21 serve to enhance the enga~em2nt between the
irst contact points 8 of tlle contacts 6 and.the
conductors 101 on the pa.ckage 100. The lid 17
is stren~thened b~ flanges 22 at its periphery,
~hich flan~es are received in recesses 23 in
the walls 2 o the housing 1 when the lid 17 is
closed. Being of metal and in contact with the
package 100, the lid 17 also ser~es to dissipate
heat fro~ the package 100 when in use.
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