JP2011142015A - Electric contactor and electric connection device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric contactor with a state of the small number of components maintained and capable of stable electric contact and connection, and to provide an electric connection device using the same. <P>SOLUTION: The electric contactor electrically connecting two objects to be contacted is formed of two members of a movable plunger and a coil spring unit, wherein the movable plunger includes a body part formed in a cylindrical shape, a contact part formed at an upper end of the body part and capable of contacting with one of the objects to be contacted, and a shoulder part engaged with a member housing and retaining the electric contactor. The coil spring unit includes an effective winding part with its free end housed in and retained by the body part of the movable plunger and functioning as a spirally wound coil spring, and a terminal part with its free end capable of contacting with the other object to be contacted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connection device such as an IC socket, and more particularly to an improvement of an electrical contact that electrically connects two points in the electrical connection device.

  Conventionally, in an electrical connection device such as an IC socket for IC package inspection, a cylindrical electrical contact (“probe contact” or “contact pin”) is used as an electrical contact for electrically connecting an IC package and a test board. Has been used. For example, in a cylindrical electric contact as shown in Patent Document 1, the IC package to be inspected is downsized and the number of external contacts increases, so that the interval (pitch) between the external contacts must be narrowed. This is one of the effective electrical contacts in a recent electrical connection device.

JP 2004-179066 A Patent No. 3768183 Specification

  In the cylindrical electrical contact shown in Patent Document 1, the number of parts is large, the assembling accuracy between parts is strict, and the assembling is complicated. Therefore, there is a problem that the product becomes expensive. Moreover, since there are many parts, the electrical contact part between each part increases, and there exists a possibility of making an electrical contact unstable. Furthermore, the structure of the movable plunger that is in contact with the external terminals of the IC package and the test board constituting the cylindrical electric contact is three-dimensional, requires complicated cutting processing, and requires processing accuracy. Further, the structure of the IC socket that supports such an electrical contact also needs to be devised, which complicates the structure.

  In order to solve such a problem, as shown in Patent Document 2, an electrical contact that omits a cylindrical tubular body and manufactures a movable plunger from a thin metal plate by punching or bending is proposed. ing.

  However, since the electric contact shown in Patent Document 2 is manufactured by punching or bending a metal plunger from a thin metal plate, there are particularly two contact parts of the movable plunger that come into contact with external contacts of the IC package. It becomes a linear arrangement. Therefore, for example, when the external contact of the IC package is formed of a solder ball, the movable plunger cannot come into contact with the solder ball in a planar manner, and may be in a non-contact state such as sliding in some cases. The electrical contact may become unstable. Further, since the cylindrical main body is omitted, the coil spring unit that supports the movable plunger is exposed, and foreign matters such as dust are caught in the active portion (effective winding portion) as the spring of the coil spring unit, which is stable. There is a risk that the electrical connection will be disturbed.

  In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical contact that can maintain stable electrical contact and connection while maintaining a small number of components, and an electrical connection device using the electrical contact. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, the electrical contact of the present invention is an electrical contact for electrically connecting two objects to be contacted, and the electrical contact is formed of two members, a movable plunger and a coil spring unit. The movable plunger is associated with a member that holds and holds a cylindrical main body portion, a contact portion that is formed at the upper end of the main body portion, and that can come into contact with one contacted object. The coil spring unit has an engaging shoulder, and the free end of the coil spring unit is housed and held in the main body portion of the movable plunger and functions as a spirally wound coil spring, and the free end is the other contacted part It has the terminal part which can contact an object, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Moreover, the movable plunger which comprises the electric contactor of this invention is formed by processing from a metal board | plate material, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In the electrical contact according to the present invention, the cylindrical main body portion is a pair of inwardly formed protruding from the cylindrical main body portion toward its central axis in order to hold the free end of the effective winding portion of the coil spring unit. A protrusion may be provided, an L-shaped locking member extending from the cylindrical main body portion toward the central axis thereof, or from the cylindrical main body portion to the central axis thereof. You may provide a pair of latching piece cut and raised toward.

  In the electrical contact of the present invention, the shoulder portion may have a horizontal portion extending outwardly at the lower end of the cylindrical main body portion, and the cylindrical main body portion is the coil spring. By having a small-diameter portion that does not accommodate the unit and a large-diameter portion that accommodates the coil spring unit, the shoulder portion is formed as a horizontal step portion that connects the small-diameter portion and the large-diameter portion of the cylindrical body portion. Also good.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the outer diameter of the effective winding portion constituting the coil spring unit is formed larger than the outer diameter of the tightly wound portion.

  In addition, the electrical connection device according to the present invention is characterized in that two objects to be contacted can be electrically connected by including the electrical contact.

  The electrical contact of the present invention is formed of two members, ie, a movable plunger and a coil spring unit, so that the number of parts is small and assembly is facilitated. Further, since the movable plunger is manufactured from a plate material by press working such as punching or bending, it is easy to manufacture and therefore the manufacturing cost is low. Furthermore, since the coil spring unit is housed in the movable plunger, foreign matter is not caught by the effective winding portion constituting the coil spring unit. In addition, by configuring the electrical contact in this way, the structure of the electrical connection device to which the electrical contact is attached becomes simple, which enables downsizing of the device, facilitates manufacture, and facilitates manufacturing costs. Can be suppressed or reduced.

It is a perspective view of the electrical contact which concerns on the 1st Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a plunger of the electric contact shown in FIG. 1, (a) is a front view, and (b) is a side view. It is an expanded view of the plunger which comprises the electric contact shown by FIG. It is sectional drawing of the electrical connection apparatus using the electrical contact shown by FIG. It is a partially expanded sectional view which shows the state of the electrical contact in the electrical connection apparatus shown by FIG. 4, (a) is the state by which the electrical contact was attached to the electrical connection apparatus, ie, the state shown by FIG. B) shows a state where the test board is attached to the electrical connection device, and (c) shows a state where the IC package is mounted on the electrical connection device. It is a figure of the electric contact which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention, (a) is the front view which partially cut the plunger of the electric contact, (b) is the circle | round | yen of Fig.6 (a). It is the elements on larger scale which expanded the VIb part. It is a partially expanded sectional view which shows the state in the electrical connection apparatus of the electrical contact shown by Fig.6 (a), (a) shows the state by which the electrical contact was attached to the electrical connection apparatus, (b) Shows the state where the test board is attached to the electrical connection device, and (c) shows the state where the IC package is mounted on the electrical connection device. It is a figure of the electrical contact which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention, (a) is the front view which partially cut the plunger of the electrical contact, (b) is the circle | round | yen of Fig.8 (a). It is the elements on larger scale which expanded the VIIIb part. It is a figure of the electric contact which concerns on the 4th Example of this invention, (a) is the front view which partially cut the plunger of the electric contact, (b) is the circle | round | yen of FIG. 9 (a). It is the elements on larger scale which expanded the IXb part. It is the front view which carried out partial cross section of the plunger of the electric contact concerning the 5th example of the present invention. It is the front view which carried out partial cross section of the plunger of the electric contact concerning the 6th example of the present invention. It is a figure of the electrical contact which concerns on the 7th Example of this invention, (a) is front sectional drawing, (b) is side part sectional drawing. It is a figure of the electrical contact which concerns on the 8th Example of this invention, (a) is front sectional drawing, (b) is a side view.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the electric contact according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show a first embodiment of an electrical contact according to the present invention and an IC socket as an electrical connection device using the same. FIGS. 6 to 13 show another embodiment of the electric contact according to the present invention.

  In this specification, the term “upper” refers to the + y direction in FIG. 4. Similarly, “lower” is the −y direction, “left” is the + x direction, and “right” is the −x. Direction, “front” refers to the + z direction, and “rear” refers to the −z direction. In FIG. 4, “upper and lower” is also referred to as “vertical”, and “left and right” and “front and rear” are also referred to as “horizontal”.

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electric contact 10 according to the present invention is a member that electrically connects two objects to be contacted. In this embodiment, the movable plunger 20 and the coil spring unit 30 are connected to each other. It contains two members. As shown in the figure, the movable plunger 20 of the electric contact 10 accommodates a part of the coil spring unit 30 and is supported by the coil spring unit 30 so as to be movable up and down.

  The movable plunger 20 is formed by, for example, punching and bending from a copper alloy plate material, and the coil spring unit 30 is formed by, for example, a metal wire such as a stainless steel wire or a piano wire.

In this embodiment, the movable plunger 20 is a substantially elongated cylindrical member having an overall length L ₀ and having an outer diameter D ₁ , an inner diameter D _2, and a central axis OO. The movable plunger 20 includes a cylindrical main body portion 21, a plurality of contact portions 22 provided at the upper end of the main body portion 21, two inward projections 23 a and 23 b formed at predetermined positions of the main body portion 21, and the main body portion. 21 has a pair of shoulder portions 24a and 24b formed at the lower end of the member 21. As described above, the movable plunger 20 is punched from a copper alloy plate into a shape shown in a developed view in FIG. 3, bent into a cylindrical shape having a central axis OO, and then cut along a cutting line 25. Is formed. The movable plunger 20 is not limited to this, but the contact portion 22, the inward projections 23a and 23b, and the shoulder portions 24a and 24b will be described later when the movable plunger 20 is in the development view of FIG. It is preferably processed into a desired shape and then formed into a cylindrical shape. The cylindrical main body portion 21 of the movable plunger 20 has an inner diameter D ₂ that is slightly larger than the outer diameter d ₁ of the coil spring unit 30 so that the coil spring unit 30 can be accommodated.

  A plurality of contact portions 22 are formed on the upper end 21 a of the cylindrical main body portion 21 of the movable plunger 20. The plurality (four in this embodiment) of the contact portions 22 can be in electrical contact with solder balls 81 as external contacts of the IC package 80 mounted on the IC socket 50 as one contacted object. . The plurality of contact portions 22 are arranged at a predetermined interval along a circular upper end 21 a when viewed from above the main body portion 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the tip of each contact portion 22 is formed at an acute angle and slightly inclined toward the inside (toward the central axis OO). It is preferable. In the present embodiment, four contact portions 22 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. As for the number of the contact parts 22, it is desirable to form at least three so that the front-end | tip of this contact part 22 may form one plane. As a result, the contact portion 22 can stably make electrical contact with the solder ball 81 of the corresponding IC package 80 that is one of the objects to be contacted.

In the present embodiment, a pair of inward projections 23a projecting toward each other, that is, inward (toward the central axis OO) are provided at predetermined positions on the upper portion of the main body portion 21 of the movable plunger 20. , 23b are formed. The pair of inward projections 23a, 23b are, in this embodiment, a pair of shoulders 24a which will be described later, is formed from the lower end of 24b at a distance L _2. The pair of inward projections 23a and 23b may be slightly shifted in the vertical direction (vertical direction) with respect to each other in FIG. A horizontal interval S ₁ (see FIG. 2A) between the pair of inward projections 23 a and 23 b is set to have a length smaller than the outer diameter d ₁ of the coil spring unit 30. In this embodiment, the pair of inward projections 23a and 23b are formed in the development view of FIG. 3, but they may be formed after the cylindrical coil spring unit 30 is inserted. Note that L ₁ is the distance from the pair of inward projections 23a, 23b to the tip of the contact portion 22, and therefore L ₁ + L ₂ = L ₀ .

  Accordingly, the pair of inward projections 23 a and 23 b enter between the spirally extending filaments of the coil spring unit 30 to hold and fix the upper part of the coil spring unit 30. Thereby, the movable plunger 20 is supported by the coil spring unit 30 so as to be movable in the vertical direction in the insertion hole 53 formed in the socket main body 51 when the electric contact 10 is assembled in the IC socket 50 (FIG. 5 (a) and (b)).

  In the present embodiment, the pair of inward projections 23a and 23b are formed as a pair. However, the number of the inward projections 23a and 23b is not limited to this, and the number is preferably two. Any number is acceptable. For example, as in the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the inward projection may be formed as a groove protruding toward the inside of a continuous ring shape.

  At the lower end 21b of the main body portion 21 of the movable plunger 20, as seen from the front (see FIG. 2A), shoulders 24a and 24b are formed in pairs on both sides. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the pair of shoulder portions 24a and 24b face outward with respect to the vertical portion extending from the main body portion 21 (outward in the radial direction from the central axis OO). It has a horizontal portion that is bent at a substantially right angle (toward) and is generally L-shaped. However, the vertical portion may be omitted. That is, the pair of shoulder portions 24 a and 24 b may be bent in the horizontal direction from the lower end 21 b of the main body portion 21.

A distance W ₁ (see FIG. 2A) between the tips of the horizontal portions of the pair of shoulder portions 24a and 24b has a length larger than the inner diameter of the insertion hole 53 formed in the socket body 51 of the IC socket 50. Is set as follows. Therefore, the shoulder portions 24 a and 24 b engage with the wall of the socket body 50 constituting the IC socket 50 when the electric contact 10 is incorporated in the IC socket 50. This prevents the movable plunger 20 from coming out of the insertion hole 53 of the socket body 51 in which the movable plunger 20 is inserted.

  In the present embodiment, the shoulder portions 24a and 24b are formed in pairs. However, the number of the shoulder portions 24a and 24b is not limited to this, and the number is preferably two. It may be a number. The pair of shoulder portions 24a and 24b may be continuously formed in a ring shape as in the case of the pair of protrusions 23a and 23b.

  Further, at least one elongated tongue 27 may be provided at the lower end 21b of the main body portion 21 of the movable plunger 20, as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. The elongated tongue 27 is formed in a dogleg shape extending downward from the lower end 21b of the main body portion 21 and protruding toward the central axis OO (inward). When the IC package 80 is mounted on the IC socket 50 and the movable plunger 20 is lowered as shown in FIG. 5C, the tongue piece 27 elastically contacts the tightly wound portion 32 of the coil spring unit 30. The length is set so that an electrical connection is obtained. By providing such a tongue piece 27, the signal line length of the electric contactor 10 can be surely minimized. Alternatively, as in the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 12, by forming the vertical portions of the pair of shoulder portions 24a, 24b provided at the lower end of the main body portion 21 so as to protrude inward, Like the tongue 27, the tightly wound portion 32 may be elastically contacted.

Next, in this embodiment, the coil spring unit 30 constituting the electric contact 10 is wound in a spiral shape with a portion (hereinafter referred to as “effective winding portion”) 31 that functions as a spirally wound coil spring. However, it has a tightly wound portion 32 in which the coil is closely wound. In this embodiment, the coil spring unit 30 has a total length of L ₁₀ , the effective winding portion 31 has an effective winding portion 31 having a length L ₁₁ and an outer diameter d ₁ , and the tightly wound portion 32 has a long length. L ₁₂ and an outer diameter d ₁ . As described above, when configured as the electric contact 10, the pair of protrusions 23 a are inserted into the movable plunger 20, and the upper end portion of the effective winding portion 31 is formed on the cylindrical main body portion 21 of the movable plunger 20. , 23b. Thereby, the movable plunger 20 is supported by the coil spring unit 30 and can move up and down with respect to the coil spring unit 30. The outer diameter d ₁ of the effective winding portion 31 and the tight winding portion 32 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter D ₂ of the movable plunger 20. The terminal portion 32a, which is the free end of the tightly wound portion 32, functions as a terminal portion that can be in electrical contact with an external contact (not shown) of the test board 90 as the other contacted object. In this embodiment, both the effective winding portion 31 and the close winding portion 32 are set to have the same outer diameter d ₁ , but the close winding portion 32 as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. May be set smaller than the outer diameter of the effective winding portion 31. The upper free end 31a of the effective winding portion 31 is preferably tightly wound about 2 or 3 turns from the free end 31a, as well shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). It is not limited to.

  In the electric contact 10, the coil spring unit 30 is inserted into the cylindrical main body portion 21 from below the movable plunger 20 until the upper end portion of the effective winding portion 31 engages and is held by the pair of protrusions 23 a and 23 b. Is formed.

  Here, the structure of the IC socket 50 to which the above-described electrical contact 10 is attached will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

  The IC socket 50 generally includes a socket body 51, an alignment plate 60, and a pressing member (not shown). As shown in FIG. 4, the IC socket 50 is mounted on the test board 90 via a fixing member 73 such as a bolt, and the IC package 80 is mounted to attach the IC package 80 and the test board 90 to each other. It functions as an electrical connection device for electrical connection. The IC package 80 is pressed by a pressing member (not shown), and a solder ball 81 as an external contact is brought into electrical contact with the contact portion 22 of the corresponding electrical contact 10 with a predetermined contact pressure.

  The socket body 51 constituting the IC socket 50 is molded from an electrically insulating synthetic resin. The socket body 51 has an IC package housing recess 52 on the upper side, an alignment plate housing recess 54 for housing the alignment plate 60 on the lower side, and the socket body 51 between the IC package housing recess 52 and the alignment plate housing recess 54. A plurality of insertion holes 53 penetrating through are formed.

The IC package housing recess 51 in which the IC package 80 is housed is formed so as to open upward, and has a rectangular shape similar to the shape of the IC package 80 to be housed (usually rectangular) in a horizontal section. The IC package housing recess 52 also has an inclined surface extending upward for easily guiding the insertion of the IC package 80. The alignment plate housing recess 54 is formed so as to open at least downward, and has a rectangular shape in a horizontal section. The plurality of insertion holes 53 are arranged corresponding to the solder balls 81 of the IC package 80, and the above-described electrical contact 10 is inserted into each of the insertion holes 53. In this embodiment, the horizontal cross section of the insertion hole 53 is circular, and the insertion hole 53 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter D ₁ of the cylindrical plunger 21 constituting the electric contactor 10.

  Reference numeral 55 denotes a bottom portion of the IC package housing recess 52, 56 denotes a bottom portion of the alignment plate housing recess 54, 57 denotes a mounting hole for mounting the IC socket 50 on the test board 90, and 58 denotes , Positioning pins for mounting the IC socket 50 on the test board 90.

The alignment plate 60 is a member for aligning the terminal portions 32a of the electrical contacts 10, and as shown in FIG. 4, is formed in a U-shape in a vertical cross section, and a plurality of guide holes 61 move up and down there. The horizontal region portion 62 and the fixing portion 63 are formed so as to penetrate therethrough. In the horizontal region portion 62, a plurality of guide holes 61 are formed corresponding to the plurality of insertion holes 53 provided in the socket body 51. The guide hole 61 is set to have an inner diameter that is larger than the outer diameter d of the tightly wound portion 32 of the coil spring unit 30 and smaller than the interval W ₁ between the pair of shoulder portions 24a and 24b. The fixing portion 63 is formed on at least the left and right sides of the alignment plate 60 with (or surrounds) the horizontal region portion 62, and the alignment plate 60 is fixed to the socket body 51 using fixing members 71 such as screws. To do.

When the aligning plate 60 is mounted in the aligning plate receiving recess 54 of the socket body 51 via the fixing portion 63, the horizontal region portion 62 constituting the aligning plate 60 is arranged at the bottom of the aligning plate receiving recess 54. 56 so as to have a predetermined distance L ₃₁ between them. In this embodiment, the predetermined distance L ₃₁ between the horizontal region portion 62 of the alignment plate 60 and the bottom portion 56 of the alignment plate receiving recess 54 is based on the distance that the movable plunger 20 moves up and down due to contact with the IC package 80. Is also set larger. The interval L ₃₁ is set so that the tightly wound portion 32 of the coil spring unit 30 penetrates the guide hole 61 and protrudes downward from the alignment plate 60. Reference numeral 67 denotes a positioning pin for mounting the alignment plate 60 in the alignment plate receiving recess 54 of the socket body 51.

  Next, the assembly of the IC socket 50 and the operation of the electrical contact 10 after the assembly will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Each of the plurality of electrical contacts 10 is inserted into an insertion hole 53 provided in the socket body 51 from the side of the alignment plate housing recess 54 of the IC socket 50. As shown in FIG. 5A, the electric contact 10 has a pair of shoulder portions 24 a and 24 b of the cylindrical body portion 21 constituting the movable plunger 20, and a bottom portion 56 of the alignment plate housing recess 54 of the socket body 51. Until it touches. At this time, the upper portion including the contact portion 22 of the movable plunger 20 protrudes above the bottom 55 of the IC package accommodation space 52 of the socket body 51. The amount of protrusion of the upper portion of the movable plunger 20 from the bottom 55 is set to be larger than the distance that the movable plunger 20 moves up and down by contact with the IC package 80.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5A, the alignment plate 60 is attached in the alignment plate receiving recess 54 of the socket body 51. In this state, the effective winding portion 31 of the coil spring unit 30 constituting the electrical contact 10 is in a state where preliminary compression is applied. The plurality of electrical contacts 10 are arranged in the socket body 51 by the tightly wound portion 32 of the coil spring unit 30 constituting the electrical contact 10 passing through the corresponding guide hole 61 of the alignment plate 60.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, the IC socket 50 is attached to a predetermined position on the test board 90 using the positioning pins 58, the fixing members 73, and the like. At this time, the effective winding portion 31 constituting the coil spring unit 30 is compressed by the amount that the tight winding portion 32 protrudes downward from the alignment plate 60. Therefore, the movable plunger 20 supported by the coil spring unit 30 is urged upward. However, as described above, since the pair of shoulder portions 24 a and 24 b of the movable plunger 20 is in contact with the bottom portion 56 of the alignment plate accommodating recess 54 of the socket body 51, the movable plunger 20 is illustrated in the insertion hole 53 of the socket body 51. 5 (a) is held at the same position.

  Subsequently, the IC package 80 is mounted in the IC package housing recess 52 of the IC socket 50. At this time, the IC package 80 is arranged in the IC package housing recess 52 so that the solder ball 81 as an external contact thereof can come into contact with the corresponding contact portion 22 of the electrical contact 10, and the bottom 55 of the recess 52. Are guided and placed on the plurality of electric contacts 10 protruding from the head.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the IC package 80 is pushed down from above by a predetermined amount, for example, by a pressing member (not shown). At this time, the movable plunger 20 constituting the electrical contact 10 is pushed down via the contact portion 22 and moves downward to compress the effective winding portion 31 of the coil spring unit 30.

  The predetermined push-down amount of the IC package 80 is equal to the movement amount of the movable plunger 20, and therefore equal to the compression amount of the effective winding portion 31 of the coil spring unit 30.

  By the way, as described above, the effective winding portion 31 of the coil spring unit 30 is already compressed by the amount that the tight winding portion 32 protrudes downward from the alignment plate 60. For these reasons, the effective winding portion 31 is compressed by an amount obtained by adding the preliminary compression amount, the IC package push-down amount, and the amount that the tightly wound portion 32 protrudes downward from the alignment plate 60. The reaction force due to the compression of the effective winding portion 31 is reflected in the contact pressure between the contact portion 22 and the solder ball 81 and the contact pressure between the terminal portion 32a and an external contact (not shown) of the test board.

  Therefore, the amount of depression of the IC package 80 is set by setting the spring constant of the effective winding portion 31, the contact pressure between the contact portion 22 and the solder ball, and the contact pressure between the terminal portion 32a and the external contact of the test board. Will get. Therefore, the amount of movement of the movable plunger 20 and the amount by which the tightly wound portion 32 protrudes downward from the alignment plate 60 can also be set. Thereby, the dimensions of the electric contact 10 and the IC socket 50 can be set.

  As described above, the electrical contact 10 in the present embodiment is formed of two members, ie, the movable plunger 20 and the coil spring unit 30, so that the number of parts is small and the assembly is easy. Further, since the movable plunger 20 is manufactured from a plate material by pressing such as punching or bending, manufacturing is easy, and therefore manufacturing cost is low. Furthermore, since the coil spring unit 30 is accommodated in the movable plunger 20, no foreign matter is caught in the effective winding portion 31 constituting the coil spring unit. Further, by configuring the electrical contact 10 in this way, the structure of the IC socket 50 as an electrical connection device for mounting the electrical contact is simplified. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the electrical connection device, and it is easy to manufacture the device, thereby suppressing or reducing the manufacturing cost.

(Second embodiment)
FIGS. 6A and 6B and FIGS. 7A to 7C show an electrical contact according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The electrical contact 110 according to the present embodiment is composed of two members, a movable plunger 120 and a coil spring unit 130, as in the first embodiment.

The movable plunger 120 of the electric contact 110 according to the present embodiment also includes a main body portion 121 that is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole. However, the upper portion of the main body portion 121 is formed as a small diameter portion (length L ₁₀₁ , outer diameter D ₃ , inner diameter D ₄ ) 121a, and the lower portion thereof is a large diameter portion (length L ₁₀₂ , outer diameter D _5). , Inner diameter D ₆ ) 121b. Therefore, a stepped shoulder 124 is formed in the main body portion 121 of this embodiment between the small diameter portion 121a and the large diameter portion 121b. In the present embodiment, a plurality of contact portions 122 similar to those of the first embodiment are provided at the upper end of the small diameter portion 121a. Since the structure of the contact portion 122 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. Note that the length of the small diameter portion 121a, that is, the length L ₁₀₁ from the shoulder portion 124 to the tip of the contact portion 122 is the distance from the pair of inward projections 23a, 23b to the tip of the contact portion 22 in the first embodiment. It can be set to approximately the same length as the distance L ₁ .

  The shoulder portion 124 in this embodiment is formed over the entire circumference of the cylindrical main body portion 121, and can be formed, for example, by drawing the small diameter portion 121a. When the electric contact 110 is installed in the insertion hole 153 of the socket main body 151 constituting the IC socket, the shoulder portion 124 abuts on a step portion 159 provided in the insertion hole 153. Thereby, the electric contact 110 is prevented from coming out upward from the insertion hole 153. In addition, a coil spring unit 130 is housed in the movable plunger 120 and is configured as an electric contact 110 in an inner shoulder 124 a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical movable plunger 120 corresponding to the shoulder 124. The upper end of the coil spring unit 130 comes into contact. Thereby, the coil spring unit 130 is prevented from coming out upward from the movable plunger 120.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B, a pair of inward projections 123 a and 123 b projecting inward are provided on the lower portion of the large-diameter portion 121 b of the cylindrical main body portion 121. The pair of inward projections 123 a and 123 b hold the lower part of the coil spring unit 130 when the coil spring unit 130 is accommodated in the movable plunger 120 and configured as the electric contactor 110. Thereby, the coil spring unit 130 is prevented from coming downward from the movable plunger 120.

Therefore, the distance S ₂ between the pair of inward projections 123a and 123b is set to be smaller than the outer diameter d ₂ of the effective winding portion 131 of the coil spring unit 130 and larger than the outer diameter d ₃ of the tightly wound portion 132 (D6>). . The structure of the pair of inward projections 123a and 123b is not limited to this, and may be formed in a ring shape surrounding the entire circumference of the movable plunger 120, for example. Alternatively, as in the seventh and eighth embodiments shown in FIGS. 12B and 13A, respectively, the lower end portion of the main body portion 121 (large diameter portion 121b) of the movable plunger 120 is caulked. May be.

The coil spring unit 130 constituting the electric contactor 110 according to the present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in that the coil spring unit 130 includes the effective winding portion 131 and the tight winding portion 132. However, in this embodiment, the tightly wound portion 132 is set to have an outer diameter d ₃ smaller than the outer diameter d ₂ of the effective wound portion 131, unlike the first embodiment. Thereby, an inclined step portion is formed at a transition portion from the effective winding portion 131 to the tight winding portion 132. Accordingly, the coil spring unit 130 in the movable plunger 120 can be easily held by contacting the pair of inward projections 123a and 123b provided on the large-diameter portion 121a of the movable plunger 120 at the inclined step portion. . In this embodiment, the outer diameter d ₂ of the effective winding portion 131 constituting the coil spring unit 130 is set to be the same as the outer diameter d ₁ of the effective winding portion 31 of the coil spring unit 30 in the first embodiment. obtain. Further, the terminal portion 132a of the tightly wound portion 132 functions as a terminal portion that is in electrical contact with an external contact (not shown) of the test board 90, as in the first embodiment. Also in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6A, it is preferable that the upper free end 131a of the effective winding portion 131 is tightly wound about 2 or 3 turns from the free end 131a. It is not limited to this.

  In the electrical contact 110 according to the present embodiment, the coil spring unit 130 is inserted into the cylindrical main body portion 121 from below the movable plunger 120, and the upper end portion of the effective winding portion 131 contacts the inner shoulder portion 124a. It is formed by being held by a pair of inward projections 123a and 123b. Also in the present embodiment, the pair of inward projections 123 a and 123 b may be formed after the coil spring unit 130 is inserted into the movable plunger 120.

  Subsequently, the differences from the first embodiment of the IC socket 150 in which the electric contact 110 according to the present embodiment is incorporated and the operation of the assembled electric contact 110 will be described with reference to FIGS. And explain briefly.

  FIG. 7A shows the electric contact 110 arranged in the IC socket 150. The IC socket 150 is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the shape of the insertion hole 153 formed in the socket main body 151 constituting the IC socket 150. The insertion hole 153 includes a small-diameter portion 153a and a large-diameter portion 153b according to the shape of the cylindrical main body portion 121 of the movable plunger 120 constituting the electric contactor 110. The inner diameter of the small diameter portion 153 a of the insertion hole 153 is set larger than the outer diameter D 3 of the small diameter portion 121 a of the main body portion 121 constituting the movable plunger 120 and smaller than the outer diameter D 5 of the large diameter portion 121 b of the main body portion 121. Further, the inner diameter of the large-diameter portion 153 b of the insertion hole 153 is set larger than the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 121 b of the main body portion 121 that constitutes the movable plunger 120. A shoulder portion 159 as a step portion is formed at the connecting portion between the small diameter portion 153 a and the large diameter portion 153 b of the insertion hole 153, and prevents the electric contactor 110 from coming off above the insertion hole 153.

  From the state shown in FIG. 7A, the IC socket 150 is mounted on the test board 90, as in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7B, the effective winding portion 131 is compressed by the amount that the tightly wound portion 132 protrudes downward from the alignment plate 160. Thereby, the movable plunger 120 is urged upward, but as described above, the movable plunger 120 has its shoulder 124 abutting against the shoulder 159 of the insertion hole 153 of the socket body 151. 7 (a) is held at the same position.

    Subsequently, as in the first embodiment, the IC package 80 is mounted on the IC socket 150. As shown in FIG. 7C, when the IC package 80 is pushed down from above, the movable plunger 120 of the electric contactor 110 is pushed down via the contact portion 122 and moves downward, and the coil spring unit 130 is effective. The winding part 131 is compressed. The reaction force due to the compression of the effective winding portion 131 is reflected in the contact pressure between the contact portion 122 and the solder ball 81 and the contact pressure between the terminal portion 132a and an external contact (not shown) of the test board. As a result, as in the first embodiment, the amount by which the IC package 80 is pushed down, the amount by which the movable plunger 120 is moved, and the amount by which the tightly wound portion 132 protrudes downward from the alignment plate 160 can also be set. As a result, the dimensions of the electrical contact 110, the IC socket 150, etc. can be set.

  As described above, the electric contactor 110 in this embodiment is also formed of two members, the movable plunger 120 and the coil spring unit 130, and has the same operational effects as those in the first embodiment.

(Examples 3 to 8)
8 to 13 show electrical contacts according to third to eighth embodiments of the present invention.

  An electrical contact 210 according to the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B is a modification of the electrical contact 110 according to the second embodiment. Specifically, only the configuration of the coil spring unit 230 constituting the electric contactor 210 is different, and the constituent elements of the movable plunger 220 are the same as those of the electric contactor 110 of the second embodiment. Therefore, for the movable plunger 220, refer to the description of the second embodiment, replacing the 200th series in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b) with the 100th series.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the outer diameter d ₄ of the effective winding portion 231 constituting the coil spring unit 230 is set slightly smaller than the outer diameter d ₂ of the effective winding portion 131 of the second embodiment. Therefore, large diameter portions 231a ′ and 231b are provided at the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the effective winding portion 231 (that is, the transition portion to the tight winding portion 232), respectively. As understood from this, the outer diameter d ₅ of the large diameter portions 231a ′ and 231b is set to the same size as the outer diameter d ₂ of the effective winding portion 131 in the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, the large diameter portion 231a ′ of the effective winding portion 231 is preferably tightly wound, but is not limited thereto.

  By configuring the coil spring unit 230 in this manner, the electric contactor 210 can be easily manufactured. That is, only the large-diameter portions 231a and 231b are forcibly passed between a pair of inward projections 223a and 223b provided in advance on the movable plunger 220, so that the coil spring unit 230 is inserted and installed in the movable plunger 220. It becomes possible.

  Next, FIGS. 9A and 9B show an electrical contact 310 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The electric contact 310 according to the fourth embodiment is a modification in which a part of the coil spring unit 330 in the third embodiment is further deformed. Therefore, for the movable plunger 320, refer to the description of the second embodiment, replacing the 300 series in FIGS. 9A and 9B with the 100 series.

In this embodiment, the lower end of the effective winding portion 331 which constitutes the coil spring unit 330, i.e., the large diameter portion of the outer diameter d ₆ of the large diameter portion 331b provided in the transition portion of the tightly wound portion 232 in the third embodiment It is set to be larger than the outer diameter d _{5 of} 231b. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9B, in this embodiment, the outer diameter d ₆ of the large diameter portion 331 b is set to the inner diameter D of the large diameter portion 321 b of the main body portion 321 constituting the movable plunger 320. Set to be the same as ₆ or slightly smaller. In addition, 331a 'is a large diameter part provided in the upper end part of the effective winding part 331 similarly to the said 3rd Example, Comprising: The outer diameter is the effective winding part 131 in a 2nd Example. It is set to the same size as the outer diameter d _2.

  By configuring the coil spring unit 330 in this manner, the large diameter portion 331b provided at the lower end of the effective winding portion 331 is in electrical contact with the inner surface of the large diameter portion 321b of the movable plunger 320. Thereby, the electric signal can surely flow through the large-diameter portion 321b of the movable plunger 320, and thus the signal line length can be surely shortened.

  FIG. 10 shows an electric contact 410 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. An electric contact 410 according to the fifth embodiment is an embodiment in which the movable plunger 120 in the second embodiment and the coil spring unit 30 in the first embodiment are combined. Accordingly, the movable plunger 420 is replaced with the 400 series in FIG. 10 to the 100 series, and the description of the second embodiment is referred to, and the coil spring unit 430 is a one or two digit figure obtained by removing the 400 series in FIG. Please refer to the description of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 11 shows an electric contact 510 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The electric contact 510 according to the sixth embodiment is a modification in which a part of the movable plunger 20 in the first embodiment is deformed. Specifically, the configuration differs from that of the movable plunger 20 of the first embodiment only in that a ring-shaped groove 523 is formed instead of the pair of inward projections 23a and 23b in the first embodiment. . Therefore, regarding the other configuration of the movable plunger 520 and the configuration of the coil spring unit 530, refer to the description of the first embodiment with one or two digits except for the 500 series in FIG.

  FIGS. 12A and 12B show an electric contact 610 according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. The electric contactor 610 according to the seventh embodiment is an embodiment in which a modification of the movable plunger in the first embodiment and the coil spring unit in the second embodiment are combined. Regarding the configuration of the coil spring unit 630, refer to the description of the second embodiment, replacing the 600 series in FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b) with the 100 series.

  The movable plunger 620 in this embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment in that the contact portion 622 is provided at the upper end of the substantially cylindrical main body portion 621.

  In the present embodiment, first, the configuration for holding the upper end portion of the coil spring unit 630 is different from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, in this embodiment, a locking member 627 is provided on the upper end portion of the cylindrical main body portion 621 in order to hold the upper end portion of the coil spring unit 630. The locking member 627 is formed by bending from the cylindrical main body portion 621 so as to extend toward the central axis OO. As shown in FIG. 12B, the locking member 627 includes a horizontal portion 627a extending from the cylindrical main body portion 621 toward the central axis OO, and a vertical portion extending downward from the tip of the horizontal portion 627a. It is L-shaped with 627b. In the locking member 627, the vertical portion 627b of the locking portion 627 is inserted into the effective winding portion 631 of the coil spring unit 630, and the horizontal portion 627a abuts against the upper end of the effective winding portion 631, thereby the coil spring unit 630. Hold.

  In the present embodiment, secondly, the shape of the lower end portion of the cylindrical main body portion 621 constituting the movable plunger 620 and the configuration of the pair of shoulder portions 624a and 624b formed on the lower end portion are the same as in the first embodiment. Different. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12A, the lower end portion 621 a of the main body portion 621 is an inclined step portion formed at a transition portion from the effective winding portion 631 to the tight winding portion 632 of the coil spring unit 630. It is crimped so that it may become a taper toward the downward direction. In addition, a pair of shoulder portions 624a and 624b provided at the lower end of the main body portion 621 is formed as an inclined portion facing inward as an extension of the tapered shape of the lower end portion of the main body portion 621, and horizontally at a predetermined position. It is formed by being bent into an approximately L shape outward in the direction.

  FIGS. 13A and 13B show an electrical contact 710 according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. An electric contact 710 according to the eighth embodiment is a further modification of the movable plunger of the seventh embodiment. The electrical contact 710 in this embodiment is mounted on an IC socket having an insertion hole having the same shape as the insertion hole 153 into which the electrical contact 110 of the second embodiment is inserted. Only the configuration different from that of the seventh embodiment will be described below. For other structures, refer to the description of the seventh embodiment, replacing the 700 series in FIGS. 13A and 13B with the 600 series.

  Specifically, in this embodiment, as a locking member provided to hold the upper end portion of the coil spring unit 730, a pair of locking pieces 729a and 729b are set at predetermined positions of the main body portion 721 and the lower end is a free end. It is cut and raised toward the inside. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13A, the free ends of the pair of locking pieces 729 a and 729 b are inserted into the effective winding portion 731 of the coil spring unit 730 to hold the coil spring unit 730. .

  In this embodiment, a pair of elongated protrusions 728a and 728b are provided instead of the pair of shoulder portions 624a and 624b in the seventh embodiment. The pair of elongated ridges 728a and 728b protrude outward at a predetermined position (intermediate portion in this embodiment) of the substantially cylindrical main body portion 721 constituting the movable plunger 720 and extend in the vertical direction.

As described above, the electrical contact 710 of this embodiment is attached to the IC socket corresponding to the electrical contact 110 of the second embodiment. As understood from this, the horizontal interval W ₂ (see FIG. 13A) of each of the pair of protrusions 728a and 728b is a small diameter of the insertion hole formed in the socket body constituting the IC socket. It is set to have a length larger than the inner diameter of the portion and smaller than the larger diameter portion. The protrusions 728a and 728b come into contact with the step formed in the insertion hole of the socket body constituting the IC socket when the electric contact 710 is incorporated into the IC socket. This prevents the movable plunger 720 from coming out of the insertion hole of the socket body in which the movable plunger 720 is inserted.

  Also in the present embodiment, the lower end portion 721a of the main body portion 721 is directed downward according to the shape of the inclined step portion formed in the transition portion from the effective winding portion 731 to the tight winding portion 732 of the coil spring unit 730. It is crimped to be tapered. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the caulking need not be performed over the entire circumference of the cylindrical main body portion 721, and may be partial.

  Also in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13A, the vicinity of the free end of the effective winding portion 731 is tightly wound, but the present invention is not limited to this.

10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710 Electric contactor 20, 120, 220, 320, 420, 520, 620, 720 Movable plunger 30, 130, 230, 330, 430, 530, 630, 730 Coil spring unit 50 IC socket 51 Socket body 60 Alignment plate 80 IC package (one contacted object)
90 Test board (the other contact object)

Claims (13)

An electrical contact for electrically connecting two objects to be contacted,
The electric contact is formed of two members, a movable plunger and a coil spring unit.
The movable plunger is formed at a cylindrical main body part, formed at the upper end of the main body part, a contact part that can come into contact with one object to be contacted, and an electrical contact that is accommodated and engaged with a member to be held. With shoulders,
The coil spring unit includes an effective winding portion whose free end is housed and held in the main body portion of the movable plunger and functions as a helically wound coil spring, and a terminal portion whose free end can contact the other contacted object. Having an electrical contact.   The cylindrical main body portion further includes a pair of inward projections formed to protrude from the cylindrical main body portion toward the central axis thereof in order to hold the free end of the effective winding portion of the coil spring unit. The electrical contact according to claim 1.   The cylindrical main body portion further includes an L-shaped locking member extending from the cylindrical main body portion toward the central axis thereof in order to hold the free end of the effective winding portion of the coil spring unit. The electrical contact according to claim 1.   The cylindrical main body portion further includes a pair of locking pieces cut and raised from the cylindrical main body portion toward the central axis thereof in order to hold the free end of the effective winding portion of the coil spring unit. The electrical contact according to claim 1.   5. The electric contact according to claim 1, wherein the shoulder portion has a horizontal portion extending outwardly at a lower end of the cylindrical main body portion.   2. The electric contact according to claim 1, wherein the coil spring unit is formed as a tightly wound portion in which a coil wound spirally on a free end side including a terminal portion is in close contact.   The cylindrical main body portion is formed with a tongue piece at a lower end portion thereof, which is in contact with a tightly wound portion of a coil spring unit when at least two objects to be contacted are electrically connected. Item 7. The electrical contact according to Item 6.   The electrical contact according to claim 6 or 7, wherein an outer diameter of the effective winding portion constituting the coil spring unit is formed larger than an outer diameter of the tightly wound portion. The cylindrical main body portion has a small diameter portion in which the coil spring unit is not accommodated and a large diameter portion in which the coil spring unit is accommodated,
The electric contact according to claim 1, wherein the shoulder is formed as a horizontal step portion connected to the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion of the cylindrical main body portion.   The electrical contact according to claim 9, wherein an outer diameter of the effective winding portion constituting the coil spring unit is formed larger than an outer diameter of the tightly wound portion. The free end of the effective winding portion abuts on the shoulder as the horizontal stepped portion,
The electric contact according to claim 10, wherein the coil spring unit is held at a transition portion from the effective winding portion to the tight winding portion.   The electric contact according to claim 1, wherein the movable plunger is formed by processing from a metal plate.   13. An electrical connection device, wherein the electrical contact according to claim 1 is mounted, one contacted object is an IC package, and the other contacted object is a test board.

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