MXPA99011333A - Electron component plug - Google Patents

Abstract

A connector for electrically connecting an electrical component having a plurality of conductive elements extending therefrom to a substrate. The connector comprises a first base and a second base. The first base has at least one opening therein and a hinge assembly. The second base comprises a plurality of contacts corresponding to the conductive elements in the electrical component and a hinge assembly. The hinge assemblies of the first and second bases allow the movement of the first base in relation to the second. A method for securing the electrical component in the substrate includes the steps of: inserting the component in a cassette, mounting the housing in the substrate, connecting a portion of the conductive elements of the electrical component with a portion of the contacts, and connecting the rest of the conductive elements of the electrical component with the rest of the contacts. A contact that has a tail retention portion and a pair of beams. The bundles each have a first portion that displaces the bundle from the right sides of the plane of the retention portion and a second portion extending from, and that is included with the relation a, the first portion. The second portions interact to receive a matching contact between the same

Description

"PLUG FOR ELECTRICAL COMPONENT" REFERENCE TO RELATED REQUESTS This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Patent Application Number 60 / 073,281, filed January 31, 1998, and is a continuation in part of the US Patent Application Number (not yet assigned), filed on October 10, 1998. December 1998, both of which are incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to electrical connectors. More specifically, the present invention relates to a plug for an electrical component. 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVELOPMENTS GIVEN TO KNOW Electrical components such as integrated circuit (IC) chips should be secured to a substrate. An example of an interconnection system for securing these components of pin grid formation (PGA) to a substrate is a zero insertion force (ZIF) system. In ZIF systems, the pins of the PGA component enter an interconnecting housing without meshing the contacts of the interconnector mounted on the substrate. Only after the PGA component is seated in an interconnection housing, the contacts and pins are engaged. One method of engaging PGA pins and pins involves moving the PGA pins laterally and engaging the contacts. A drive lever and a cam surface drive an interposition assembly laterally to drive the PGA pins. The interposition assembly moves the PGA pins to and in connection with the contacts. The housing used with these ZIF interconnectors finds charge during and after the actuation of the lever. The forces required to deflect the contacts in order to receive the pins of the PGA determines the amount of charge in the housing.The greater number of contacts increases the peak force, or maximum force required to match the contacts and the PGA pins. calculates that an interconnection with 500 contacts requires approximately 9.08 (9.08) kilograms of force to match PGA contacts and pins satisfactorily.Technological advances have increased the pin count and the contact density of the PGA components and has miniaturized the components of the computer (requiring reduced profile sizes). Even though improved speed can satisfy customers, these technological advances are a burden for conventional ZIF outlets. Frequently, a design that compensates one of the aforementioned technological advances is mutually exclusive of a design that compensates for another technological advance. In one example of a modification, a designer can increase the number of holes in the plug and decrease the tilt between the holes to account for an increased pin density and pin count.

However, this reduces the resistance of the plug. In another example of a modification, a designer can shorten the contact to account for the reduced profile size. A shorter contact exhibits greater rigidity, thus increasing the "insertion force required to match the PGA pins." These two design objects impose conflict requirements, since a more rigid contact requires greater driving force in the A higher drive force increases the load on the plug, but the reduced resistance of the plug (due to the increased hole count and decreasing the tilt) makes the plug less likely to withstand the increased load. Increased contact has also stressed the capabilities of conventional contact forming methods.The typical method for forming opposed double beam contacts is to punch the contact of a sheet of material.However, the width of the sheet material required to form a only contact with conventional techniques will exceed the inclination requirements imposed by these technological advances gicos COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an improved device for connecting an electrical component to a substrate. A further object of the present invention is to provide a plug for an electrical component that exhibits lower maximum insertion force. A further object of the present invention is to provide a plug for an electrical component that selectively matches only a portion of the contacts at a time. A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for connecting an electrical component with a substrate that coincides in sequence with the contacts in the columns. A further object of the present invention is to provide a plug for an electrical component that accommodates the larger contact counts. A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for connecting an electrical component to a substrate that accurately aligns the matching contacts during rotation. A further object of the present invention is to provide a contact with aligned double beams. These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in one aspect by a connector for electrically connecting an electrical component having a plurality of conductive elements that extend therefrom to a substrate The connector comprises a first base and a second base The first base has at least one opening therein and a hinge assembly.

The second base comprises a plurality of contacts corresponding to the conductive elements in the electrical component and a hinge assembly. The hinge assemblies of the first and second bases allow the movement of the first base relative to the second base. These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in another aspect by a method for securing an electrical component having a plurality of conductive elements in a substrate. The method includes the steps of: providing an electrical component; provide a cassette; insert the electrical component in the cassette; provide a substrate; providing a housing with a plurality of contacts therein corresponding to the conductive elements of the electrical component and which are mounted on the substrate; mounting the housing on the substrate; connecting a portion of the conductive elements of the electrical component with a portion of the contacts; and connect the rest of the conductive elements of the electrical component with the rest of the contacts. These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in another aspect by means of a cassette for interaction with a housing in order to secure an electrical component in a substrate. The cassette has a base, a hinge and at least one opening extending through the base to receive at least a portion of the electrical component.

- These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in another aspect by means of a housing for interacting with a cassette in order to fix an electronic component having a plurality of conductive elements with a substrate. The accommodation comprises: a base; a hinge; and a plurality of contacts in the base forming a formation of columns adapted to receive the conductive elements of the electrical component. These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in another aspect by a contact. The contact has a retention portion, a tail portion and a pair of beams. The retention portion has opposite ends and defines a flat. The tail portion extends from one end of the retention portion. The pair of bundles extend from the other end of the retaining portion. Each of the pair of beams has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion displaces the bundle from the plane of the retention portion, with each bundle placed on opposite sides of the plane of the retention portion. The second portion extends from and inclines relative to the first portion. The second portion has a contact interaction portion. The contact interaction portions of both beams interact to receive contact between them.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other uses and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the specification and drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a connector of the present invention. in an equal condition; Figure Ib is the connector shown in Figure la, but in an unmatched condition; Figure 2a is a perspective view of a portion of the connector shown in Figures la and Ib, but before receiving an electrical component; Figure 2b is another perspective view of the connector portion shown in Figure 2a; ~ Figure 3a is an enlarged view of the connector portion appearing within the dashed lines in Figure 2b; Figure 3b is a cross-sectional view of the portion of the connector shown in Figure 3a taken along the line IIIB-IIIB; - Figure 3c is an alternative arrangement of the connector portion shown in Figure 3a; Figure 3d is a cross-sectional view of the portion of the connector shown in Figure 3c taken along the line IIID-IIIID; Figure 4a is a perspective view of another portion of the connector shown in Figures la and Ib; Figure 4b is a cross-sectional view of the connector portion shown in Figure 4a taken along lines IVB-IVB; Figure 4c is a cross-sectional view of the connector portion in Figure 4b with connected inserted therein; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the connector that is taken along the lines V-V in Figure Ib; Figure 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a contact of the present invention; Figure 7 is a front view of the contact of Figure 6, but before assembling; Figure 8 is a side view of the contact shown in Figure 6, but during the winding; and Figure 9 is a front view of the contact shown in Figure 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES Figures la, Ib, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a-c and 5 present a first alternative embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is a piezoelectric connector that secures an electrical component 1 on a substrate S (see Figure 5). As seen in Figure 2a, the electrical component 1 can be a PGA component, such as an IC chip, however, other types of electrical components such as a multiple chip module (MCM) could be used. The component 1 has a plurality of conductive elements such as the pins 3 extending therefrom. The pins 3 are placed in a column and row formation. Even when the conductive elements are shown as being round pins, other types of conductive elements, including sheets (not shown) could be used. The connector 10 has two matching parts, a cassette 11 and a housing 13. The Figure presents a cassette 11 and a housing 13 in an even condition, while Figure Ib presents an unmatched condition. The cassette 11 and the housing 13 will now be described individually. Figures 2a and 2b present the cassette 11, preferably made of an appropriate plastic such as a liquid crystal polymer (LCP). The cassette 11 may have a base 15, which is described herein as a plate, which receives the component 1. However, other arrangements are possible to accommodate the different types of electrical components 1. At least one opening 17 extends through the base 15. In the embodiment shown in Figures 2a and 2b, the base 15 has a plurality of openings 17. The openings 17 are placed in the plate 15 from base to end. of receiving the corresponding pins 3 of the electric component 1. In this way, the arrangement of the openings 17 in the base 15 is determined by the location of the pins 13 in the electrical component 1. As seen in Figures 3a and 3b, the openings 17 could have beveled conductors to lead to the insertion of the pins 3. With the electric component 1 properly placed in the cassette 11, the pins 3 extend beyond the lower surface of the base plate 15, as shown in FIG. see in Figure Ib. The base plate 15 could include a wall 19 along its outer perimeter. As seen in the embodiment of Figure 2b, the wall 19 extends below the bottom surface of the base plate 15, for example, to protect against damage to the pins 3.

The latches 21 extend from the base plate 15, preferably along the sides. The latches 21 include a flange portion (see Figure 2a) projecting generally perpendicular from the base plate 15. The distal ends of the flange portions include a retaining portion 23 extending from the flange portion. The area between the retaining portion 23 and the upper surface of the plate 15 receives the electrical component 1. As the pins 3 of the electrical component 1 enter the openings 17, the electrical component 1 deviates the resilient latches 21 outwards. When the electrical component 1 has been fully seated in the cassette 11, the retaining portions 23 return to their original non-offset position to engage the upper surface of the electrical component 1, as seen in Figure Ib. The retaining portions 23 prevent the electrical component 1 from being inadvertently dislodged from the cassette 11. The electrical component 1 can be removed from the cassette 11 by disengaging the retaining portions 23 from the upper surface of the electrical component 1. When properly seated within the cassette 11, the electrical component 1 can be matched as the contacts 100. The cassette 11 moves relative to the housing 13 and so that only a limited number of pins 3 coincide with the contacts 100 at a time . Preferably, the cassette 11 rotates relative to the housing 13 so that the consecutive columns of the pins 3 coincide with the consecutive columns of the contacts 100. The wall 19 includes a tongue 25 on the front edge of the base plate 15 take the installer to rotate the cassette 11. The matching or matching of the pins 3 with the contacts 100 will be described in greater detail below. The wall 19 also includes a hinge assembly 27 on the rear edge of the base door 15. The hinge assembly 27, together with the hinge assembly in the housing 13, allows the rotation of the cassette 11 relative to the housing 13 and ensures proper alignment of the pins 13 of the electrical-component 1 with the contacts 100 of the housing 13 , during the equalizing or matching process __ The hinge assembly 27 generally extends parallel to the plane of the cassette 11. A description of the components of the hinge assembly 27 follows, the extensions 29 projecting outward from the edge rear of the cassette 11, preferably on opposite sides of the rear edge 29. Each extension 29 has a curved element 31 flanked by a pair of arms 33. The curved elements 31 have a first surface 67 configured to engage a hinge pin in the housing 13, and a second surface 69 opposite the first surface 67 configured to interact with a block 65 in the housing 13. Each arm 33 includes an outwardly or externally facing surface 35 that interacts with the corresponding surfaces of the housing hinge assembly 13 to ensure proper lateral alignment of the pins 13 in the electrical component 1 whose contacts in the housing 13 during matching or matching . Another extension 39 projects outwardly from the rear edge of the housing 13. The extension 39 preferably extends from a central location along the rear edge of the housing 13 between the extensions 29, but extend in an opposite direction to the ends. extensions 29. The central extension 39 has a curved element 71 flanked by a pair of arms 73. The curved elements 71 have a first surface 75 configured to engage a hinge pin in the housing 13 and a second surface 77 opposite the first surface 75 and configured to interact with block 65 in housing 13.

Figures 3a "and 3b present a portion of the bottom surface of the base plate 15. With this arrangement, the pins 13 of the electrical component 1 can project freely from the openings 17 and extend beyond the lower surface of the base plate 15. The base plate 15 provides lateral support to the portions of the pins 3 that remain inside the base plate 15. However, the distal ends of the pins 3 (ie, the portions of the pins extending beyond the bottom surface of the base plate 15) are not laterally supported. Figures 3c and 3d demonstrate an alternative arrangement in which the base plate 15 'supports laterally a greater length of the pins 3' of the previous alternative embodiment. Specifically, Figures 3c and 3d demonstrate an alternative arrangement of the bottom surface of the base plate 15 ', which includes the bridges 79' placed between each opening 17 '. The bridge 79 'can include arched sides 81' and ends 83 lowered. The recessed ends 83 'correspond to the shape of the pins 3'. As seen in Figure 3c, if the electrical component 1 uses round 3 'pins, the recessed ends 83' have a rounded concave shape to receive a portion of the pin 3 '. The bridges 79 * are placed on the base plate 15 'so as not to interfere with the contacts 100'. As shown in Figure 3c, the beams 101 'of each contact 100' are placed in a column, where the bridges 79 'are placed in rows. In this way, the presence of the bridges 79 'does not affect the bending of the beams 101'. The bridges 79 'can be molded unitary with the base plate 15'. Figures 4a-4c present the housing 13, which is preferably made of an appropriate plastic. The housing 13 includes a base 41 with a plurality of openings 43 extending therethrough. As with the base 15, the base 41 can have a generally flat configuration, even when other orientations are possible. Each opening 43 preferably "includes three portions The first portion 45 is a relatively wide opening for accommodating the flexing of the double beams 101 of the contact 100 during matching." The second portion 47 accommodates the contact tail portion 103 and, as will be described below, a portion of a fusible element 105. Finally, the third portion 49 retains the intermediate portion 107 of the contact 100 within the opening 43.

As shown in Figure 4b, the beam accommodating portion 45 is at the coincident end of the housing 13 and has tapered side walls 51 forming a conductor. The tapered side walls 51 allow easy insertion of the contact 100 into the opening 43, and allow bending of the beams 101 by the pins 3 without restriction. The tail arrangement portion 47 is at the mounting end of the housing 13. Since the housing 13 can mount the surface on the substrate S, preferably "using the Ball Grid Formation (BGA) technology, the portion 47 A tail arrangement may have a shape suitable for accommodating the BGA particulars In one example of BGA technology, a fusible element such as a solder ball 105 is secured to the tail portion 103 of the contact 100. less a portion of the welding ball 105 secured to the tail portion 103 of the contact 100, may be seated within the tail accommodation portion 47 of the opening 43. International Publication Number WO 98/15989 (PCT International Application Number / US97 / 18066), which is incorporated herein by reference, describes the methods for securing a solder ball in a contact and for securing a solder ball in a substrate.

The intermediate portion 49 extends between the beam accommodating portion 45 and the tail accommodating portion 47. The opposite walls of the intermediate portion 49 each include a protuberance 53 extending toward each other. As seen in Figure 4b, the protrusion 53 may be a rib extending axially along a length of the opening 43. The distance between the opposite walls of the intermediate portion 49 exceeds the width of the contact 100 to allow the contact 100 passes through the opening 43. However, the width of the contact 100 exceeds the distance between the opposing protuberances 53. As a result, the contact 100 is adjusted by interference between the protrusion 53 for retention in the opening 43. The base plate 41 may also have a wall 55 along its outer perimeter. Similar to the wall 19 of the cassette 11, the wall 55 extends from the plate 41 and protects the contact 100 against any damage. When the cassette 11 and the housing 13 coincide, the wall 19 of the cassette 11 lies between the wall 55 and the contacts 100. As seen in Figure 4a, the front edge of the wall 15 includes a notch 57 for receiving the tab 25 from the cassette 11, when the connector 10 is in a matched or matching condition. This allows the complete rotation of the cassette 11 relative to the housing 13 to be - - all the pins 3 and the contacts 100 coincide. In order to avoid interference with the hinge assemblies 27, 59, the wall 55 is discontinued in the rear edge region of the base 41. The rear edge of the base plate 41 includes a hinge assembly 59 interacting with the hinge assembly 27 of the cassette 11 to allow rotation of the cassette 11 relative to the housing 13. The hinge assembly 59 generally extends parallel to the housing plane 13 and includes a pin 61 of hinge reinforced by a series of support 63 along the rear edge of housing 13. A series of cams, or blocks 65, extend from the rear edge between adjacent supports 63. The blocks 65 have curved surfaces 75 corresponding to the second surface 69, 11 of the extensions 33 and the central extension 35. The curved surface 75 of the blocks 65 can be circular and preferably have essentially the same radius of curvature as the second curved surface 69, 77, of the extensions 33 and of the central extension 35. This can ensure the proper longitudinal and Z axis alignment (ie, perpendicular to the plane of the housing 13) of the pins 3 of the electrical component 1 and the contacts 100 in the housing 13 for equalization or matching.

Each external support 63 includes an inwardly or inwardly facing surface 85 that interacts with the surfaces 35 of the hinge assembly 27 to ensure proper alignment of the pins 3 of the electrical component E and the contacts 100 during matching or matching. Specifically, the surface 35 of the cassette 11 abuts against the surfaces 85 of the housing 13 to accurately align the cassette 11 and the housing 13 laterally of the matching pins 3 and the contacts 100. The matching or matching of the cassette 11 and the housing 13 will now be described. Initially, the cassette 11 and the housing 13 are separated in each other. In this condition, the housing 13 must be secured to the substrate S. As discussed above, the housing 13 may be a surface mounted on the substrate S, preferably using BGA technology. However, other methods can be used. Then, the electrical component 1 is secured to the cassette 11. In the embodiment described above, the pins 3 of the electrical component 1 enter the openings 17 until the latch 21 retains the electrical component 1 against the cassette 11. To interconnect the cassette 11 and the housing 13, the hinge assemblies 27, 59 must coincide or engage, as shown in Figures Ib and 5. The particulars of the hinge assemblies 27, 59, the cassette 11 and the housing 13 improve the ease of blindly matching the cassette 11 and the housing 13. Describing the matching or matching in particular, the extensions 29 and the central extension 39 enter the openings formed between the pin 61 and hinge, the brackets 63 and the rear edge of the housing 13. The insertion occurs in the direction designated by the arrow A in Figure 5. The arms 33A 73 of the hinge assembly 27 enter into areas flanking the blocks 65 of the hinge. 59 set of hinge. The external surfaces 35 of the arms 33 abut against the surfaces 85 of the support 63. The interaction of the external surfaces with the internal surfaces 85 laterally align the pins 13 and the contacts 100 along an axis parallel to the rear edges of the body. cassette 11 and the housing 13. In the coincident open condition, shown in Figure Ib, the surfaces 75 of the blocks 65 begin to come up against the second surface 69, 77 of the extensions 29 and the central extension 39, tailored that the cassette 11 rotates along the direction of the arrow B in Figure 5. The surfaces 69, 75, 77 help align the cassette 11 and the receptacle 13 along an axis parallel to the sides of the cassette 11 and the housing 13. Preferably, the other adjacent surfaces of the arms 33, the supports 63 and the blocks 65 have a clearance therebetween to reduce the amount of force required to rotate the cassette 11. The ext. The inlays 29 and the central extension 39 provide a holding force on opposite sides of the hinge pin 61, as seen in Figure 5, due to the opposite orientation of the central element 39 relative to the extensions 29. The holding forces , together with the placement of the extensions 29 and the central extension 39 between the hinge pin £ 1 and the housing 13, prevent the separation of the cassette 11 from the housing 13. In other words, the cassette 11 can only be separated from the housing 13. reversing the matching or matching process (i.e., rotating the cassette 11 away from the housing 13). The rotation "of the cassette 11 relative to the housing 13 begins the coincidence of the pins 3 of the electrical component 1 and the contacts 100 in the housing 13. As seen in Figure 5, the column of pins 13 and contacts 100 closest to the rear edges of the cassette 11 and the housing 13 are first made to coincide, the match proceeds with each subsequent column remote from the rear edges of the cassette 11 and - the housing 13. The sequence matching of the pins 3 and the contacts 100 reduces the maximum insertion force when compared to the ZIF plugs. The column of pins 3 and contacts 100 closest to the rear edges of the cassette 11 and the housing 13 are first made to coincide. The match proceeds with each subsequent column away from the rear edges of the cassette 11 and the housing 13. The rotation of the cassette 11 begins the matching of the pins 3 and the contacts 100. Each pin 3 progressively enters the space between the opposing arms of the cassette 11. The double beam contacts during rotation. The double beams retain the pin 3. The area between the double beams is generally oriented parallel to the coincident axis of the cassette 11 and the housing "13. The figure shows the connector 10 in a fully coincided and closed condition. coincide, the wall 55 of the housing 13 surrounds the cassette 11 and the tongue 25 can enter the recess 57 of the front edge of the housing 13. Each connector 10 could use any type of contact, and a detailed discussion of a preferred contact 100. As seen in Figure 6, contact 100 remains in double-lined beam contact.Contact 100 has an intermediate portion 107 positioned between a pair of beams 101 and tail portion 103. Preferably, the portion 100 The intermediary portion 107 is generally planar.During installation into the housing 13, the intermediate portion 107 is "contacted" with the protrusions 53 and adjusted with interference within the openings 43 of the base plate 41. This retention feature is also described in International Publication Number WO 98/15989, mentioned above. Each beam 101 includes a curved portion 109 extending from the intermediate portion 107. As seen in Figure 8, curved portions 109 remove beams 101 from the plane of intermediate portion 107. Each curved portion 109 is on opposite sides of the plane of the intermediate portion 107. This allows the spatial separation between the beams 101 to receive the pin 3 therebetween. An arm portion 111 extends from the distal end of the curved portion 109. The distal ends of the arm portions 111 include an inwardly curved portion 113 and a conductor 115. As seen in Figures 6 and 8, the inwardly curved portions 113 converge toward the plane of the intermediate portion 107. The distance between the inwardly curved portions 113 (as seen in Figure 8) is less than the thickness of the pins 3. That is, the pins 3 must separate the bundles 101 during insertion. The resilience of the bundles 101 when they are separated by the pins 3, creates a good surface contact between the contacts 100 and the pins 3, and creates appropriate normal contact forces of the bundles 101 against the sides of the pins 3. As can be see in Figure 9, each arm portion 111 is angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the contact 100. The specific angle depends on the size and shape of the contact 100. The orientation of the arm portions 111 preferably aligns the portions 113 curved inwards. That is, the inwardly curved portions 113 create a pin receiving space therebetween, whereby the beams 101 couple the opposite sides of the pins 3 in an aligned connection. Manifesting differently, the inwardly curved portions are positioned essentially along a longitudinal centerline of the contact 100, as seen in Figure 9. Specifically, the arm portions 111 extend at angles a, a.2. , respectively from the longitudinal axis of the contact 100 of between about 5o and 20 °, for a contact of typical size. More preferably, the angles a and a2 are approximately 12.5 ° from a contact of typical size. Even when the arms 111 are at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis, Figure 8 shows that the arms 111 preferably remain essentially parallel to the plane of the intermediate portion 107. The arms 111, however, could be positioned at an angle from the plane of the intermediate portion 107, to approximately 10 ° (not shown). The conductor portions 115 extend from the curved portions 113 in a direction away from the plane of the intermediate portion 107. The conductor portions 115 assist in the alignment of the pins 3 with the portions 113 curved inward during the coincidence. A method for making contact 100 will now be described. A sheet of material is punched to form a carrier strip 119 of the contacts 100, as seen in Figure 7. The spacing between the adjacent contacts 100 on the carrier strip 119 is equal to the separation of the contacts in the housing 13. At this point, contact 100 is still in planar form. A forming step then bends the bundles 101 outward from the plane of the intermediate portion 107, creates the portion 113 curved inward and creates the portion 115 of the - conductor, as seen in Figure 8. The steps' trainers are conventional and do not require further discussion. "The final step inclines the arms 111 relative to the longitudinal axis of the contact 100, as seen in Figure 9. Although they can Many methods of edging the arms 111 relative to the longitudinal axis are used, the preferred method is any known coining process.The coining step forms a deformation zone 117 on the outer edge of the oriented surfaces of the opposite beams 101. Specifically, the coining process extrudes a portion of the material from the zone 117. The coining amount controls the relative inclination of the beams 101 toward the longitudinal axis of the contact 100. The alignment step allows the formation of a double-beam contact aligned able to achieve the reduced inclination requirements of the aforementioned technological advances. 101, the contact 100 may be cut from the carrier strip 119 to be inserted into the housing 13. The present invention allows the contacts 100 to remain on the carrier strip 119 further down the connector forming process than with conventional techniques. Staying longer in the carrier strip 119, the forming process of the present invention lends itself more easily to automatic or semi-automatic techniques. Although the present invention has been described in relation to the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it should be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or other modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment of carrying out the same function of the present invention. without deviation from it. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single modality, but rather should be construed by scope and looks in accordance with what is mentioned in the appended claims.

Claims (38)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S

1. A connector for electrically connecting an electrical component, having a plurality of conductive elements extending therefrom, to a substrate comprising: a first base adapted to engage the electrical component comprising: at least one opening extending to through it and adapted to receive at least a portion of the electrical component therein; and a hinge assembly; and a second base adapted to be mounted to the substrate, and comprising: a plurality of contacts corresponding to the conductive elements in the electrical component; and a hinge assembly engageable with the hinge assembly of the first base to allow movement of the first base relative to the second base.

The connector according to claim 1, wherein at least one opening comprises a plurality of openings, the first base further comprises a surface facing the second - base and having a plurality of bridges that are encompassed between the adjacent openings.

3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first base includes a structure for securing the electrical component in the first base.

The connector according to claim 3, wherein the structure comprises a latch.

The connector according to claim 4, wherein the bolt extends from a wall extending at least partially around the perimeter of the first base.

The connector according to claim 1, wherein at least one opening comprises a plurality of openings, each of which is adapted to receive a corresponding element from the conductive elements of the electrical component.

The connector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of contacts form a formation of columns that extend generally parallel to the hinge assembly of the second base; and the hinge assemblies are adapted to coincide with the successive columns of contacts with the conductive elements of the electrical component.

8. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of contacts comprise double beam contacts having a contact space extending between the double beams and parallel to the hinge assemblies.

The connector as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of fusible elements each secured in a respective contact of the plurality of contacts to secure the second base in the substrate.

The connector according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of fusible elements are solder balls.

The connector according to claim 1, in combination with an electrical component having a plurality of conductive elements extending therefrom, the electrical component is capable of being removably seated within the opening in the first base and is engageable with the plurality of contacts at second base.

The connector according to claim 11, wherein the electrical component is one of a pin grid forming component and a multiple chip module.

13. The compliance connector - with claim 12, wherein the electrical component includes an IC chip.

A method for securing an electrical component in a substrate comprising the steps of: providing an electrical component having a plurality of conductive elements extending therefrom; provide a cassette; insert the electrical component in the cassette; provide a substrate; - ~~ provide a housing with a "plurality of contacts therein corresponding to the conductive elements; mount in the housing in the substrate; connect a portion of the component elements of the component with a portion of the contacts; and connect the rest of the component elements with the rest of the contacts.

15. The method of securing an electrical component in a substrate according to claim 14, wherein the conductive elements and the contacts are placed in a plurality of columns; and wherein the portion of the conductive elements and the portion of the contacts comprises one of the plurality of columns.

16. The method of securing an electrical component in a substrate according to claim 15, wherein the connection steps are carried out along successive columns of the conductive elements and the contacts.

17. The method of securing an electrical component to a substrate in accordance with claim 14, wherein the disconnecting steps include the step of rotating the cassette relative to the housing.

18. A cassette adapted to interact with a housing for securing an electrical component in a substrate, comprising: a base; a hinge; and at least one opening extending through the base and adapted to receive at least a portion of the electrical component.

19. The cassette according to claim 18, wherein at least one opening comprises a plurality of openings, each adapted to receive a corresponding element from the conductive elements of the electrical component.

20. The cassette according to claim 19, wherein the base further comprises a plurality of bridges spanning the adjacent openings.

21. The cassette according to claim 18, further comprising a structure for securing the electrical component in the cassette.

22. The cassette according to claim 21, wherein the structure comprises a latch.

The cassette according to claim 18, in combination with an electrical component having a plurality of conductive elements extending therefrom and engagable with the plurality of contacts on the second base.

The cassette according to claim 23, wherein the electrical component is one of a pin grid forming component and a multiple chip module.

25. The cassette according to claim 24, wherein the electrical component includes an IC chip.

26. A housing adapted to interact with a cassette to fix an electrical component having a plurality of conductive elements that "extend therefrom, in a substrate, comprising: a base, a hinge, and a plurality of contacts in" the base and forming a formation of columns adapted to receive the conductive elements of the electrical component.

The housing according to claim 26, wherein the plurality of contacts are double beam contacts having a contact space extending between the double beams and parallel to the hinge.

28. The housing according to claim 26, further comprising a plurality of fusible elements, each secured in a respective contact of the plurality of contacts to secure the housing in the substrate

29. The housing in accordance with the claim 28, wherein the plurality of fusible elements are welding balls

30. A contact, comprising: a retaining portion for engaging a wall of an opening in a connector, the retaining portion having opposite ends and defining a plane; - a portion of tail extending from one of the opposite ends; and a pair of beams extending from the other of the opposite ends, each of the pair of beams comprises: a first portion that displaces the beam from the plane of the retaining portion, wherein each of the pair of beams is placed in the opposite sides of the plane of the retaining portion; and a second portion inclined relative to the first portion, the second portion includes a contact interaction portion, wherein the contact interaction portions of the beam pair interact to receive contact therebetween.

31. The contact according to claim 30, wherein the second portion further comprises a deformed portion.

32. The contact according to claim 31, wherein the second portions each have a surface facing the other second portion, the deformed portion is positioned on the oriented surfaces.

33. The contact according to claim 31, wherein the deformed portion is a portion of reduced thickness.

34. The contact according to claim 33, wherein the portion of reduced thickness is wedged.

35. The contact according to claim 30, wherein the contact has a longitudinal axis, the first portions of the pair of beams move on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis; and the second portions of the pair of beams are placed at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.

36. The contact according to claim 35, wherein the "contact interaction portions of the beam pair generally intersect the longitudinal axis

37. The contact according to claim 30, wherein the interacting portions of the Each beam contact defines a plane, the planes of the contact interaction portions are positioned at an angle between approximately 0 ° and 10 ° relative to the plane of the retaining portion

38. The contact according to claim 37, wherein the planes of the contact interaction portions are essentially parallel with the plane of the retention portion - SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A connector for electrically connecting an electrical component having a plurality of conductive elements extending therefrom to a substrate. The connector comprises a first base and a second base. The first base has at least one opening therein and a hinge assembly. The second base comprises a plurality of contacts corresponding to the conductive elements in the electrical component and a hinge assembly. The hinge assemblies of the first and second bases allow the movement of the first base relative to the second base. A method for securing the electrical component in the substrate includes the steps of: inserting the component into a cassette; mounting the housing on the substrate; connect a portion of the conductive elements of the electrical component with a portion of the contacts, and connect the rest of the conductive elements of the electrical component to the rest of the contacts A contact that has a retaining portion, a portion of glue and a pair of bundles.The bundles each have a first portion that displaces the bundle from opposite sides of the plane of the retaining portion and a second portion extending from, and that is inclined relative to, the first portion. The second portions interact to receive a coincidental contact between them.