Individual loading mechanism with simplified locking arrangement

An electrical connector assembly includes a printed circuit board, a socket connector assembled on the printed circuit board and a chip module seating on the insulative socket. The socket connector assembly has an insulating socket having a plurality of terminals received therein, a cover located on the insulating housing and three retention members secured to the printed circuit board and mating with the cover. The cover is attached to two of the retention members and capable of linear and rotational movements with regarding to said retention members so that the cover presses the chip module and is secured by another retention member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an individual loading mechanism (ILM), and more particularly an ILM with simplified locking mechanism facilitating reliable maneuver so as to press a CPU chip toward a socket connector mounted onto a printed circuit board.

2. Description of the Prior Art

An electrical connector electrically connecting a chip module to a printed circuit board is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,628,634, issued to Yeh on Dec. 8, 2009. The electrical connector includes a socket body with a plurality of electrical contacts secured thereon, a metal load plate covering the socket body, a retention frame for securing the load plate on the printed circuit board, and a back plate. A fastener such as a first bolt is provided to engage with the load plate and fasten the load plate on the printed circuit board. The load plate is connected with and supported by the retention frame. The load plate includes a frame and a tongue at a first side of the frame. The tongue has a first section bending from the frame and a second section extending outwardly from the first section. A hole is defined on the second section of the tongue. The first bolt extends through the holes and engages with the screw hole of the back plate. The load plate has a pair of hooks bending downwardly for projecting into the recesses for clasping the retention frame at a second side thereof The load plate rotates towards or away from the socket body from an open position to a closed position.

The electrical connector needs the retention frame for securing the load plate on the printed circuit board. The retention frame is mounted to the printed circuit board at first and then the load plate is assembled to the retention frame. The assembly of the electrical connector is complicated. It is also takes much more room and can't keep up with the trend of the electrical connector.

Therefore, it is needed to find a new electrical socket to overcome the problems mentioned above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an ILM with simplified locking mechanism so as to efficiently press a CPU chip toward a socket connector mounted onto a printed circuit board.

In order to achieve the object set forth, an electrical connector assembly comprises a printed circuit board and a socket connector assembled on the printed circuit board. The socket connector comprises an insulating housing having a plurality of terminals received therein and a cover mounted to the printed circuit board and located above the insulating housing. One of the cover and the printed circuit board has a post, and the other has a hole engaging with the post. The hole includes a through hole and a retention hole communicated with one side of the through hole. The post can pass through the through hole and enter into the retention hole when the cover slides relative to the printed circuit board along a horizontal direction, so as to fasten one side of the cover to the printed circuit board.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring toFIGS. 1-6, an electrical connector assembly100according to the present invention comprises a printed circuit board4and a socket connector1000mounted onto the printed circuit board4. The socket connector1000comprises an insulating housing1having a plurality of terminals (not show) received therein and a clip (not show) mounted to the printed circuit board4. The clip (not show) includes a cover2located above the insulating housing1and a plurality of retention members5for securing the cover2to the printed circuit board4.

The cover2comprises a base portion20and a plurality of first, second, third and fourth sidewalls21,22,23,25bending downwardly from the base portion20. The cover2also comprises a first tongue portion24extending from the first side21of the base portion20. The first tongue portion24has a through hole240. A pair of second tongue portions27extending downwardly from the second and third sides22,23of the base portion20and opposite to each other. The second tongue portions27each has a hole270comprising a larger receiving hole2700and a smaller retention hole2701communicated with each other.

Referring toFIG. 2, the retention members5comprises a first position member51and a pair of second position members52. The first position member51comprises a nut510, a bolt512and a collar511arranged/disposed between the nut510and the bolt512. Each second position member52comprises a top head520and a neck portion521located beneath the top head520and a bottom head522located beneath the neck portion521. The neck portion521is smaller than the top head520and the bottom head522. The diameter of the retention hole2701is smaller than the diameter of the top head520of the second position members52and the diameter of the top head520is smaller than the diameter of the through hole2700.

The printed circuit board4has a first through hole41for the bolt512passing therethrough and two second through holes40for the neck portion521and the top head520of the second position members52passing therethrough. A back plate6is attached to the a bottom surface of the printed circuit board4. The retention members5are also secured to the back plate6.

FIGS. 3-6show an assembled view of the electrical connector assembly100. When assembled, the insulative housing1with the terminals (not show) is soldered to the printed circuit board4. The retention members5are secured to the back plate6and the printed circuit board4with the top head520and the neck portion521of the second position members52passing through the second through hole40. The bolt512also projects through the first through hole41. The nut510and the collar511are assembled to the cover2from opposite sides thereof.

Then the cover2can be put on the insulative housing1with the top head520of the second members52first aligning with the bigger receiving hole2700and then passing therethrough. At this time, the cover2is located at a first position. Next, the cover2can be pushed to slide horizontally and rotate until the neck portion521of the second position members52slips/enters into the smaller retention hole2701and the top head520clips to the second tongue portion27so that one end of the cover2is mounted to the printed circuit board4and the other end of the cover2is pressed to move downwardly and rotates so that the nut510can be fastened to the bolt512.