Abstract:
An electrical connector for use with an electronic package, includes an insulative housing defining an upward facing cavity, a plurality of contacts disposed in the cavity of the insulative housing with contacts sections extending into the cavity, and a carrier frame mounted to the insulative housing and having a main body defining an opening for allowing part of the electronic package passing through the opening. The carrier frame assembles to the insulative housing having a preliminary alignment state and a final alignment state.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a electrical connector, and more particularly to the electrical connector having a carrier frame loading with an electronic package mounted to an insulative housing by straight downward moving so as to reduce damage to contacts assembled therein. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,197 issued to Shirai et al. on Feb. 26, 2006 discloses an electrical connector having an insulative housing with a plurality of contacts received therein. The contacts have mating portions extending beyond top surface of the insulative housing to contact with an electronic package. A cover member is pivotally mounted on a first end of the insulative housing. The cover member is pivotal between an open position and a closed position where the cover member presses the land grid array package toward the top surface of the insulative housing so that the land grid array package electrically connects to the contacts. A lever is pivotally mounted on a second end of the insulative housing. The lever has a locking portion for locking the cover member in the closed position. A metallic reinforcing plate is positioned on a bottom surface of the housing. The metallic reinforcing plate extends between the first end and the second end of the insulative housing. 
         [0005]    However, the exposed flexible mating portions may be broken, bent, or otherwise deformed which results in misalignment of the mating portions with respect to the electronic package. 
         [0006]    To overcome the problem which is said in above, U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,902 issued to Taylor et al. on Dec. 6, 2005 discloses an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes a socket housing holding an array of electrical contacts and a load plate rotatably coupled to the housing and rotatable between an open position and a closed position. The load plate includes a channel that is configured to receive an electronic package when the load plate is in the open position. The load plate loads the package into the housing as the load plate is rotated to the closed position. Because the load plate loading the package is rotatably assembled to the housing, so one part of the contacts will firstly contact with the package and the other part of the contacts will after contact with the package, that cause the first contacting part of contacts may be bent pin. 
         [0007]    Therefore, an improved electrical connector is needed. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having a carrier frame loading with an electronic package for reducing damage to contacts assembled in an insulative housing. 
         [0009]    According to one aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector for use with an electronic package, comprises an insulative housing defining an upward facing cavity, a plurality of contacts disposed in the cavity of the insulative housing with contacts sections extending into the cavity, and a carrier frame mounted to the insulative housing and having a main body defining an opening for allowing part of the electronic package exposed therein. The carrier frame further includes latches to assemble with the inuslative housing and in that process the carrier frame has a preliminary alignment state, on that condition the main body of the carrier frame substantially horizontally stands on the insulative housing regard to a bottom surface of the cavity and can be further assembled to the insulative housing to a final alignment state by a small force. Wherein, the carrier frame will be straight downward moved from the pre-alignment state to the final alignment state. 
         [0010]    According to another aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector assembly for use with an electronic package, comprises an insulative housing defining an upward facing cavity; a plurality of contacts disposed in the cavity of the insulative housing with contacts sections extending into the cavity; a carrier frame having a main body defining an opening to allow a part of the electronic package passing through the opening and another part of the electronic package mounted on a bottom surface of the main body. The carrier frame assembles to the inuslative housing has a preliminary alignment state and a final alignment state. Wherein, on the pre-alignment state, the electronic package has a same distance with a bottom surface of the cavity and does not contact with the contacts in the insulative housing, and the carrier frame has a plurality of latches all engaging with the insulative housing; and on the final alignment state, the electronic package engages with the contacts and the latches of the carrier frame are locked by the insulative housing. 
         [0011]    Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is an assembled, perspective view of an electrical connector with an electronic package in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is an exposed view of the electrical connector and the electronic package shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a bottom, perspective view of a carrier frame of the electrical connector; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a top, perspective view of a carrier frame assembled with the electronic package; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the electrical connector with the electronic package showed in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a pre-alignment state of electronic package assembled to the electrical connector. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an electrical connector used for electrically connecting an electronic package  4  and a printed circuit board (PCB, not shown), comprises an insulative housing  1  with a plurality of contacts  2 , a carrier frame  3  mounted to the insulative housing  1 . The electronic package  4  includes a substrate  40  made with insulative material and a die  41  extending higher than the substrate  40 . 
         [0019]    The insulative housing  1  includes a base  10  for receiving the contacts  2 . A plurality of sidewalls  11  defined by the base  10  has receiving portions  110  thereon to engage with the carrier frame  3 . Each receiving portion  110  includes a chamfer  1101  located at top of the sidewall  11  and a recess  1102  located corresponding to the chamfer  1101  and lower than the chamfer  1101  at an up-to-down direction. Four bulges  120  protrude from corners of the base  10  and define a plurality of datums  120  to define a cavity  13  for receiving the electronic package  4 . The contacts  2  are disposed in the cavity  13  of the insulative housing  1  with contacts sections extending into the cavity  13 . The datums  120  is used to engage with edges of the substrate  40  of the electronic package  4  for the electronic package  4  to be mounted to the insulative housing  1 . A plurality of aligned keys  14  defined on two opposite sides of the base  10  extend inwardly to the cavity  13  for cooperating with cutouts  401  of the electronic package  4  to be correctly mounted to the cavity  13 . 
         [0020]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the carrier frame  3  includes a substantially planar main body  30  and an opening  31  formed at a center of the main body  30 . Four latches  32  are disposed on two opposite sides of the main body  30  for mating with the sidewalls  11  of the insulative housing  1 . Each latch  32  defines an extending arm  320  extending horizontally along an edge of the main body  30 . A hook  321  and an alignment beam  322  extend downwardly from the extending arm  320 , respectively. The hook  321  moves downwardly through the chamfer  1101  and is secured in the recess  1102  for assembling the carrier frame  3  to the insulative housing  1 . The alignment beam  322  moves downwardly along the sidewall  11  of the insulative housing  1  for leading the hook  321  moving. A number of restrict portions  33  protrude from a bottom surface  301  of the main body  30  for engaging with the edges of the substrate  40  to position the electronic package  4  to the carrier frame  3 . A corner of the main body  30  defines an indicator  300  to work with a hole  410  of the die  41  of the electronic package  4  for correctly assembling the electronic package  4  to the opening  31  of the carrier frame  3 . 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 to 5 , the carrier frame  3  is mated to the electrical package  4  by way of the opening  31 , concretely, the main body  30  of the carrier frame  3  has a layer of adhesive on the bottom surface  301  thereof, the substrate  40  is adhibited on the bottom surface  301  and the die  41  is passed through the opening  31  of the carrier frame  3 . Understandably, other means such as minor resilient arms grasping a periphery of the electronic package for temporary retention of the electronic package to the carrier frame is also applicable prior to final or complete assembling of the carrier frame with the associated electronic package to the housing. 
         [0022]      FIG. 6  shows a preliminary state that the carrier frame  3  loads the electronic package  4  preparing to assemble to the insulative housing  1 . The hooks  321  and the alignment beams  320  of the carrier frame  3  provide additional preliminary alignment to the chamfers  1101  and the sidewalls  11  of the insulative housing  1  to make the carrier frame  3  to stand on the insulative housing  1 . On that condition, the electronic package  4  doesn&#39;t enter into the insulative housing  1  or contacts with the datums  120  and contacts  2  so that can prevent damage to the datums  120  and contacts  2 . Furthermore, if an operator decides to not push the carrier frame  3  down, it can be left in its preliminary state on the insulative housing  1 , the loading mechanism, for example, a lever, a loading plate, and a stiffener (not shown), which can apply an enabling loading force onto the electronic package  4  to push the carrier frame  3  downwardly engaging with the receiving portion  110 . 
         [0023]    In the instant invention, the carrier frame  3  loading the electronic package  4  mounted to the insulative housing  1  has a preliminary alignment state and a final alignment state. On the preliminary alignment state, the latches  32  engage with the insulative housing  1 , the main body  30  of the carrier frame  3  and electronic package  4  parallel to the base  10  or a bottom surface of the cavity  13 . On the final alignment state, the electronic package  4  engages with the contacts  2 , and the latches  32  of the carrier frame  3  are locked by the recesses  1102  of insulative housing  1 . The carrier frame  3  loading the electronic package  4  straight downward moves to the insulative housing  1  from the preliminary alignment state to the final alignment state, and when the carrier frame  3  loading the electronic package  4  in the final alignment state, the carrier frame  3  doesn&#39;t need to remove from the insulative housing  1 . 
         [0024]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various alterations and modifications can be made to the embodiments without in any way departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.