JP2003194849A - Contact probe - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of part items and assembly man hours for a contact probe while reducing the diameter thereof, without deteriorating the performance of the probe to make contact with the subject of inspection and its internal conduction performance. <P>SOLUTION: The contact probe 10 includes two bar-shaped measuring contact pins 11A and 11B with a contact part 11a at a tip of at least one of the pins, and a sleeve 12 covering the outer peripheries of the contact pins 11A and 11B passed therethrough. Cut parts 12b and 12d for producing spring forces are provided in a plurality of portions of the sleeve 12 and the two measuring contact pins 11A and 11B are fixed in different positions of the sleeve 12 across one or some of the plurality of cut parts 12b and 12d. Alternatively, a cut part for producing a spring force may be provided in a portion of the sleeve to fix one of the two measuring contact pins in the cut part and fix the other of the contact pins in a position other than the cut part or in a position of the cut part different from a fixing position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a contact probe used for various inspections such as board inspection machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Mounted components such as IC chips mounted on a circuit board under the surface mounting technique are connected and fixed by soldering leads to a circuit pattern. Therefore, if a problem occurs in the soldering work, the lead may not be properly connected to the circuit pattern. The presence of such poorly connected leads is one of the factors that hinder the predetermined circuit function that the circuit board must have. For this reason, the presence or absence of connection failure will be strictly checked,
Only the circuit boards which are determined to be non-defective by passing the check will be provided to the user as products.

By the way, the two-wire resistance measuring method and the four-terminal measuring method have been conventionally adopted as a method for checking the presence or absence of a connection failure lead. The two-wire resistance measuring method is a measurement in which a source current and a sense voltage are applied using the same test lead wire (contact pin), and is performed using two contact pins.

The four-terminal measuring method is used to measure two current measuring contact pins for supplying a current to an object to be inspected, which is a resistor, and a state of a voltage drop caused when the current is supplied. It is a measurement method of using two contact pins for voltage measurement, that is, a total of four contact pins.

In the four-terminal measuring method, first, a four-terminal measuring contact probe having two contact pins is provided for each of a lead of a mounting component on a circuit board and a circuit pattern to which the lead is connected. Separately, they are brought into contact with each other at the same time, and minute measurement values are obtained at that time. Next, the obtained measured value is compared with a reference range value that has a certain width as an index for determining the presence or absence of a connection failure lead, and if it is within that range, the connection is good, and if it is outside the range, the connection is good. It is carried out by determining that it is defective.

Therefore, particularly in the four-terminal measurement contact probe, if simultaneous contact is not smoothly performed, there arises a problem that the measurement accuracy and the measurement speed are reduced. However, in general, the height of the solder is not constant at the inspected part where the inspection object is soldered, so if multiple contact pins are contacted at the same time, all contact pins will surely contact due to the height difference. It is possible not to do it.

Therefore, in the conventional four-terminal measuring contact probe, in order to stabilize the contact state between the object to be inspected and the measuring terminal (contact pin), a coiled spring is incorporated and the contact pin expands and contracts. There is a structure in which the contact force is surely obtained by using elastic force of a spring.

A spring connector (contact probe) used for a test head of a circuit board inspection device for inspecting a circuit board, a semiconductor wafer, or the like,
It is also known that a coil spring is provided between the contact pin and the receiving pin (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-141745).
reference).

[0009]

However, in the conventional contact probe in which the coiled spring is incorporated, the spring component is formed separately and incorporated, so that the number of components is large and the number of assembling steps is also increased. It has the problem of increasing.

Further, since the spring, which must also have a conductive function, is a separate part, it is difficult to stably secure conductivity. As described above, using the spring itself as a conductor for measurement has an unstable element, and has a problem in reliability. Further, it is necessary to incorporate a separate part called a spring, and it is difficult to reduce the diameter.

The present invention has been made to improve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the purpose thereof is to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembling steps without deteriorating the contact performance with respect to the object to be inspected and the internal conductive performance. Another object of the present invention is to provide a contact probe capable of reducing the diameter and reducing the diameter.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the contact probe of the present invention has two rod-shaped measurement contact pins having a contact portion at at least one tip, and the measurement contact pins are inserted therethrough. , A sleeve covering the outer circumference of the measuring contact pin, and notching portions for generating a spring force are provided at a plurality of positions of the sleeve, and two measuring contact pins are provided at different positions of the sleeve at a plurality of notches. One or more of the parts are fixed in two positions sandwiched between them.

According to this structure, the spring portion is integrated with the sleeve, and the two measuring contact pins can be independently reciprocated. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare a spring separately, reducing the number of parts,
The number of assembling steps can be reduced, and the conductive performance does not deteriorate. Further, the contact probe can be made smaller in diameter and smaller in size, and the contact performance with the object to be inspected becomes sufficient.

The contact probe of another invention is
Two rod-shaped measuring contact pins each having a contact portion at at least one tip, and a sleeve through which the measuring contact pins are inserted and which covers the outer circumference of the measuring contact pins are provided, and a spring force is applied to one position of the sleeve. A notch that occurs is provided, one of the two contact pins for measurement is fixed to the notch, and the other is not the notch.
Alternatively, the cut portion is fixed at a position different from the fixed position.

According to this structure, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembling steps without deteriorating the contact performance with respect to the object to be inspected and the conductive performance inside, and to obtain the contact probe which can be reduced in diameter. be able to. In particular,
Since the cut portion is provided only at one place, the contact probe can be manufactured at low cost.

The contact probe of another invention is
One rod-shaped measuring contact pin having a contact portion at at least one tip, and a sleeve through which the measuring contact pin is inserted and covers the outer circumference of the measuring contact pin, and a notch for generating a spring force in the sleeve A portion is provided, the measurement contact pin is fixed to the sleeve, the measurement contact pin serves as a first measurement contact pin, and the sleeve serves as a second measurement contact pin.

According to the present invention, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced and the diameter of the contact probe can be reduced without deteriorating the contact performance with respect to the object to be inspected and the internal conductive performance. be able to. In particular,
Since the sleeve is used as the contact pin for the second measurement, it is easy to reduce the diameter, and the number of parts is extremely reduced, which is advantageous in terms of work efficiency and cost reduction.

The contact probe of another invention is
A contact probe comprising a rod-shaped measuring contact pin having a contact portion at at least one tip, and a notch portion having a spring property is provided by notching a portion thereof.

When this structure is adopted, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced without deteriorating the contact performance with respect to the object to be inspected and the conductive performance inside, and a contact probe capable of reducing the diameter can be provided. Obtainable. In particular, since the contact pin itself is used as the contact probe, it is advantageous in reducing the diameter of the contact probe, and the reliability of the contact probe can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the sleeve is divided into a central sleeve portion, a front sleeve portion and a rear sleeve portion located in front of and behind the central sleeve portion, and the central sleeve portion, the front sleeve portion and the central sleeve portion and the rear side. It is preferable to provide a cut portion between the sleeve portion and the sleeve portion.

[0021] With this configuration, the central sleeve portion and the like, where the cut portion is not provided, can be easily held, and the two cut portions can be effectively used as the spring portion.

Further, it is preferable that the first measuring contact pin is fixed to the front sleeve portion and the second measuring contact pin is fixed to the rear sleeve portion.

With this structure, by holding the central sleeve portion, a contact probe can be obtained in which the first and second measuring contact pins, which reciprocate very smoothly, are provided in the same sleeve. In addition, holding the central sleeve portion is advantageous in terms of stability of the contact probe.

Further, it is preferable that the first measuring contact pin is fixed to the front sleeve portion and the second measuring contact pin is fixed to the central sleeve portion.

With this configuration, a contact probe can be obtained in which the first and second contact pins for measurement, which can be individually reciprocated by holding the rear sleeve portion, are provided in the same sleeve. Also, if you hold the rear sleeve part, you can use the contact probe in a long state,
This is advantageous when making contact in a narrow space.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A contact probe 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a contact probe 10 according to the first embodiment, and FIG.
It is an AA line expanded sectional view of. In FIG. 1, the contact probe 10 is shown as a movable head unit 100 of a substrate inspection machine.
It is shown in a state in which it is attached via the interposition member 102.

The movable head portion 100 has a mounting hole 01 having an inner diameter of about 0.1 mm and has the same thickness (equation 1).
0 to several 100 μm) of metal members are laminated, and one of them is laminated.
The sheet is used as the interposition member 102, and the front side (inspection object side)
An insulating coating portion 100a is provided on the surface. Although this configuration is adopted in all the embodiments of the present invention, other configurations, such as a laminated configuration, or the insulating coating portion 100a may be omitted.

1 and 2, the contact probe 10 for inspecting a substrate has a structure suitable for use in a substrate inspecting machine using a four-terminal measuring method. That is, the contact probe 10 includes a first measurement contact pin 11A used for voltage measurement (or current measurement) and a second measurement contact pin 11B used for current measurement (or voltage measurement). , These 2
It is composed of a sleeve 12 that covers the outer circumference of one of the contact pins 11A and 11B.

The first measurement contact pin 11A and the second
The measurement contact pins 11B have the same structure. Then, the measuring contact pins 11A and 11B
Is an electrically conductive rod-shaped material having an outer diameter of about 0.075 mm and having an appropriate length, for example, a stainless steel material (SUS304)
Or a bar-shaped material made of adjacent bronze, the outer periphery of which is insulatively coated with Teflon (trademark) or the like except for the contact portion at the tip (conical sharp contact portion 11a) and the portion to be the signal output terminal at the rear end side. Is made of.

The insulating coating may be made of a material other than Teflon, such as fluororesin. Further, as the insulating coating, the round bar portion adjacent to the sharp contact portion 11a may not be coated. The range in which the insulating coating is not applied to the round bar portion is 0.30 mm or less, preferably 0.075 mm or less from the sharp contact portion 11a. With respect to this insulating coating, it is preferable that the same applies to other embodiments described later.

The first and second measuring contact pins 1
At one end (tip) of 1A, 11B, a sharp contact portion 1 that is in contact with the substrate to be inspected and has a tapered conical tip.
Although not shown, terminals on the substrate inspection machine side are electrically connected to the other end (rear end) side, respectively.

The sleeve 12 has an inner diameter of 0.3 to 1.0 m.
It is formed as a pipe material of about m in length, for example, stainless steel or adjacent bronze, and its outer circumference and inner circumference, and at least the outer circumference is insulation-coated with Teflon (trademark) or the like. Inside the sleeve 12, a first measuring contact pin 11A and a second measuring contact pin 11B are arranged so as to be electrically insulated from the contact pins 11A and 11B and the sleeve 12. In this embodiment, the front and rear portions of the first and second measurement contact pins 11A and 11B are arranged substantially parallel to each other while being exposed from both ends of the sleeve 12 and penetrating therethrough. May not be exposed.

Although the insulating coating on the sleeve 12 may be applied only to the outer circumference of the sleeve 12, in order to improve the insulating properties of the first and second measuring contact pins 11A and 11B, the inner circumference of the sleeve 12 can be improved. It is also preferable to apply an insulating coating. This point is the same as in the other embodiments. The sleeve 12 has a front sleeve portion 12a and a front cut portion 1 from one end side (tip).
2b, a central mounting portion 12c serving as a central sleeve portion, a rear cut portion 12d, and a rear sleeve portion 12e are partitioned in this order, and these are integrally formed.

The parts of the sleeve 12 used as the front notch 12b and the rear notch 12d are
A spiral continuous cut 13 is directly formed along the axial center of the sleeve 12, and the cut portions 12b, 12 are formed by the spiral continuous cut 13.
d is configured as a coil spring. The width of the notch 13 and the pitch-to-pitch dimension are appropriately set according to the compression dimension and elastic force desired as the coil spring.

The first member arranged in the sleeve 12
The measurement contact pin 11A of the
On the inner surface of a, it is fixed to the front sleeve portion 12a via an insulating adhesive, for example, at a portion indicated by reference numeral 14 in FIG. The other portion of the first measuring contact pin 11A is in a state of being capable of reciprocating relative to the sleeve 12 along the axial center of the contact probe 10.

On the other hand, the second measuring contact pin 11B arranged in the same sleeve 12 has the rear sleeve portion 1
The inner surface of 2e is fixed to the rear sleeve portion 12e, for example, at a portion indicated by reference numeral 15 in FIG. 1 via an insulating adhesive. The other portion of the second measuring contact pin 11B is in a state of being capable of reciprocating relative to the sleeve 12 along the axial center of the contact probe 10.

Further, in this sleeve 12, the front sleeve portion 12a and the rear sleeve portion 12e are separated by the elasticity of the front cut portion 12b and the rear cut portion 12d.
The contact probe 10 can be relatively moved (advanced and retracted) along the axis center. Further, in the normal state, the front sleeve portion 12a is held in a state in which the front sleeve portion 12a projects toward the tip side and the rear sleeve portion 12e is pulled back toward the center side, that is, in a state in which neither spring force acts.

As shown in FIG. 1, the contact probe 10 constructed as described above is inserted into a mounting hole 101 provided in a movable head portion 100 of a substrate inspection machine in a non-contact state, and then mounted. The attachment portion 12c is held and attached to the interposition member 102 in the hole 101. Further, in the attached state, the front end of the front sleeve portion 12a projects from the front end of the movable head portion 100, and
The sharp contact portions 11a, 11a of the second measuring contact pins 11A, 11B are also in a state of protruding from the tip of the front sleeve portion 12a. Further, at the rear ends of the first and second measurement contact pins 11A and 11B, although not shown, a terminal portion on the substrate inspection machine side is attached in an electrically conductive state.

The contact probe 10 thus attached to the movable head portion 100 of the substrate inspection machine through the interposition member 102 is the contact probe 10.
When the tip of the abuts on the board to be inspected,
First, the first and second measurement contact pins 11A,
Both sharp-pointed contact portions 11a of 11B are simultaneously pressed against and contact the inspection object.

When the pressing further proceeds, that is, when the portion of the interposition member 102 approaches the inspected object side, the first
The measurement contact pin 11A of the
Since it is fixed to a, elastic deformation and compression of the front cut portion 12b, which is formed as a coil spring, moves backward along with the front sleeve portion 12a along the axial center of the contact probe 10 while accumulating a pressing force against the inspection object. However, the front sleeve portion 12 a approaches the interposition member 102. On the other hand, the second measuring contact pin 11
Since B is fixed to the rear sleeve portion 12e, the rear notch portion 12d formed as a coil spring is stretched, and along the rear sleeve portion 12e and the axial center of the contact probe 10, the portion B is attached to the object to be inspected. It will move backward while accumulating the pressing force. That is, the rear sleeve portion 12e moves away from the interposition member 102.

The measurement signal for the object to be inspected obtained by this contact is the first and second contact pins 11 for measurement.
It is taken out or inputted as an electric signal to the outside through a terminal (not shown) connected to each of A and 11B. When the measurement is completed and the contact with the inspection object is released, the front sleeve portion 12a and the first measurement contact pin 11A are returned to their initial positions by the repulsive force (extension force) of the spring in the front cut portion 12b. In addition, the repulsive force (compressive force) of the spring in the rear side cut portion 12d causes the rear side sleeve portion 12e and the second measurement contact pin 11B.
Is returned to the initial position and returns to the standby state.

As described above, according to the contact probe 10 of the first embodiment, the portions used as the front and rear cutouts 12b and 12d of the sleeve 12 which constitutes the contact probe 10 are provided. In the axial direction of the sleeve 12, that is, along the axial center of the contact probe 10, a continuous spiral cut 13 is directly formed to integrally form a coiled spring. Since this spring is used for pressing the contact probe 10 to be strongly pressed against the test object when the contact probe 10 contacts the test object, reliable contact can be obtained. Each of the contact pins 11A and 11B can be independently operated, and the contact performance of the contact pins 11A and 11B with respect to the object to be inspected is not reduced as compared with the conventional structure.
The following effects can be expected.

(1) Coil-shaped spring (cut portion 12)
(b, 12d) is formed integrally with the sleeve 12, it is not necessary to separately prepare a spring, the number of parts can be reduced, and the contact probe 10 can be made smaller and smaller. . Further, as the number of parts is reduced, the number of man-hours for assembling work can be reduced. As a result, the cost of the contact probe 10 can be reduced and the contact probe 10 can be provided at low cost. (2) Coil-shaped spring (cutouts 12b, 12d)
Since the sleeve 12 is integrated with the sleeve 12, the probe replacement work can be easily performed. That is, the contact probe 1
When replacing 0, first, the holding by the interposition member 102 is released, and the used contact probe 10 is inserted into the interposition member 1
It is possible to easily replace the contact probe 10 by removing it from 02, then attaching a new contact probe 10, and finally holding it by the interposition member 102. (3) Since the fixing points 14 and 15 are other than the cutout portions 12b and 12d of the sleeve 12, a large adhesive area can be secured for fixing, and the adhesive strength between the sleeve 12 and each contact pin 11A, 11B is strong. Can be one.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a contact probe according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the contact probe 20 of the second embodiment, and FIG.
It is a BB line expanded sectional view of FIG. In addition, in FIG. 3, the contact probe 20 is shown in a state in which it is attached to the movable head unit 100 of the inspection machine similar to the board inspection machine described in the first embodiment via the interposition member 102.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the contact probe 20 for inspecting a substrate has a structure called a coaxial type suitable for use in a substrate inspecting machine using a four-terminal measuring method. In the board inspection machine using the four-terminal measurement method, the first measurement contact pin 21 used for voltage measurement (or current measurement) and the second measurement contact for current measurement (or voltage measurement) And a sleeve 22 used as a pin.

The first measuring contact pin 21 is made of a conductive rod-shaped material having an outer diameter of about 0.075 mm and a suitable length, for example, a stainless steel material (SUS304) or an adjoining bronze. It is made of a rod-shaped material whose outer periphery except for the contact portion (the sharp contact portion 21a) and the portion to be the signal output terminal on the rear end side is insulation-coated with Teflon (trademark) or the like. This first measuring contact pin 21
Is provided at one end thereof with a sharpened contact portion 21a having a tapered conical tip, which is in contact with the substrate to be inspected. At the other end, a terminal on the substrate inspection machine side is electrically connected although not shown. Connected to.

The sleeve 22 is made of a conductive pipe material having an inner diameter of about 0.1 mm, for example, a stainless steel material or an adjoining bronze, and serves as at least a contact portion 22f at its tip and a signal output terminal on the rear end side. It is formed of a pipe material obtained by coating the outer circumference and the inner circumference except for Teflon (trademark). The insulating coating may be applied only to the outer periphery of the sleeve 22, but in order to improve the insulating property of the first measuring contact pin 21, the sleeve 2 is used.
It is preferable that the inner periphery of 2 is also insulation-coated.

Inside the sleeve 22, the first measuring contact pin 21 is electrically insulated, and the front and rear portions (at least the front side portion) of the first measuring contact pin 21 are located at both ends of the sleeve 22. The first measuring contact pins 21 are arranged concentrically with the sleeve 22 in a protruding state.

Further, the sleeve 22 is
The front sleeve portion 22a, the front side cut portion 22b, the central mounting portion 22c that serves as the central sleeve portion, the rear side cut portion 22d, and the rear side sleeve portion 22e are partitioned in this order, and are integrally configured. Of these, the contact portion 22f at the tip of the front sleeve portion 22a is used as a contact terminal.

The sleeve 22 used as the front notch portion 22b and the rear notch portion 22d is directly provided with a spiral notch 23 along the axial center of the contact probe 20, This spiral-shaped cut 23 cuts the cut portions 22b, 2
2d is formed as a coil spring. The width of the notch 23 and the pitch-to-pitch dimension are appropriately set according to the compression dimension and elastic force desired as the coil spring.

Then, the first member arranged in the sleeve 22
The contact pin 21 for measurement is a rear sleeve portion 22e.
On the inner surface of the sheet, for example, as shown in FIG.
It is fixed to the rear sleeve portion 22e at a portion indicated by reference numeral 24 therein. A portion on the front side from the fixed portion 24 is held along the axial direction of the contact probe 20 and in a state capable of reciprocating relative to the contact probe 20.

Further, in this sleeve 22, when the central mounting portion 22c is held, the front notch portion 22
Due to the elasticity of b and the rear cut portion 22d, the front sleeve portion 22a is configured to be retractable by the compression of the front cut portion 22b, while the rear sleeve portion 22e is configured to be retractable by the extension of the rear cut portion 22d. . Note that, in the normal state, the front sleeve portion 22a is held in an extended state in which the front sleeve portion 22a has finished protruding to the tip end side, and the contact portion 2 at the tip end is held.
The sharp contact portion 21a of the first measuring contact pin 21 is held in a protruding state from 2f.

As can be seen from FIG. 3 showing the state after the contact probe 20 thus constructed is mounted on the board inspection machine, the mounting hole provided in the movable head portion 100 of the board inspection machine. After being inserted into 101 in a non-contact state, the sleeve 22
The mounting portion 22c of is held by the interposition member 102,
It is attached to the movable head unit 100.

Further, in the attached state, the front end of the front sleeve portion 22a projects from one end of the movable head portion 100, and the first measuring contact pin 21
The sharp contact portion 21a is also in a state of protruding from the contact portion 22f at the tip of the front sleeve portion 22a. Further, at the rear end of the first measuring contact pin 21, although not shown, a terminal portion on the substrate inspection machine side is attached in an electrically conductive state.

In this way, the movable head portion 10
When the tip of the contact probe 20 is brought into contact with the object to be inspected,
First, the sharp contact portion 21a of the first measuring contact pin 21 is pressed against and contacted with the substrate to be inspected, which is the inspected object.

When the pressing further proceeds (the movable head unit 1
00 becomes closer to the object side), the first measuring contact pin 21 is fixed to the rear sleeve portion 22e, so that elastic deformation and expansion of the rear cut portion 22d, which is formed as a coil spring, is performed. , Rear sleeve part 2
With 2e, the contact probe 20 moves back along the axial direction of the contact probe 20 while accumulating a pressing force against the object to be inspected, and enters the front sleeve portion 22a. When the first contact pin 21 for measurement is further retracted and the sharp contact portion 21a completely enters the front sleeve portion 22a, the contact portion 22f at the tip of the front sleeve portion 22a is next.
Touches the object to be inspected.

The pressing is further advanced, and the movable head 10
When 0 approaches the object to be inspected further, the first measuring contact pin 21 further elastically deforms and extends the rear cut portion 22d, while the front sleeve portion 22a forms the front cut portion 22b formed as a coil spring. Due to the elastic deformation and compression of the contact probe 20, the contact probe 20 moves backward along the axial direction while accumulating the pressing force.

As a result, the measuring contact pin 21 and the sleeve 22 are strongly contacted with the object to be inspected at the same time, and the measurement signal for the object to be inspected obtained by this contact is the first measuring contact pin 21 and the measuring contact pin 21. Sleeve 22
It is possible to take out as an electric signal to the outside through a terminal on the inspection machine side (not shown) connected to each of the above, and to input a measurement current or the like from the outside.

When the contact with the object to be inspected is released after the measurement is completed, the front sleeve portion 22a is returned to the initial position by the repulsive force (stretching force) of the spring in the front slit portion 22b, and the rear slit portion is cut. The rear sleeve portion 22e and the first measurement contact pin 21 are returned to the initial position by the repulsive force (compressive force) of the spring in the portion 22d, and the standby state is restored.

As described above, according to the contact probe 20 in the second embodiment, the portions used as the front and rear cut portions 22b and 22d of the sleeve 22 which constitutes the contact probe 20, A continuous spiral cut 2 in the axial direction of the sleeve 22, that is, in the direction along the axial center of the contact probe 20.
3 is directly inserted to integrally form a coiled spring.
Since this spring is used for pressing the contact probe 20 to be strongly pressed against the inspection object when the contact probe 20 contacts the inspection object, a reliable contact can be obtained. Contact pin 2
1 and the sleeve 22 can be independently operated, and the following effects can be expected without lowering the contact performance of the contact pin with respect to the inspection object as compared with the conventional structure.

(1) Coil-shaped spring (cut portion 22)
(b, 22d) is formed integrally with the sleeve 22 (second measuring contact pin), it is not necessary to separately prepare a spring, and the number of parts can be reduced, and
It is also possible to make the contact probe 20 thinner and smaller. Further, as the number of parts is reduced, the number of man-hours for assembling work can be reduced. As a result, the cost of the contact probe 20 can be reduced and the contact probe 20 can be provided at low cost. (2) Coil-shaped spring (cut portions 22b, 22d)
Is integrally formed with the sleeve 22 (second contact pin for measurement), sufficiently stable conductivity can be secured even if the spring itself is used as a conductor. (3) Coil-shaped spring (cut portions 22b, 22d)
Since the sleeve 22 (second measuring contact pin) is integrated, the probe replacement work can be easily performed.
That is, when replacing the contact probe 20, first, the holding by the interposition member 102 is released, the used contact probe 20 is removed, then a new contact probe 20 is attached, and finally the interposition member 102.
It can be easily replaced by holding it again.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the contact probe of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the contact probe 30 of the third embodiment, and FIG. 6 is C of FIG.
It is a C line expanded sectional view. In addition, in FIG. 5, the contact probe 30 is shown in a state of being attached to the movable head portion 100 configured by the laminated member of the substrate inspection machine via the interposition member 102.

The contact probe 30 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is used for two-wire resistance measurement and the like. The contact probe 30 for board inspection has an outer diameter of 0.075.
A rod-shaped member having an appropriate length of conductivity of about mm,
For example, the rod-shaped member is made of a material such as stainless steel (SUS304) or adjacent bronze. The contact probe 30 has a Teflon (trademark) outer periphery except for the contact portions (conical sharp contact portions 32a, 32b) at the tip thereof.
Is formed of an insulating coating, and the measurement pin itself (hereinafter referred to as “measurement contact pin 3
It is made as "0").

The insulating coating may be made of a material other than Teflon, such as fluororesin. Further, as a portion where the insulating coating is not performed, a round bar portion adjacent to the sharp contact portions 32a and 32b may be added. As for the range of the round bar that does not have insulation coating,
It is 0.30 mm or less, preferably 0.075 mm or less from the sharp contact portions 32a and 32b.

The contact pin 30 for measurement has a front contact pin portion 31a and a cut portion 31 from one end side.
b, the central mounting portion 31c, the cut portion 31b, and the rear contact pin portion 31d are sectioned in this order, and they are integrally formed. In addition, in the state of FIG. 5, the rear contact pin portion 31d is a measuring instrument connection side portion that is connected to the measuring instrument. Is the measuring instrument connection side.

The front-side contact pin portion 31a and the rear-side contact pin portion 31d are used as contacts and connecting ends, and the tips thereof are formed into tapered (conical) shape as sharp contact portions 32a and 32b. . In the portion of the measurement contact pin 30 used as the cut portion 31b, a spiral continuous cut 33 is directly formed along the axial center of the measurement contact pin 30,
With this spiral-shaped cut 33, the cut portion 3
1b will be formed as a coil spring. In addition,
The width and the pitch-to-pitch dimension of the notch 33 here are appropriately set according to the compression dimension and elastic force desired as the coil spring.

In the measuring contact pin 30, the front contact pin portion 31a and the rear contact pin portion 31b move back and forth (advance and retreat) along the axial center of the measuring contact pin 30 due to the elasticity of the cut portion 31b. ) Is freely obtained, and in a normal state, the sharp contact portions 32a and 32b are held in an extended state in which they have finished projecting to the tip side.

When an object to be inspected (not shown) such as a substrate comes into contact with either one of the sharp contact portions 32a and 32b and is pushed, the coil spring (cut portion 31b) is elastically deformed and compressed, and the object to be inspected. In the state in which the pressing force is applied to either one of the sharp contact portions 32a and 32b (the front contact pin portion 31a and the rear contact pin portion 31d), the
In this state, the sharp contact portion 12a has the measuring contact pin 3
It has a structure that allows it to retreat along the axis center of 0.

The measuring contact pin 30 thus constructed is provided in the movable head portion 100 of the substrate inspecting machine as shown in FIG. 5, which shows a state after being attached to the substrate inspecting machine. It is inserted in the mounting hole 101 having an inner diameter of about 0.1 mm in a non-contact state. Thereafter, the mounting portion 31c is fixedly held in the mounting hole 101 by the interposition member 102 which is one of the laminated members of the movable head portion 100,
The measuring contact pin 30 is attached to the movable arm unit 100. The movable head unit 100 has several tens to several hundreds.
It is configured by stacking metal members having a thickness of μm.

Further, in the attached state, the sharp contact portion 32a of the front contact pin portion 31a and the sharp contact portion 32b of the rear contact pin portion 31d are arranged in the movable arm portion 10.
It is in a state of protruding from both sides of 0. Then, the sharp contact portion 32b is connected to the measuring instrument. In this state, when the sharp contact portion 32a is pressed against the object to be inspected and brought into contact therewith, the notched portion 31b formed as a coil spring.
Is elastically compressed and deformed to apply a pressing force to the object to be inspected, the front contact pin portion 31a retracts along the axial center of the measuring contact pin 30.

The measurement signal for the object to be inspected obtained by this contact is the sharp contact portion 32 of the rear contact pin portion 31d.
It is taken out as an electric signal via b. Also,
When the measurement is completed and the contact between the sharp contact portion 32a and the object to be inspected is released, the front contact pin portion 31a is returned to the initial position by the repulsive force of the spring in the cut portion 31b, and returns to the standby state.

This measuring contact pin 30 is disclosed in
It is used by being incorporated in a test head such as 001-141745, or used in a two-wire resistance measuring method. When the measurement contact pin 30 is used in a board inspection machine using the four-terminal measurement method, a plurality of measurement contact pins 30 are arranged substantially parallel to each other and installed on the movable head unit 100. One is used as a current measuring probe for applying a current to the inspected object that is a resistor, and the other two are used as a voltage measuring probe for measuring the state of the voltage drop that occurs when a current is applied. To do.

Further, the mounting portion 31c may be a terminal for leading out a measured current to the outside, and the interposition member 102 may also be a terminal. In this case, the rear contact pin portion 3
1d and the sharp contact portion 32b are the front contact pin portion 31.
It has a function similar to that of the a or the sharp contact portion 32a. As a method of use, a method is used in which first the sharp contact portion 32a is used for measurement, then the whole is inverted and the sharp contact portion 32b is brought into contact with the object to be measured, and the two measured values are averaged. Or
The front contact pin portion 31a is used for contacting the object to be inspected until a predetermined time elapses after long-term use,
If the measurement accuracy of the sharp contact portion 32a deteriorates (is likely to fall) due to the adhesion of solder or the like, the whole is inverted, and then the sharp contact portion 32b is used for contacting the object to be inspected. can do.

As described above, according to the contact probe 30 in the third embodiment, the axial center of the measuring contact pin 30 is formed in the cut portion 31b of the measuring contact pin 30 which constitutes the contact probe 30. A continuous spiral cut 33 is directly formed along the line to form a coiled spring integrally. Since this spring is used for pressing the measurement contact pin 30 to be strongly pressed against the inspection object when the measurement contact pin 30 contacts the inspection object,
The reliable contact can be obtained, and the following effects can be expected without lowering the contact performance with the object to be inspected as compared with the conventional structure.

(1) Coil-shaped spring (cut portion 31)
Since b) is formed integrally with the contact probe 30 (contact pin 30 for measurement), it is not necessary to separately prepare a spring or a contact pin, and the number of parts can be significantly reduced. Further, since the number of parts is basically one, the assembling work is substantially eliminated, and the diameter and size of the measuring contact pin 30 can be reduced. As a result, the cost can be significantly reduced and the measurement contact pin 30 can be provided at low cost. (2) Since the coiled spring (cutout portion 31b) is formed integrally with the contact probe 30 (contact pin 30 for measurement), sufficiently stable conductivity is secured even when the spring itself is used as a conductor. it can. (3) Since the coiled spring (the cut portion 31b) and the measuring contact pin 30 are integrated, the probe replacement work can be easily performed. That is, when the contact probe 30 is replaced, first, the fixed holding by the interposition member 102 is released and the used measurement contact pin 3 is used.
0 is removed from the mounting hole 101 and removed. After that, a new measuring contact pin 30 is attached, and finally the interposition member 1
It can be easily replaced by holding it fixed with 02.

In the third embodiment, front and rear contact pin portions 31a and 31d and a cut portion 31b are provided in front and rear portions of the measuring contact pin 30, respectively, and the movable head portion 100 is provided with a front portion. And the structure in which the rear contact pin portions 31a and 31d are attached so as to project from both sides. In this structure, the front and rear ends of the measurement contact pin 30 can be used as contacts. However, the structure is not limited to this structure. For example, by providing the front contact pin portion 32a (or the rear contact pin portion 32d), the cut portion 31b, and the mounting portion 31c, the contact pin 3 for measurement shown in FIGS.
The structure for only one side of 0 may be used.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, a contact probe 40 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. This contact probe 40 is a modification of the contact probe 10 of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the contact probe 40 of the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. Note that, in FIG. 7, the contact probe 40 is used as a movable head unit 10 of a substrate inspection machine similar to the substrate inspection machines shown in the first to third embodiments.
It is shown in a state in which it is attached to the movable head portion 100 which is 0 and the position of the interposition member 102 is different.

In FIGS. 7 and 8, the contact probe 40 for inspecting a substrate has a structure suitable for use in a substrate inspecting machine using the four-terminal measuring method, as in the first and second embodiments. It has become a thing. That is, the contact probe 40 includes a first measurement contact pin 41A used for voltage measurement (or current measurement) and a second measurement contact pin 41B used for current measurement (or voltage measurement). , And a sleeve 42 that covers the outer peripheries of these two contact pins 41A and 41B.

The first measurement contact pin 41A and the second
The measurement contact pin 41B has the same structure and is formed in a conductive rod shape having an appropriate length with an outer diameter of about 0.075 mm. Both contact pins 41A and 41B are made of, for example, stainless steel (SUS30
4) or adjacent bronze, and has a rod-like shape with an outer periphery insulated by Teflon (trademark) or the like except for the contact portions at the tip (the sharp contact portions 41a and 41b) and the portion to be the signal output terminal at the rear end side. Made of wood.

The first and second measuring contact pins 4
1A and 41B are provided with sharp contact portions 41a and 41b, respectively, which have a conical tapered tip and are in contact with a substrate to be inspected, which is an object to be inspected, and the other ends (rear ends). Although not shown, terminals on the board inspection machine side are electrically connected to the respective sides.

The sleeve 42 has an inner diameter of 0.3 to 1.0 m.
It is formed as a pipe material around m, for example, stainless steel or adjacent bronze, and its outer circumference and inner circumference (at least outer circumference) are insulation-coated with Teflon (trademark) or the like. Inside the sleeve 42, a first measuring contact pin 41A and a second measuring contact pin 41B are arranged so that the contact pins 41A, 41B and the sleeve 42 are electrically insulated from each other. There is. The front and rear portions of the first and second measurement contact pins 41A, 41B are exposed from both ends of the sleeve 42, and both contact pins 41A, 41B are
They are arranged substantially parallel to each other while penetrating the sleeve 42.

Further, this sleeve 42 is
The front side sleeve portion 42a, the front side notched portion 42b, the central sleeve portion 42c, the rear side notched portion 42d, and the rear side sleeve portion 42e are sectioned in this order, and they are integrally provided.

The sleeve 42 used as the front notch 42b and the rear notch 42d includes:
A spiral continuous cut 43 is directly formed along the axial center of the sleeve 42, and the spiral cut 43 is formed so that the cut portions 42b and 42d function as a coil spring.

The width of the notch 43 and the dimension between the pitches are appropriately set according to the compression dimension and the elastic force desired as the coil spring. Specifically, the spring force as a coil spring is made stronger at the rear cut portion 42d than at the front cut portion 42b. Specifically, if the spring force of the front cut portion 42b is w1 and the spring force of the rear cut portion 42d is w2, then 0.1 * w2 <
It is set as w1 <0.8 * w2. However, as a preferable value, if 0.2 * w2 <w1 <0.5 * w2,
The contact force alone can be sufficiently secured, and the contact force between the two springs will not be too large. Note that * means multiply.

Then, the first member arranged in the sleeve 42
The measuring contact pin 41A of the
On the inner surface of a, it is fixed to the front sleeve portion 42a via an insulating adhesive, for example, at a portion indicated by reference numeral 44 in FIG. The other portion of the first measurement contact pin 41A is in a state of being movable relative to the sleeve 42 along the axial center of the contact probe 40.

On the other hand, the second measuring contact pin 41B arranged in the same sleeve 42 has the central sleeve portion 4
On the inner surface of 2c, it is fixed to the central sleeve portion 42c at a portion indicated by reference numeral 45 in FIG. 7, for example, via an insulating adhesive. The other part of the second measuring contact pin 41B is in a state capable of reciprocating relative to the sleeve 42 along the axial center of the contact probe 40.

Further, in this sleeve 42, the front sleeve portion 42a and the central sleeve portion 42c are separated from each other by the elasticity of the front notch portion 42b and the rear notch portion 42d.
Reciprocating movement (advancing and retreating) relative to the contact pins 41A and 41B can be freely obtained along the axial center of the contact probe 40. In addition, in normal times,
As shown in, the front sleeve part 42a is projected to the tip side and is held in a state where the spring force is not working.

As shown in FIG. 7, the contact probe 40 thus constructed is attached to the movable head portion 100 of the substrate inspection machine while the rear sleeve portion 42e is held via the interposition member 102. In addition, in the mounted state, the front end of the front sleeve portion 42a has the movable head portion 1a.
00 from one end and the sharp contact portions 41 of the first and second measurement contact pins 41A and 41B.
The a and 41b are also in a state of protruding from the tip of the front sleeve portion 42a.

In this embodiment, the sharp contact portion 41a of the first measuring contact pin 41A is larger than the sharp contact portion 41b of the second measuring contact pin 41B.
It further protrudes from the tip side (inspection object side). Further, the first and second measuring contact pins 41A, 41B
Although not shown, a terminal portion on the board inspection machine side is attached to the rear end in a state of being electrically connected.

The contact probe 40 thus attached to the movable head portion 100 of the substrate inspection machine through the interposition member 102 is the contact probe 40.
When the front end of the contact point abuts on the object to be inspected, first, the sharp contact portion 41a of the first measuring contact pin 41A is pressed against the object to be inspected.

As the pressing further proceeds, the first measuring contact pin 41A is fixed to the front sleeve portion 42a, so that the elastic deformation and compression of the front notch portion 42b and the rear notch portion 42d formed as a coil spring are performed. As a result, along with the front sleeve portion 42a along the axial center of the contact probe 40, the front sleeve portion 42a moves backward while accumulating a pressing force on the inspection object. At this time, since the spring force of the front cut portion 42b is smaller than the spring force of the rear cut portion 42d, the front cut portion 42b is elastically deformed and compressed first. Therefore, this compressive force hardly acts as a force for pushing the central sleeve portion 42c rearward, and the second measuring contact pin 41B does not move rearward.

After that, when the contact probe 40 held by the interposition member 102 is further pressed against the object to be inspected, the sharp contact portion 41b of the second measuring contact pin 42B comes into contact with the object to be inspected. When it is pressed further, the second measurement contact pin 41B will move to the center sleeve portion 4
2c, the rear probe 32d formed as a coil spring is elastically deformed and compressed, so that the contact probe 40 together with the front sleeve 32a.
Along the axis center of, the actuator moves backward while accumulating the pressing force against the inspection object. At this time, the force received by the first measurement contact pin 41A is also reduced by the front cut portion 42.
b, the rear cut portion 4 through the central sleeve portion 42c
Informed to 2d. In other words, the sharp contact portion 41a is
The sharp contact portion 41b is strongly contacted with the object to be inspected by the spring force of the front cut portion 42b and can be moved back and forth independently.

The measurement signal for the object to be inspected obtained by this contact is the first and second measurement contact pins 41.
It is taken out or inputted as an electric signal to the outside through a terminal portion (not shown) connected to each of A and 41B.
Also, when the measurement is completed and the contact with the inspection object is released,
The central sleeve portion 42c and the second measurement contact pin 41B are returned to the initial position by the repulsive force (extension force) of the spring in the rear cut portion 42d, and the repulsive force (extension force) of the spring in the front cut portion 42b is used. The front sleeve portion 42a and the first measurement contact pin 41A are returned to the initial position and returned to the standby state.

As described above, according to the contact probe 40 of the fourth embodiment, the portions used as the front and rear cutouts 42b and 42d of the sleeve 42 that constitutes the contact probe 40 are provided. A spiral continuous cut 43 is directly formed in the axial direction of the sleeve 42, that is, in the direction along the axial center of the contact probe 40 to integrally form a coiled spring. When the contact probe 40 makes contact with the object to be inspected with this spring, the contact probe 40
Since it is used as a pressing member that is strongly pressed against the object to be inspected, reliable contact can be obtained, and the contact performance of the contact pins 41A and 41B with respect to the object to be inspected is reduced compared to the conventional structure. None, and each contact pin 4
1A and 41B operate independently, and the following effects can be expected.

(1) Coil-shaped spring (cut portion 42)
(b, 42d) is formed integrally with the sleeve 42, it is not necessary to separately prepare a spring, the number of parts can be reduced, and the contact probe 40 can be made smaller and smaller. . Further, as the number of parts is reduced, the number of man-hours for assembling work can be reduced. As a result, the cost of the contact probe 40 can be reduced and the contact probe 40 can be provided at low cost. (2) Coil-shaped spring (cutouts 42b, 42d)
Since the sleeve 42 is integrated with the sleeve 42, the probe replacement work can be easily performed. That is, the contact probe 4
When replacing 0, first, the holding by the interposition member 102 is released, and the used contact probe 40 is used to interpose the interposition member 1.
It is possible to easily replace the contact probe 40 by attaching it to a new contact probe 40 and then holding it by the interposition member 103. (3) Since the fixing points 44 and 45 are formed on the sleeve 42 other than the cutout portions 42b and 42d, a large adhesive area can be secured for fixing, and the adhesive strength between the sleeve 40 and each contact pin 41A, 41B is strong. Can be one.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, a contact probe 50 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. The contact probe 50 according to the fifth embodiment is a further modification of the contact probe 10 according to the first embodiment. 9 is a plan view of the contact probe 50 according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line EE of FIG.
It is a line expansion sectional view. Note that, in FIG. 9, the contact probe 50 is shown in a state of being attached to the movable head unit 100 of the substrate inspection machine via the interposition member 102.

The contact probe 50 for inspecting a substrate according to the fifth embodiment also has a structure suitable for use in a substrate inspecting machine using the four-terminal measuring method. That is, the contact probe 50 includes a first measurement contact pin 51A used for voltage measurement (or current measurement) and a second measurement contact pin 51B used for current measurement (or voltage measurement). , And a sleeve 52 that covers the outer circumference of these two contact pins 51A and 51B.

The first measuring contact pin 51A and the second measuring contact pin 51A
The contact pins 51B for measurement have the same structure and have an outer diameter of about 0.075 mm and are made of a conductive rod-shaped member having an appropriate length. That is, each contact pin 5
1A and 51B are made of a conductive material such as stainless steel (SUS304) or adjoining bronze, and the outer circumferences of the outer circumferences excluding the contact portions at the tips (sharp contact portions 51a and 51b) and the signal output terminals at the rear end. (Trademark) etc. are insulation coated. The first and second measuring contact pins 51A, 51B have, at one ends thereof, sharpened contact portions 51a, 51b which are in contact with the substrate to be inspected and whose tips are tapered.
Although not shown, terminals on the board inspection machine side are electrically connected to the other end (rear end) side, respectively.

The sleeve 52 is, for example, a pipe made of stainless steel or adjacent bronze and having an inner diameter of about 0.3 to 1.0 mm. The outer circumference and the inner circumference of the sleeve 52, at least the outer circumference, are insulation-coated with Teflon (trademark) or the like, and the first measurement contact pin 51A is provided inside.
And the second measuring contact pin 51B are arranged such that the contact pins 51A and 51B and the sleeve 52 are electrically insulated from each other. Then, the sharp contact portion 51a of the first measuring contact pin 51A projects from the sharp contact portion 51b of the second measuring contact pin 51B so as to project from both ends of the sleeve 52, and is arranged substantially parallel in a penetrating state. Has been done.

Further, the sleeve 52 is
The front sleeve portion 52a, the cutout portion 52b, and the rear sleeve portion 52c are partitioned in this order, and these are integrally formed.

At the portion of the sleeve 52 used as the cut portion 52b, a spiral continuous cut 53 is directly formed along the axial center of the contact probe 50, and the spiral cut 53 is provided. A coil spring is integrally formed in the cut portion 52b. The width of the notch 53 and the pitch-to-pitch dimension are appropriately set so as to have a spring force as described later.

Then, the first member arranged in the sleeve 52
The measurement contact pin 51A of the
On the inner surface of a, it is fixed to the front sleeve portion 52a at a portion indicated by reference numeral 54 in FIG. 9, for example, via an insulating adhesive. The other portion of the first measurement contact pin 51A is in a state of being capable of reciprocating relative to the sleeve 52 along the axial center of the contact probe 50.

On the other hand, the second measurement contact pin 51B arranged in the same sleeve 52 has the cut portion 52
On the inner surface of b, and in the substantially front-rear portion of the cut portion 52b, an insulating adhesive is used, for example, as shown in FIG.
It is fixed to the cut portion 52b at a portion indicated by reference numeral 55 therein. The other part of the second measuring contact pin 51B is in a state of being capable of reciprocating relative to the sleeve 52 along the axial center of the contact probe 50.

Further, in this sleeve 52, the tip side spring portion 56 on the tip side from the fixing portion 55 of the cut portion 52b.
Of the spring force of the rear end side spring portion 5 from the fixed portion 55 to the rear end side.
It is weaker than the spring force of 7. Further, in a normal state, as shown in FIG. 9, the sharp contact portion 51a of the first measuring contact pin 51A slightly protrudes forward as compared with the sharp contact portion 51b of the second measuring contact pin 51B, and The cut portion 52b is held in a state where no spring force is applied.

In the contact probe 50 thus constructed, as shown in FIG. 9, the rear sleeve portion 52c is provided on the movable head portion 100 of the substrate inspecting machine and the interposing member 10 is provided.
It is held and attached via 2. Further, in the mounted state, the tip of the front sleeve 52a projects from one end of the movable head portion 100, and the sharp contact portions 51a and 51b of the first and second measurement contact pins 51A and 51B are also front sleeve portions. The sharp contact portion 51a is in a state of protruding from the tip of the tip 52a and slightly protruding from the sharp contact portion 51b. Furthermore, the first and second
Although not shown, a terminal portion on the substrate inspection machine side is attached to the rear ends of the measurement contact pins 51A and 51B in a state of being electrically connected.

The contact probe 50 thus attached to the movable head portion 100 of the substrate inspection machine through the interposition member 102 is the contact probe 50.
When the front end of the contact point abuts on the inspection object, first, the sharp contact portion 51a of the first measuring contact pin 51A is pressed against the inspection object.

As the pressing further proceeds, the first measuring contact pin 51A is fixed to the front sleeve portion 52a, so that the elastic deformation of the tip side spring portion 56 of the cut portion 52b formed as a coil spring causes The first measurement contact pin 51A includes the front sleeve portion 5
2a along with the axial center of the contact probe 50,
It retreats while accumulating the pressing force on the inspection object.

At this time, since the spring force of the front end side spring portion 56 is weak, the force does not become the force until the rear end side spring portion 57 is pressed, and the second measuring contact pin 51B hardly moves. . When the contact probe 50 is further pressed, the second measuring contact pin 51B is fixed at the fixing portion 55 of the cut portion 52b, so that the rear end side spring portion 57 of the cut portion 52b is elastically deformed and compressed. The contact probe 50 moves backward along the axial center while accumulating a pressing force against the inspection object. With this retreat, the first measurement contact pin 51A can also be retreated at the same time, but the first measurement contact pin 51A can be independently moved within the range of compression and extension of the tip side spring portion 56.

The measurement signal for the object to be inspected obtained by this contact is the first and second contact pins 51 for measurement.
It is inputted as an electric signal through a terminal (not shown) connected to each of A and 51B, or taken out to the outside. When the measurement is completed and the contact with the inspection object is released, the repulsive force of the spring in the cut portion 52b causes the front sleeve portion 52a, the first measurement contact pin 51A, and the second measurement contact pin 51A.
The measurement contact pin 51B is returned to the initial position and returns to the standby state.

As described above, according to the contact probe 50 of the fifth embodiment, the cut portion 52 of the sleeve 52 which constitutes the contact probe 50.
A coil-shaped spring is integrally formed by directly making a spiral continuous cut 53 in the axial direction of the sleeve 52, that is, in the direction along the axis of the contact probe 50 at the portion used as b. When the contact probe 50 comes into contact with the object to be inspected,
Since it is used as a pressing member that is strongly pressed against the object to be inspected, a reliable contact can be obtained and both contact pins 51A and 51B can be operated independently, which makes the object to be inspected in comparison with the conventional structure. The following effects can be expected without deteriorating the contact performance of the contact pin.

(1) Coil-shaped spring (notched portion 52)
Since b) is formed integrally with the sleeve 52, it is not necessary to separately prepare a spring, the number of parts can be reduced, and the contact probe 50 can be made smaller and smaller. Further, as the number of parts is reduced, the number of man-hours for the assembling work can be reduced. Thereby, the cost of the contact probe 50 can be reduced and the contact probe 50 can be provided at low cost. Further, in the structure of the fifth embodiment, one cut portion 52b can also serve as the springs of the two measuring contact pins 51A and 51B, so that the structure of the sleeve 52 can be simplified to further reduce the cost. You can (2) It is possible to operate the two measurement contact pins 51A and 51B independently by the one cut portion 52b. (3) Since the coil-shaped spring (the cut portion 52b) and the sleeve 52 are integrated, the probe replacement work can be easily performed. That is, when replacing the contact probe 50, first, the holding by the interposer member 102 is released, the used contact probe 50 is removed from the interposer member 102, then a new contact probe 50 is mounted, and finally the interposer member 50 is inserted. Holding by the member 102 allows easy replacement.

(4) Second measuring contact pin 51B
It is possible to change the movable range of the second measurement contact pin 51B by changing the position in the axial direction that fixes C, that is, the fixed position with respect to the coiled spring (the cut portion 52b). (5) Further, in addition to the second measuring contact pin 51B, the first measuring contact pin 51A fixed to the front sleeve portion 52a may be fixed to the cut portion 52b, and the same applies in this case. Even with the sleeve 52, the contact probe having various different operations can be obtained by selecting the fixing position.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the first, second, fourth and fifth embodiments, each contact probe 10, 2
Although 0, 40, and 50 have been described as the contact probes having the structure used in the board inspection machine using the four-terminal measurement method, as described above, they are not necessarily used only in the board inspection machine using the four-terminal measurement method. It can also be used as a contact probe other than this, such as a two-wire resistance measuring method.

Further, each contact probe 10, 20,
When holding 40 and 50, instead of holding them by the interposition member 102 of the movable head unit 100, each contact probe 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 is manually held, or as disclosed in JP 2001-141745 A. Each contact probe may be attached to such a head. Further, the sleeve and the contact pin may be adhered not by an adhesive but by other means such as heat welding or ultrasonic welding.

Although each tip contact portion has a conical taper shape, it may have a pyramidal shape or a semi-spherical taper shape, or may have a conical recess at the tip, or the contact portion may be a flat surface. It may be a shape. Further, in each of the embodiments, the sharp contact portions are arranged on both sides of the contact pin, but the contact portions may be provided at least on the object side.

As for each cut portion, a spiral cut is formed along the shaft center of the contact probe in the sleeve to form a coil spring shape. You may make it generate | occur | produce a force. For example, by providing a large number of spirals of less than one rotation to generate a spring force, or by forming a concave groove instead of forming a complete hole in the cut portion, elastic force is applied to the cut portion. You may

Further, when holding each contact probe, a portion other than the cut portion, for example, the central sleeve portion is held by the interposition member 102, but a long cut portion is provided and the center thereof is held. good. In this case, even one cut portion is considered to have a cut portion provided on each side of the holding portion.

Further, in each of the first, second, fourth, and fifth embodiments, the interposition member 102 is used as an input / output terminal for current or the like, and the sleeves 12, 22, 42, 52 also input / output current or the like. It may be configured to be possible. With this configuration,
Input / output of one of the contact pins on the measuring instrument side can be performed via the interposition member 102, and the sleeve itself can be used as a detector of various other physical quantities. Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the number of cut portions is one or two, but the number of cut portions is three or more, and various deformations (deformation of a fixed position, deformation of different spring force, etc.)
May be performed.

[0119]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to obtain a contact probe capable of reducing the number of parts and the number of assembling steps and reducing the diameter thereof without deteriorating the contact performance with respect to the object to be inspected and the internal conductive performance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a contact probe according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a contact probe according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a contact probe according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a contact probe according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a contact probe according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Contact probe 11A First measurement contact pin 11B Second contact pin for measurement 11a Sharp contact part (contact part) 12 sleeves 12a Front sleeve part 12b Front notch 12c Mounting part (central sleeve part) 12d rear notch 12e Rear sleeve part 13 notches 20 contact probe 21 First measuring contact pin 21a Sharp contact part (contact part) 22 Sleeve (second measuring contact pin) 22a Front sleeve part 22b Front notch 22c Mounting part (central sleeve part) 22d Rear notch 22e Rear sleeve part 23 notches 30 contact probe (contact pin for measurement) 31b Notch 32a, 32b Sharp contact part 33 notches 40 contact probe 41A First measurement contact pin 41B Second contact pin for measurement 41a, 41b sharp contact parts 42 sleeve 42a Front sleeve part 42b Front notch 42c Central sleeve part 42d rear notch 42e Rear sleeve part 43 notches 50 contact probe 51A First measurement contact pin 51B Second measurement contact pin 51a, 51b Sharp contact part 52 Sleeve 52a Front sleeve part 52b notch 52c Central sleeve part 53 notches

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A rod-shaped measuring contact pin having a contact portion on at least one tip, and a sleeve through which the measuring contact pin is inserted and which covers the outer circumference of the measuring contact pin. A notch portion for generating a spring force is provided at a position, and the two measurement contact pins are fixed at different positions of the sleeve, respectively, and one or more of the plurality of notch portions are sandwiched therebetween. A contact probe characterized in that 2. A rod-shaped measuring contact pin having a contact portion on at least one tip, and a sleeve for inserting the measuring contact pin and covering the outer circumference of the measuring contact pin. A notch portion that generates a spring force is provided at a position, one of the two measurement contact pins is fixed to the notch portion, the other is other than the notch portion, or the notch portion that is different from the fixing position. The contact probe is characterized by being fixed to. 3. A rod-shaped measuring contact pin having a contact portion on at least one tip, and a sleeve which is inserted through the measuring contact pin and covers the outer periphery of the measuring contact pin. A notch portion for generating a force is provided, the measurement contact pin is fixed to the sleeve, the measurement contact pin is used as a first measurement contact pin, and the sleeve is used as a second
A contact probe characterized by being used as a measurement contact pin. 4. A contact probe comprising a rod-shaped measuring contact pin having a contact portion on at least one tip, wherein a notch portion having a spring property is provided by notching a part thereof. Characteristic contact probe. 5. The sleeve is divided into a central sleeve portion, a front sleeve portion and a rear sleeve portion located in front of and behind the central sleeve portion, and the central sleeve portion, the front side sleeve portion, and the central sleeve portion. The contact probe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cutout portion is provided between the portion and the rear sleeve portion. 6. The contact according to claim 5, wherein the first measuring contact pin is fixed to the front sleeve portion, and the second measuring contact pin is fixed to the rear sleeve portion. probe. 7. The contact probe according to claim 5, wherein the second measurement contact pin is fixed to the front sleeve portion, and the first measurement contact pin is fixed to the central sleeve portion. ..