JP2003215210A - Device for testing printed circuit board - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for testing a printed circuit board which has superior flexibility and can accommodate even a narrow pitch of probe pins having the space of not more than 1 mm with a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: In the test device which presses the probe pin against the print circuit board where electronic parts are mounted and carries out an electrical test of a circuit, the probe pins 4 are arranged so as to correspond to a grid pitch of the printed circuit board and are inserted into a pin holder, each probe pin is coupled to an actuator (electromagnet) 5, and the test is carried out so that the probe pin being selected to match testing points of the printed circuit board is projected by the drive operation of the actuator. A printed board 13 where plated through holes are formed so as to correspond to the arranging pitch of the probe pin, is used as the pin holder. The probe pin 4 is directly inserted into the through hole of the printed board so as to be guided and held movably in an advancing or retreating direction, and signals are collected through a conductive pattern formed on the board. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used in a product inspection of a printed circuit board on which electronic parts are mounted, and a probe pin is pressed against an inspection point on the printed circuit board to conduct a circuit continuity test. Inspection equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As the above-mentioned printed circuit board inspection device, probe pins arranged at a pitch corresponding to a standard grid (basic grid) that defines the component connection position on the printed circuit board are implanted in a pin holder (fixture). Then
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 6 (1999) -6,6, in which the probe pin is pressed against an inspection location (a soldering pad of a circuit component, a through hole, etc.) on a printed circuit board to perform an electrical continuity inspection.
It is known from, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. -18558.

Further, as a general-purpose inspection device which can be applied to printed circuit boards of various products having different circuit pattern specifications, a plurality of probe pins arranged corresponding to the grid pitch on the printed circuit board are used as a pin holder plate. The probe pin is inserted into the surface so that it can be advanced and retracted, and the probe pin is connected to each probe pin via a wire, and the probe pin selected according to the inspection position of the printed circuit board is driven by the actuator from the retracted position. An inspection apparatus that protrudes to an inspection position and presses against a printed circuit board to perform an inspection in this state has been previously proposed by the same applicant as the present invention as Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-90200. This is shown in FIGS.

First, in FIG. 5, 1 is a printed circuit board to be inspected, 2 is an inspection device, and the inspection device 2 has pin holders (fixtures) arranged at a pitch corresponding to a standard grid size of 2.54 mm. ) 3 is equipped with a probe pin 4 that is inserted into and held so as to be able to move forward and backward, and an actuator 5 that is arranged above the pin holder 3 so as to correspond to each probe pin 4 individually, and between the actuator 5 and the probe pin 4. Is connected by a wire (piano wire) 6, and the actuator 5
The probe pin 4 is projected downward from the pin holder 3 through the wire 6 by the driving operation of and is pressed against the inspection location of the printed circuit board 1. In this state, the probe pin 4 is connected to the inspection measurement circuit and printed. The circuit board 1 is tested for continuity. Reference numeral 7 is a support plate for the actuator 5, 8 is a frame, and 9 is a guide tube (made of resin) covering the wire 6.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the pin holder 3 is provided with a pin socket 10 which also serves as a signal terminal according to the arrangement pitch of the probe pins 4, and the probe pins 4 are attached to the pin socket 10. Insert one by one and guide it so that it can move back and forth in the vertical direction.
A signal line 11 that is soldered to each pin socket 10 and drawn out is provided between the inspection and measurement unit 12.

On the other hand, the actuator 5 includes an outer cylinder 5a made of a non-magnetic material (eg, copper), an exciting coil 5b wound around the outer cylinder 5a, and a movable iron core (plunger) inserted in the outer cylinder 5a. 5c is a plunger type electromagnet, and an upper end of a wire 6 that connects the probe pin 4 to the probe pin 4 is screwed to a fixed portion 5d provided on the lower end side of the movable iron core 5b.

With such a structure, the movable iron core 5c of the actuator 5 is always adsorbed and held by the permanent magnet (not shown) provided on the upper end side of the outer cylinder 5a, and the probe pin 4 is retracted to the raised position. From this state, the probe pin 4 selected according to the inspection location of the printed circuit board 1 (see FIG. 5)
When the exciting coil 5b of the actuator 5 corresponding to is energized, the movable iron core 5c is moved downward by the electromagnetic force,
The probe pin 4 projects downward from the retracted position toward the inspection position via the wire 6 and presses the tip of the probe pin against the measurement location on the printed circuit board 1. Then, in this state, a measurement voltage is applied to the probe pin 4 through the signal line 11 to check the continuity of the circuit. In order to retract the probe pin 4 after the inspection, the energizing current of the exciting coil 5b of the actuator 5 is switched in the opposite direction to move the movable iron core 5c upward.

[0008]

By the way, the above-described conventional inspection apparatus has the following problems in terms of function. That is, (1) In recent years, semiconductor devices such as ICs have a tendency to have a narrower lead pitch with higher integration. Therefore, a printed circuit board on which this semiconductor device is mounted is used with the above-mentioned inspection device. In order to inspect using a standard grid (2.54 m
needs to be narrower than m).

With respect to this point, in the conventional inspection apparatus, FIG.
As described above, the pin socket 3 is provided with the pin holder 3, and the probe pin 4 is fitted into the pin socket 10 to guide and support the probe socket 4 so as to be movable back and forth. For this,
It is practically impossible to reduce the arrangement pitch of the probe pins 4 to 1 mm or less because the occupied space of the pin socket 10 becomes an obstacle, and the lead pitch is 1 as it is.
It cannot be used for inspection of printed circuit boards on which electronic parts (semiconductor devices) with a size of 0.5 mm or less (for example, 0.5 mm) are mounted.

Therefore, conventionally, the inspection pad of the conductor pattern formed on the substrate of the printed circuit board is unnecessarily widened so as to match the probe pin arrangement pitch of the inspection device, and the pattern is printed according to the probe pin arrangement pitch of the inspection device. Although it is dealt with by designing the circuit board, there is a problem that the printed circuit board becomes large in size due to this. Further, in the inspection device of the conventional configuration, the signal line 11 for each probe pin 4 is pulled out from the pin holder 3 by soldering it to the pin socket 10 or the like. The number of 11 becomes very large and the processing of the wiring becomes complicated.

(2) When the wire 6 connecting the probe pin 4 and the actuator 5 is replaced, the wire 6 is fixed to the lower end portion of the movable iron core 5c in the conventional structure. Open the upper end side of 5
Pull out the movable iron core 5c from a, and remove the new wire 6
It is necessary to replace it with a new one, which takes time and effort. The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to improve the high printability by reducing the interval between the probe pins with a simple structure to cope with a narrow pitch of 1 mm or less. It is to provide an inspection device for a circuit board.

[0012]

To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an inspection device for electrically inspecting a circuit by pressing a probe pin against a printed circuit board on which electronic components are mounted. The probe pins arranged in correspondence with the grid pitch of the printed circuit board are inserted into the pin holders to support them so that they can move forward and backward, and the actuators are connected to the individual probe pins via wires. The probe pin selected according to the inspection location of the plate is projected to the inspection position to perform the inspection. In the first invention, as the pin holder, a plated through hole is formed in accordance with the arrangement of the probe pins. Using a printed circuit board, a probe pin is inserted directly into the through hole of the printed circuit board and the guide is supported so that it can move forward and backward. It shall be.

According to the above construction, the pin socket also serving as a terminal attached to the conventional pin holder is not required, and the arrangement pitch of the probe pins of the inspection device is 1 mm in lead pitch.
It can be eutectic so that it can be used for inspection of printed circuit boards on which the following electronic components are mounted. Moreover, the plating layer applied to the through holes of the printed circuit board serves as the signal extraction electrode of the probe pin, and the signal can be taken out through the conductor pattern formed on the printed circuit board in connection with each through hole. As a result, unlike the conventional configuration, it is not necessary to draw and wire a large number of signal lines on the pin holder, and the structure can be greatly simplified.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the probe pin is not an independent component, but the rear end is connected to the actuator and a spring wire is used to form a probe pin portion at the tip of the wire. The fixture is inserted into and supported by a pin holder to form a fixture. Here, the tip of the probe pin portion is processed into a needle shape, and then the surface of the portion is plated with a metal having good conductivity. This allows
The number of parts is reduced compared to the conventional configuration. Further, with respect to the driving force of the actuator, the flexibility of the spring wire can be used to press the tip of the probe pin portion against the inspection location on the printed circuit board with appropriate contact pressure.

Further, in the third invention, the actuator is arranged as a plunger type electromagnet above the probe pin, and the upper end of the wire connecting the actuator and the probe pin is passed through the movable iron core of the electromagnet. It shall be fixed to its upper end. As a result, it is possible to perform the wire replacement and replacement work without pulling out the mover of the plunger type electromagnet, which is the actuator, from the outer cylinder, and the maintainability is improved.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
Through the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. In the drawings of each embodiment, members corresponding to those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. [Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment corresponding to claim 1 of the present invention. In this embodiment, as the pin holder for holding the probe pins 4, a printed circuit board 13 having through holes formed in accordance with the arrangement pitch of the probe pins 4 is adopted, and the probe pins 4 are directly inserted into the through holes. The guide is supported so that it can move forward and backward.

The printed circuit board 13 is provided with a plated layer 13b on the inner surface of through holes 13b formed in the insulating substrate 13a according to the arrangement pitch of the probe pins 4 and a plated layer of each through hole on the upper surface of the substrate. 1
The conductor pattern 13c is formed on the end portion of the insulating substrate 13a so as to be individually connected to the conductor pattern 3b.
3 c as a signal line of each probe pin 4
(See FIG. 4).

The printed circuit board 13 has an insulating substrate 13a having a thickness of 1.6 mm, through holes having a hole diameter of 0.5 mmφ, and through holes arranged at a pitch of 1 mm or less (for example, 0.5 mm). A clearance is set in the through hole and a probe pin 4 of 0.3 mmφ is slidably inserted. In addition, in order to stabilize the holding posture of the probe pin 4 inserted into the printed circuit board 13, a plurality of printed circuit boards 13 can be used in a vertically stacked manner.

According to this structure, the pin socket 10 and the signal line 11 which also serve as the signal terminal of the conventional pin holder 3 shown in FIG.
It can be inspected without trouble even on a printed circuit board on which electronic components with a narrow lead pitch are mounted by arranging them in a narrow pitch of mm or less. Moreover, the through-hole plating layer 13b of the printed circuit board 13 serves as a signal extracting electrode of the probe pin 4, and a signal can be taken out through the conductor pattern 13c formed on the upper surface of the board in connection with each through-hole plating layer 13b. As a result, unlike the conventional configuration, it is not necessary to draw and wire many signal lines on the pin holder, and the structure can be greatly simplified.

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 2 shows claims 2 and 3 of the present invention.
It shows an embodiment corresponding to. In this embodiment, the elastic spring wire 14 (material SKH) is used.
(High-speed steel), wire diameter 0.3 mmφ, length 115 mm) is used, and the tip side thereof is inserted into the through hole of the printed board 13 (see FIG. 1) which is the pin holder as the probe pin portion 14a. The rear end of the spring wire 14 is connected to the actuator 5. In addition, the probe pin portion 14
The tip of a is processed into a tapered nozzle shape, and then gold plating 14b having good conductivity is applied to the surface thereof to ensure good contact and conduction with the printed circuit board to be inspected. Reference numeral 15 is an insulating film covering the upper side region of the spring wire 14.

According to this structure, the probe pin 4 and the wire 6 of the conventional structure shown in FIG. 4 can be replaced by a single spring wire 14, so that the number of parts can be reduced. Further, at the time of inspection, the tip end of the probe pin portion 14a can be pressed against the inspection portion of the printed circuit board by using the flexibility of the spring wire 14 without applying an excessive force, and a good conduction contact can be secured.

[Embodiment 3] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment corresponding to claim 4 of the present invention. In this embodiment, the basic structure of the inspection device is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the probe pin 4 and the actuator (plunger type electromagnet) are used.
The upper end of the wire 6 connecting between the movable core 5 and the wire 5 is connected to the upper end of the movable iron core 5c. For this purpose, a through hole 5c-1 is vertically formed at the center of the movable iron core 5c, and the wire 6 passed through the through hole is provided at the upper end of the movable iron core 5c and screwed to the wire fixing portion 5d. To do.

As a result, even when the broken wire 6 is replaced, the movable iron core 5c of the electromagnet (actuator) is not pulled out from the outer cylinder 5a to the outside, and the wire 6 is passed through the through hole 5c-from the upper side in the assembled state. The wire can be fixed through 1 and the wire replacement work can be done easily. Further, in this embodiment, the plunger type electromagnet of the actuator 5 is designed to be thin (the diameter of the outer cylinder 5a is 11 mmφ) and is arranged immediately above the probe pin 4 arranged and held in the pin holder to downsize the inspection device. I am trying to.

[0024]

As described above, the present invention has the following effects. (1) According to the structure of claim 1, as the pin holder of the probe pin, a printed circuit board having plated through holes formed in accordance with the arrangement pitch of the probe pins is used, and the probe pins are directly fitted into the through holes of the printed circuit board. By inserting and supporting the guide so that it can be moved back and forth, the pin socket that also serves as a terminal and attached to the pin holder in the conventional configuration can be omitted, and the array pitch of the probe pins can be reduced to 1 mm or less, which leads to a lead pitch of 1 mm or less. It is possible to provide a fixture of a highly versatile inspection device capable of inspecting a printed circuit board on which small electronic components are mounted. Moreover, the plating layer applied to the through holes of the printed circuit board serves as a signal extraction electrode of the probe pin, and signals can be taken out through the conductor pattern formed on the printed circuit board in connection with each through hole. Unlike the conventional configuration, it is not necessary to draw and wire a large number of signal lines on the pin holder, which simplifies the structure.

(2) According to the second and third aspects,
By forming the probe pin portion on the front end side of the spring wire that is connected to the actuator and pulled out, and by inserting and supporting the probe pin portion in the pin holder, the number of parts can be reduced compared to the conventional configuration. By utilizing the flexibility of the spring wire, the tip of the probe pin portion can be pressed against the inspection location on the printed circuit board with appropriate contact pressure.

(3) Further, according to the structure of claim 4, the actuator for driving the probe pin to the inspection position is arranged above the probe pin as the plunger type electromagnet, and the actuator and the probe pin are connected to each other. By fixing the upper end of the wire 1 through the movable iron core of the electromagnet and fixing it to the upper end, the mover of the plunger-type electromagnet, which is the actuator, can be replaced in the assembled state without pulling it out. It can be performed and the maintainability is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part of an inspection apparatus corresponding to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part of an inspection device corresponding to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part of an inspection device corresponding to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of main parts in a conventional inspection device.

5 is an assembly diagram of the entire inspection device corresponding to FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 printed circuit board 2 inspection equipment 3 pin holder 4 probe pins 5 Actuator (plunger type electromagnet) 5a Outer cylinder 5b Excitation coil 5c movable iron core 5c-1 through hole 5d wire fixing part 6 wires 13 Printed circuit board (pin holder) 13a insulating substrate 13b Through hole plating layer 13c conductor pattern 14 Spring wire 14a Probe pin section 14b gold plating

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An inspection apparatus for electrically inspecting a circuit by pressing probe pins against a printed circuit board on which electronic components are mounted, wherein the probe pins arranged in correspondence with the grid pitch of the printed circuit board are used as pin holders. It is inserted and supported so that it can move forward and backward, and each probe pin is linked to an actuator, and the probe pin selected according to the inspection position of the printed circuit board is ejected to the inspection position by the drive operation of the actuator so that the inspection can be performed. In the above-mentioned one, a printed circuit board having plated through holes formed in accordance with the arrangement pitch of the probe pins is used as the pin holder, and the probe pins are directly inserted into the through holes of the printed circuit board to be guided and supported so as to be movable back and forth. An inspection device for printed circuit boards characterized by. 2. An inspection device for electrically inspecting a circuit by pressing probe pins against a printed circuit board on which electronic components are mounted, wherein the probe pins arranged corresponding to the grid pitch of the printed circuit board are pin holders. In order to perform inspection by inserting the probe into the probe and supporting it so that it can move back and forth, and connecting the actuator to each probe pin, and driving the actuator to project the selected probe pin according to the inspection location of the printed circuit board to the inspection location. The probe pin is formed on the tip of the spring wire that is connected to the actuator and pulled out to the pin holder side.
An inspection device for a printed circuit board, characterized in that the probe pin portion is fitted into a pin holder and is guided and supported so as to be movable back and forth. 3. An inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the tip of the probe pin portion is processed into a needle shape, and the surface thereof is plated with a metal having good conductivity. apparatus. 4. An inspection device for electrically inspecting a circuit by pressing a probe pin against a printed circuit board on which electronic parts are mounted, wherein the probe pins arranged corresponding to the grid pitch of the printed circuit board are pin holders. The probe pins are inserted into the connector and supported so that they can move back and forth, and the actuators are connected to the individual probe pins through connecting wires, and the probe pins selected according to the inspection location of the printed circuit board are projected to the inspection position by the drive operation of the actuators. In the one in which the actuator is arranged above the probe pin as a plunger type electromagnet, the upper end of the wire connecting between the actuator and the probe pin penetrates through the movable iron core of the electromagnet, and the upper end of the wire is connected. An inspection device for a printed circuit board, which is fixed to a section.