JP2011089860A - Probe device, measuring device, and inspection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify a circuit configuration, and to reduce occurrence of operation failure. <P>SOLUTION: The probe device includes: a probe pin 21 abutting on conductor patterns 101 (101a-101e); and a discharge section 200 for performing discharge treatment for discharging charge accumulated in the conductor patterns 101 via the probe pin 21. The discharge section 200 includes: a conductive plate 23 arranged movably so that an inner surface 31 of an insertion hole 23a is made to contact and separate from the probe pin 21 while the insertion hole 23a capable of inserting the probe pin 21 is formed and the probe pin 21 is inserted into the insertion hole 23a and connected to reference potential; and a moving mechanism 24 for moving the conductive plate 23 to allow the probe pin 21 to contact and separate from the inner surface 31. The moving mechanism 24 is configured to execute discharge treatment by allowing the probe pin 21 to abut on the inner surface 31 while the probe pin 21 is in contact with the conductor pattern 101. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a probe device including a discharge unit that discharges electric charges accumulated in a probing object through a probe pin, a measuring device including the probe device, and an inspection device including the measuring device. is there.

  An in-circuit tester disclosed by the applicant in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-142271 (in-circuit tester disclosed in FIG. 4 of the same publication) is known as a measuring apparatus provided with this type of probe device. This in-circuit tester includes a measurement unit having an AC voltage source and an AC ammeter, a plurality of probe pins that are brought into contact with each pattern of a circuit board to be inspected, and a scanner that connects and disconnects each probe pin and the measurement unit. The capacitance of each pattern can be measured. When measuring the capacitance using the in-circuit tester, an insulating sheet is placed on the common electrode, and a circuit board to be inspected is placed thereon. Next, each probe pin is brought into contact with each pattern of the circuit board to be inspected. Subsequently, one of the probe pins is connected to the measurement unit by the scanner, and then the high voltage output from the AC voltage source of the measurement unit is applied to the pattern via the probe pin and the low voltage is applied to the common electrode. Apply. Subsequently, the current flowing through the pattern is input via the probe pin, and the current value is measured by an AC ammeter. Next, the capacitance between the pattern and the common electrode is calculated based on the voltage value of the voltage output from the AC voltage source and the measured current value.

  On the other hand, in this type of measuring apparatus, when a voltage is applied to the pattern, the charge accumulated in the pattern of the circuit board to be inspected may affect the measurement of the capacitance for the next pattern. For this reason, in this type of measuring apparatus, generally, the charge accumulated in the pattern of the circuit board to be inspected before or after the measurement of the capacitance (before or after the voltage is applied to the pattern) is used as the pattern. A discharge part is provided for discharging (discharging) through the contacted probe pin. In this case, the above-described in-circuit tester disclosed by the applicant is provided with a discharge switch for connecting and disconnecting the probe pin and the ground potential. By operating this switch, the above-described electric charge can be discharged. It is configured.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-142271 (page 3-4, FIG. 4)

  However, the above in-circuit tester has the following problems to be improved. That is, in the above-described in-circuit tester, the electric charge accumulated in the pattern of the circuit board to be inspected is discharged by operating the discharge switch. However, since this in-circuit tester requires a dedicated circuit for discharging including a discharging switch, there is a problem that the circuit configuration becomes complicated accordingly. Further, in this in-circuit tester, there is a problem that the discharge switch may cause malfunction due to a spark generated when the probe pin and the ground potential are connected (when the discharge switch is turned on). .

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem to be improved, and it is a main object of the present invention to provide a probe device, a measuring device, and an inspection device that can realize simplification of a circuit configuration and reduction in occurrence of malfunction. And

  In order to achieve the above object, the probe device according to claim 1 includes a probe pin that is brought into contact with a probing object, and a discharge unit that performs a discharge process for discharging charges accumulated in the probing object through the probe pin. The discharge portion is formed with an insertion hole into which the probe pin can be inserted, and the insertion hole is inserted into the probe pin in a state where the probe pin is inserted into the insertion hole. A conductive plate that is movably disposed so that the inner surface of the probe contacts and separates, and is connected to a reference potential; and a moving mechanism that moves the conductive plate to contact and separate the probe pin from the inner surface, The moving mechanism is configured to bring the probe pin and the inner surface into contact with each other while the probe pin is in contact with the probing object. Can execute is configured to.

  The probe device according to claim 2 is the probe device according to claim 1, wherein the probe device includes a plurality of the probe pins, and the conductive plate is formed with a plurality of the insertion holes, and each of the insertion holes has the probe pin. Are inserted one by one.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a measuring apparatus according to the first or second aspect, and a measuring unit that measures an electrical physical quantity of the probing object based on an electric signal input through the probe pin. The measurement unit measures the electrical physical quantity in a state where the probe pin in the probe device and the inner surface of the insertion hole in the conductive plate are separated from each other.

  The measuring device according to claim 4 is the measuring device according to claim 3, wherein the moving mechanism is in contact with the probe pin in contact with the probing object and the probe pin. After the inner surface is separated, the probe pin and the inner surface are brought into contact with each other, and the discharge treatment is performed before and after the measurement of the electrical physical quantity.

  The measuring device according to claim 5 is the measuring device according to claim 4, wherein the moving mechanism linearly moves the conductive plate in one direction to measure the electrical discharge before and after the measurement of the electrical physical quantity. I do.

  The measuring apparatus according to claim 6 is the measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the moving mechanism moves the conductive plate at a constant speed.

  An inspection apparatus according to claim 7 is a measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, and an inspection section that inspects the probing object based on the electrical physical quantity measured by the measuring apparatus. It has.

  In the probe device according to claim 1, an insertion hole through which the probe pin can be inserted is formed, and the probe pin is inserted into the insertion hole so that the inner surface of the insertion hole can move toward and away from the probe pin. The discharge unit is configured to include a conductive plate that is disposed and connected to a reference potential, and a moving mechanism that moves the conductive plate to bring the probe pin and the inner surface into contact with and away from each other. The probe pin is brought into contact with the probing object. In this state, the moving mechanism brings the probe pin into contact with the inner surface to perform the discharge process. For this reason, according to this probe device, the discharge unit includes a conductive plate and a moving mechanism, and has a simple configuration in which the conductive plate is simply connected to the reference potential, and includes a discharge dedicated circuit including a discharge switch. As a result, the circuit configuration can be sufficiently simplified.

  Further, according to this probe apparatus, the charge accumulated in the probing object is discharged by bringing the probe pin and the inner surface of the insertion hole in the conductive plate into contact with each other. For example, by increasing the thickness of the conductive plate, The contact area between the probe pin and the inner surface can be sufficiently increased as compared with the configuration in which the contacts used in the normal switch are brought into contact with each other. Therefore, according to this probe apparatus, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of sparks during discharge, and as a result, it is possible to sufficiently reduce malfunction caused by the occurrence of sparks.

  Further, according to the probe device of the second aspect, the conductive plate is moved by one moving mechanism by forming a plurality of insertion holes in the conductive plate and inserting the probe pins one by one in each insertion hole. Thus, the plurality of probe pins can be brought into contact with the inner surface of each insertion hole in one conductive plate at a time. That is, while having a simple configuration including only one moving mechanism and one conductive plate, a plurality of probe pins can be connected to the reference potential at once via the conductive plate. For this reason, according to this probe apparatus, compared with the structure (configuration provided with a plurality of conductive plates and moving mechanisms) each provided with one conductive plate and one moving mechanism for a plurality of probe pins, Can be configured more simply.

  Further, according to this probe device, since a plurality of probe pins can be connected to the reference potential at once via the conductive plate, for example, each probe pin and the inner surface of the insertion hole in the conductive plate are separated from each other. Even when a large number (a plurality of sets) of probing objects are measured in the state and electric charges are accumulated in many probing objects, these charges can be discharged at a time.

  Moreover, according to the measuring apparatus of Claim 3, by providing said probe apparatus, the effect similar to the effect which said probe apparatus has is realizable. Further, according to this measuring apparatus, the probe pin is measured via the conductive plate by measuring the electrical physical quantity in a state where the probe pin in the probe device and the inner surface of the insertion hole in the conductive plate are separated from each other. Since measurement in a state of being connected to an electric potential is avoided, the measurement unit can reliably input an electric signal via the probe pin. As a result, the electric physical quantity of the probing object based on the electric signal can be calculated. It can be measured accurately.

  In addition, according to the measuring apparatus of claim 4, by performing the discharge treatment before and after the measurement of the electrical physical quantity (that is, twice before and after the measurement), the discharge is performed only before or after the measurement. Compared with the configuration in which the processing is performed, the charge accumulated in the probing object can be discharged more reliably, so that the influence of the accumulated charge on the measurement value can be more reliably prevented.

  Further, in this measuring apparatus, the probe pin and the inner surface of the insertion hole in the conductive plate are separated from each other, and then the probe pin and the inner surface are brought into contact with each other again to perform the discharge process before and after the measurement of the electrical physical quantity. For this reason, in this measuring device, after the conductive plate is moved once in one direction without being stopped halfway, the discharge treatment, the measurement of the electrical physical quantity, and the measurement of the electrical physical quantity are performed before the measurement of the electrical physical quantity. The three processes of the discharge process in can be continuously executed. Therefore, according to this measuring apparatus, unlike the configuration in which the discharge switch is operated to discharge the charge accumulated in the probing object, at least two switch operations before and after the measurement of the electrical physical quantity are unnecessary. As a result, even when measuring the electrical physical quantities of many probing objects, the measurement time can be sufficiently shortened by the time required for the switch operation.

  According to the measuring apparatus of claim 5, the moving mechanism moves the conductive plate linearly in one direction and performs the discharge process before and after the measurement of the electrical physical quantity, thereby changing the moving direction in the middle. Compared with the configuration, since the discharge process can be performed twice in total before and after the measurement of the electrical physical quantity using the movement mechanism having a simple structure, the measurement apparatus can be configured easily.

  In addition, according to the measuring apparatus of the sixth aspect, a moving mechanism having a simpler structure is used as compared with a configuration in which the moving mechanism moves the conductive plate at a constant speed to change the moving speed halfway. Therefore, the measuring apparatus can be configured more simply.

  Further, according to the inspection apparatus of the seventh aspect, by providing each of the above-described measuring devices, it is possible to achieve the same effect as that of each of the measuring devices.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an inspection apparatus 1. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a probe device 12. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a probe pin 21, support plates 22a and 22b, and a conductive plate 23. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a probe pin 21, support plates 22a and 22b, and a conductive plate 23. FIG. FIG. 5 is a first explanatory view for explaining the operation of the probe device 12. FIG. 6 is a second explanatory diagram explaining the operation of the probe device 12.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a probe device, a measurement device, and an inspection device will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, the configuration of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. The inspection apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a plurality of conductor patterns 101 (an example of a probing object, only five conductor patterns 101a to 101e are shown) on the circuit board 100 shown in FIG. The capacitance Cm (an example of an electrical physical quantity) between any two of the conductor patterns 101 is measured, and the quality of the circuit board 100 (the quality of each conductor pattern 101) is determined based on the capacitance Cm. It is configured to be inspectable. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus 1 includes a substrate holding unit 11, a probe device 12, a probing mechanism 13, a scanner unit 14, a measurement signal generation unit 15, a measurement unit 16, and a control unit 17. Configured. In addition, a measuring apparatus is comprised by the component which has each function except the test | inspection function among each component which comprises the test | inspection apparatus 1. FIG. Specifically, the measurement device includes the substrate holding unit 11, the probe device 12, the probing mechanism 13, the scanner unit 14, the measurement signal generation unit 15, the measurement unit 16, and the control unit 17, the probe device 12 and the probing mechanism. 13, the scanner unit 14, the measurement signal generation unit 15, and the measurement unit 16.

  The substrate holding unit 11 includes a holding plate and a clamp mechanism (none of which is shown) that is attached to the holding plate and sandwiches and fixes the end portion of the circuit substrate 100, and is configured to hold the circuit substrate 100. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the probe device 12 is a jig-type probe device, and includes a plurality of probe pins 21, a pair of support plates 22 a and 22 b, a conductive plate 23, and a moving mechanism 24. . The probe pin 21 has a circular cross section and a sharp tip. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, each probe pin 21 is supported by support plates 22a and 22b in an array pattern according to the shape and arrangement position of each conductor pattern 101 of the circuit board 100, Each conductor pattern 101 is brought into contact (probing) at a time during inspection.

  3 and 4, the conductive plate 23 is configured in a plate shape and is connected to a ground potential (reference potential) via a conductive wire. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the conductive plate 23 is formed with insertion holes 23 a into which the probe pins 21 can be inserted in the same arrangement pattern as the arrangement pattern of the probe pins 21. The insertion hole 23 a is formed in a circular shape in plan view with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the probe pin 21 (for example, the inner diameter is about three times the diameter of the probe pin 21). Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the conductive plate 23 has a probe so that the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23 a contacts and separates from the probe pin 21 with one probe pin 21 inserted into each insertion hole 23 a. It is configured to be movable in directions perpendicular to the axis of the pin 21 (for example, the direction of arrow A and the direction of arrow B in the figure), and is disposed between the support plates 22a and 22b.

  The moving mechanism 24 constitutes the discharge unit 200 (see FIG. 2) together with the conductive plate 23, and executes a moving process for moving the conductive plate 23 according to the control of the control unit 17. In this movement process, the moving mechanism 24 moves the conductive plate 23 between the support plates 22a and 22b, thereby bringing the probe pin 21 into contact with the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23a in the conductive plate 23 (FIG. 5). , 6) and a separated state (state shown in FIG. 2) in which both are separated. Specifically, the moving mechanism 24 moves the conductive plate 23 straight at a constant speed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 (an example of one direction) or in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2 (another example of one direction). The probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 (a part of the inner surface 31) that are initially in contact with each other are moved away from each other, and then the probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 (the above-mentioned part of the inner surface 31) are separated. Another part of the inner surface 31 facing the part across the probe pin 21 is brought into contact again. In the probe apparatus 12, the discharge mechanism that discharges (discharges) the electric charge accumulated in the conductor pattern 101 of the circuit board 100 is performed by the capacitance when the moving mechanism 24 executes the above-described moving process, as will be described later. It is performed before and after the measurement of Cm.

  The probing mechanism 13 performs probing for bringing the tip of the probe pin 21 into contact with the conductor pattern 101 by moving the probe device 12 in the vertical direction under the control of the control unit 17.

  The scanner unit 14 includes a plurality of switches (not shown), and switches each switch to an on state or an off state according to the control of the control unit 17, whereby the probe pin 21 of the probe device 12 and the measurement signal are switched. A cutting process is performed to perform connection / disconnection (connection and disconnection) with the generation unit 15 and connection / disconnection between the probe pin 21 and the measurement unit 16.

  The measurement signal generation unit 15 outputs a measurement current It (an AC constant current as an example) under the control of the control unit 17. Under the control of the control unit 17, the measurement unit 16 inputs a voltage Vm (an example of an electrical signal) between the two conductor patterns 101 to which the measurement current It is supplied via each probe pin 21. The electrostatic capacitance Cm between the two conductor patterns 101 is measured based on the voltage value, the current value of the measurement current It, and the phase difference between the voltage and current.

  The control part 17 controls each component which comprises the test | inspection apparatus 1 according to the operation signal output from the operation part outside a figure. Specifically, the control unit 17 controls movement of the probe device 12 by the probing mechanism 13, connection / disconnection processing by the scanner unit 14, and movement processing by the movement mechanism 24 of the probe device 12.

  The control unit 17 controls the measurement of the capacitance Cm by the measurement unit 16 and also functions as an inspection unit, and inspects the quality of the conductor pattern 101 based on the capacitance Cm measured by the measurement unit 16. To do. In this case, the control unit 17 is in a state in which the probe pin 21 is separated from the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23a in the conductive plate 23, that is, the probe pin 21 is not connected to the ground potential (reference potential) via the conductive plate 23. The measurement unit 16 is controlled to measure the capacitance Cm in the state.

  Next, the inspection device 1 measures the electrostatic capacitance Cm between the conductor patterns 101 on the circuit board 100 using the inspection device 1, and inspects the conductor pattern 101 based on the measured electrostatic capacitance Cm. The operation of 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. In the initial state, as shown in FIG. 5, each probe pin 21 in the probe device 12 and the right inner surface 31 in the insertion hole 23 a of the conductive plate 23 are in contact with each other.

  First, the circuit board 100 to be inspected is placed on a holding plate (not shown) in the board holding part 11, and then the end part of the circuit board 100 is sandwiched by a clamping mechanism (not shown) of the board holding part 11. By fixing, the circuit board 100 is held by the board holding part 11. Subsequently, an inspection start operation is performed using an operation unit (not shown). At this time, the control unit 17 executes an inspection process according to the operation signal output from the operation unit. In this inspection process, the control unit 17 controls the probing mechanism 13 to move the probe device 12 downward. Thereby, the tip of each probe pin 21 of the probe device 12 is brought into contact (probing) with each conductor pattern 101.

  Next, the control unit 17 controls the scanner unit 14 to make a pair of probe pins 21 that are in contact with a pair of conductor patterns 101 (for example, the conductor patterns 101a and 101b shown in FIG. 5) of the conductor patterns 101. (The probe pins 21a and 21b shown in the figure) are connected to the measurement signal generator 15 and the measurement unit 16.

  In this state, since each probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23a in the conductive plate 23 are in contact with each other, each probe pin 21 is connected to the ground potential via the conductive plate 23. Therefore, when charges are accumulated in each conductor pattern 101, the charges are discharged to the ground potential via each conductor pattern 101, each probe pin 21, and conductive plate 23.

  Subsequently, the control unit 17 controls the movement mechanism 24 of the probe device 12 to execute a movement process. At this time, the moving mechanism 24 linearly moves the conductive plate 23 at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, when each probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23 a in the conductive plate 23 are separated from each other, the connection between each probe pin 21 and the ground potential via the conductive plate 23 is performed. Is released. Subsequently, the control unit 17 controls the measurement signal generation unit 15 to output a measurement current It. At this time, the measurement current It output from the measurement signal generator 15 is supplied to the conductor patterns 101a and 101b via the probe pins 21a and 21b.

  Next, the control unit 17 controls the measurement unit 16 to execute the measurement of the capacitance Cm. At this time, the measurement unit 16 inputs the voltage Vm between the conductor patterns 101a and 101b generated by the supply of the measurement current It via the probe pins 21a and 21b, and the voltage value and the current of the measurement current It are measured. The capacitance Cm between the conductor patterns 101a and 101b is measured based on the value and the phase difference between the voltage and current.

  Subsequently, the control unit 17 controls the measurement signal generation unit 15 to stop the output of the measurement current It and compares the value of the capacitance Cm measured by the measurement unit 16 with a reference value. To check the quality of the conductor patterns 101a and 101b.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, when each probe pin 21 and a part of the left inner surface 31 in the insertion hole 23 a of the conductive plate 23 are in contact with each other, the control unit 17 moves the moving mechanism 24 of the probe device 12. Is controlled to stop the moving process. In this state, since each probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23a in the conductive plate 23 are in contact with each other, when charge is accumulated in each conductor pattern 101, the charge is transferred to each conductor pattern 101. Then, each probe pin 21 and the conductive plate 23 are discharged to the ground potential.

  In the probe device 12, as described above, the moving mechanism 24 moves the conductive plate 23 to switch the contact state and the separation state between the probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23 a in the conductive plate 23. The charge accumulated in each conductor pattern 101 is discharged before and after the measurement of the capacitance Cm. For this reason, unlike the configuration in which the electric charge accumulated by the discharge switch is discharged, the probe device 12 does not require a switch operation before and after the measurement of the capacitance Cm. Even when the capacitance Cm is measured and inspected, the measurement time can be shortened by the time required for the switch operation.

  Further, in the probe device 12, the discharge unit 200 includes the conductive plate 23 and the moving mechanism 24, and has a simple configuration in which the conductive plate 23 is simply connected to the ground potential, and the discharge unit 200 includes a discharge switch. As a result, the circuit configuration can be simplified accordingly. Further, since the probe device 12 is configured to discharge charges accumulated in the conductor pattern 101 by bringing the probe pin 21 into contact with the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23a in the conductive plate 23, the thickness of the conductive plate 23 is reduced. By increasing the thickness, the contact area between the probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 can be sufficiently increased as compared with the configuration in which the contacts used in a normal switch are brought into contact with each other. For this reason, as a result of suppressing the occurrence of sparks during discharge to a low level, it is possible to sufficiently reduce malfunctions resulting from the occurrence of sparks. In the probe device 12, the moving mechanism 24 moves the conductive plate 23 linearly at a constant speed. For this reason, it is possible to perform the discharge process using the moving mechanism 24 having a simple structure as compared with a configuration in which the moving direction is changed in the middle or the moving speed is changed in the middle.

  Subsequently, the control unit 17 controls the scanner unit 14 to release the connection between the probe pins 21a and 21b, the measurement signal generation unit 15 and the measurement unit 16, and another pair of conductor patterns 101 (for example, A pair of probe pins 21 (probe pins 21b and 21c shown in FIG. 5) in contact with the conductor patterns 101b and 101c shown in FIG. 5 are connected to the measurement signal generator 15 and the measurement unit 16.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 6, since each probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23a in the conductive plate 23 are in contact with each other, electric charges are accumulated in each conductor pattern 101 at this time. Sometimes, the electric charge is discharged to the ground potential via each conductor pattern 101, each probe pin 21 and the conductive plate 23.

  Next, the control unit 17 controls the moving mechanism 24 of the probe device 12 to execute the moving process. At this time, the moving mechanism 24 linearly moves the conductive plate 23 at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow B shown in FIG. 6 (the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow A described above).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2, when each probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23 a in the conductive plate 23 are separated from each other, as described above, each probe pin 21 through the conductive plate 23. Is disconnected from the ground potential. Next, the control unit 17 controls the measurement signal generation unit 15 to output the measurement current It. At this time, the measurement current It output from the measurement signal generator 15 is supplied to the conductor patterns 101b and 101c via the probe pins 21b and 21c.

  Subsequently, the measurement unit 16 measures the capacitance Cm between the conductor patterns 101b and 101c according to the control of the control unit 17. Next, the control unit 17 controls the measurement signal generation unit 15 to stop the output of the measurement current It and compares the value of the capacitance Cm measured by the measurement unit 16 with a reference value. The conductor patterns 101b and 101c are inspected for quality.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, when each probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 on the right side of the insertion hole 23 a of the conductive plate 23 are in contact with each other, the control unit 17 controls the moving mechanism 24 of the probe device 12. Then, the movement process is stopped. In this state, since each probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23a in the conductive plate 23 are in contact with each other, when charge is accumulated in each conductor pattern 101, the charge is transferred to each conductor pattern 101. Then, each probe pin 21 and the conductive plate 23 are discharged to the ground potential.

  In the probe device 12, as described above, the moving mechanism 24 moves the conductive plate 23 in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 2 and the direction of the arrow B opposite to the direction shown in FIG. The discharge treatment is performed before and after the measurement. That is, by discharging the conductive plate 23 once, a total of three discharge processes (one in the middle is also used before and after the measurement) are performed. For this reason, the structure which moves the electrically conductive plate 23 to the initial position (position where the probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 are first in contact) is performed each time the capacitance Cm is measured and the discharge treatment is performed before and after the measurement. Compared with, it is possible to further shorten the measurement time.

  As described above, in the probe device 12, the measuring device, and the inspection device 1, the conductive member is movably disposed so that the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23a comes in contact with and separates from the probe pin 21 inserted through the insertion hole 23a. In the state where the discharge unit 200 is configured to include the plate 23 and the moving mechanism 24 for moving the conductive plate 23 and the probe pin 21 is probed on the conductor pattern 101, the moving mechanism 24 is connected to the probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31. To make a discharge treatment. Therefore, according to the probe device 12, the measuring device, and the inspection device 1, the discharge unit 200 includes the conductive plate 23 and the moving mechanism 24, and has a simple configuration in which the conductive plate 23 is simply connected to the ground potential. As a result of eliminating the need for a dedicated discharge circuit including a discharge switch, the circuit configuration can be sufficiently simplified accordingly.

  Further, according to the probe device 12, the measurement device, and the inspection device 1, the charge accumulated in the conductor pattern 101 is discharged by bringing the probe pin 21 into contact with the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23 a in the conductive plate 23. Therefore, by increasing the thickness of the conductive plate 23, it is possible to sufficiently increase the contact area between the probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 as compared with a configuration in which contacts used in a normal switch are brought into contact with each other. it can. Therefore, according to the probe device 12 and the inspection device 1, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of sparks at the time of discharge, and as a result, it is possible to sufficiently reduce malfunctions caused by the occurrence of sparks.

  Further, according to the measuring device and the inspection device 1, the measuring unit 16 measures the capacitance Cm in a state where the probe pin 21 in the probe device 12 and the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23 a in the conductive plate 23 are separated from each other. As a result, measurement in a state where the probe pin 21 is connected to the ground potential via the conductive plate 23 is avoided, so that the measurement unit 16 can reliably input the voltage Vm via the probe pin 21. As a result, the capacitance Cm between the conductor patterns 101 based on the voltage Vm can be accurately measured.

  Further, according to the probe device 12, the measuring device, and the inspection device 1, a plurality of insertion holes 23 a are formed in the conductive plate 23, and the probe pins 21 are inserted into the respective insertion holes 23 a of the conductive plate 23 one by one. By moving the moving mechanism 24 by one moving mechanism 24, the plurality of probe pins 21 can be brought into contact with the inner surface 31 of each insertion hole 23 a in one conductive plate 23 at a time. That is, the probe pin 21 can be connected to the ground potential at once through the conductive plate 23 while having a simple configuration including only one moving mechanism 24 and one conductive plate 23. For this reason, according to the probe device 12, the measuring device, and the inspection device 1, the probe device 12 is compared with a configuration in which one conductive plate 23 and one moving mechanism 24 are provided for each probe pin 21. The discharge unit 200 can be configured more simply.

  Further, according to the probe device 12, the measuring device, and the inspection device 1, a plurality of probe pins 21 can be connected to the ground potential at once through the conductive plate 23. For example, each probe pin 21 and the conductive plate In the state in which the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23a in the state 23 is in a separated state, the capacitance Cm of a large number (a plurality of sets) of the conductor patterns 101 was measured, and as a result, charges were accumulated in the numerous conductor patterns 101. Sometimes, those charges can be discharged at once.

  Further, according to the probe device 12, the measurement device, and the inspection device 1, before and after the measurement, the discharge process is performed before and after the measurement of the capacitance Cm (that is, twice before and after the measurement). Compared with the configuration in which the discharge treatment is performed only on one of the electrodes, the charge accumulated in the conductor pattern 101 can be discharged more reliably, and thus the influence of the accumulated charge on the measurement value can be prevented more reliably. can do.

  In the probe device 12, the measuring device, and the inspection device 1, the probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 are brought into contact again after the probe pin 21 and the inner surface 31 of the insertion hole 23a in the conductive plate 23 are separated from each other. Thus, the discharge process is performed before and after the measurement of the capacitance Cm. For this reason, in the probe device 12, the measuring device, and the inspection device 1, the conductive plate 23 is moved once in one direction without being stopped halfway, so that the discharge process before the measurement of the capacitance Cm, the capacitance Three processes of the discharge process after the measurement of Cm and the measurement of the capacitance Cm can be continuously performed. Therefore, according to the probe device 12, the measurement device, and the inspection device 1, unlike the configuration in which the discharge switch is operated to discharge the electric charge accumulated in the conductor pattern 101, before and after the measurement of the capacitance Cm. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the need for at least two switch operations in the above case, and when measuring the capacitance Cm of many conductor patterns 101, the measurement time can be sufficiently shortened by the time required for the switch operation. it can.

  Further, according to the probe device 12, the measuring device, and the inspection device 1, the moving mechanism 24 linearly moves the conductive plate 23 in one direction to perform the discharge process before and after the measurement of the capacitance Cm. Compared with the configuration in which the moving direction is changed in the middle, the discharge mechanism can be performed twice in total before and after the measurement of the capacitance Cm using the moving mechanism 24 having a simple structure. The apparatus and the inspection apparatus 1 can be configured simply.

  Moreover, according to the probe device 12, the measuring device, and the inspection device 1, the moving mechanism 24 moves the conductive plate 23 at a constant speed in the moving process, so that the moving speed is changed halfway. Thus, since the discharge process can be performed using the movement mechanism 24 having a simpler structure, the probe device 12, the measurement device, and the inspection device 1 can be configured more simply.

  In addition, although it demonstrated taking the case of the probe apparatus 12 provided with the some probe pin 21 and the electroconductive board 23 in which the several penetration hole 23a was formed, and inserted the probe pin 21 one by one in each penetration hole 23a. It is also possible to employ a probe device that includes one probe pin 21 and a conductive plate 23 having only one insertion hole 23a and that has the probe pin 21 inserted into the insertion hole 23a. When this probe apparatus is employed, a flying probe type measuring apparatus or inspection apparatus can be configured in which the probe apparatus is moved by the probing mechanism 13 to bring the probe pin 21 into contact with the conductor pattern 101 to be measured.

  Further, although the example in which the insertion hole 23a having a circular shape in plan view is formed in the conductive plate 23 is described above, the shape of the insertion hole 23a is not limited thereto, and the insertion hole 23a having an elliptical shape or a polygonal shape in plan view is adopted. be able to.

  In addition, the configuration example in which the moving mechanism 24 linearly moves the conductive plate 23 has been described above, but the configuration in which the moving direction is changed in the middle (for example, when the probe pin 21 is positioned at the center of the insertion hole 23a, the moving mechanism 24 moves in the middle). It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the direction is changed by 90 ° or 180 °. Further, the configuration example in which the moving mechanism 24 moves the conductive plate 23 at a constant speed has been described above, but the configuration in which the moving speed of the conductive plate 23 is changed (for example, the state where the probe pin 21 is located at the center of the insertion hole 23a). It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the movement speed is reduced.

  Further, the configuration for measuring the capacitance Cm as an electrical physical quantity has been described above, but it can also be applied to the probe device 12 and the measurement apparatus used when measuring other electrical physical quantities such as voltage and current.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inspection apparatus 12 Probe apparatus 16 Measurement part 17 Control part 21 Probe 22a, 22b Support plate 23 Conductive plate 23a Insertion hole 24 Moving mechanism 31 Inner surface 100 Circuit board 101 Conductive pattern 200 Discharge part Cm Electrostatic capacity Vm Voltage

Claims (7)

A probe device comprising: a probe pin that is brought into contact with a probing object; and a discharge unit that performs a discharge process for discharging the charge accumulated in the probing object through the probe pin,
The discharge portion is movable so that an inner surface of the insertion hole is in contact with and separated from the probe pin in a state where the insertion hole through which the probe pin can be inserted is formed and the probe pin is inserted into the insertion hole. And a conductive plate connected to a reference potential, and a moving mechanism for moving the conductive plate to contact and separate the probe pin and the inner surface,
The probe device is configured such that the discharge mechanism can be executed by bringing the probe pin into contact with the inner surface in a state where the probe pin is in contact with the probing object. A plurality of probe pins;
The probe apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the insertion holes are formed in the conductive plate, and one probe pin is inserted into each of the insertion holes. A probe apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, and a measurement unit that measures an electrical physical quantity of the probing object based on an electrical signal input via the probe pin,
The measuring unit measures the electrical physical quantity in a state where the probe pin in the probe device and the inner surface of the insertion hole in the conductive plate are separated from each other.   In the state in which the probe pin is in contact with the probing object, the moving mechanism contacts the probe pin and the inner surface after separating the probe pin and the inner surface that are in contact with each other. The measuring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the discharge treatment is performed before and after the measurement of the physical quantity.   The measurement apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the moving mechanism linearly moves the conductive plate in one direction to perform the discharge process before and after the measurement of the electrical physical quantity.   The measuring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the moving mechanism moves the conductive plate at a constant speed.   An inspection apparatus comprising: the measurement apparatus according to claim 3; and an inspection unit that inspects the probing object based on the electrical physical quantity measured by the measurement apparatus.

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