JP3285496B2 - Continuity inspection device, its inspection method, and its inspection probe - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting continuity and an inspection method thereof, and more particularly, to an continuity inspection apparatus for inspecting continuity of a pattern on a printed circuit board, an inspection method thereof, and an inspection probe thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a continuity inspection method including a conductor pattern printed on a printed circuit board and components soldered to the conductor pattern. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-213955, a printed board on which components are soldered is placed on a board on which a plurality of styluses (probes) are arranged in a matrix so that the pattern surface of the printed board is in contact with the board. Further, a plate-shaped inspection probe having a plurality of capacitive test probes placed thereon is mounted on the printed circuit board component, and a capacitive coupling formed between the inspection probe and each stylus is measured. A method of detecting a soldering failure, a disconnection, or the like by comparison is disclosed. Further, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-244076
In this case, a plurality of pin-shaped inspection probes arranged at regular intervals with the conductor pattern of the printed board are brought into contact with one end of the printed board, and the other end is connected to the end of the conductor pattern. A method of inspecting the continuity of each conductor pattern in a non-contact manner by mounting a continuity check jig on the upper part of the connector and coupling the jigs capacitively is disclosed.

[0003]

However, in the above conventional example, in the former case, since a plurality of styluses (probes) are arranged in a two-dimensional direction, all the styluses are placed on the printed circuit board to be inspected. It is necessary to confirm that contact is being made properly. Further, since the tip of the stylus has a thin shape, it is necessary to handle the stylus so as not to damage the contact portion of the printed circuit board and to bend the stylus itself. In the latter case, the plurality of pin-shaped inspection probes arranged at equal intervals need to be brought into contact with predetermined positions of the conductor pattern on the printed circuit board. The more difficult it is to position. Further, in any of the above cases, the stylus or the pin-shaped inspection probe is arranged at regular intervals with the conductor pattern of the printed circuit board to be inspected, so that it is difficult to apply to a printed circuit board having different conductor pattern intervals. It is.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a continuity inspection apparatus which is easy to position and is excellent in versatility, an inspection method therefor, and an inspection probe therefor.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a continuity inspection apparatus according to the present invention has the following features.

That is, a continuity inspection apparatus for contacting an inspection probe with a plurality of conductor patterns formed on a substrate and inspecting the continuity of the plurality of conductor patterns, wherein a plurality of detection conductors of the inspection probe are provided. An association unit for associating with the plurality of conductor patterns, and an inspection unit for selecting the plurality of conductor patterns based on the association information obtained by the association unit, and inspecting continuity , The inspection probe
And a detection conductor of the plurality of detection conductors
As a result of applying a voltage to the
The detection conductor other than the detection conductor and the certain detection conductor,
Related as a certain conductor pattern among multiple conductor patterns
It characterized Rukoto to be assigned communication.

[0007]

Further, for example, the plurality of detection conductors of the inspection probe are arranged at intervals of at least two in contact with each of the plurality of conductor patterns, and preferably the plurality of detection conductors are provided. The interval between the conductors is preferably about 1/3 of the interval between the plurality of conductor patterns.

Further, for example, a plurality of detection conductors of the inspection probe are formed on a flexible substrate, and portions of the flexible substrate that are in contact with the plurality of conductor patterns are supported by an elastic material. This simplifies the structure of the inspection probe and ensures contact with the conductor pattern. In order to achieve the above object, a continuity inspection method of the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, a continuity inspection method for contacting an inspection probe with a plurality of conductor patterns formed on a substrate and inspecting continuity of the plurality of conductor patterns, wherein the plurality of detection conductors of the inspection probe are An association step of associating with the plurality of conductor patterns, and an inspection step of selecting each of the plurality of conductor patterns based on the association information obtained in the association step and inspecting continuity , wherein the associating step includes: The plurality of conductor putters
Contacting the test probe with the detection probe, applying a voltage to a certain detection conductor of the plurality of detection conductors, and detecting the voltage and detecting the detection conductor other than the certain detection conductor and the certain detection conductor. Of the conductor patterns described above.

[0011]

[0012]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the continuity inspection device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a continuity inspection device as one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an inspection probe (to be described in detail later), which is brought into contact with a contact 101A at one end of a conductor pattern 102 on a substrate 10 to be inspected. Reference numeral 2 denotes a connector, which is connected to a contact 101B at the other end of the conductor pattern 102. 3
Denotes a control device, which controls the operation of the entire inspection device (the operation will be described later). Reference numerals 6 and 7 denote switch circuits, preferably a plurality of FETs (Field Effect Transistors).
r). 4 is analog /
A digital (hereinafter, A / D) converter converts an analog output voltage from the switch circuit 7 into a digital signal and inputs the digital signal to the control device 3. Reference numeral 5 denotes a DC power supply, which is supplied to the switch circuit 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes a driver / receiver circuit, which interfaces a voltage between the probe 1 and the switch circuit 6 and / or the control device 3. Preferably, the setting of the substrate 10 at a predetermined position and the movement of the probe 1 onto the set substrate 10 are automated by an unillustrated industrial robot, stage, and the like.

In the following description, the pattern 102 of the board 10 is a printed board or a flexible board having conductors arranged in parallel as shown in the figure. Further, the connector 2 is not limited to the connector,
Needless to say, it may be a pin probe arranged at an equal interval to 2 or a capacitive probe for performing a non-contact inspection by applying an AC voltage.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, a control device 3 is, for example, a personal computer, 21 is a CPU for controlling a continuity inspection device according to a program, 22 is a CRT as display means,
23, a keyboard as input means; 24, a ROM (read only memory) storing a boot program and the like;
25 is a RAM for temporarily storing various processing results, 26 is a CP
A storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) for storing programs and the like used in U21, an input interface 27 for receiving a digital signal from the A / D converter 4, and an operation control signal 28 for the switch circuits 6 and 7 It has an output interface for outputting. These components are connected via an internal bus 29.

Here, an outline of the operation of the continuity inspection device having the above configuration will be described. First, the control device 3 sequentially switches the connection of the switch circuit 6 to which the DC power supply 5 is applied, thereby connecting the probe 1 to the probe circuit 1. The contact state of the contact 101A is determined (details will be described later) (at this time, it is assumed that the switch circuit 7 is not operated and the pattern 102 is electrically released). Next, the control device 3 sequentially applies the voltage of the DC power supply 5 to the pattern 102,
The switch circuit 6 and the switch circuit 7 are switched based on the determination result, and the output value obtained from the switch circuit 7 is set to A
Converted by the / D converter 4 and obtained. Thus, a continuity test of the pattern 102 is performed.

Next, the structure of the probe 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inspection probe as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a structural explanatory view of a test probe as one embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4, a flexible substrate 51 for forming a contact point of the probe 1 with an object to be inspected is shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), it is fixed (partially adhered) by a probe body cover 56 so as to surround the probe body 54 to which the rubber 55 is attached. The shape of the rubber 55 is preferably a mountain shape in accordance with the point P in FIG. 4 so that the flexible substrate 51 can easily come into contact with each pattern 102 on the substrate 10. One end of the flexible board 51 is connected to the driver receiver circuit 8 via a connector 52 and a flat lead wire 53. As for the N conductors of the flexible substrate 51, the contact P portion comes into contact with each pattern 102 of the substrate 10. At this time, due to the properties of the rubber 55 as the elastic material and the shape of the contact point P of the flexible substrate 51, the substrate 10 and the pattern 102 can be brought into contact with each pattern 102 at an appropriate pressure without being damaged. The probe 1 in which the flexible board itself has the role of the lead wire 53 and the connector 52 is omitted.
A is shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an inspection probe as a modification of the embodiment of the present invention,
Except that 1A itself is connected to the driver / receiver circuit, it is the same as the probe 1 of FIGS.

Next, a continuity inspection method according to the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between a probe and a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, for convenience of explanation, the substrate 10 is represented by a cross section in the short direction, and M conductor patterns (1021
〜１０102 M). On the other hand, the probe 1 shows only N conductors (111 to 11N). When the probe 1 is brought into contact with the substrate 10, the conductor spacing A of the probe 1
The interval of at least two conductors of the probe 1 on one pattern 102 (width B) satisfies the condition of A <B, and preferably, the conductor interval of the probe 1 is approximately one of the pattern interval of the substrate / 3 is recommended. In this embodiment, the conductor spacing of the probe 1 and the pattern spacing of the substrate 10 are on the order of several hundred microns. First, the contact state between each conductor of the probe 1 and each pattern 102 on the substrate 10 is determined by the probe 1 having this relationship. That is, the controller 3 assigns (associates) which conductor of the probe 1 is in contact with which pattern 102. FIG. 6 shows a flow from the allocation processing to the continuity inspection processing.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the assignment processing / continuity inspection processing as one embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, steps S1 to S5 are:
This is a routine for allocating the conductor of the probe 1 and the pattern 102 (the switch circuit 7 is not operated in this routine). The control device 3 initializes the counter in response to the inspection start command from the keyboard 23 (Step S).
1) The switch circuit 6 is operated to select the conductor 11I, and the voltage of the DC power supply 5 is applied (step S2). Then, the control device 3 searches the conductors of the probe 1 other than the conductor 11I in which the voltage applied in step S2 can be detected by operating the switch circuit 6 and searches all the conductors for which the voltage has been detected in one pattern. Assigned as 102 (step S3). For example, when I is 1, the voltage of the DC power supply 5 is applied to the conductor 111 in FIG. At this time, when the switch circuit 6 sequentially selects the conductors 112 to 11N, since the probe 1 is in contact with the substrate 10, the applied voltage of the conductor 111 is changed to the conductor 11N via the pattern 1021.
2 only. By detecting this voltage by the control device 3, a certain one pattern (pattern 1021)
As a result, the conductor 111 and the conductor 112 are allocated. This processing is performed from the conductor 111 of the probe 1 to the conductor 11
By sequentially performing the processing up to N, M patterns of the substrate 10 and N conductors of the probe 1 are allocated.

When the allocation process for the N conductors of the probe 1 is completed (step S4), DC power is applied to the switch circuit 6, and the switch circuits 6 and 7 are linked based on the allocation result in step S3. Then, by detecting the applied voltage via the switch circuit 7 and the A / D converter 4, the M patterns 102 on the substrate 10 are detected.
Are sequentially performed (step S6).

It goes without saying that the number of conductors from which the applied voltage is detected increases in accordance with the distance between the conductors of the probe 1. In addition, the conductor for which the applied voltage has been detected may be excluded from the subsequent allocation processing to speed up the processing.

<Effects of the present embodiment> (1) When the probe 1 having the conductor spacing A is brought into contact with the substrate 10, the spacing between at least two conductors of the probe 1 on one pattern 102 (width B) is set. , A <B. (2) Since the contact portion of the probe 1 with the substrate 10 is formed of the flexible substrate 51 and supported by the rubber 55, the probe 10 can be appropriately contacted with each pattern 102 without damaging the substrate 10. Further, since the flexible substrate 51 is used, there is no positional deviation between the conductors in the contact portion. (3) The contact portion of the probe 1 with the substrate 10 is constituted by the flexible substrate 51 and is structured to be supported by the rubber 55. Since the number of components is small and the production is easy,
The manufacturing cost of the probe 1 can be reduced. (4) In order to perform the allocation process of the flowchart of FIG. 6 for each of the substrates 10 to be inspected, the probe 1
High-precision positioning in the ± X direction (FIG. 5) was unnecessary. As a result, the lead time can be reduced even in a continuity test of a small and high-density substrate.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide a continuity inspection device which is easy to position and has excellent versatility, an inspection method thereof, and an inspection probe thereof.

[0033]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a continuity inspection device as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of a control device as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inspection probe as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a test probe as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a probe and a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an assignment process / continuity check process as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a test probe as a modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 inspection probe 2, 52 connector 3 control device 6, 7 switch circuit 4 A / D converter 5 DC power supply 8 driver / receiver circuit 10 board 21 CPU 22 CRT 23 keyboard 24 ROM 25 RAM 26 storage device 27 input interface 28 output interface 29 Internal bus 51, 51A Flexible board 53 Lead wire 54 Probe body 55 Rubber 56, 56A Probe body cover 101A, 101B Contact 102 Conductor pattern 111-11N Conductor of probe 1 1021-102M Conductor pattern of board 10

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A continuity inspection device for contacting an inspection probe with a plurality of conductor patterns formed on a substrate and inspecting continuity of the plurality of conductor patterns, wherein a plurality of detection conductors of the inspection probe are provided. and associating means for associating said plurality of conductive patterns, the plurality of conductive patterns respectively selected based on the association information obtained by the associating means, and a checking means for checking the continuity, the association means, The detection is performed on the plurality of conductor patterns.
Probe and contact one of the plurality of detection conductors.
That a result of applying a voltage to the detection conductor, characterized by associating a detection conductor in the the detection conductor other than the certain detection conductor whose voltage is detected, as the conductor pattern of ones of said plurality of conductive patterns Continuity inspection device. 2. The continuity inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of detection conductors are arranged at intervals of at least two contacting each of the plurality of conductor patterns. Distance wherein the plurality of detection conductors, said plurality of conductive testing device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein it is substantially 1/3 of the interval of the conductive pattern. 4. A continuity inspection method for bringing an inspection probe into contact with a plurality of conductor patterns formed on a substrate and inspecting continuity of the plurality of conductor patterns, wherein the plurality of detection conductors of the inspection probe are provided. , an association step of associating said plurality of conductive patterns, the associate said plurality of conductive patterns respectively selected based on the association information obtained by the process, and a testing step of testing the continuity, the association step, The detection is performed on the plurality of conductor patterns.
Probe and contact one of the plurality of detection conductors.
Voltage is applied to the detection conductor, and the voltage is detected.
A detection conductor other than a certain detection conductor and the certain detection conductor,
A conductor pattern of the plurality of conductor patterns;
A continuity inspection method characterized by making association with each other . 5. A method for individually supplying signals by a continuity inspection device.
Multiple detection conductors arranged in parallel that can be detected
Has, prior to the plurality of conductor patterns formed on the substrate
Serial contacting the detection conductors, an inspection probe for inspecting the continuity of the plurality of conductive patterns, the plurality of detection conductors, each conductor pattern of the plurality of conductive patterns are arranged at intervals in contact at least two The plurality of detection conductors contacting the plurality of conductor patterns
Voltage is applied to one of the detection conductors from the continuity inspection device.
In addition, other than the certain detection conductor by the continuity inspection device
An inspection probe characterized in that the voltage can be detected from another detection conductor . 6. The arrangement interval of the plurality of detection conductors, the inspection probe according to claim 5, characterized in that approximately one third of the interval of the plurality of conductive patterns. 7. The inspection probe according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of detection conductors are made of a flexible substrate. 8. The inspection probe according to claim 7, wherein a contact portion of the flexible substrate with the plurality of conductor patterns is supported by an elastic material.