JPS62206463A - Circuit board inspecting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the position of a circuit board and a probe pin adjustable with the circuit board held on a circuit board holding base, by supporting the circuit board holding base for positioning and holding the circuit board on a press elevator slidably in a specified direction. CONSTITUTION:A circuit board holding base 34 for positioning and holding a circuit board is supported on a press elevator 30 slidably in a specified direction. Then, when an inner layer circuit board 10 is inspected, the circuit board holding base 34 is so positioned that an array lattice of a test point in a circuit board pattern 12A coincides with that of probe pin to perform an inspection pertaining to the circuit board pattern. Then, the circuit board holding base 34 is moved so that the array lattice of the test point in the other circuit board pattern 12B with coincide with that of the probe pin to perform an inspection pertaining to the circuit board pattern.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to a board inspection machine that performs tests such as continuity tests and insulation tests on printed circuit boards or similar boards (hereinafter collectively referred to as "boards"). .

[Prior Art] A board inspection machine that performs conductivity testing, insulation testing, etc. of a board positions and holds the board to be tested on a board holder provided in a press elevator, and presses the board against a prober by the press elevator. The test point is pressed against the probe pin of the prober to perform the test.

In general, board-related dimensions are determined in inches, and the through-holes and pads that serve as probe pins and test points on the board are usually 2.54mm+(1
00 mil) spacing.

[Problems to be Solved] Now, as a substrate to be inspected, there is an inner layer substrate 10 as shown in FIG. This inner layer substrate 10 has two substrate patterns 12A on an insulating film.

12B is printed. 14A and 18B are reference holes of the substrate pattern 12A;

16B is a reference hole of the substrate pattern 12B. The through holes, pads, etc. of the board patterns 12A and 12B are
They are arranged in a grid with intervals of 2.54 mm with their corresponding reference holes as the origin. However, substrate pattern 1
The spacing between the reference holes 14A, 16A for 2A and the reference holes 14B, 16B for the substrate pattern 12B is not an integral multiple of the lattice spacing.

When inspecting such a two-sided inner layer substrate 10 using a conventional board inspection machine, there are the following problems.

The substrate holder is provided with positioning pins in the probe pin array grid 1, and the inner layer substrate 10 is provided with positioning pins in the reference hole 1.
4A and 16A (or reference holes 14B and 16B) and positioning pins are fitted to determine the position. Therefore, the positions of the test points and probe pins on one substrate pattern 12A (or 12B) match, but the positions of the test points on the other substrate pattern deviate from the probe pins.

In such a case, in a conventional board inspection machine, for example, after inspecting the board pattern 12A, the inner layer board 10 is inspected.
It was necessary to turn the substrate 180 degrees horizontally and set it on the substrate holding table 1f, and then inspect the other substrate pattern 12B, which was inefficient. Furthermore, since such operations were necessary, automation of substrate handling was not easy.

[Object of the Invention] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a board inspection machine that can efficiently inspect such inner layer boards.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve this object, the present invention presses a substrate against a large number of probe pins arranged on a prober, and presses the test points against the probe pins to test the substrate. A press elevator is a board holding stand used to position and hold boards in board inspection machines that perform continuity tests, etc.
- means for slidably supporting the substrate holder in a specific direction, and means for moving the substrate holder in the specific direction.

[Function] With such a configuration, the relative position between the substrate and the probe pins can be adjusted while the substrate is held on the substrate holder.

Therefore, for example, when inspecting the inner layer substrate 10 shown in FIG. 2, the substrate holder is positioned so as to match the test point array grid and the probe pin array grid of one substrate pattern (12A), and the substrate pattern Then, by moving the substrate holder to match the array grid of test points and the array grid of probe pins on the other substrate pattern (12B), it is possible to conduct an inspection on that substrate pattern.

In this way, unlike the conventional method, there is no need for troublesome operations such as changing the orientation of the substrate and resetting it on the substrate holding stand, and inspection can be performed efficiently. It also facilitates automation of substrate handling.

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional front view showing a simplified configuration of essential parts of an embodiment of a board inspection machine according to the present invention.

In this figure, 22 is a prober, which is fixed to a fixed plate 24. As shown in FIG. A large number of probe pins 26 are arranged on the lower surface of the prober 22 in a grid pattern. The pitch of this array grid of probe pins 26 is 2.54
It is i+m. Each probe pin 26 is movable downward at its tip (lower end in the figure) and is biased downward by a built-in spring.

30 is a press elevator for pressing the substrate against the prober 22, and is raised and lowered by an air cylinder 32. 34 is a substrate holding stand, which is supported so as to be slidable left and right along rails 36 fixed to the press elevator 30. In addition, rail 36
There are two installed in front and back.

The top of the substrate holding stand 34 is a replaceable pallet 38, and the substrate to be inspected is positioned and held on the pallet 38h as indicated by the reference numeral 40.

For this positioning, positioning pins 42 corresponding to positioning holes in the board 40 are implanted in the pallet 38.

Reference numeral 44 denotes a motor for moving the substrate holding table 34 in the left-right direction in the figure, and its rotating shaft is coupled to a screw shaft 48 via a joint 46. The screw shaft 48 is rotatably supported by the press elevator 30 by bearings 50.degree. 52. A nut 54, which moves along the screw shaft 48 by rotation of the motor 44, is fixed to the substrate holder 34.

56 is an origin sensor. When the substrate holding table 34 is located at its origin, the output signal of the origin sensor 56 is turned on. This signal is input to a processing control section (not shown). In addition, the motor 44 and the air cylinder 32
The drive control is also performed by the processing control section. The processing control section is provided with an electronic circuit for continuity testing, insulation testing, etc., and the electronic circuit is electrically connected to the probe pin 26.

Next, assuming that the inner layer substrate 10 shown in FIG. 2 is to be inspected, the operation of this substrate inspection machine will be explained.

In this case, the reference hole (positioning hole) 14A of the inner layer substrate 10
, 14B, 16A, 16B positioning pin 42
A pallet 38 provided with the inner layer substrate 10 is set on the substrate holding stand 34, and the inner layer substrate 10 is positioned and held at 40 so as to be aligned with λ.

Initially, the motor 44 is controlled to position the substrate holding table 34 at the origin. The position of the positioning pins 42 is determined so that the reference holes 14A and IE3A match the array grid of the probe pins 26 when the substrate holding table 34 is located at the origin.

The air cylinder 32 is driven in the forward direction, the press elevator 30 is pushed up, and the inner layer substrate 10 is pressed against the prober 22. Thereby, the test point of one board pattern 12A of the inner layer board 10 is the probe pin 26.
It is pressed into contact with the electronic circuit for testing the processing control unit, and is tested. Since the array grid of the test points on the other substrate pattern 12B is misaligned with the array grid of the probe pins 26, the test points and the probe pins 26 do not press against each other.

When the continuity test, insulation test, etc. for the substrate pattern 12A are completed in this way, the air cylinder 32 is driven in the reverse direction and the press elevator 30 is lowered.

When this lowering is completed, the motor 44 is driven by the processing control unit to move the substrate holding table 34 from its origin to a specific distance and direction corresponding to the inner layer substrate 10. As a result, the reference hole 14B for the board pattern 12B
, 16B coincide with the probe pin array grid, and therefore the test point position of the substrate pattern 12B corresponds to the probe pin 26.

Note that such information for controlling the movement of the substrate holding table 34 is stored in advance in the processing control section, and the drive control of the motor 44 is performed based on the information.

When the movement of the substrate holding table 34 is completed, the air cylinder 32 is driven in the forward direction and the press elevator 30
is again raised to -, and the inner layer substrate 10 is pressed against the prober 22 again. In this case, the test point of the board pattern 12B and the probe pin 26 are brought into contact with each other, and the test is performed.

When this inspection is completed, the press elevator 30 is lowered, and then the substrate holding table 34 is returned to its origin.

Note that the structure of the substrate holding stand, the means for movably supporting it, the means for moving it, etc. may be changed as appropriate.

Further, the present invention can be similarly applied to a board inspection machine that inspects the shape of a pattern on a board.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention provides a means for supporting a substrate holding table for positioning and holding a substrate so as to be slidable in a specific direction in a press elevator, and A means for moving the probe pin in a specific direction is provided, and the relative position between the substrate and the probe pins can be adjusted while the substrate is held on the substrate holder. therefore,
According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a substrate inspection machine that can efficiently inspect substrates such as the inner layer substrate, and it is also possible to easily realize automation of handling of such substrates.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional front view showing a simplified configuration of the main parts of an embodiment of a board inspection machine according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of an inner layer substrate on which a different substrate pattern is printed. 22... Prober, 26... Probe pin, 30...
...Press elevator, 34...Substrate holding stand, 36.
...Rail, 44...Motor, 48...Screw shaft, 54...Nut.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A board testing machine that tests continuity of the board by pressing the board against a large number of probe pins arranged on a prober and pressing the test points against the probe pins, which positions and holds the board. 1. A substrate inspection machine comprising: means for supporting a substrate holding stand on a press elevator so as to be slidable in a specific direction; and a driving means for moving the substrate holder in the specific direction.