JPH06201725A - Electrically conductive contactor and electrically conductive contactor unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce fluctuation while stabilizing resistance in an electric signal transmitting circuit, and realize compactness by arranging a coil spring to energize a pair of electrically conductive needles toward the outside of a holder. CONSTITUTION:Electrically conductive needles 11 and 12 are arranged respectively in the axial direction both end parts of a support hole 7a arranged in an intermediate insulator 7 of a contactor. The barrel parts 11b and 12b of the needles 11 and 12 are supported in the axial direction in the support hole 7a so as to be capable of reciprocating motion freely, and are stopped by insulators 8 and 9 so as not to be slipped out. Between the needles 11 and 12 in the support hole 7a, a coil spring 13 to energize both the needles 11 and 12 respectively and elastically in the axial direction is interposed coaxially. The needles 11 and 12 are also connected electrically to each other via the coil spring 13. Thereby, the pitch of the respective needles can be narrowed while securing high rigidity to a lateral load and a sufficient spring load of the needles 11 and 12, so that simultaneous multipoint measurement suitable for a highly dense wiring pattern can be carried out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention provides a conductive contact suitable for exchanging an electric signal with a printed wiring board, an electronic element or the like, and a plurality of conductive needles. The present invention relates to a conductive contact unit suitable for simultaneously transmitting and receiving electric signals at multiple points.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a conductive probe used for a contact probe for electrically inspecting a conductor pattern or an electronic element of a printed wiring board has a conductive needle-shaped body,
It has a cylindrical holder that receives the needle-shaped body so as to be displaceable in the axial direction, and is elastically urged by a coil spring in a direction in which the tip of the needle-shaped body projects from the front end of the holder. There is one in which the tip of the body is elastically brought into contact with the object to be measured.

As the conductive contact as described above, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 154868/1985, a pair of conductive needles are movable at both ends in the axial direction so that they can be retracted. There is a type. This both-end movable type conductive contact is suitable for use when performing a test by temporarily connecting the two circuit boards to each other before joining the two circuit boards. Further, according to the structure described above, the electrical connection between the contact pins as the contactors is made by the wire-shaped central conductor coupled between them, so that the resistance on the conduction circuit is stabilized. obtain.

However, in the above conventional structure,
Since it is necessary for the center conductor to bend as both contact pins reciprocate, the total length of the contact becomes longer and the conductive line length becomes longer in order to secure a sufficient amount of deflection for a narrow pitch. It was difficult to make it compact.

Further, in order to inspect the liquid crystal panel, when the liquid crystal panel is inspected in the previous step of connecting the TAB as the panel lighting drive LSI, the same number of connection electrodes as the wiring pattern of the cells of the liquid crystal panel is used. There is a method in which a conductive contactor unit having a contactor is used. For example, the TAB of the same product as the TAB to be combined in advance.
Embedded in the conductive contactor unit, the lead wire of the contactor is connected to the corresponding electrode of the TAB, the needle-shaped body is brought into contact with the connection electrode of the liquid crystal panel, and the video signal from the inspection device is sent to the TAB of the unit. Also, the image is inspected by sending it to the liquid crystal panel through the contactor.

However, in the case of the conductive contact unit having the above structure, when the TAB is to be replaced for a long period of time, the lead wire of the contact has to be removed from the electrode of the TAB, which is not suitable for soldering. If the TAB is connected, it will not only be removed and soldered with a new TAB, but the above inspection will be performed in a clean room. Had a problem that the replacement work became extremely complicated, for example, the entire unit had to be washed again.

For example, by using the contactor having the double contact pin structure, connection with the TAB can be achieved by hitting one contact pin, and it is not necessary to perform the soldering work. However, when the TAB is connected to the connection electrodes of the liquid crystal panel in the manufacturing process, thermocompression bonding is performed, and the electrode pitch of the TAB before thermocompression bonding is made slightly smaller than the connection electrode pitch of the liquid crystal panel ( Eg 8
79.9 μm for 0 μm). Therefore, when the pitch between the contacts of the above-mentioned two contact pin structures is matched with one pitch, there arises a problem that the other is displaced.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems of the prior art, the main object of the present invention is to stabilize the resistance on the transmission circuit of the electric signal in the conductive contact of the movable both ends type. Provided is a conductive contactor and a conductive contactor unit that can be made compact and can be applied even when the pitches of the contacted portions of both needle-shaped bodies in the movable contactors of both ends are different. To do.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a holder for supporting a pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies so as to be retractable at both ends in the axial direction, and the both conductive needle-shaped bodies. And a coil spring received in the holder so as to urge the holder in a direction to project outward from each end of the holder, the coil spring is made of a conductor, and both ends of the coil spring are This is achieved by providing a conductive contact characterized by being connected to each of the needles. In particular, it is preferable that at least one of the pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies is an extension portion formed by extending one end portion of the coil spring in the axial direction. Also, a plurality of each pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies, a plurality of coil springs made of a conductor that is coupled to the pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies at both ends, respectively, the pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies. And an insulative support member formed with a plurality of holes respectively supporting the coil springs and supporting the coil springs so as to be retractable in the axial direction.
The support member is composed of a plurality of laminated members laminated in at least two layers such that one pitch and the other pitch of each of the plurality of pairs of conductive needle-shaped bodies are different from each other. This is achieved by providing a conductive contact unit, at least a part of which is formed so as to change the pitch between the laminated members.

[0010]

According to this structure, since each needle-shaped body and each end of the coil spring made of a conductor are connected to each other and there is no sliding contact between each member, one needle-shaped body is taken out. The conduction circuit resistance for transmitting the generated electric signal to the other needle-shaped body through the coil spring is constant, and the coil spring is used for the conductor connecting the both contacts, so that the distance between both contacts can be easily made. Can be narrowed. In addition, by extending one end of the coil spring in the axial direction to form a conductive contact, the number of member coupling sites can be reduced and conduction resistance can be reduced. In addition, a plurality of coil springs made of a conductive material and having a pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies coupled to both ends are used, and each is supported by a plurality of holes formed in an insulating support made of a laminated member of two or more layers, By changing the pitch of at least a part of the plurality of holes between the respective laminated members, it is possible to easily change one pitch and the other pitch of the pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a contact probe unit 2 to which a conductive contact 1 of both ends movable type according to the present invention is applied.
It is a partial perspective view showing a usage state of. In this embodiment, when the liquid crystal panel 3 is inspected, its panel lighting drive LS
The state in which the liquid crystal panel 3 is inspected in the previous step of bonding the TAB as I is shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, a TAB 5 is fixed to the upper surface of a block-shaped main body 4 of the contact probe unit 2. In the body 4, in order to electrically connect the terminals of the TAB 5 and the corresponding lead patterns 3a of the liquid crystal panel 3, a plurality of conductive contacts 1 of the same number as the connecting terminals are provided.
(Only one is shown in the figure). The upper end of the conductive contact 1 is brought into contact with the terminal of the TAB 5,
The contact probe unit 2 is configured with the lead wire 6 connected to the AB 5.

At the time of inspection, the main body 4 is lowered to bring the lower end of the conductive contactor 1 projecting downward from the main body 4 into contact with the lead pattern 3a of the liquid crystal panel 3, and the lead wire 6 is shown in FIG. A control signal is input to the TAB5 from a control circuit that is not operated to turn on the panel. Then, the liquid crystal panel 3 is inspected.

The structure of the conductive contact 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 4 includes an intermediate insulator 7 made of a relatively thick synthetic resin, and the intermediate insulator 7.
It is composed of an upper insulator 8 and a lower insulator 9 made of synthetic resin, which are vertically laminated so as to sandwich them. A support hole 7a is formed in the intermediate insulator 7, and openings 8a and 9a each having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the support hole are formed in the upper and lower insulators 8 and 9, respectively. It is arranged in a way.

As described above, the conductive contactor 1 is of a movable type at both ends, and has upper and lower conductive needle-shaped bodies 11 and 12 provided at both ends in the axial direction of the support hole 7a. is doing. The conductive needle-shaped bodies 11 and 12 have needle-shaped portions 11a and 12a each having a sharp tip, and body portions 11b and 12b having a diameter larger than that of the needle-shaped portions 11a and 12a.
And rear end portions 11c and 12c that project downward and upward from the body portions 11b and 12b and are formed to have a small diameter, respectively, and have circular cross sections and are coaxial with each other. The body portions 11b and 12b are supported in the support holes 7a so as to be reciprocally movable in the axial direction, and are prevented from coming off by upper and lower insulators 8 and 9.

Both needle-shaped bodies 11 and 12 in the support hole 7a.
A coil spring 13 for elastically urging both of them outward in the axial direction is coaxially interposed therebetween, and both ends of the coil spring 13 are fitted to the rear end portions 11c and 12c, respectively. Matched and soldered. Therefore, the needle-shaped bodies 11 and 12 are also electrically connected to each other via the coil spring 13. The respective insulators 7 to 9 are fixed to each other in close contact with each other by screws (not shown) and integrated to form a main body 4. Then, the TAB 5 is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the main body 4 as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 2, and in this state, the upper needle-shaped body 11 has the support hole 7a as shown by an imaginary line.
When the coil spring 13 is deformed, the upper needle-shaped body 11 elastically contacts the terminal of the TAB 5 by being deformed.

In the conductive contact 1, the needle-shaped bodies 11 and 12 are formed by using an insulator similar to the insulator that supports the conventional receptacle, without using the conventional receptacle. It can support and receive the coil spring 13, and can prevent the coil spring 13 from coming off. Therefore, in the multipoint simultaneous measurement contact probe unit 2 as shown in FIG. 1 in which a plurality of conductive contacts are arranged in parallel, the outer diameter of the needle-shaped body and the coil spring can be reduced. That is, that is, while ensuring high rigidity and sufficient spring load against the lateral load of the needle-shaped body, the pitch of each needle-shaped body can be narrowed at least by the thickness of the conventional receptacle, and a high-density wiring pattern, etc. It is possible to perform a suitable multipoint simultaneous measurement for

It should be noted that, in the drawing, the length in the radial direction is made extremely long with respect to the length in the axial direction for the sake of easy understanding, but in reality, the needle-shaped bodies 11 and 12 have needle-shaped shapes. Part 11a
・ The diameter of 12a is 0.28mm, and each body 11b ・ 1
The diameter of 2b is set to 0.35 mm, and each insulator 7
The thickness of ~ 9 can be 11 mm. Therefore, the contact probe 2 can be made compact, and the pitch can be set to several tens of μm by, for example, staggering arrangement.

As described above, the needle-shaped bodies 11 and 12 are connected to the coil spring 13 made of a conductor, for example, by soldering, and the variation in the internal resistance of the conductive contact 1 is minimized (for example, It is possible to perform stable inspections and measurements. In addition, the conductive contact 1 is different from the conventional example.
Since the total length can be made extremely short, as shown in FIG. 1, when the liquid crystal panel 3 and the TAB 5 are connected through the conductive contact 1 to perform panel lighting, the conductive line length is long. However, the image becomes unclear and the determination level becomes low, making inspection difficult, but according to the present invention, a high determination level can be secured. Furthermore, it is easy to replace the TAB 5 when it is defective.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment according to the present invention. The same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the conductive contact 14 of the second embodiment, the opening 8a of the upper insulator 8 is used.
The one end portion 15a of the coil spring 15 protrudes upward from. That is, as shown in the drawing, the lower needle-shaped body 12 is the same as that in the above-described embodiment, but the one end 15a of the coil spring 15 is coaxially arranged through the opening 8a of the upper insulator 8. It is formed so as to extend upward. Also in the case of the second embodiment,
Although it has the same effect as that of the above-mentioned embodiment, it is not necessary to further provide the upper needle-shaped body 11 of the above-mentioned embodiment, so that the number of parts can be further reduced.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the first embodiment.
The same parts as those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the conductive contact 16 of the third embodiment, both needle-shaped bodies 11.1 of the first embodiment are used.
The upper and lower needle-shaped bodies 17 and 18 corresponding to No. 2 are formed of straight wires. The respective projecting side portions of the needle-shaped bodies 17 and 18 are supported by the openings 8a and 9a so as to be retractable in the axial direction, and both ends of the coil spring 13 received in the support hole 7a are connected to the needles. It is fitted and soldered to the respective recessed portions of the bodies 17 and 18. Therefore, the needle-shaped bodies 17 and 18 are prevented from coming off by the soldered both ends of the coil spring 13. In the case of the third embodiment as well, the same effect can be obtained, but since the needle-shaped bodies 17 and 18 are formed by using the straight wires, the needle-shaped bodies can be easily processed. You can

FIG. 5 shows a fourth embodiment according to the present invention. The same parts as those of the third embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and their detailed description will be omitted. In the conductive contact 19 of the fourth embodiment, the needle-shaped body protruding downward from the opening 9a of the lower insulator 9 is the lower needle-shaped body 18 of the third embodiment. Is configured similarly to.
Then, from the opening 8a of the upper insulator 8, one end 13a of the coil spring 13 projects upward as in the second embodiment. Also in the case of the fourth embodiment, the same effect is obtained, and since the needle-shaped body 18 is formed by using the straight wire as in the third embodiment, it is possible to process the needle-shaped body. It can be done easily.

Next, a conductive contact unit according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. This unit is applicable to the contact probe unit 2 shown in FIG. 1, and a part thereof is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies 11 and 12 are coaxially soldered and coupled to both ends of the conductive coil spring 13 as in the first embodiment. ing.
In this embodiment, the conductive needle-shaped bodies 11 and 12 are connected to the needle-shaped portions 11a and 12a by the upper insulator 21 and the lower insulator 22.
The plurality of support holes 21a and 22a formed in the above are respectively supported so as to be retractable.

Between the upper insulator 21 and the lower insulator 22, first and second intermediate insulators 27 and 28, which are laminated in two layers, are sandwiched, and both intermediate insulators 27 and 28 are sandwiched. 28
Is formed with holes 27a and 28b capable of receiving the coil spring 13. In addition, each insulator 21, 22, 27, 28
Is made of an insulating synthetic resin material, is integrated by screws (not shown), and is assembled to a support block (not shown).

When applied to the contact probe unit 2 shown in FIG. 1 as described above, as shown in the conventional example, each pitch (for example, 80 μm) of the lead pattern 3a which is the connection electrode of the liquid crystal panel 3 is set. , Each pitch of the terminals 5a of the TAB 5 thermocompression bonded in the manufacturing process (for example, 79.
9 μm), and in the present conductive contactor unit that electrically connects the two, it is necessary to make the pitches of the needle-shaped bodies to be in contact with each other the same.

As shown in FIG. 6, each needle-shaped body 1 on one side
The support holes 21a, 22 are arranged so that the pitch of 1 is 79.9 μm and the pitch of the other needle-like bodies 12 is 80 μm.
a is arranged according to each pitch. Therefore, as shown in the figure, when the upper and lower needle-shaped bodies 12, 13 of one contactor (center of the figure) are coaxially arranged, , Needles 12 above and below
The 13 axes are slightly deviated from each other, and the left and right axes are further deviated.

However, in the embodiment of FIG. 6 according to the present invention, the holes 27a and 28b of the two laminated intermediate insulators 27 and 28 have different axial pitches so as to match the above-mentioned pitch deviation. Is formed. According to the present invention, the pair of needle-shaped bodies 12 and 13 are connected to each other through the conductive coil spring 13 which also serves as an electric current, and the pitch of the holes 27a and 28b of the intermediate insulators 27 and 28 is deviated. However, since it can be easily followed by the deflection of the spring as shown in the figure, no inconvenience occurs.

By using the conductive contact unit thus constructed, it is not necessary to use a TAB dedicated to the inspection device, and the same TAB as the product can be adopted as it is, and the inspection device can be made inexpensive. Further, it is possible to easily deal with the exchange of the TAB.

Although the intermediate insulator has two layers in this embodiment, the coil spring can be guided more smoothly by using more layers. Further, although the inspection device of the liquid crystal panel is shown, the present invention is not limited to this,
It can be suitably applied to an inspection device suitable for using both movable contactors.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the needle-shaped bodies are coupled to the coil springs made of a conductor, for example, by soldering, so that the variation in the internal resistance of the conductive contact is minimized. Therefore, stable inspection and measurement can be performed. Further, by forming one end of the coil spring to extend in the axial direction to form one needle-shaped body,
Since it is not necessary to provide the needle-shaped body as a separate component, the number of components can be further reduced. In addition, a plurality of coil springs made of a conductive material and having a pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies coupled to both ends are used, and each is supported by a plurality of holes formed in an insulating support made of a laminated member of two or more layers, By changing the pitch between each laminated member at least a portion of the plurality of holes, it is possible to easily change one pitch and the other pitch of the plurality of each pair of conductive needles, Even when the conductive contactor unit used for simultaneous multipoint measurement or energization is used for a circuit having different terminal pitches on both sides thereof, it is possible to deal with it without any inconvenience.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing a usage state of a contact probe unit using a conductive contact according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conductive contact according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part showing a conductive contact unit according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Conductive Contact 2 Contact Probe Unit 3 Liquid Crystal Panel 3a Lead Pattern 4 Body 5 TAB 5a Terminal 6 Lead Wire 7 Intermediate Insulator 7a Support Hole 8 Upper Insulator 8a Opening 9 Lower Insulator 9a Opening 11 Upper Conductivity Needle 12 Lower conductive needle 11a ・ 12a Needle 11b ・ 12b Body 11c ・ 12c Rear end 13 Coil spring 14 Conductive contactor 15 Coil spring 15a One end 16 Conductive contact 17 Upper needle Form 18 Lower Needle 19 Conductive Contact 21 Upper Insulator 21a Support Hole 22 Lower Insulator 22a Support Hole 27 First Intermediate Insulator 28 Second Intermediate Insulator 27a / 28b Hole

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A holder that supports a pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies so as to be retractable at both ends in the axial direction, and a holder that projects the conductive needle-shaped bodies outward from the ends of the holder. A coil spring received in the holder so as to urge the coil spring, the coil spring being made of a conductor, and both ends of the coil spring being connected to the needle-shaped bodies. Sex contactor. 2. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies comprises an extending portion formed by extending one end portion of the coil spring in an axial direction. Sex contactor. 3. A pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies, a plurality of coil springs made of a conductive body having the pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies bonded to both ends, and the pair of conductive needles. Each of the pair of conductive needle-shaped bodies, each of which has a plurality of holes formed therein and which respectively supports the coiled bodies so as to be retractable in the axial direction and receives the corresponding coil springs, respectively. So that the one pitch is different from the other pitch, the supporting member is composed of a plurality of laminated members laminated in at least two layers, and at least a part of the plurality of holes is pitched between the laminated members. A conductive contact unit, characterized in that it is formed so as to change.