JP3229918B2 - Display panel inspection socket - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display panel,
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display panel inspection socket which can be suitably used for inspection of display quality of an electroluminescence panel, a plasma display panel, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display panel or the like, a display panel or the like before connection of peripheral circuits such as a driving IC tab is inspected for a display quality for detecting a display defect portion. Therefore, in this type of test,
2. Description of the Related Art A contact device having a contact member for contacting electrodes arranged and formed on a substrate of a display panel is used. For example, as shown in JP-A-6- 3 08034 discloses, as a contact member for contact with the electrodes of the display panel, conventionally, to those composed of needle-like or wire-like probe, flexible and A contact film is known in which a wiring pattern for contact is formed on a base film having insulating properties. From the viewpoint of easiness, manufacturing cost, and the like, a contact film tends to be used.

When a contact film is used, a film pressing member for pressing the back surface of the contact film, and a contact member for the display panel, in order to bring a wiring pattern on the contact film into contact with an electrode on a substrate of the display panel at a required contact pressure. A panel pressing member for pressing the rear surface of the substrate is required. For example, Japanese Patent Application No. 7-64731 filed by the present applicant discloses a film pressing member made of an elastic member such as rubber, a metal panel pressing member having a substantially U-shaped cross section having resilience, and a display of the panel pressing member. When moving from the retracted position for opening the panel mounting area to the pressing position for pressing the upper surface of the display panel, the panel is moved from the retracted position for opening the display panel mounting area to the covering position for covering the display panel and presses the panel. A display panel inspection socket including a flexible shutter interposed between a member and a display panel is disclosed. This metal panel pressing member is slidably mounted on the socket body so as to sandwich the socket body up and down, and when it moves to the upper surface of the display panel mounted on the contact film, the flexible shutter is activated. The display panel is configured to be pressed against the contact film via the contact panel.

[0004]

The above-described metal panel pressing member having a substantially U-shaped cross section tends to be distorted when formed by press bending or the like. Since undulation and warping are likely to occur along the electrode arrangement direction, it is difficult to uniformly press the upper surface of the display panel, causing a reduction in the reliability of contact between the display panel electrodes and the wiring pattern on the contact film. Become.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a display panel inspection socket which can improve the reliability of contact between the electrodes of the display panel and the wiring patterns on the contact film.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a contact provided with a wiring pattern provided on a socket body and having an upper surface in contact with an electrode on a display panel. A film, a panel pressing member slidably provided in a socket body so as to press the display panel against the contact film when moved to an upper surface of a display panel mounted on the contact film, and the panel pressing member Comprises a flexible shutter interposed between the panel pressing member and the display panel when pressing the upper surface of the display panel, such that the panel pressing member sandwiches the display panel and the socket body up and down. A cross-sectional side U having a spring property mounted on the socket body.
The present invention provides a display panel inspection socket, comprising a metal-shaped clamper having a letter shape, and a slit extending in a direction orthogonal to an arrangement direction of electrodes of the display panel.

In the display panel inspection socket having the above structure, the upper portion of the metal clamper having a horizontal U-shaped cross section sandwiching the socket body and the display panel vertically extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the electrodes of the display panel are arranged. Since the slit is formed, when the metal clamper is formed by bending the metal plate, the distortion of the upper piece of the clamper can be absorbed by the slit, and the display panel of the display panel is formed on the upper piece of the clamper. It is possible to effectively suppress generation of undulation and warpage along the electrode arrangement direction. Therefore,
When the upper surface of the display panel is pressed by the spring force of the clamper via the flexible shutter, a uniform pressing force can be applied along the arrangement direction of the electrodes of the display panel. The wiring pattern of the film can be contacted with a uniform contact pressure.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the display panel inspection socket according to the first aspect, the slit is formed in the upper piece of the clamper at a distance from the tip of the upper piece of the clamper. It is characterized by.

According to the above structure, the slit extending in the direction perpendicular to the direction of arrangement of the electrodes of the display panel is formed in the upper portion of the clamper at a distance from the tip of the upper portion of the clamper. Parallelism between the one part and the upper surface of the display panel can be secured. In addition, since it is easier to secure the linearity of the tip of the upper piece than by dividing the tip of the upper piece of the clamper by slits in the direction in which the electrodes of the display panel are arranged, the upper end of the upper piece is formed along the direction in which the electrodes of the display panel are arranged. A more uniform pressing force can be applied to the upper surface of the display panel.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the display panel inspection socket according to the first or second aspect, the panel pressing member is further attached to a lower surface of a distal end of an upper portion of the clamper and provided on an upper surface of the shutter. It is characterized in that it has a sliding piece made of plastic to be brought into sliding contact.

[0011] According to the above construction, by attaching the plastic sliding piece slidably in contact with the upper surface of the shutter to the lower surface of the tip of the upper piece of the clamper, some undulation or warpage remains in the upper piece of the clamper. However, the swell and warpage can be suppressed by the sliding piece. In addition, since the upper surface of the display panel can be pressed through the shutter with a sliding piece made of plastic, which easily ensures processing accuracy by molding or the like, a uniform pressing force can be obtained along the direction in which the electrodes of the display panel are arranged. Can be given reliably. Also, since the sliding piece made of plastic is brought into sliding contact with the shutter,
Even if the shutter is made of metal, generation of abrasion metal powder due to sliding between metals can be prevented.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the display panel inspection socket according to the first or second aspect, a sliding contact portion slidingly contacting an upper surface of the shutter is provided at a tip of the upper piece of the clamper below. The shutter is made of a metal plate, and one of an upper surface of the shutter and a sliding portion of the clamper is coated with a resin.

[0013] According to the above-described structure, the sliding portion, which is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the shutter, is bent downward at the tip of the upper piece of the metal clamper. Can be more effectively prevented, and the number of components of the panel pressing member can be reduced. Further, since the upper surface of the metal shutter or the sliding portion of the clamper is coated with a resin, it is possible to prevent generation of abrasion metal powder due to sliding between the metal clamper and the metal shutter.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 9 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a socket for inspecting a liquid crystal display panel. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the socket is being assembled, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5 showing a state in which the panel pressing member of the socket is in the pressing position. FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing a state in which the panel pressing member of the socket is in the open position. FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing a state where the panel pressing member and the shutter of the socket are in the retracted position, FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a main part of the socket,
6A, 6B, and 6C are a plan view, a bottom view, and an enlarged side view of a support plate, respectively, FIG. 7 is a plan view of a shutter, and FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are FIGS. FIG. 9 is a bottom view, a plan view, and a side view of the clamper of the panel pressing member.
(A), (b), (c), (d), and (e) are a bottom view, a rear view, a plan view, a front view, and a right side view of a sliding piece attached to a clamper of a panel pressing member. .

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 5, a liquid crystal display panel 1 having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view has an insulating substrate 2 made of glass, for example.
A plurality of transparent electrodes are arranged and formed in parallel along the long side and the short side, respectively. A socket 10 for inspecting a liquid crystal display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention has a socket body 11 made of metal or plastic and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The socket body 11 includes a reference engagement piece 11a that engages with a corner portion of the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1, and faces the reference engagement piece 11a in a diagonal direction.
The insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 is
There is provided a pressing means 12 that presses toward. The pressing means 12 includes a movable engagement piece 12 a that engages with a corner portion of the insulating substrate 2, and the movable engagement piece 12 a
A coil spring (not shown) for urging in the direction of 1a,
The spring force of the coil spring is set to a strength that allows a dimensional change of the insulating substrate 2 due to linear expansion of the insulating substrate 2 in the direction in which the transparent electrodes are arranged.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper surface of the socket body 11 corresponds to the side of the insulating substrate 2 corresponding to the side of the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 on which the transparent electrodes are formed. A concave groove 11b extending in parallel with the groove 11b is formed. An insulating material having substantially the same linear expansion coefficient as the insulating substrate 2, for example, a film mounting plate 15 made of the same material as the insulating substrate 2 is accommodated in each groove 11b so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of contact films 14 are fixed to the upper surface of the film mounting plate 15 with, for example, an adhesive. On the upper surface of the contact film 14, a wiring pattern 14a that is in contact with the transparent electrode of the liquid crystal display panel 1 is formed. In this embodiment, eight contact films 14 are arranged in parallel on the film mounting plate 15 for the long side, corresponding to the transparent electrode group on the long side of the liquid crystal display panel 1. Two contact films 14 are arranged side by side on the film mounting plate 15 for the short side corresponding to the transparent electrode group on the short side.

At one end of each groove 11b, there is provided a mounting plate positioning means 16 for positioning one end of the film mounting plate 15 on the same reference plane as one end of the insulating substrate 2. The mounting plate positioning means 16 is used for the film mounting plate 1.
5 has an abutting piece 16a which abuts on one end and an adjusting screw 16b for adjusting the position of the abutting piece. The other end of the concave groove 11b is in contact with the other end of the film mounting plate 15 and the film mounting plate 15 is attached to the mounting plate positioning means 16.
A coil spring 17 is provided as a mounting plate end pressing means that presses against the contact piece 16a. The spring force of the coil spring 17 is the size of the film mounting plate 15 due to linear expansion in the arrangement direction of the lead patterns. The strength is set to allow a change.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the socket body 11 is provided with a film pressing member 18 for pressing the lower surface of the tip of the contact film 14. This film pressing member 18 is made of an elastic material such as rubber. The socket 10 is configured to press the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 against the contact film 14 when the socket 10 moves to the upper surface of the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 mounted on the contact film 14. And a panel pressing member 20 slidably provided on the liquid crystal display panel 1 and interposed between the panel pressing member 20 and the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 when the panel pressing member 20 presses the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1. And a flexible shutter 21.

A spring 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) for urging the rear end of the shutter 21 forward is attached to the socket body 11. The front end 21a of the shutter 21 is displayed on the liquid crystal display by the urging force of the spring 22. The tip 21a can be moved from the retreat position (see FIG. 4) that opens the panel mounting area to a covering position (see FIG. 2) that covers the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1. A support plate 23 that covers the contact film 14 and extends along the side of the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 is fixed to the socket body 11 with screws 24. It is slidably supported above.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 8 and 9,
The panel pressing member 20 is a metal clamper 2 having a U-shaped cross section and having a spring property, which is mounted on the socket main body 11 so as to sandwich the socket main body 11 and the liquid crystal display panel 1 vertically.
5 and a sliding piece 26 made of plastic which is attached to the lower surface of the tip of the upper piece 25a over substantially the entire length of the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25 and is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the shutter 21. In this embodiment, the sliding piece 26 is attached to the clamper 25 by a screw (not shown), but may be fixed to the clamper 25 by caulking or an adhesive. The plastic material used for the sliding piece 26 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a material having a high sliding property, such as polytetrafluoroethylene. Upper piece 2 of clamper 25
5a is formed with a plurality of slits 25d extending in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the electrodes of the liquid crystal display panel 1.

Therefore, the panel pressing member 20 of this embodiment can vertically hold the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 and the socket body 1 by the spring force of the clamper 25 at the pressing position. The electrodes of the liquid crystal display panel 1 can be brought into contact with the wiring patterns 14a of the contact film 14 at a required contact pressure. Also, an upper piece 25 of a metal clamper 25 having a horizontal U-shaped cross section sandwiching the display panel 1 and the socket body 11 vertically.
a is formed with a slit 25d extending in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the electrodes of the liquid crystal display panel 1, so that when the metal clamper 25 is formed by bending a metal plate, the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25 is formed. Of the slit 2
5d, whereby the generation of undulation or warpage in the upper portion 25a of the clamper 25 along the arrangement direction of the electrodes of the liquid crystal display panel 1 can be effectively suppressed. Therefore, when the upper surface of the liquid crystal display panel 1 is pressed by the spring force of the clamper 25 via the flexible shutter 21, a uniform pressing force can be applied along the arrangement direction of the electrodes of the liquid crystal display panel 1. Thus, each electrode of the liquid crystal display panel 1 can be brought into contact with the wiring pattern 14a of the contact film 14 with a uniform contact pressure.

Further, in this embodiment, a plastic sliding piece 26 slidably contacting the upper surface of the shutter 21 is provided.
Is attached to the lower surface of the tip of the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25, even if some undulation or warpage remains in the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25, the undulation or warpage can be suppressed by the sliding piece 26. Further, the upper surface of the liquid crystal display panel 1 can be pressed through the shutter 21 with the sliding piece 26 made of plastic, which can easily secure the processing accuracy by molding or the like. A uniform pressing force can be more reliably applied. Also, the sliding piece 26 made of plastic is used for the shutter 2.
Since the shutter 21 is in sliding contact, even if the shutter 21 is made of metal, generation of abrasion metal powder due to sliding between metals can be prevented.

Further, as can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 8, the slit 25d is formed apart from the tip of the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25. It is easier to ensure the linearity of the tip of the upper piece 25a than to divide the display panel 1 in the direction in which the electrodes are arranged.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the sliding piece 26 has a projecting portion 26 a that forms a tip pressing portion of the panel pressing member 20. Further, the sliding piece 26 has an opening position (see FIG. 2) at which the leading end pressing portion 26a of the panel pressing member 20 opens the liquid crystal display panel mounting area from a pressing position (see FIG. 2) where the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 is pressed. 3) the engaging portion 26 which engages with the engaging portion 21b of the shutter 21 when the shutter 21 moves backward.
b is provided. When the panel pressing member 20 further moves backward from the open position, the shutter 21
6b moves from the covering position to the retracted position against the urging force of the spring 22.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, on the upper surface of the support plate 23, when the panel pressing member 20 moves between the open position and the retracted position, it comes into contact with the lower surface of the distal end portion of the panel pressing member 20. A guide portion 23a for projecting the panel pressing member 20 away from the upper surface of the contact film 14 is provided in a protruding manner. In addition, a plurality of bosses 23b through which screws 24 are inserted are projected from the upper surface of the support plate 23. The guide portion 23a and the boss portion 23b of the support plate 23 are slidably engaged with long holes 21c and 21d (see FIGS. 5 and 7) formed in the shutter 21. Shutter 21
The rear end of the long hole 21d is the boss 2 of the support plate 23.
By contacting 3b, it is possible to move forward to the coating position.

Further, the upper surface of the support plate 23 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the front end 23c of the liquid crystal display panel 1 mounted on the contact film 14 near the side of the insulating substrate 2 is substantially the same as the upper surface of the side of the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1. The upper surface of the support plate 23 has a height 2
It gradually declines toward 3c.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, an upwardly projecting portion 25c is formed at the tip of the lower piece 25b of the clamper 25 so as to be bent. When the panel pressing member 20 is in the pressing position (FIG. 2) and the retreating position (FIG. 4), the recessed portions 11 elastically engage with the protrusions 25c of the clamper 25, respectively.
c, 11d are formed. Therefore, the panel pressing member 20 can be stably locked at the pressing position and the retracted position. Preferably, the sliding operation of the clamper 25 is performed using a jig (not shown).

In the liquid crystal display panel inspection socket 10 having the above structure, the liquid crystal display panel 1 can be pressed onto the contact film 14 by the sliding operation of the panel pressing member 20, so that the entire socket can be reduced in weight and size. It is possible. Further, when the panel pressing member 20 further moves backward from the open position, the panel pressing member 2
0 engaging portion 26b resists the urging force of the spring 22 to retract the shutter 21 from the covering position (FIGS. 2 and 3) to the retracted position (FIG. 4).
As a result, the panel pressing member 20 and the shutter 21 can be prevented from hindering the mounting or removal of the liquid crystal display panel 1. When the panel pressing member 20 is moved from the retracted position (FIG. 4) to the pressed position (FIG. 2) after mounting the liquid crystal display panel 1, the panel pressing member 20 is moved from the retracted position to an intermediate open position (FIG. 3)
The shutter 21 moves from the retracted position (FIG. 4) to the covering position (FIG. 3) covering the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 by the urging force of the spring 22 during the movement of the shutter 21. Pressing member 20 is in open position (FIG. 3)
2 to the pressing position (FIG. 2), the lower surface of the front end portion of the panel pressing member 20 slides on the upper surface of the shutter 21 restricted to the covering position. Therefore, since the panel pressing member 20 does not directly contact the upper surface of the liquid crystal display panel 1, it is possible to prevent the upper surface of the liquid crystal display panel 1 from being scratched by the panel pressing member 20. Also, since the panel pressing member 20 slides on the upper surface of the shutter 21 regulated at the covering position, the panel pressing member 20 slides.
The liquid crystal display panel 1 can be prevented from being moved by being pressed by the panel pressing member 20 in the same direction as the sliding direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a positional shift between the electrode of the liquid crystal display panel 1 and the wiring pattern 14a on the contact film 14. Further, the shutter 21 can be moved out of the liquid crystal display panel mounting area by the sliding operation, and it is not necessary to cause the shutter 21 to warp greatly. There is no fear that the shutter 21 may be inadvertently deformed when attaching or detaching the shutter 1.

Further, in the socket 10 having the above structure, when the panel pressing member 20 moves between the open position (FIG. 3) and the retracted position (FIG. 4), the shutter 21 is operated in conjunction with the panel pressing member 20. The shutter 21 moves between the covering position and the retracted position.
3 is provided on the panel pressing member 20.
The panel pressing member 20 is separated from the upper surface of the contact film 14a by contacting the lower surface of the front end of the shutter 21. Therefore, the shutter 21 can be easily slid without applying the pressing force of the panel pressing member 20 to the shutter 21. .

Further, in the socket 10 having the above-described structure, as described above, the upper surface of the support plate 23 has substantially the same height as the upper surface of the side portion of the liquid crystal display panel 1 at the tip 23c. The upper surface of the plate 23 is gently inclined downward from the vicinity of the front end of the support plate 23 toward the front end 23c.
When the front panel 0 is moved forward from the open position to the pressing position, the upper surface of the shutter 21 that covers the upper surface of the support plate 23 and the upper surface of the side edge of the liquid crystal display panel 1 that is gently inclined is held by the lower surface of the front end portion of the panel pressing member 20. While pressing, the panel pressing member 20 can be smoothly moved forward.

Further, in the socket 10 having the above-described structure, the socket body 11 is provided with a film pressing member 18 extending in the arrangement direction of the wiring patterns 14a of the contact film 14 and elastically supporting the lower surface of the front end portion of the contact film 14 from below. When the insulating substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 is pressed by the lower surface 26a of the front end portion of the panel pressing member 20, a part of each wiring pattern 14a on the contact film 14 is pressed from the lower surface side of the contact film 14. The member 18 can reliably press the electrode on the insulating substrate 2. Therefore, the liquid crystal display panel 1
Electrode and wiring pattern 14a of contact film 14
And the electrical connection with the device can be made more reliably.

FIGS. 10 to 12 show another embodiment of the present invention. In these figures, the same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, the tip of the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25 is provided with a sliding contact portion 2 which is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the shutter 21.
5e is bent downward. The sliding contact portion 25e is curved in a convex shape downward. The shutter 21 is made of a metal plate, and the upper surface thereof is coated with a resin coating 27. Further, also in this embodiment, the slit 25d of the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25 is
Of the upper piece 25a. Further, in this embodiment, since the panel pressing member 20 does not have the sliding piece 26 of the above-described embodiment, the sliding contact portion 25e of the clamper 25 is provided on the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25 by insulating the liquid crystal display panel 1. An engaging portion 25f is provided which engages with the engaging portion 21b of the shutter 21 when it is moved backward from a pressing position for pressing the substrate 2 (see FIG. 10) to an opening position for opening the liquid crystal display panel mounting area. This engaging part 25
f, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, a slit 25h is formed in the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25 to form a small piece 25g serving as the engagement piece 25f, and then this small piece 25g is removed. By bending at the location indicated by the broken line in FIG. 12A, the clamper 25 can be easily formed integrally with the upper piece 25a. Other configurations are the same as those in the above embodiment.

Therefore, also in this embodiment, a direction orthogonal to the direction of the arrangement of the electrodes of the liquid crystal display panel 1 is provided on the upper piece 25a of the metal clamper 25 having a horizontal U-shaped cross section sandwiching the display panel 1 and the socket body 11 vertically. Is formed, the metal clamper 25 is formed.
Is formed by bending a metal plate, the distortion of the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25 can be absorbed by the slit 25d. The generation of undulation and warping along the arrangement direction can be effectively suppressed.

The slit 25d extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of arrangement of the electrodes of the liquid crystal display panel 1 is
5 is formed apart from the tip of the upper piece 25a,
The tip of the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25 is slit 25d.
Thus, it is easier to secure the linearity of the tip of the upper piece 25a than to divide the liquid crystal display panel 1 in the direction in which the electrodes are arranged.

Further, the upper piece 2 of the metal clamper 25
Since a sliding contact portion 25e that is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the shutter 21 is bent downward at the tip of the shutter 5a, it is possible to more effectively prevent the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25 from undulating or warping. The number of parts of the panel pressing member 20 can be reduced.

Further, since the upper surface of the metal shutter 21 is coated with a resin 27, the generation of abrasion metal powder due to the sliding of the metal clamper 25 and the metal shutter 21 can be prevented. The material of the resin coating 27 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a material having high slipperiness, such as polytetrafluoroethylene and a fluororesin.

Although the illustrated embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to only the embodiments of the above-described embodiments, but may be modified in the form, number, etc. of each component within the scope of the invention described in the claims. Various changes can be made. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 7-64731, the shutter 21 is separated from the upper surface of the substrate 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 1 by an upward curling and moves out of the liquid crystal display panel mounting area. It may be something.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, the engaging portion 26b for engaging with the engaging portion 21b of the shutter 21 is provided integrally with the sliding piece 26. Instead of being provided on the piece 26, the engaging portion may be cut and raised on the metal clamper 25 as in the embodiment of FIGS.

In the above embodiment, the slit 25
d is formed on the upper piece 25a of the clamper 25, but the liquid crystal display panel 1 is formed on the lower side 25b of the clamper 25.
The intended object of the present invention can be achieved by forming a slit extending in a direction perpendicular to the electrode arrangement direction, or by forming similar slits in both the upper piece 25a and the lower side 25b.

Although the resin coating 27 is applied to the upper surface of the shutter 21 in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the sliding portion 25e of the clamper 25 may be applied with a resin coating.

Further, the present invention provides a liquid crystal display panel,
The present invention can be similarly applied to an inspection socket for an electroluminescence panel, a plasma display panel, or the like.

[0043]

As is clear from the above description, according to the structure of the present invention, the upper surface of the display panel can be pressed uniformly along the direction in which the electrodes of the display panel are arranged.
A display panel inspection socket capable of improving the reliability of contact between an electrode of a display panel and a wiring pattern on a contact film can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a socket for inspecting a liquid crystal display panel, in a state in which the socket is being assembled.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5, showing a state in which a panel pressing member of the socket of FIG. 1 is in a pressing position.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 2, showing a state where a panel pressing member of the socket of FIG. 1 is in an open position.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 2, showing a state where a panel pressing member and a shutter of the socket in FIG. 1 are in a retracted position.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a main part of the socket of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 6 (a), (b), and (c) are a plan view, a bottom view, and an enlarged side view of a support plate, respectively.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a shutter.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are a bottom view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of a clamper of a panel pressing member.

FIGS. 9 (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) are a bottom view, a rear view, a plan view, a front view, and a right side of a slide piece attached to a clamper of a panel pressing member, respectively. FIG.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 2 of a liquid crystal display panel inspection socket showing another embodiment of the present invention.

11 (a), (b) and (c) are a bottom view, a plan view and a side view of a clamper of a panel pressing member used for the socket of FIG. 10, respectively.

12 (a) and 12 (b) are plan views of a main part for describing a method of forming an engaging portion of the clamper of FIG. 11;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid crystal display panel 2 Insulating board 10 Socket for liquid crystal display panel inspection 11 Socket main body 14 Contact film 14a Wiring pattern 18 Film pressing member 20 Panel pressing member 21 Shutter 23 Support plate 25 Clamper 25a Upper piece 25b Lower side 25d Slit 25e Sliding contact Part 25f engaging part 26 sliding piece 26b engaging part 27 resin coating

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01R 31/00 G01M 11/00 G01R 1/073 G02F 1/13 G09F 9/00 352

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A contact film provided on a socket body and provided with a wiring pattern on an upper surface thereof to be in contact with an electrode on a display panel, and when moved to an upper surface of the display panel mounted on the contact film. A panel pressing member slidably provided in the socket body so as to press the display panel against the contact film, and a gap between the panel pressing member and the display panel when the panel pressing member presses the upper surface of the display panel. A flexible shutter interposed in the panel body, wherein the panel pressing member has a metal clamper having a U-shaped cross section having a spring property and mounted on the socket body so as to sandwich the display panel and the socket body vertically. A slit extending in a direction orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the electrodes of the display panel is formed in the clamper. Display panel socket for inspection. 2. The display panel inspection socket according to claim 1, wherein the slit is formed in the upper piece of the clamper so as to be spaced apart from the tip of the upper piece of the clamper. 3. The shutter according to claim 1, wherein the panel pressing member further comprises a plastic sliding piece attached to the lower surface of the tip of the upper piece of the clamper and slidably in contact with the upper surface of the shutter. Or the display panel inspection socket according to 2. 4. A sliding contact portion that slides on an upper surface of the shutter is formed to be bent downward at a tip of an upper piece portion of the clamper, and the shutter is made of a metal plate. 3. The display panel inspection socket according to claim 1, wherein a resin coating is applied to one of the sliding contact portions of the clamper.