JP7327663B2 - probe - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a probe for inspecting characteristics of connectors.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a probe for inspecting characteristics of a connector, which is an object to be inspected, has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The probe disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a probe for inspecting the characteristics of a coaxial connector, and in particular, it is used for inspecting the characteristics of a multipolar connector provided with a plurality of terminals so as to pass a plurality of signals. The probe of Patent Literature 1 has a plurality of center conductors capable of simultaneously contacting a plurality of terminals of a multipolar connector.

International Publication No. 2016/072193

In connector probes, it is required to improve the accuracy of characteristic inspection of terminals. When a plurality of center conductors are brought into contact with a plurality of terminals at the same time as in the probe of Patent Document 1, the positions of the terminals and the center conductors are misaligned, and the accuracy of characteristic inspection tends to decrease. There is a demand for the development of techniques, including probes as disclosed in Patent Document 1, that are capable of more accurately inspecting the characteristics of terminals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a probe capable of more accurately inspecting the characteristics of connector terminals.

In order to achieve the above object, the probe of the present invention is a probe for inspecting the characteristics of a connector, comprising a flange having a through hole and a housing space axially penetrating therethrough; a housing having one end attached to the lower surface of the flange in a state in which the housing space communicates with the hole, and an inward projecting portion having the other end projecting inward; and a protrusion extending from the main body to the other end side of the housing and protruding outside the housing space, a plunger having a probe pin protruding from the bottom of the protrusion, and the flange and a transmission line disposed in the through hole of the housing and the receiving space of the housing and electrically connected to the probe pin, wherein the inwardly protruding portion of the housing extends the main body portion of the plunger into the One end of the housing has a holding surface for movably receiving and holding.

According to the probe of the present invention, it is possible to more accurately inspect the characteristics of the terminal of the connector.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the probe according to Embodiment 1; 1 is an exploded perspective view of a probe according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a probe according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a part of the probe according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the bottom portion of the plunger according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the plunger and the other end of the housing according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a longitudinal section of the housing according to Embodiment 1; Plan view of the housing according to the first embodiment A perspective view of a plunger according to Embodiment 1 A perspective view of a plunger according to Embodiment 1 FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining a method for inspecting the characteristics of a terminal of a connector using the probe according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining a method for inspecting the characteristics of a terminal of a connector using the probe according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining a method for inspecting the characteristics of a terminal of a connector using the probe according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining a method for inspecting the characteristics of a terminal of a connector using the probe according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a part of the probe according to the second embodiment;

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a probe for inspecting the characteristics of a connector, comprising a flange having a through hole and a housing space penetrating in the axial direction. a housing having an inwardly protruding portion with one end attached to the lower surface of the flange and the other end protruding inward in a state in which the accommodating space is communicated; and a main body portion accommodated in the accommodating space of the housing. a plunger with a probe pin projecting from the bottom of the protrusion; and the through hole of the flange. and a transmission line disposed in the accommodation space of the housing and electrically connected to the probe pin, wherein the inward protrusion of the housing moves the main body of the plunger to one end side of the housing. A probe is provided having a retaining surface for receiving and retaining the probe in a movable manner.

According to such a configuration, the posture of the plunger can be changed so as to follow the posture of the connector, and the connector terminal and the probe pin can be brought into contact with high precision, thereby improving the precision of the characteristic inspection.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the plunger is arranged in the accommodation space of the housing, has one end in contact with the lower surface of the flange, and biases the main body of the plunger toward the other end of the housing. A probe according to the first aspect is provided, further comprising a biasing member. According to such a configuration, by arranging the urging member in the accommodation space of the housing, it is easier to realize miniaturization of the probe as compared with the case of arranging it outside the housing.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the main body portion of the plunger has an outward protrusion that protrudes outward toward the inner peripheral surface of the housing, and the outward protrusion has an upper surface and a lower surface. and wherein said upper surface contacts said biasing member and said lower surface contacts said retaining surface of said housing. According to such a configuration, the upper surface of the outwardly protruding portion is a surface that receives the biasing force of the biasing member, while the lower surface is a surface that is held by the holding surface. can have one function.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the probe according to the second or third aspect, wherein the lower surface of the flange has a recess for disposing the one end of the housing and one end of the biasing member. I will provide a. With such a configuration, the end of the housing and the end of the biasing member can be arranged in the same recess.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the inward projecting portion of the housing has a first inclined surface that is inclined so as to taper inward from the inside of the holding surface toward the other end side of the housing. , the probe according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the main body of the plunger has a corner contacting the first inclined surface. According to such a configuration, when the corner of the main body comes into contact with the first inclined surface, the plunger is guided inward and can be guided to its original position.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the main body portion of the plunger has a contact surface that contacts a corner portion of the inwardly projecting portion of the housing, and the contact surface is located on the other end side of the housing. Provide the probe according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the second inclined surface is inclined so as to narrow inwardly. According to such a configuration, when the contact surface of the main body comes into contact with the corner of the inward projection, the plunger is guided inward and can be guided to its original position.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, further comprising a fixing member arranged in the through hole of the flange and fixing the transmission line passing through the through hole to the flange. or a probe according to one. According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the pulling force generated when the transmission line is pulled from above to be transmitted to the lower member, and it is possible to stably operate the plunger.

An eighth aspect of the present invention provides the probe according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the transmission line is a coaxial cable transmission line. With such a configuration, the transmission line can be realized with a simple configuration.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the probe according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the transmission line is a flexible substrate transmission line. With such a configuration, the transmission line can be realized in a form other than a coaxial cable.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
1 to 4 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of the probe 2 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the probe 2, FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded perspective views of the probe 2, and FIG.

The probe 2 is an inspection instrument for inspecting the characteristics of the connector 3 . The connector 3 of Embodiment 1 is a multipolar connector having a plurality of terminals (not shown). 1 to 4 schematically show the connector 3. FIG.

The probe 2 shown in FIGS. 1-4 includes a flange 4, a housing 6, a plunger 8, a coaxial cable 10, a biasing member 12 (FIGS. 2-4), a measurement connector 14 and a cap 16. Prepare.

The flange 4 is a member for attaching the probe 2 to predetermined equipment (not shown). The equipment is, for example, a sorting machine for sorting printed circuit boards on which the connectors 3 are mounted based on the results of characteristic inspections of the connectors 3 . The flange 4 is fixed by screwing or the like to a jig (not shown) of the equipment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flange 4 has a through-hole 20 penetrating in the thickness direction. A cap 16 and a coaxial cable 10 , which will be described later, are arranged in the through hole 20 .

The housing 6 is a member that accommodates the plunger 8 , coaxial cable 10 and biasing member 12 . The housing 6 has a tubular shape extending in the axial direction A, and forms an accommodation space 21 therein. The housing space 21 penetrates in the axial direction A from one end 22 to the other end 24 of the housing 6 .

One end 22 of the housing 6 is attached to the underside 28 of the flange 4 (FIGS. 3, 4). A concave portion 30 is formed in the lower surface 28, and the one end portion 22 is press-fitted into the concave portion 30 and fixed. The opening area of one end 22 of the housing 6 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the through hole 20 of the flange 4 .

The plunger 8 is a member that is partially housed in the housing space 21 of the housing 6, and holds a plurality of probe pins 9 (FIG. 4) to be described later.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the plunger 8 has a main body portion 32 and a projecting portion 34 . The body portion 32 and the projecting portion 34 are integrally configured.

The main body portion 32 is a portion accommodated in the accommodation space 21 of the housing 6, and multiple coaxial cables 10 are inserted therethrough. The body portion 32 is received by the other end portion 24 of the housing 6 and is held in a movable state toward the one end side A1 of the housing 6 .

The protruding portion 34 is a portion that protrudes from the main body portion 32 to the other end side A2 of the housing 6 and extends to the outside of the accommodation space 21 . Projection 34 projects outwardly from housing 6 when biasing member 12 is not compressed. The protruding portion 34 is a portion forming the bottom portion of the plunger 8 and causes the plurality of probe pins 9 to protrude downward.

The probe pins 9 are members that come into contact with the terminals of the connector 3 and are electrically connected. The probe pin 9 is made of a conductive material, and its tip protrudes from the projecting portion 34 of the plunger 8 . Two probe pins 9 are press-fitted and fixed inside the plunger 8 .

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the plunger 8. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the protruding portion 34 of the plunger 8 protrudes the tip of the probe pin 9 and forms a guide surface 36 . The guide surface 36 is an inclined surface that tapers inward toward the one end side A<b>1 of the housing 6 . When the connector 3 contacts the guide surface 36, the connector 3 is guided inward and positioned at a position where the connector terminals and the probe pins 9 contact each other.

Returning to FIG. 4, a coaxial cable 10 is connected to each of the probe pins 9 . The coaxial cable 10 has a transmission line (not shown) inside it, and the transmission line is electrically connected to the probe pin 9 . The coaxial cable 10 is made of a soft material and easily changes its shape.

A biasing member 12 is arranged around the coaxial cable 10 . The biasing member 12 is a member for biasing the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 toward the other end side A2 of the housing 6 . The biasing member 12 is arranged in the housing space 21 together with the coaxial cable 10 . The biasing member 12 of Embodiment 1 is a coil spring.

As shown in FIG. 4, biasing member 12 has one end 38 and another end 40 .

One end 38 contacts the lower surface 28 of the flange 4 and is placed in the recess 30 of the flange 4 together with the one end 22 of the housing 6 described above. One end 22 of housing 6 is press-fitted into recess 30 and fixed, while one end 38 of biasing member 12 is placed in recess 30 of flange 4 without being press-fitted. The one end portion 38 may be movable in the lateral direction B along the main surface of the flange 4 while being positioned in the recess 30 .

One end 38 contacts the lower surface 28 of the flange 4 while the other end 40 contacts the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 . The other end portion 40 contacts the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 toward the other end side A2 of the housing 6, and biases the plunger 8 toward the other end side A2. By urging the plunger 8 toward the other end A2, a repulsive force is generated when the connector 3 contacts the bottom of the plunger 8, and the contact state between the connector terminal and the probe pin 9 can be maintained. In addition, a restoring force can be generated to return the plunger 8 lifted from the other end 24 of the housing 6 to its original position.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, each coaxial cable 10 is connected to a measurement connector 14 . The measurement connector 14 is a connector for connecting the coaxial cable 10 to an external measuring device (not shown).

A cap 16 is a fixing member for fixing a portion of the coaxial cable 10 to the flange 4 . The cap 16 is placed in the through hole 20 of the flange 4 and fixes the coaxial cable 10 to the flange 4 by fixing a portion of the coaxial cable 10 passing through the through hole 20 as shown in FIG.

By fixing a portion of the coaxial cable 10 to the flange 4 , even if the coaxial cable 10 is pulled from above, the pulling force can be prevented from being transmitted to the members below the cap 16 . Thereby, it is possible to prevent the operation of the plunger 8 from being hindered, and to operate the plunger 8 stably.

Next, the configuration around the plunger 8 and the housing 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view enlarging a part of the plunger 8 and the housing 6, FIGS. 7 and 8 are a perspective view and a plan view showing longitudinal sections of the housing 6, and FIGS. 3 is a perspective view of a plunger 8; FIG.

The other end 24 of the housing 6 has an inward projection 50, as shown in FIGS. The inward protruding portion 50 is a portion from which the other end portion 24 of the housing 6 protrudes radially inward B1.

The inward projection 50 has a retaining surface 52 that receives and retains the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 . The holding surface 52 is the upper surface of the inward protrusion 50 and extends in the lateral direction B. As shown in FIG. The holding surface 52 holds an outward projection 60 (FIGS. 6, 9 and 10) provided on the main body 32 of the plunger 8. As shown in FIG.

The outward projecting portion 60 is a portion of the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 that projects radially outward B2 toward the inner peripheral surface of the housing 6 . As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the outward protrusion 60 has a cylindrical outer shape.

Outward projection 60 has an upper surface 62 (FIG. 10) and a lower surface 64 (FIG. 9).

As shown in FIG. 6 , the upper surface 62 of the outward protrusion 60 is in contact with the other end 40 of the biasing member 12 and functions as a surface that receives the biasing force of the biasing member 12 . On the other hand, the lower surface 64 of the outward protrusion 60 is in contact with the holding surface 52 of the housing 6 and functions as a surface to be held by the holding surface 52 . Thus, the outwardly projecting portion 60 has different functions on the upper surface 62 and the lower surface 64, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 7 , a first guide surface 54 is formed inside the holding surface 52 of the inward projection 50 . The first guide surface 54 is a surface extending radially inward B1 from the inner edge portion of the holding surface 52 and is an inclined surface that tapers inward toward the other end side A2 of the housing 6 .

A second guide surface 56 is formed below the first guide surface 54 . The second guide surface 56 is a vertical surface extending in the axial direction A from the inner edge portion of the first guide surface 54 toward the other end side A2 of the housing 6 .

Both the first guide surface 54 and the second guide surface 56 have a substantially square contour when viewed in the axial direction A. As shown in FIG. Not limited to squares, other polygons may be used.

The first guide surface 54 contacts a contact surface 66 (FIGS. 9 and 6) provided on the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 to guide the plunger 8 inward. The second guide surface 56 contacts the first guide surface 54 and positions the body portion 32 guided inward at a predetermined position. The first guide surface 54 and the second guide surface 56 can guide and position the plunger 8 to its original position.

A contact surface 66 shown in FIG. 9 is a corner portion provided on the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 and is an inclined surface that tapers inwardly toward the other end side A2 of the housing 6 .

The operation of the probe 2 having the configuration described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11D. 11A to 11D are longitudinal sectional views for explaining a method of inspecting the characteristics of the terminals of the connector 3 using the probe 2. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11A , before the connector 3 contacts the bottom of the plunger 8 , the lower surface 64 (not shown) of the outward projection 60 of the plunger 8 contacts the holding surface 52 of the housing 6 . there is A body portion 32 of the plunger 8 is held so as to be movable toward one end A1 of the housing 6 . The body portion 32 is further positioned within the area surrounded by the second guide surface 56 described above.

The biasing member 12 in contact with the upper surface 62 of the outward projecting portion 60 is in a compressed state, and constantly biases the body portion 32 toward the other end side A2 of the housing 6 (biasing force F1).

In this state, the connector 3 is brought closer to the bottom of the plunger 8 (arrow C1). The connector 3 begins to make contact with the guide surface 36 provided on the bottom of the plunger 8 .

Since the guide surface 36 has an inwardly tapered shape, the connector 3 is guided inward by the guide surface 36 . As shown in FIG. 11B, the connector 3 is positioned with the connector terminal in contact with the tip of the probe pin 9 . The electrical connection between the connector terminal and the probe pin 9 makes it possible to inspect the characteristics of the connector terminal through the coaxial cable 10 .

An upward external force F2 acts on the probe pin 9 and the plunger 8 due to the contact with the connector 3 . When the external force F2 becomes larger than the biasing force F1, the biasing member 12 in contact with the body portion 32 is compressed in the axial direction A. As the biasing member 12 is compressed, members such as the plunger 8 and the probe pin 9 rise integrally with respect to the other end portion 24 of the housing 6 (arrow D1).

As the plunger 8 rises, the engagement between the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 and the other end portion 24 of the housing 6 is released. As a result, the plunger 8 and the probe pin 9 are movable in the lateral direction B and rotatable in the circumferential direction R about the axial direction A. The attitudes of the plunger 8 and the probe pin 9 can be changed so as to follow the attitude of the connector 3 .

Even if the plunger 8 floats due to contact with the connector 3, the shape of the coaxial cable 10 is easily changed because the coaxial cable 10 is flexible, and the connection state with the probe pin 9 is maintained.

When the connector terminal characteristic inspection is completed, the connector 3 is separated from the bottom of the plunger 8 (arrow C2), as shown in FIG. 11C. As a result, the upward external force F2 disappears and the biasing force F1 of the biasing member 12 remains, so that the members such as the plunger 8 and the probe pin 9 integrally descend toward the other end side A2 of the housing 6 (arrow D2). .

When the plunger 8 is moving in the lateral direction B, the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 brings the contact surface 66 into contact with the first guide surface 54 of the inward projection 50 . Since the first guide surface 54 is inclined so as to narrow inward toward the other end A2 of the housing 6, the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 is guided toward the center (arrow E). As described above, since both the first guide surface 54 and the contact surface 66 are inclined surfaces inclined in the same direction, the first guide surface 54 and the contact surface 66 are in contact even when the plunger 8 is displaced in the lateral direction B. The wider possible horizontal tolerance allows for more reliable contact between the two sides.

The body portion 32 of the plunger 8 guided toward the center by the first guide surface 54 is arranged and positioned within the area surrounded by the second guide surface 56 of the housing 6 as shown in FIG. 11D.

In the state shown in FIG. 11D , the lower surface 64 (not shown) of the outwardly projecting portion 60 is in contact with the holding surface 52 of the inwardly projecting portion 50 , and the plunger 8 is movable toward the one end side A1 of the housing 6 . is held in That is, it returns to the state shown in FIG. 11A. In this manner, the plunger 8 can be returned to its original position each time the characteristic inspection of the connector 3 is completed, and the characteristic inspection of the connector 3 can be repeatedly performed.

According to the probe 2 that operates as described above, the plunger 8 is movably held on the one end side A1 of the housing 6 by the holding surface 52 before contact with the connector 3 shown in FIGS. 11A and 11D. there is When the connector 3 contacts the bottom of the plunger 8 and an upward external force F2 is generated, the biasing member 12 is compressed and the plunger 8 is lifted from the housing 6 so that the posture of the plunger 8 can be changed. The postures of the plunger 8 and the probe pin 9 can be made to follow the posture of the connector 3, and the probe pin 9 and the connector terminal can be brought into contact with each other with high accuracy, thereby improving the accuracy of the characteristic inspection of the connector terminal.

Also, the moving parts that move when contacting the connector 3 are mainly the plunger 8 and the probe pin 9 , and the housing 6 is attached to the lower surface 28 of the flange 4 , so the housing 6 does not move together with the plunger 8 . Compared to the structure in which the housing 6 moves together with the plunger 8, the moving parts are smaller and lighter, so the ability to follow the connector 3 can be improved.

By reducing the weight of the operating portion, the biasing force F1 required for the biasing member 12 can be reduced, so that the size of the biasing member 12 can be reduced. In particular, since the biasing member 12 is arranged in the housing space 21 of the housing 6 in the first embodiment, it is easier to reduce the size of the biasing member 12 compared to a structure in which a coil spring is wound around the outside of the housing 6. . Thereby, it is possible to reduce the size of the biasing member 12 while ensuring the necessary functions of the biasing member 12 .

Further, in the outwardly protruding portion 60 of the plunger 8, by bringing the lower surface 64 into contact with the holding surface 52 of the housing 6 while the upper surface 62 is in contact with the other end portion 40 of the urging member 12, the outwardly protruding portion 60 has two different shapes. It has one function. Since the outwardly projecting portion 60 is a portion of the plunger 8 that spreads in the horizontal direction B and has a large area, by using the outwardly projecting portion 60 with a large area as a surface to be held by the holding surface 52, the connector 3 and the Even if the holding position of the plunger 8 changes due to the contact of , the influence of the angular displacement of the plunger 8 can be reduced.

As described above, the probe 2 of Embodiment 1 is a probe for inspecting the characteristics of the connector 3, and includes a flange 4 having a through hole 20, a housing 6, a plunger 8, a coaxial cable 10, Prepare. The housing 6 is a member that forms an accommodation space 21 penetrating in the axial direction A, and one end portion 22 is attached to a lower surface 28 of the flange 4 in a state in which the accommodation space 21 communicates with the through hole 20 of the flange 4 . . Also, the other end 24 of the housing 6 has an inward projection 50 projecting inward. The plunger 8 has a body portion 32 that is housed in the housing space 21 of the housing 6, and a projecting portion 34 that extends from the body portion 32 to the other end side A2 of the housing 6 and projects outside the housing space 21. A probe pin 9 protrudes from the bottom of the portion 34 . The coaxial cable 10 is arranged in the through hole 20 of the flange 4 and the accommodation space 21 of the housing 6 and electrically connected to the probe pin 9 . In this configuration, the inward projecting portion 50 of the housing 6 has a holding surface 52 that receives and holds the main body portion 32 of the plunger 8 on the one end side A1 of the housing 6 in a movable manner.

According to such a configuration, the plunger 8 is held on the holding surface 52 in a movable state toward the one end A1 of the housing 6, so that when the connector 3 contacts the bottom of the plunger 8, the probe pin 9 and the plunger are pushed together. 8 is lifted up, and the posture of the plunger 8 can be changed. The postures of the plunger 8 and the probe pins 9 can be followed according to the posture of the connector 3, and the connector terminals and the probe pins 9 can be accurately brought into contact with each other to improve the precision of the characteristic inspection. Also, since the housing 6 is attached to the lower surface 28 of the flange 4 , the housing 6 does not move with the plunger 8 when the connector 3 contacts the bottom of the plunger 8 . Since the housing 6 also has a smaller moving portion and is lighter in weight than in the case where the housing 6 is configured to move integrally with the plunger 8, it is possible to improve followability to the connector 3.

Furthermore, the probe 2 of Embodiment 1 further includes a biasing member 12 . The biasing member 12 is arranged in the accommodation space 21 of the housing 6 , one end 38 contacts the lower surface 28 of the flange 4 , and biases the main body 32 of the plunger 8 toward the other end A2 of the housing 6 . According to such a configuration, by arranging the biasing member 12 in the accommodation space 21 of the housing 6 , the probe 2 can be made more compact than when it is arranged outside the housing 6 . In addition, since the portion that operates when the connector is in contact is lightened, and the biasing force F1 required for the biasing member 12 can be reduced, it is possible to reduce the size of the biasing member 12 while ensuring the function of the biasing member 12. It is possible.

Furthermore, in the probe 2 of Embodiment 1, the main body portion 32 of the plunger 8 has an outward projection portion 60 that projects outward toward the inner peripheral surface of the housing 6 . Outward projection 60 has an upper surface 62 and a lower surface 64 , with upper surface 62 contacting biasing member 12 and lower surface 64 contacting retaining surface 52 of housing 6 . According to such a configuration, the upper surface 62 of the outward protrusion 60 is used as a surface for receiving the biasing force F1 of the biasing member 12, and the lower surface 64 is used as a surface to be retained by the retaining surface 52. The side protrusion 60 can have two different functions. Further, since the outwardly projecting portion 60 is a portion of the main body portion 32 with a large area, by using such an outwardly projecting portion 60 with such a large area as a surface to be held, the plunger 8 can be brought into contact with the connector 3. is repeated to change the holding position of the plunger 8, the influence of the angular displacement of the plunger 8 can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the probe 2 of Embodiment 1, the inward projecting portion 50 of the housing 6 serves as a first inclined surface that is inclined so as to narrow inwardly from the inside of the holding surface 52 toward the other end side A2 of the housing 6. has a first guide surface 54 of . The body portion 32 of the plunger 8 has a contact surface 66 as a corner portion that contacts the first guide surface 54 . According to such a configuration, when the contact surface 66 comes into contact with the first guide surface 54, the body portion 32 of the plunger 8 is guided inward, and the plunger 8 can be guided to its original position.

Furthermore, in the probe 2 of Embodiment 1, the contact surface 66 of the main body portion 32 of the plunger 8 is a second inclined surface that is tapered inward toward the other end side A2 of the housing 6 . According to such a configuration, when the contact surface 66 of the main body portion 32 contacts the first guide surface 54, which is the corner portion of the inward projection portion 50, the plunger 8 is guided inward and guided to the original position. can do. In addition, by forming the contact surface 66 of the main body portion 32 and the first guide surface 54 of the inwardly projecting portion 50 as inclined surfaces that are inclined in the same direction, even if the main body portion 32 is displaced in the lateral direction B, the two corners can be aligned. It is possible to widen the allowable horizontal range in which the parts can contact each other.

Furthermore, in the probe 2 of Embodiment 1, the lower surface 28 of the flange 4 has a recess 30 in which the one end 22 of the housing 6 and the one end 38 of the biasing member 12 are arranged. With such a configuration, the one end 22 of the housing 6 and the one end 38 of the biasing member 12 can be arranged in the same recess 30 .

Furthermore, the probe 2 of Embodiment 1 further includes a cap 16 . The cap 16 is a fixing member that is arranged in the through hole 20 of the flange 4 and fixes the coaxial cable 10 passing through the through hole 20 to the flange 4 . With such a configuration, even if the coaxial cable 10 is pulled from above, the pulling force can be prevented from being transmitted to the member below the cap 16, so that the operation of the plunger 8 is not affected. , the plunger 8 can be operated stably.

Furthermore, in the probe 2 of Embodiment 1, the transmission line of the coaxial cable 10 is used as the transmission line connected to the probe pin 9 . With such a configuration, a transmission line can be realized with a simple configuration.

(Embodiment 2)
A probe 100 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that in the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. Also, the same or equivalent configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

The probe 100 of the second embodiment differs from the probe 2 of the first embodiment in that a flexible substrate 102 is used instead of the coaxial cable 10 .

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an enlarged probe 100 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the probe 100 of the second embodiment has a flexible substrate 102. As shown in FIG. The flexible substrate 102 has a transmission line inside, and the transmission line is electrically connected to the probe pin 9 . The flexible substrate 102 has a signal conductor as a transmission line and a ground conductor (not shown).

In the case of the coaxial cable 10, as the number of cables increases, the effect of the cable increases proportionally.

According to the probe 100 of Embodiment 2, the transmission line of the flexible substrate 102 is used as the transmission line connected to the probe pin 9 . According to such a configuration, it is possible to realize a transmission line in a form other than the coaxial cable 10 and to improve the degree of freedom in design compared to the coaxial cable 10 .

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the first and second embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments. For example, in Embodiment 1, the case where two probe pins 9 and two coaxial cables 10 are provided has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such a case. The number of probe pins 9 and coaxial cables 10 may be changed according to the number of terminals of the connector 3 whose characteristics are desired to be inspected, and may be three or more, for example.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the case where both the first guide surface 54 and the contact surface 66 are inclined in the same direction has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such a case. For example, one of the first guide surface 54 and the contact surface 66 may be changed to a corner formed by connecting a vertical surface and a horizontal surface.

Although the present disclosure has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, various variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications are to be included therein insofar as they do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure by the appended claims. Also, combinations and order changes of elements in each embodiment can be implemented without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that by appropriately combining any of the above various first and second embodiments and modifications, the respective effects can be obtained.

The present invention can be applied to any probe for inspecting characteristics of connectors.

2 probe 3 connector 4 flange 6 housing 8 plunger 9 probe pin 10 coaxial cable 12 biasing member 14 measurement connector 16 cap (fixing member)
20 through hole 21 housing space 22 one end 24 other end 28 lower surface 30 recess 32 main body 34 protrusion 36 guide surface 38 one end 40 other end 50 inward protrusion 52 holding surface 54 first guide surface (first inclined face, corner)
56 Second guide surface 60 Outward protrusion 62 Upper surface 64 Lower surface 66 Contact surface (second inclined surface, corner)
A Axial direction A1 One end side A2 Other end side B Lateral direction B1 Radial direction inner side B2 Radial direction outer side F1 Biasing force F2 External force R Circumferential direction

Claims (8)

A probe for inspecting characteristics of a connector,
a flange having a through hole;
An accommodating space is formed that penetrates in the axial direction, one end is attached to the lower surface of the flange in a state in which the accommodating space communicates with the through hole of the flange, and the other end protrudes inward. a housing having a protrusion;
A main body portion accommodated in the accommodation space of the housing, and a protrusion extending from the main body portion to the other end side of the housing and protruding outside the accommodation space. and a plunger projecting
a transmission line disposed in the through hole of the flange and the housing space of the housing and electrically connected to the probe pin;
the inward projecting portion of the housing has a holding surface that receives and holds the body portion of the plunger in a movably movable state toward one end of the housing;
The probe, further comprising a biasing member arranged in the accommodation space of the housing, having one end in contact with the lower surface of the flange, and biasing the main body of the plunger toward the other end of the housing. A probe for inspecting characteristics of a connector,
a flange having a through hole;
An accommodating space is formed that penetrates in the axial direction, one end is attached to the lower surface of the flange in a state in which the accommodating space communicates with the through hole of the flange, and the other end protrudes inward. a housing having a protrusion;
A main body portion accommodated in the accommodation space of the housing, and a protrusion extending from the main body portion to the other end side of the housing and protruding outside the accommodation space. a plunger projecting from
a transmission line disposed in the through hole of the flange and the housing space of the housing and electrically connected to the probe pin;
the inward projecting portion of the housing has a holding surface that receives and holds the body portion of the plunger in a movably movable state toward one end of the housing;
The probe further comprises a fixing member arranged in the through hole of the flange and fixing the transmission line passing through the through hole to the flange. the main body portion of the plunger includes an outwardly protruding portion that protrudes outward toward the inner peripheral surface of the housing;
3. The probe of claim 1 or 2, wherein the outwardly projecting portion has an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface contacting the biasing member and the lower surface contacting the retaining surface of the housing. 4. A probe according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the lower surface of the flange has a recess that locates the one end of the housing and one end of the biasing member. the inward projecting portion of the housing has a first inclined surface that is inclined so as to narrow inwardly from the inside of the holding surface toward the other end side of the housing;
The probe according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the main body portion of the plunger has a corner portion that contacts the first inclined surface. The main body portion of the plunger has a contact surface that contacts a corner portion of the inwardly projecting portion of the housing, and the contact surface is inclined so as to narrow inward toward the other end of the housing. 6. A probe according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is a second inclined surface. 7. The probe of any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the transmission line is a coaxial cable transmission line. 7. The probe of any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the transmission line is a flexible substrate transmission line.

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