Electrical contact spring probe with RF shielding

• US 20030042883A1
• Filed: 08/28/2001
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Interconnect Devices Incorporated (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Interconnect Devices Incorporated (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Henry, David W., Thurston, William E.
• Application Number:
  US09/941,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20030042883A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/72.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06772 High frequency probes

Abstract

An electrical contact spring probe for testing circuit continuity attaches to the end of a shielded cable for RF (radio frequency) transmission. The probe has a collapsible shield surrounding a contact plunger to prevent leakage of RF energy to or from neighboring circuit points.

Claims

1. An RF shielded electrical contact probe comprising:

a) a probe having a barrel with a spring biased plunger extending from a barrel contact end and a barrel lead end open to receive a conductor of a coaxial cable; and

b) a unitary RF shield surrounding said probe through which said plunger reciprocally extends for contact with a test site, the shield being resilient and biased to an extended position so that a terminus of said RF shield surrounds said test site as said plunger contacts same in order to prevent leakage of RF energy to/from neighboring sites.

2. The RF shielded electrical contact probe set forth in claim 1 wherein said shield is a metal bellows form.

3. The RF shielded electrical contact probe set forth in claim 1 wherein said bellows has an open end sized to receive said coaxial cable including the insulator surrounding said cable, with said bellows open end crimped about said cable insulator to attach said test probe to said coaxial cable.

4. The RF shielded electrical contact probe set forth in claim 1 including an insulator terminus is secured within said shield at a shield contact end so that said shielded electrical contact test probe is attachable to said coaxial cable as a unit consisting of said probe and said shield.

5. An assembly for contacting circuit sites receiving or emitting RF energy comprising:

a) a coaxial cable having a conductor surrounded by an insulator;

b) a probe having a barrel with a spring biased plunger extending from a contact end and a lead end open to receive the conductor of said coaxial cable; and

c) a single piece RF shield surrounding said probe and terminating in an insulator terminus through which said plunger reciprocally extends for contact with a site, the shield being a resilient metal bellows biased to an outward position so that said insulator terminus surrounds said site as said plunger contacts same in order to prevent leakage of RF energy to/from neighboring sites.