SPRING WIRE ROD, CONTACT PROBE, AND PROBE UNIT

• US 20120019277A1
• Filed: 04/05/2010
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NHK Spring Company Limited
• Original Assignee: NHK Spring Company Limited
• Inventors: Kazama, Toshio, Ishikawa, Shigeki
• Application Number:
  US13/262,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20120019277A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/755.05
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/0607 Wires
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/021 characterised by their composition, e.g. comprising materials providing for particular spring properties composition and manufacture of clock or watch springs G04B1/145
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/024 Covers or coatings therefor F16F1/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/04 Wound springs making springs by coiling wire B21F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/042 characterised by the cross-section of the wire
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/047 characterised by varying pitch
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/045 Sockets or component fixtures for RF or HF testing
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/0483 Sockets for un-leaded IC's having matrix type contact fields, e.g. BGA or PGA devices; Sockets for unpackaged, naked chips for IC's with connecting points around the edges only G01R1/0433
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06722 Spring-loaded
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/03 characterised by the material, e.g. plating, or coating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2421 using coil springs
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/20 for testing or measuring purposes

Abstract

A spring wire rod includes a wire core that is made of a conductive material having an electrical resistivity of equal to or lower than 5.00×10⁻⁸ Ω•m, and a coating member 3 that is made of a spring material having a longitudinal elastic modulus of equal to or higher than 1.00×10⁴ kgf/mm² and coats an outer circumference of the core. A coating thickness d of the coating member is smaller than a minimum value r of a distance between the center of gravity of a transverse cross section of the core and the outer edge of the transverse cross section.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A spring wire rod comprising:

a wire core that is made of a conductive material having an electrical resistivity of equal to or lower than 5.00×

10<sup>−

8</sup> Ω

•

m; and

a coating member that is made of a spring material having a longitudinal elastic modulus of equal to or higher than 1.00×

10⁴ kgf/mm² and coats an outer circumference of the core.

8. The spring wire rod according to claim 7,

wherein a coating thickness of the coating member is smaller than a minimum value of a distance between a center of gravity of a transverse cross section of the core and an outer edge of the transverse cross section.

9. The spring wire rod according to claim 7, further comprising a plated coating that coats an outer circumference of the coating member.

10. The spring wire rod according to claim 8, further comprising a plated coating that coats an outer circumference of the coating member.

11. A contact probe comprising:

a first plunger and a second plunger each of which has an axisymmetric shape and is made of a conductive material; and

a compression coil spring of which both ends in a lengthwise direction are press fitted onto respective ends of the first plunger and the second plunger, the respective ends being opposed to each other, the compression coil spring being extensible in the lengthwise direction,

wherein the compression coil spring is formed by winding the spring wire rod according to claim 7 at a predetermined pitch.

12. A probe unit comprising:

a plurality of contact probes each of which has

a first plunger and a second plunger each of which has an axisymmetric shape and is made of a conductive material, and

a compression coil spring of which both ends in a lengthwise direction are press fitted onto respective ends of the first plunger and the second plunger, the respective ends being opposed to each other, the compression coil spring being extensible in the lengthwise direction; and

a plate-like probe holder having a plurality of holding holes that hold the contact probes such that the contact probes are extensible in a state where both ends of each contact probe are exposed from opposite plate faces,

wherein each compression coil spring is formed by winding the spring wire rod according to claim 7 at a predetermined pitch.

13. The probe unit according to claim 12,

wherein the probe holder includes a base material that is made of a conductive material and an insulating coating that coats a surface of the base material.