Contact probe with reduced voltage drop and heat generation

• US 7,772,864 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokowo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yokowo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nagata, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Vinh P
• Application Number:
  US11/889,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20080048702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 324/754.03
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06722 Spring-loaded
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07314 the body of the probe being perpendicular to test object, e.g. bed of nails or probe with bump contacts on a rigid support on an elastic support, e.g. a film, G01R1/0735

Abstract

A contact probe includes a plurality of probes, each of the probes including: an conductive tube; an conductive plunger, contained in at least one end side of the tube, and having a distal end part protruding outward from the tube in an axial direction of the tube; and a coil spring, contained in the tube, and adapted to elastically urge the plunger outward. The plural probes are arranged in a first direction in a socket comprised of insulating material. A cross section of the tube in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the tube has a greater size in a direction different from the first direction than a size in the first direction.

Claims

1. A contact probe comprising:

a plurality of probes, each of the probes including;

a conductive tube, having a peripheral wall extending in an axial direction of the tube, the peripheral wall defining a hole inside thereof;

a conductive plunger, contained in at least one end side of the hole, and having a distal end part protruding outward from the hole in the axial direction of the tube; and

a coil spring, contained in the hole, and adapted to elastically urge the plunger outward,

wherein a cross section of the peripheral wall of the tube on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the tube has a first width in a first direction in which the plurality of probes are arranged in a socket comprising of insulating material and a second width in a second direction different from the first direction, and the second width is greater than the first width.

2. A probe comprising:

a container, including a first surface, a second surface opposed to the first surface, and a third surface connecting the first surface and the second surface, and

a plunger which is contained in the container and a part of which protrudes outward from at least one of the first surface and the second surface, wherein a thickness of the third surface is not uniform in a section thereof.