Portable probe stand assembly

A portable probe stand assembly including a hand-held frame, a gravity tilt unit, and a probe holder. The hand-held frame includes a frame body with a cut-out and two gripping handles. The gravity tilt unit includes a movable part that has a pivot portion rotatably connected to the hand-held frame. The movable part tends to pivot due to gravity to turn the portable probe stand assembly to a hand-held state where a portion of an underside abutting surface of the movable part is disposed out of the cut-out. The portable probe stand assembly is convertible from the hand-held state to a usage state where the movable part is leveled via a pivot movement of the movable part upon engaging the underside abutting surface with a surface of an object.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a printed circuit board measurement device, more particularly to a portable probe stand assembly.

BACKGROUND

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, an existing probe stand1includes a guide rail arrangement11and a probe holder12. The guide rail arrangement11includes two parallel Y-axis rails111and an X-axis rail112perpendicular to and connected with the Y-axis rails111at two ends respectively. The probe holder12is provided for holding a probe set13that is adapted to measure a circuit board9and is movably disposed on the guide rail arrangement11.

In the process of measurement, the probe holder12should first be moved on the Y-axis rails111and the X-axis rail112to a measurement position of the circuit board9, and then the probe holder12is lowered down to contact the circuit board9for measurement. This operation is inconvenient and time-consuming since each time before performing measurement in a different area of the circuit board9, the probe holder12or the X-axis rail112must be re-located and/or adjusted before the probe set13is put down to contact the circuit board9. In addition, if it fails to draw the probe set13back from the printed circuit board9after completing a measurement, and the probe holder12is moved to the next location as it was, the probe set13may hit the circuit board9so that damage could be incurred to the probe set13or the circuit board9could be scratched, thus resulting in a considerable damage rate.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a portable probe stand assembly that is easy to operate and can reduce the damage rate.

According to the disclosure, the portable probe stand assembly includes a hand-held frame, a gravity tilt unit, and a probe holder. The hand-held frame includes a frame body and two gripping handles. The frame body extends in a front-rear direction and is formed with a cut-out extending therethrough in an up-down direction which is substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The gripping handles are connected to the frame body, are arranged in a left-right direction which is substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, and are disposed respectively at opposite sides of the cut-out. The gravity tilt unit includes a movable part that is disposed between and connected to the gripping handles of the hand-held frame. The movable part has a pivot portion that is connected rotatably to the gripping handles and that serves as a pivot of the movable part, a front end portion that is positioned in front of the pivot portion, a rear end portion that is positioned in the rear of the pivot portion, and an underside abutting surface that is disposed under the front end portion. A distance between the pivot portion and the front end portion is shorter than that between the pivot portion and the rear end portion such that the movable part tends to pivot due to gravity to a position where a portion of the underside abutting surface under the rear end portion is disposed out of the cut-out of the frame body of the hand-held frame. The probe holder is supported co-movably on the movable part, and includes a probe mount that is disposed higher than the movable part and that projects forwardly. The portable probe stand assembly is convertible between a hand-held state where the movable part pivots with the portion of the underside abutting surface which is under the rear end portion being disposed out of the cut-out of the frame body of the hand-held frame, and a usage state, where the movable part is leveled via a pivot movement about the pivot portion thereof upon engaging the underside abutting surface with a surface of an object, thereby driving the probe mount to move downwardly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown inFIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a first embodiment of the portable probe stand assembly is used with a two-needle electrical measurement probe7, and can be placed on a surface81of a printed circuit board8for electrical measurement. The portable probe stand assembly includes a hand-held frame2, a gravity tilt unit3, and a probe holder4.

The hand-held frame2includes a frame body21extending in a front-rear direction (X), and two gripping handles22connected to the frame body21and arranged in a left-right direction (Y) which is substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction (X). The hand-held frame2further includes two anti-slip strips23attached to the frame body21. The frame body21has a bottom surface211to which the two anti-slip strips23are attached in order to prevent slippage of the frame body21. In the first embodiment, the anti-slip strips23are disposed adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction (X), however, in other embodiments, the number of the anti-slip strip23may either be one or more than three. In this embodiment, each gripping handle22is in the shape of a plate. In addition, to increase the frictional force when holding, each gripping handle22has a plurality of ribs222formed at intervals on an outer side thereof, and a plurality of longitudinal grooves221alternately arranged with the ribs222in an up-down direction (Z) which is substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction (X) and the left-right direction (Y).

Referring toFIGS. 3, 5 and 6, the frame body21has a front section212, a rear section213, two lateral sections214, and two guard arm sections215. The front and rear sections212,213are opposite to each other in the front-rear direction (X). The lateral sections214are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction (Y), and are connected between the front section212and the rear section213. The gripping handles22are connected respectively to the lateral sections214of the frame body22. The lateral sections214cooperate with the front and rear sections212,213to define an cut-out216thereamong (i.e., the gripping handles22are disposed respectively at opposite sides of the cut-out216). The two guard arm sections215extend forwardly from the front section212and are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction (Y). A measurement through opening217is defined between the two guard arm sections215.

The gravity tilt unit3includes a movable part31disposed between and connected to the two gripping handles22of the hand-held frame2. The movable part31includes a slab311and a non-slip strip312attached on a bottom side of the slab311. The slab311is substantially stepped contoured, and has a pivot portion313engaged with the cut-out216, connected rotatably to the gripping handles22, and serves as a pivot of the movable part31. The slab311further has a front end portion314that is positioned in front of the pivot portion313and that is adjacent to the front section212of the frame body21of the hand-held frame2, a rear end portion315that is positioned in the rear of the pivot portion313and that is adjacent to the rear section213of the frame body21of the hand-held frame2, and an intermediate connecting portion316that is disposed between the front end portion314and the rear end portion315. The non-slip strip312has an underside abutting surface317opposite to the slab311(i.e., the abutting surface317is disposed under the front end portion314, the pivot end portion313, the intermediate connecting portion316and the rear end portion315). The bearings32are respectively disposed on left and right sides of the pivot portion313, and the axle33transversely passes in the left-right direction (Y) through the lateral sections214of the frame body21of the hand-held frame2, the pivot portion313of the movable part31and the bearings32, so that the movable part31is rotatable about the axle33. A distance between the pivot portion313and the front end portion314is shorter than that between the pivot portion313and the rear end portion315such that, when the probe stand assembly of the disclosure is lifted by a user, the movable part31tends to pivot due to gravity to a position where a portion of the underside abutting surface317under the rear end portion315is disposed out of the cut-out216of the frame body21of the hand-held frame2, thereby turning the portable probe stand assembly to a hand-held state (seeFIG. 7).

Referring toFIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the probe holder4is supported co-movably on the movable part31. The probe holder4includes a probe mount41, a vertical adjustment knob42, and an angular adjustment knob43. The probe mount41is disposed above the front section212of the hand-held frame2and the movable part31of the gravity tilt unit3, and projects forwardly. The probe mount41has a swivel head411that is disposed on the front side for fixing the electrical measurement probe7and that is capable of rotating clockwise or counter-clockwise. With this arrangement, the electrical measurement probe7can be extended into the measurement through opening217. In the first embodiment, the electrical measurement probe7is a differential probe with two needles. However, in other variations, a single-needle probe7may be utilized and mounted on the swivel head411of the probe mount41. The vertical adjustment knob42is operable for moving the probe mount41linearly in the up-down direction (Z), and the angular adjustment knob43is operable for moving the swivel head411to rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise relative to a central axis thereof. Therefore, the electrical measurement probe7can be fine-tuned up, down, and angularly after placing in a predetermined position.

The electrical measurement probe7of the first embodiment is located between the two guard arms215, so as to avoid hitting of the electrical measurement probe7when moving the portable probe stand assembly. Referring toFIGS. 5 and 7, the portable probe stand assembly is convertible between the hand-held state, as shown inFIG. 7, and a usage state, as shown inFIG. 5. In the hand-held state, the movable part31tilts due to gravity, with the rear end portion315of the slab311going down and the front end portion314of the slab311going up, and the probe holder4tilts with the movable part31at the same angle. At this time, the electrical measurement probe7moves toward a direction away from the bottom surface211of the frame body21. As shown inFIG. 5, when the portable probe stand assembly is placed on the surface81of the printed circuit board8, upon engaging the underside abutting surface317of the movable part31with the surface81of the printed circuit board8, the portable probe stand assembly is converted to the usage state through pivot movement of the movable part31which makes the rear end portion315going up and the front end portion314going down, such that the movable part31is leveled and the two needles of the electrical measurement probe7are made to contact the printed circuit board8.

Before performing the electrical measurement, the hand-held frame2is manually transported to a position above the area of the printed circuit board8to be measured, then placed on the surface81of the printed circuit board8to allow the portable probe stand assembly to be converted to the usage state where the electrical measurement probe7is capable of contacting the surface81of the printed circuit board8for measurement. In case there is a gap between the electrical measurement probe7and the printed circuit board8, the vertical adjustment knob42and the angular adjustment knob43of the probe holder4can be used to adjust the electrical measurement probe7vertically and angularly to properly contact the surface81of the printed circuit board8for electrical measurement. It should be noted that, regardless of the number of the needle of the electrical measurement probe7being one or two, as long as the vertical adjustment knob42and the angular adjustment knob43are for the first time adjusted to make contact of the electrical measurement probe7with the printed circuit board8, when moved to the next measurement point, there is no need to re-adjust the vertical and horizontal positions of the electrical measurement probe7. When multi-point measurement is required for the printed circuit board8, or measurement of the printed circuit board8is required in mass production, the presently disclosed portable probe stand assembly is more convenient and time-saving in operation.

Referring toFIGS. 7 and 8, in the first embodiment, the movable part31of the gravity tilt unit3further includes a front adjustment screw318and a rear adjustment screw319. The front adjustment screw318is threaded movably into the front end portion314. The rear adjustment screw319is threaded threadedly into the rear end portion315. The front adjustment screw318has opposite first and second ends that are respectively proximate to and distal from the front section212of the frame body21, and is movable relative to the front end portion314to adjust a distance between the first end thereof and the front section212of the frame body21, thereby adjusting an upper limit of an angle of pivot of the front end portion314relative to the front section212of the frame body21. The rear adjustment screw319has opposite first and second ends that are respectively proximate to and distal from the rear section213of the frame body21, and is movable relative to the rear end portion315to adjust a distance between the first end thereof and the rear section213of the frame body21, thereby adjusting an upper limit of an angle of pivot of the rear end portion314relative to the rear section212of the frame body21. Through the utilization of the rear adjustment screw319for restricting the inclination of the rear end portion315, it is possible to prevent the electrical measurement probe7from moving out of the measurement through opening217and incurring damage. In other variations, the front adjustment screw318and the rear adjustment screw319can both be omitted, instead, positioning pieces (not shown) are provided on lateral sides of the probe holder4for resting on the gripping handle22to achieve a similar effect in respect of excessive tilt prevention.

In the first embodiment, the anti-slip strips23of the hand-held frame2and the non-slip strip312of the movable part31are silicone films containing electrically conductive filler such as carbon powder. The anti-slip strips23and the non-slip strip312are provided to increase the friction between the portable probe stand assembly and the surface81of the printed circuit board8in the usage state, so that damage to the electrical measurement probe7, scratches to the printed circuit board8or electrostatic damage will be prevented when the portable probe stand assembly is moved around on surface81of the printed circuit board8during measurement. However, in other variations, the anti-slip strips23and the non-slip strip312can also be omitted; instead, a silicone film may be utilized with the portable probe stand assembly during measurement. The silicone film is put on the surface81of printed circuit board8beforehand and then the portable probe stand assembly is placed on the silicone film.

The portable probe stand assembly can be hand-held by the gripping handles22thus fulfilling manual mobility and provide operational convenience. In addition, with the structural configuration of the slab311, when the probe holder4is in the hand-held state, the underside abutting surface317of the movable part31will tilt to expose beyond the bottom surface211of the frame body21through the cut-out216, and the probe holder4will also tilt to bring the electrical measurement probe7away from the surface81of the printed circuit board8. This will avoid scratching of the printed circuit board8or damaging to the electrical measurement probe7. Therefore, the present invention possesses the effect of reducing the damage rate with the operation of the portable probe stand assembly; the purpose of the invention can indeed be achieved.

As shown inFIGS. 9, 10 and 11, the second embodiment of the portable probe stand assembly according to the disclosure has a structure similar to that of the first embodiment. The main difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment resides in the following:

The portable probe stand assembly further includes a placement frame5for resting the hand-held frame2. The placement frame5includes a base plate51extending in the front-rear direction (X) for laying the hand-held frame2, a fence stop52disposed on a front side of the base plate51for the frame body21of the hand-held frame2from falling out from the front side of the base plate51, and a fastening mechanism53disposed on a rear side of the base plate51to fasten the hand-held frame2so as to maintain the hand-held frame2in position.

The base plate51has a recess511formed on the front side thereof for receiving the electrically measurement probe7to prevent the same from hitting the base plate51, and a hollow out portion512formed on the rear side thereof. The fastening mechanism53is positioned in the hollow out portion512and includes a clamping piece531, an adjustment member532, and two resilient members533. The clamping piece531is movable in the front-rear direction (X) and includes an end stop534. The adjustment member532has opposite ends that are threaded respectively into the clamping piece531and the base plate51, and are operable for moving the clamping piece531in the front-rear direction (X) relative to the base plate51to fasten the end stop534onto the frame body21. The two resilient members533are disposed between the base plate51and the clamping piece531for providing an elastic restoring force to bias the clamping piece531away from the base plate51. In the second embodiment, there are two resilient members533, in other variations, one or more than three resilient members533may be employed.

When there is a need to transport the portable probe stand assembly, the hand-held frame2can be placed on the placement frame5, with the adjustment member532being rotated using a hand tool to move the clamping piece531toward the fence stop52until the end stop534of the clamping piece531fastens the frame body21of the hand-held frame2, so that damage due to undesired movement of the frame body21will be avoided when being carried or transported between operating stations.

Therefore, the second embodiment has the same advantages as those of the first embodiment. Besides, the second embodiment possesses benefits in storage and transportation.

As shown inFIGS. 12 to 14, the third embodiment of the portable probe stand assembly according to the disclosure has a structure similar to that of the second embodiment, except for the configuration of the fastening mechanism53of the placement frame5.

In this embodiment, the clamping piece531of the fastening mechanism53has two first positioning portions535that are formed at a rear end of the clamping piece531, and an engaging slot536that is formed between the first positioning portions535. The adjustment member532as disclosed in the second embodiment is omitted. The fastening mechanism53further includes a connecting rod537and a securing member538. The connecting rod537extends in the front-rear direction (X) through the clamping piece531and is inserted into the base plate51. The securing member538is connected pivotally to a rear end of the connecting rod537and is disposed in the engaging slot536of the clamping piece531. The securing member538has a pivot segment539connected rotatably to the rear end of the connecting rod537and having a curved bottom end, a swing segment540extending upwardly from the pivot segment539along the engaging slot536, and a securing component541that is threaded into the swing segment540. The securing component541has a second positioning portion542that is formed at a front end thereof and that protrudes from a front end of the securing member538.

In this embodiment, each of the first positioning portions535of the clamping piece531is configured as a recess, and the second positioning portion542of the securing component541is configured as a protrusion. In other embodiments, the configurations of the first and second positioning portions535,542may be interchanged. Moreover, in other embodiments, the second positioning portion542may be formed directly at the front end of the securing member538. In that case, the securing component541can be omitted. In addition, the clamping piece531may have only one first positioning portion535in other embodiments.

Referring toFIGS. 15 to 18, when the hand-held frame2is placed on the base plate51, the clamping piece531is move forwardly by the user, against the resilient force of the resilient members533, along the connecting rod537relative to the base plate51to fasten the end stop534onto the frame body21of the hand-held frame2, such that the securing member538is disengaged from the engaging slot536of the clamping piece531. Afterward, the securing member538is pivoted to engage the second positioning portion542with one of the first positioning portions535, thereby maintaining the position of the clamping piece531. When the securing member538is pivoted reversely to disengage the second positioning portion542from the one of the first positioning portion535, the clamping piece531will be pushed by the resilient force of the resilient members533to move rearwardly to once again engage the engaging slot536of the clamping piece531with the securing member538, thereby releasing the hand-held frame2so that the hand-held frame2can be removed from the placement frame5.

The third embodiment has the same advantages as those of the second embodiment. Furthermore, compared to the second embodiment, the clamping piece531of the third embodiment can be easily moved and positioned without using a hand tool.