Support fixture and probe station having the same

A support fixture is adapted for utilization of a test probe, and includes two pedestals and at least one moveable carriage assembly. Each pedestal includes a spacing block and at least one side plate connected to the spacing block extending in a longitudinal direction. The at least one moveable carriage includes a vertical panel and an adjustable holding device. The vertical panel is engaged with the at least one side plate of one of the two pedestals, and is slidable parallel to the longitudinal direction relative to the at least one side plate of each of the two pedestals. The adjustable holding device is operable for fixing the vertical panel to the at least one side plate of the one of the two pedestals and is adapted to hold the test probe.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a set-up used with a test equipment of a printed circuit board, more particularly to a support fixture and a probe station having the same.

BACKGROUND

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional test equipment1is used for testing a printed circuit board (PCB)9to measure electrical signals, and includes a vertical fixture11, a positioning plate unit12, a probe holder13, and a microscope14for magnifying and imaging. The vertical fixture11is used for holding the printed circuit board9. The positioning plate unit12is disposed in front of the vertical fixture11in a front-rear direction (x), and includes a vertical support panel121extending in an up-down direction (z), and two fixing block assemblies122. Each fixing block assembly122contains two weight blocks123detachably stacked in the up-down direction (z). The vertical support panel121is situated between the two fixing block assemblies122and kept vertical by the stacked weight blocks123without falling over. The probe holder13is detachably disposed on the vertical support panel121for testing the printed circuit board9. The microscope14is disposed in front of the vertical support panel121and spaced from the probe holder13in a left-right direction (y). With the magnification of the microscope14, the user can more accurately make electrical measurements with a probe (not shown) of the probe holder13.

Although the probe holder13of the test equipment1can be moved to a different electrical test point at a different location by moving the supporting plate unit12relative to the printed circuit board9, there are still the following shortcomings to be improved:

Firstly, the probe holder13and the microscope14are disposed at two different and unrelated positions on the left side and right side with respect to the vertical fixture11, and cannot be moved simultaneously. Therefore, each time the probe holder13is moved, the microscope14needs to be moved accordingly and is inconvenient in use.

Secondly, the vertical support panel121is only held by the stacked weight blocks123and may become tilted when the probe holder13is disposed on a higher position for testing an electrical test point positioned high in the printed circuit board9, which may result in collapse of the stacked weight blocks123and make the probe holder13falling.

Thirdly, even if the fixing block assembly122disposed on the rear side of the vertical support panel121is arranged to abut against the vertical fixture11, there is still a clearance in the front-rear direction (x) between the probe holder13and the vertical fixture11which equals to the width of the weight block123in the front-rear direction (x). Therefore, an additional extension component is required to the probe holder13for compensating such clearance, which would result in increasing difficulty in making good electrical measurements.

Fourthly, the supporting plate unit12is bulky and lacks versatility, thus inhibits the usage of multi-point test and the expansion of inspection capacity that necessitate additional probe holder(s) and microscope(s).

SUMMARY

Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide a support fixture easy to use with stability and versatility.

Accordingly, a support fixture is adapted for utilization of a test probe. The support fixture includes two pedestals and at least one moveable carriage assembly. Each pedestal includes a spacing block and at least one side plate that is connected to the spacing block and that extends in a longitudinal direction. The at least one moveable carriage includes a vertical panel and an adjustable holding device. The vertical panel extends in a height direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, is engaged with the at least one side plate of one of the two pedestals, and is slidable parallel to the longitudinal direction relative to the at least one side plate of each of the two pedestals. The adjustable holding device is operable for fixing the vertical panel to the at least one side plate of the one of the two pedestals and is adapted to hold the test probe.

Another object of the disclosure is to provide a probe station that has at least one abovementioned support fixture and an auxiliary fixture. the auxiliary fixture includes a bottom plate, a pair of fixing plates detachably disposed on the bottom plate, and an auxiliary vertical panel extending in the height direction and adapted for holding the test probe. the pair of fixing plates are coupled to define a positioning slot therebetween. One end of the auxiliary vertical panel extends into the positioning slot.

Another object of the disclosure is to provide a probe station that has at least one abovementioned support fixture and an adjustable magnetic base. The adjustable magnetic base is adapted for holding the test probe. The adjustable magnetic base includes a plurality of magnetic fastening members. Each magnetic fastening member is substantially rectangular in cross-section, and has four upper magnetic polarity regions on a top surface thereof that are arranged in two rows. The four upper magnetic polarity regions has two magnetic polarity regions of the north polarity that are disposed on one diagonal and two magnetic polarity regions of the south polarity that are disposed on the other diagonal. each upper magnetic polarity region has opposite polarity to that of the lower magnetic polarity region which is positioned directly thereunder in the height direction, such that rotation of one of the plurality of magnetic fastening members about an rotational axis which extends in the height direction by a rotation angle facilitates separation of the one of the plurality of magnetic fastening members from the other one that is superposed thereunder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, a longitudinal direction (X), a transverse direction (Y), and a height direction (Z) are defined according to the orientation shown inFIG. 5, and the longitudinal direction (X), the transverse direction (Y), and the height direction (Z) are substantially perpendicular to each other.

As shown inFIGS. 3 to 5, a first embodiment of the probe station according to the present disclosure includes a support fixture2adapted for utilization of a PCB holder6for a printed circuit board (PCB)5, a test probe7for testing the printed circuit board5, and a microscope8for magnifying and imaging, thereby enabling a user to more accurately make measurements of the printed circuit board5with the test probe7. The support fixture2includes two pedestals21assembled end to end in the longitudinal direction (X) and a moveable carriage assembly22.

Each pedestal21includes two side plates211spaced from each other in the transverse direction (Y) and extending in the longitudinal direction (X), a spacing block212disposed between and connected to the two side plates211, and a base plate213connected to the underside of the spacing block212and the two side plates211across the transverse direction (Y). In the first embodiment, each of the two side plates211and the base plate213are bolted to the spacing block212. The base plate213may be disposed with magnet(s) (not shown) so as to be magnetically affixed to a working table for a better positioning effect. In the first embodiment, the spacing block212of each pedestal21is made of aluminum-based material, such as aluminum alloy, to thereby lessen the total weight of the support fixture2. In other embodiments, the spacing block212of each pedestal21may also be made of other rigid materials. In the first embodiment, two pedestals21are provided in order to extend the maximum allowed movement distance of the moveable carriage assembly22parallel to the longitudinal direction (X), and the PCB holder6is bolted to the spacing blocks212of the pedestals21for a stable gravity center. In other embodiments, the support fixture2may have more than two pedestals21.

The moveable carriage assembly22is detachably connected to one of the two side plates211of one of the pedestals21and slidable therealong parallel to the longitudinal direction (X). The moveable carriage assembly22includes a vertical panel221extending in the height direction (Z), engaged with the one of the two side plates211of the one of the pedestals21, is slidable parallel to the longitudinal direction (X) relative to the one of the two side plates211of the one of the pedestals21. The moveable carriage assembly22further includes an adjustable holding device222that is operable for fixing the vertical panel221to the one of the two side plates211.

The vertical panel221has a ferromagnetic panel body223for magnetically holding the test probe7and the microscope8, and a slider piece224attached to a side of the panel body223opposite to the test probe7and the microscope8, and slidably engaged with the one of the two side plates211of the one of the pedestals21. The panel body223has a perforation225that is formed next to the one of the two side plates211of the one of the pedestals21, and that extends therethrough in the transverse direction (Y). The slider piece244is substantially inverted L-shaped, and has an engaging groove226extending therethrough in the longitudinal direction (X) for sliding engagement with the upper side of the one of the two side plates211of the one of the pedestals21. In the first embodiment, the engaging groove226is exemplified to be formed in the slider piece224. In other embodiments, however, the engaging groove226may be formed in the one of the side plates211to be engaged with a protrusion of the slider piece224.

In the first embodiment, the adjustable holding device222is magnetically-controllable for detachably and magnetically attracting the one of the two side plates211. The adjustable holding device222includes a magnetic structure body227extending through the perforation225of the panel body223and abutting against the one of the two side plates211, and a rotatable operating handle228associated with the magnetic structure body227for controlling the magnetic attraction of the magnetic structure body227. In particular, a clockwise rotation of the operating handle228down to the end will maximize the magnetic attraction of the magnetic structure body227, such that the vertical panel221can be held tightly between the adjustable holding device222and the one of the two side plates211, and a counterclockwise rotation of the operating handle228will decrease the magnetic attraction of the magnetic structure body227such that the adjustable holding device222can be detached from the vertical panel221.

In use, the moveable carriage assembly22carrying the test probe7and the microscope8is slided along the two side plates211of the two pedestals21to be aligned with the test point of the printed circuit board5, and then the operating handle228of the adjustable holding device222is pushed clockwise to maximize the magnetic attraction of the magnetic structure body227so that the adjustable holding device222firmly attracts one of the two side plates211, with the vertical panel221being held between the adjustable holding device222and that one of the two side plates211. At this time, the printed circuit board5can be measured by the test probe7with the help of the microscope8. By moving the moveable carriage assembly22, the test probe7and the microscope8can be moved at the same time to a next test position, which is more time-saving and convenient to use.

It should be noted that, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the PCB holder6is mounted between the two side plates211of each of the pedestals21, so that the clearance between the moveable carriage assembly22and the printed circuit board5can be reduced compared to that of prior art, and no additional extension component is required. However, in other embodiments, the relative position of the pedestals21and the PCB holder6can be adjusted according to different usage requirements, and is not limited thereto. In the first embodiment, each pedestal21has two side plates211spaced apart in the transverse direction (Y) and disposed respectively at two sides of the printed circuit board5. The moveable carriage assembly22can be detachably connected to either of the two side plates211for performing measurements on either of both sides of the printed circuit board5. In other embodiments, each pedestal21may include only one side plate211which can be removed from one side of the spacing block212and connected to the other side of the spacing block212side plate211, thus enabling measurements of the other side of the printed circuit board5. Further, although in the first embodiment, the support fixture2includes only one moveable carriage assembly22, two or more moveable carriage assembly22may be included in other embodiments to provide more test probes7and microscopes8in order to increase the measurement capacity.

Through configuration that the moveable carriage assembly22is slidable parallel to the longitudinal direction (X), the position of the test probe7relative to the printed circuit board5in the longitudinal direction (X) can be adjusted, without relocating the support base21or the moveable carriage assembly22. And, the vertical panel221can be magnetically affixed to any one of the side plates211of the pedestals21through the adjustable holding device222, thus providing improved stability and convenience in use.

Referring toFIG. 6, a second embodiment of the probe station according to the present disclosure has a structure similar to that of the first embodiment. The differences between the embodiment and the first embodiment resides in the following.

The panel body223of the vertical panel221is not provided with the perforation225as disclosed in the previous embodiment, and has two first positioning holes229spaced apart in the longitudinal direction (X) and extending in the transverse direction (Y). Each side plate211of the pedestals21has a plurality of second positioning holes214spaced apart in the longitudinal direction (X). The adjustable holding device222includes two locking bolts230, each having a head portion231.

When the moveable carriage assembly22is to be fixed, each of the locking bolts230can be manually screwed through a respective one of the first positioning holes229and into a corresponding one of the second positioning holes214of a corresponding one of the side plates211with the head portion231thereof abutting tightly against the vertical panel221, thereby clamping the vertical panel221against corresponding side plates211. Accordingly, the second embodiment has the same effect as the first embodiment.

However, in other embodiments, the second positioning holes214may be omitted. Each of the locking bolts230may be screwed through a respective one of the first positioning holes229and directly abut against a corresponding one of the side plates211to clamp the vertical panel221tightly against corresponding side plates211.

Referring toFIG. 7, a third embodiment of the probe station according to the present disclosure is structurally similar to that of the first embodiment. The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment resides in the following.

In this embodiment, the spacing block212of each of the pedestals21has two slide grooves215that are formed in a bottom end of the spacing block212, that are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction (Y), that extend in the longitudinal direction (X), and that open respectively toward the side plates211.

In addition to the slider piece224, the vertical panel221further has a slider block224′ attached to the panel body223. The slider piece224is disposed above the slider block224′ in the height direction (Z). The slide block224′ is substantially L-shaped, and has an engaging groove226′ that extends therethrough in the longitudinal direction (X) for sliding engagement with a lower side of the one of the two side plates211of the one of the pedestals21. Additionally, the slide block224′ is slidably engaged with one of the slide grooves215of the spacing block212of the one of the pedestals21. With the presence of the slider block224′, the structural stability between the vertical panel221and the one of the pedestals21can be further improved.

As shown inFIGS. 8 and 9, a fourth embodiment of the probe station according to the present disclosure is structurally similar to that of the first embodiment. The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment resides in the following.

In addition to the support fixture2, the fourth embodiment of the probe station further includes an auxiliary fixture3. The auxiliary fixture3includes a bottom plate31, a pair of fixing plates32detachably disposed on the bottom plate31, a number of bolts (not shown) for fastening the bottom plate31and the fixing plates32, and an auxiliary vertical panel33held between the pair of fixing plates32and extending in the height direction (Z). The pair of fixing plates32are coupled with bolts to define a positioning slot321therebetween extending in the height direction (Z). In the fourth embodiment, one of the two fixing plates32has a number of bolt holes322facing the bottom plate31for the bolts to screw into. However, the one of the fixing plates32may also have only one bolt hole322for a single bolt to achieve a similar effect of fastening the bottom plate31with the pair of fixing plates32. One end of the auxiliary vertical panel33extending into the positioning slot321, such that the auxiliary vertical panel33can be used for holding an additional test probe7and an additional microscope8.

In the fourth embodiment, the auxiliary fixture3is disposed at distance from the support fixture2, and the additional test probe7and the additional microscope8are fixed on the auxiliary vertical panel33of the auxiliary fixture3, so that it is possible to measure a lengthy printed circuit board5that is longer than the total length of the pedestals21of the support fixture2. In addition to the same functions as the first embodiment, the fourth embodiment can achieve the effect of increasing the measurement range.

As shown inFIGS. 10 to 12, the fifth embodiment of the probe station according to the present disclosure is structurally similar to that of the first embodiment. The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment resides in the following.

In addition to the support fixture2, the fifth embodiment of the probe station further includes an adjustable magnetic base4for holding an additional test probe7. The adjustable magnetic base4includes a plurality of magnetic fastening members41and a ferromagnetic partition42.

The magnetic fastening members41are superposed one on the other. Each magnetic fastening member41is substantially rectangular in cross-section, and has four upper magnetic polarity regions411on a top surface thereof that are arranged in two rows, and four lower magnetic polarity regions412on a bottom surface thereof that are arranged in two rows. The four upper magnetic polarity regions411have two magnetic polarity regions of the north polarity that are disposed on one diagonal and two magnetic polarity regions of the south polarity that are disposed on the other diagonal. Each upper magnetic polarity region411has opposite polarity to that of the lower magnetic polarity region412which is disposed directly thereunder.

In the fifth embodiment, the ferromagnetic partition42is magnetically attracted to the uppermost magnetic fastening member41for fixing the additional test probe7through an adjustable magnetic fastening mechanism equipped to the additional test probe7, and the adjustable magnetic fastening mechanism is similar to the adjustable holding device222. Therefore, the presence of the ferromagnetic partition42can prevent possible magnetic repelling interaction when the additional test probe7is brought to the uppermost magnetic fastening member41with a particular polarity orientation of the adjustable magnetic fastening mechanism. The microscope8is provided for assisting the user to touch the electrical contact to be tested with the test point more accurately, and it is optional and can be omitted.

Since each of the magnetic fastening members41is structurally made up of strong magnets, they cannot be separated easily. Any one of the magnetic fastening members41intended to be separated should be rotated about an rotational axis which extends in the height direction (Z) by a rotation angle (θ) relative to the other one superposed thereunder, thereby generating a repelling force between the lower magnetic polarity regions412thereof and the upper magnetic polarity regions411of the other magnetic fastening member41superposed thereunder to facilitate separation of the one of the magnetic fastening members41from the other one superposed thereunder. In this embodiment, the rotation angle (θ) substantially equals to 90 degrees.

In addition to the same functions as the first embodiment, the fifth embodiment can achieve the effect of increasing the measurement range and versatility of usage.