Patent ID: 7088107

Claim:
A circuit pattern inspection apparatus for inspecting a conductive pattern of a circuit board, said conductive pattern including first and second comb-shaped conductive patterns each of which has a plurality of terminal portions arranged substantially parallel to each other and an integral base portion connecting respective anchor ends of said terminal portions together, the terminal portions of said first comb-shaped conductive pattern being alternately arranged with respect to the terminal portions of said second comb-shaped conductive pattern, said circuit pattern inspection apparatus comprising: first and second detection means each having a detection electrode for detecting a signal from said first and second comb-shaped conductive patterns; inspection signal supply means for supplying an AC inspection signal to said first comb-shaped conductive pattern; low-voltage control means for controlling a voltage level of said second comb-shaped conductive pattern to be less than the level of said AC inspection signal supplied from said inspection signal supply means; and moving means for moving each of said first and second detection means across said terminal portions, while allowing each of said first and second detection means to be spaced apart from said terminal portions by a given distance so as to form a capacitive coupling therebetween, wherein said moving means is adapted to move said first detection means across an anchor-end region of each terminal portion of said first comb-shaped conductive pattern supplied with said AC inspection signal and a tip-end region of each terminal portion of said second comb-shaped conductive pattern controlled at said lower-voltage level, and simultaneously move said second detection means across an anchor-end region of each terminal portion of said second comb-shaped conductive pattern and a tip-end region of each terminal portion of said first comb-shaped conductive pattern, whereby said first and second detection means generates detection signals allowing the presence of a defect in each of said first and second comb-shaped conductive patterns to be determined based thereon.