Contact pin and spring contact including the same

Abstract

To provide: a contact pin for a spring contact such that the strength of the contact pin can be guaranteed when a spring contact is manufactured in various lengths and such that costs and time required to manufacture a test socket can be saved; and a spring contact.SOLUTION: A contact pin (11) for a spring contact and a spring contact (10) can comprise: a body part (111) forming a predetermined width and thickness; a contact part (113) formed on one end of the body part (111) to be in contact with an object to be inspected; a shoulder part (115) formed to protrude in a width direction of the body part (111); a leg part (117) extending along a longitudinal direction of the body part (111) in a direction of facing the contact part (113); and a guide part (114) formed along the longitudinal direction of the body part (111) to guide a vertical movement of another contact pin (13) when coupled to the other contact pin (13).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a contact pin and a spring contact including the same, and more particularly to a contact pin constituting a spring contact for electrically connecting a plurality of leads provided on a semiconductor device to pads on a printed circuit board (PCB) for testing the semiconductor device IC, or for electrically connecting IC leads of a central processing unit (CPU) or the like to a PCB inside an electronic product such as a computer or mobile phone, and a spring contact including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, BGA (Ball Grid Array) or LGA (Land Grid Array) type semiconductor ICs are finally subjected to various electrical tests to measure characteristics or check for defects using a test device. Here, a test socket is used to electrically connect the circuit pattern of the test printed circuit board installed in the test device to the lead balls or lands of the BGA or LGA type semiconductor IC.

[0003] The contacts used in test sockets must be able to apply sufficient pressure to make reliable contact with the leads (terminals) of an IC. Therefore, the contacts must have sufficient elastic contact force within an appropriate range, and various types of contacts have been developed to meet this requirement.

[0004] Meanwhile, test sockets have many spring contacts installed in the housing in a predetermined order. With the recent development of various semiconductor devices, customer needs for spring contacts of various lengths are increasing, and conventional pogo pin type spring contacts often cannot meet the performance required by customers.

[0005] For example, in the past, when making a pogo pin type spring contact longer to meet customer requirements, the length of the contact pin that makes up the spring contact had to be increased, and when designing a test socket, the depth of the pin hole into which the spring contact is inserted had to be processed to a diameter that accommodates the width of the tip of the contact pin, taking into account the length of the contact pin.

[0006] As spring contact pins are becoming increasingly miniaturized for faster data processing and lower power consumption, it is difficult to process a long pin hole with a diameter that accommodates the width of the tip of the contact pin. Even if it is possible to process a long pin hole with a relatively small diameter that accommodates the width of the tip of the contact pin, it is costly to process and it is difficult to guarantee quality.

[0007] That is, conventional spring contacts are difficult to meet the requirements of customers who require spring contacts of various lengths.

[0008] Meanwhile, another conventional technology is a rubber-type socket, which is composed of an insulating body made of solidified insulating silicon powder and having elasticity, and a conductive silicon part formed perpendicularly through the insulating body to correspond to the terminal of the device.

[0009] Such a rubber-type socket is manufactured by placing a silicon mixture, in which insulating silicon and conductive powder are mixed in a predetermined ratio, into a mold and forming a strong magnetic field at the position where the conductive silicon portion is to be formed. The conductive powder in the silicon mixture gathers at the position where the magnetic field is formed, and finally, the molten silicon mixture is solidified, forming conductive silicon portions in a predetermined arrangement in the insulating body.

[0010] These rubber-type sockets have the disadvantage that their elastic response speed is slower than that of pin-type contacts (spring contacts), and they lose their elastic force during repeated testing, significantly shortening their service life. As a result, they are used only a short time, resulting in increased costs due to frequent replacement. In addition, because their elasticity decreases over time, the elastic repulsion force becomes zero or significantly reduced during long-term (more than one week) continuous compression tests, causing short circuits, making them difficult to use for long-term tests.

[0011] Furthermore, rubber-type sockets have the drawback that their elastic properties are significantly affected by temperature, and the uniformity of the resistance properties of the individual conductive silicone portions is poor. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0013] One of the various objectives of the present invention is to provide a contact pin and a spring contact including the same that can improve the quality of a test socket when the length of the spring contact is made variously to meet customer performance requirements.

[0014] One of the various objectives of the present invention is to provide a contact pin and a spring contact including the same that have a structure that allows the pinhole to be easily machined to a diameter that accommodates the width of the tip of the spring contact pin when machining the pinhole in the test socket.

[0015] One of the various objectives of the present invention is to provide a contact pin and a spring contact including the same that can reduce processing costs and time when producing various lengths of spring contact pins to meet customer performance requirements.

[0016] One of the various objects of the present invention is to provide a contact pin and a spring contact including the same that can ensure the strength of the contact pin and improve the quality of the spring contact when the length of the spring contact pin is made variously according to the performance requirements of customers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] Various embodiments for solving the problems of the present invention can include a contact pin for a spring contact, which includes a main body portion having a predetermined width and thickness, a contact portion formed at one end of the main body portion and contacting the object to be tested, a shoulder portion formed to protrude in the width direction of the main body portion, a leg portion extending in a direction opposite to the contact portion along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion, and a guide portion formed along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion so as to guide the up and down movement of another contact pin when coupled with the other contact pin.

[0018] The shoulder portion may include a first shoulder that assists in aligning the contact pin when manufacturing the spring contact, and a second shoulder that is formed at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the first shoulder in a direction away from the contact portion and supports the elasticity of the spring.

[0019] The first shoulder may be formed at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the contact portion along the longitudinal direction of the body.

[0020] The first shoulders may be formed at symmetrical positions on both ends of the body to protrude from the body.

[0021] The second shoulders may be formed at symmetrical positions on both ends of the body, and may have a width smaller than an outer diameter of the spring.

[0022] The width of the first shoulder may be equal to or greater than the width of the second shoulder, or may be smaller than the width of the second shoulder.

[0023] The contact portion may be formed in a shape such that at least one of the width and the thickness of the body is reduced at one end of the body.

[0024] The legs may be provided as a symmetrical pair and may include a pair of locking members projecting in opposite directions from the ends.

[0025] The shortest distance between the pair of locking members may be smaller than the thickness of the main body portion.

[0026] The shortest distance between the pair of locking members may be greater than or equal to the thickness of the guide portion.

[0027] The guide portion may include a locking groove into which a locking member of another contact pin is inserted when the spring contact is compressed.

[0028] The locking groove may be formed at one end of the guide portion.

[0029] The locking member may be characterized by including a first surface that comes into surface contact with the step of the locking groove, and a second surface that forms a predetermined inclination at one end of the first surface toward the end of the locking member.

[0030] The second surface may be characterized by forming a predetermined inclination in a direction in which the width of the locking member becomes smaller.

[0031] Meanwhile, various embodiments of the present invention may disclose a spring contact including the above-mentioned contact pin as a pair of a first contact pin and a second contact pin, and including a spring supported by each shoulder portion of the first contact pin and the second contact pin.

[0032] The legs of the first contact pin and the second contact pin may be characterized in that they intersect perpendicularly with each other.

[0033] The first and second contact pins may have the same length, or may have different lengths as required.

[0034] The shapes of the contact portion of the first contact pin and the contact portion of the second contact pin may be different from each other, and in this case, at least one of the contact portion of the first contact pin or the contact portion of the second contact pin may form two or more contact points with the test object.

[0035] The contact portion of at least one of the first contact pin or the second contact pin may have a circular cross section formed by rolling a portion of the body in the width direction, and in this case, the contact portion may be provided in a crown shape forming a plurality of tips along the periphery of the end of the circularly formed body portion.

[0036] Each feature of the above-described embodiments can be realized in combination with other embodiments unless it is inconsistent with or exclusive of other embodiments. [Effects of the Invention]

[0037] According to various embodiments of the present invention, the quality of test sockets can be improved when various lengths of spring contacts are manufactured to meet customer requirements.

[0038] In addition, when various lengths of spring contacts are manufactured to meet customer performance requirements, the defective rate of test sockets can be reduced and product yield can be improved.

[0039] Furthermore, when fabricating spring contacts of various lengths to meet customer performance requirements, fabricating the first shoulder in proportion to the length of the body prevents the tip from being longer than necessary. Therefore, fabricating a series of spring contacts of various lengths, each with a body and first shoulder that are proportional in length, can reduce fabrication time and costs.

[0040] In addition, the width of the tip is formed smaller than the width of the first shoulder, and even for long spring contacts, the length of the tip is maintained at an appropriate length while the first shoulder is extended in the longitudinal direction of the main body.This means that when manufacturing a test socket, the pinhole can be easily processed by processing a hole to an appropriate depth to accommodate the width of the tip of the spring contact pin, and by processing a hole with a diameter that accommodates the width of the first shoulder to a depth equal to the length of the first shoulder (step hole processing).

[0041] The pinhole can be easily machined to a diameter that accommodates the width of the tip of the spring contact pin.

[0042] In addition, the strength of the spring contact pin can be guaranteed, improving the quality.

[0043] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other effects not mentioned above can be clearly recognized by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0044] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exploded view of a spring contact according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 illustrates a front view of the contact pin of FIG. 1; [Figure 3] 2 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the contact pin of FIG. 1; [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a perspective view of a spring contact according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the spring contact of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 5 illustrates a perspective view of the spring contact of FIG. 4 in a compressed state. [Figure 7] 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the spring contact of FIG. 6; [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a spring contact being inserted into a pinhole according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] 1 illustrates spring contacts of various lengths according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 illustrates spring contacts of various lengths according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 illustrates spring contacts of various lengths according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 1 illustrates spring contacts of various lengths according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 1 illustrates spring contacts forming various contact configurations according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 14] 1 illustrates spring contacts forming various contact configurations according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 15] 1 illustrates spring contacts forming various contact configurations according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0045] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following detailed description is provided to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein. However, this is for illustrative purposes only, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0046] When describing embodiments of the present invention, if a detailed description of known technologies related to the present invention is deemed to obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. Furthermore, the terms described below are defined in consideration of their functions in the present invention, and these definitions may vary depending on the intentions or practices of users or operators. Therefore, their definitions should be based on the overall content of this specification. The terms used in the detailed description are intended to describe embodiments of the present invention only and are not limiting in any way. Unless clearly used otherwise, singular expressions include plural meanings. In this description, the terms "comprise" or "comprise" are intended to indicate certain characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements, or portions or combinations thereof, and should not be interpreted as excluding the presence or possibility of one or more other characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements, portions or combinations thereof other than those described.

[0047] Furthermore, when describing components of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. are used to distinguish the component from other components, and the term does not limit the essence, procedure, or order of the component.

[0048] FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of a spring contact according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the contact pin of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the contact pin of FIG.

[0049] The following description will be given with reference to FIGS.

[0050] The spring contact 10 according to this embodiment includes a first contact pin 11, a second contact pin 13, and a spring 15. The spring contact 10 may be assembled such that the first contact pin 10 and the second contact pin 13 cross each other with respect to the spring 15 so that the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 are elastically supported by the spring 15.

[0051] The spring 15 in this embodiment may be a coil-type compression spring having a predetermined thickness with an outer diameter d1 and an inner diameter d2 and a predetermined length along the longitudinal direction of the spring contact 10. When the spring 15 is located between the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 in the spring contact 10 and the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 are compressed in the longitudinal direction, the spring 15 can provide a restoring force for returning each contact pin 11, 13 to their positions before being compressed.

[0052] In this embodiment, the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 may be provided as contact pins having the same size and shape. The two contact pins 11 and 13 are assembled in the longitudinal direction so as to be elastically supported by a spring 15, and are divided into the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 depending on the assembled position. Therefore, the following description will be based on the first contact pin 11.

[0053] The first contact pin 11 can be composed of a body portion 111 , a tip portion 112 , a contact portion 113 , a shoulder portion 115 , a guide portion 114 and a leg portion 118 .

[0054] The body portion 111 can have a predetermined width and thickness t1, and can include a tip portion 112 and a contact portion 113 that form the portion of the spring 15 in the spring contact 10 that is exposed to the outside.

[0055] The contact portion 113 is formed at one end of the body portion 111 and can contact either a circuit pattern of a test printed circuit board installed in a test device or a contact ball or land of a BGA type or LGA type semiconductor IC through a test socket when testing a semiconductor device IC.

[0056] That is, when testing a semiconductor device IC through a test socket to which the spring contact 10 of this embodiment is applied, the contact portion 113 of the first contact pin 11 comes into contact with the circuit pattern of a test printed circuit board installed in the test equipment, and the contact portion 133 of the second contact pin 13 comes into contact with a contact ball or land of the BGA type or LGA type semiconductor IC, thereby electrically connecting the test printed circuit board and the semiconductor IC.

[0057] The contact portion 113 may have one or more contact points formed at one end of the body 111 such that at least one of the width of the tip portion 112 and the thickness t1 of the tip portion 112 is reduced to form a pointed tip.

[0058] However, this is just one example, and it goes without saying that the contact portion 113 may have a rounded tip depending on the characteristics of the contact object, or may have a V-shape, U-shape, crown-shape, etc. so as to form multiple contact points with the circuit pattern of the printed circuit board for testing or the terminal balls / lands of the BGA / LGA type semiconductor IC.

[0059] The shoulder portions 115 may be formed to protrude in the width direction of the body portion 111. The shoulder portions 115 may be provided to protrude in a perpendicular direction from the left and right side ends of the body portion 111 (115R, 115L), respectively.

[0060] The shoulder portions 115R and 115L may be provided at positions symmetrical to each other with respect to the body portion 111. The shoulder portion 115R protruding from one side of the body portion 111 in a direction perpendicular to the body portion 111 and the shoulder portion 115L protruding from the other side of the body portion 111 in a direction perpendicular to the body portion 111 may be identical in terms of protrusion, shape, size, thickness, width, etc., and may be provided in shapes symmetrical to each other with respect to the body portion 111. Therefore, the following description will be made based on the shoulder 115R.

[0061] The shoulder portion 115R can include a first shoulder 1151R and a second shoulder 1152R.

[0062] The first shoulder 1151R may be formed at a position below the tip portion 112, spaced a predetermined distance from the contact portion 113 along the longitudinal direction of the body portion 111.

[0063] The first shoulder 1151R can assist in aligning the first contact pin 11 during fabrication of the spring contact 10 and / or test socket of this embodiment, as will be explained in more detail with reference to Figure 8 below.

[0064] The first shoulders 1151R may be formed (1151R, 1151L) at symmetrical positions on both the left and right ends of the main body 111 to form a width w1 wider than the width of the tip 112 for alignment of the first contact pin 11.

[0065] The second shoulder 1152R may be formed at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the first shoulder 1151R in a direction away from the contact portion 113. The second shoulder 1152R may support the elasticity of the spring 15 in the spring contact 10 of this embodiment.

[0066] More specifically, the spring contact 10 can support the elasticity of the spring 15 by the second shoulders 1152R, 1152L of the first contact pin 11 and the second shoulders 1352R, 1352L of the second contact pin 13.

[0067] In the above-described structure, the distance between the ends of the second shoulder 1152R protruding from one side of the main body 111 and the second shoulder 1152L protruding from the other side of the main body 111 can be defined as the width w2 of the second shoulders 1152R and 1152L, and the width w2 of the second shoulders is formed larger than the inner diameter d2 of the spring, thereby being able to support both ends of the spring 15.

[0068] Preferably, when manufacturing the test socket, it is advantageous to form the pinhole with a small diameter in order to reduce the pitch of the spring contacts, and the width w2 of the second shoulder can be formed within a range larger than the inner diameter d2 of the spring and smaller than the outer diameter d1 of the spring.

[0069] Meanwhile, the distance between the ends of the first shoulder 1151R protruding from one side of the main body 111 and the first shoulder 1151L protruding from the other side of the main body 111 can be defined as the width w1 of the first shoulders 1151R and 1151L.

[0070] The width w1 of the first shoulder may be equal to or greater than the width w2 of the second shoulder. Furthermore, the maximum width of the body portion 111 that can be formed at any one portion of the body portion 111 and the maximum width of the tip portion 112 that can be formed at any one portion of the tip portion 112 may be determined based on the width w1 of the first shoulder. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 8 below.

[0071] The guide portion 114 may be formed in a groove shape along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 111. Therefore, the thickness t2 formed by the guide portion is formed to be smaller than the thickness t1 of the main body portion.

[0072] The guide portion 114 can guide the vertical movement of the second contact pin 13 when the second contact pin 13 is cross-coupled with the first contact pin 11. A first locking groove 114U can be formed at one end of the guide portion 114 in the contact portion 113 direction, and a second locking groove 114D can be formed at the other end in the leg portion 117 direction.

[0073] When the spring contact 10 is compressed, a part of the locking member 138 of the second contact pin 13 can be inserted into the first locking groove 114U. A part of the locking member 138 of the second contact pin 13 is inserted into the second locking groove 114D, thereby preventing the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 of the spring contact 10 from being separated by the elastic force of the spring 15.

[0074] More specifically, as described above, the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 can be coupled in directions intersecting each other with the spring 15 sandwiched therebetween to form the spring contact 10. In this structure, when the spring contact 10 is compressed, the locking member 138 of the second contact pin 13 can move along the first contact pin guide portion 114 and in the longitudinal direction of the first contact pin body portion 111.

[0075] The leg portion 117 may be formed to extend in a direction facing the contact portion 113 along the longitudinal direction of the body portion 111. The leg portion 117 may be provided as a pair (117R, 117L) symmetrical to each other with respect to the center line of the body portion 111. The pair of legs 117R, 117L may have a predetermined elastic force such that the width w3 of the leg increases when the spring contact 10 is compressed.

[0076] More specifically, the width w3 between the pair of legs 117R, 117L can be greater than the thickness t1 of the body 111. In this structure, when the spring contact 10 is compressed, the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 can move relative to each other by a predetermined distance in the direction in which the spring 15 is compressed.

[0077] A pair of locking members 118R, 118L may be formed at the ends of the pair of legs 117R, 117L.

[0078] The shortest distance w4 between the locking member 118R formed on one leg 117R and the locking member 118L formed on the other leg 117L is smaller than the thickness t1 of the main body, and preferably, the shortest distance w4 between the pair of locking members can be equal to or larger than the thickness t2 of the guide portion.

[0079] This is because the surfaces 1182, 1382 that define the shortest distance w4 between the pair of locking members in each contact pin 11, 13 define the electrical contact surfaces of each contact pin 11, 13 in the spring contact pin 10. For example, if the shortest distance w4 between the pair of locking members is smaller than the thickness t2 of the guide portion, each contact pin 11, 13 of the spring contact pin 10 is more likely to jam and malfunction.

[0080] Therefore, the shortest distance w4 between the pair of locking members is formed to be equal to or greater than the thickness t2 of the guide portion, and the spring contact pin 10 forms four electrical contact surfaces through the contact surfaces 1182, 1382 of each contact pin 11, 13, and at least one of the contact surfaces 1182R, 1182L of any one contact pin 11 can electrically contact the bottom surface of the guide portion 134 of the other contact pin 13.

[0081] On the other hand, when assembling the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13, the locking steps 1181R and 1181L of the locking member of the first contact pin 11 are assembled to the locking steps of the second locking groove 134D of the guide portion of the second contact pin 13, and the locking steps 1381R and 1381L of the locking member of the second contact pin 13 are assembled to the locking steps of the second locking groove 114D of the guide portion of the first contact pin 11.

[0082] In such a structure, when the spring contact 10 is assembled and / or compressed, the width w3 of the pair of legs 117R, 117L can be changed by the elastic force.

[0083] In particular, when assembling the spring contact 10, the second contact pin 13 can be easily assembled in a direction intersecting the first contact pin 11, and in order to place the leg portion 137 of the second contact pin and the locking member 138 on the guide portion 114 of the first contact pin, an inclined surface 1160 can be formed at the portion where the pair of legs 117R, 117L extend from the main body portion 111.

[0084] In addition, the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 are assembled inside the spring 15 so that the locking steps 1381R and 1381L of the locking member of the second contact pin 13 are locked to each other by the locking steps 1140D of the second locking groove 114D of the first contact pin.

[0085] The contact surfaces 1382R, 1382L of the second contact pin locking member can move up and down along the first contact pin guide portion 114 while being in electrical contact with the bottom surface of the guide portion 114, and the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 can move relative to each other by a predetermined distance while compressing the spring 15.

[0086] That is, before the spring contact 10 is compressed, the locking steps 1381R, 1381L of the second contact pin 13 remain locked in the locking step 1140D of the second locking groove 114D of the first contact pin 11, thereby preventing the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 from being separated by the elastic force of the spring 15.

[0087] Furthermore, when the spring contact 10 is compressed, the contact surfaces 1382R, 1382L of the second contact pin 13 are in electrical contact with the bottom surface of the first contact pin guide portion 114, and the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 can move along the guide portion 114 in the direction in which the spring contact 10 is compressed.

[0088] Furthermore, when the spring contact 10 is compressed, the locking steps 1381R, 1381L of the second contact pin 13 remain locked to the locking steps (not shown) of the first locking groove 114U of the first contact pin 11, preventing the electrical contact between the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 from being released by the elastic force of the spring 15.

[0089] In the above-described compressed embodiment of the spring contact 10, the relationship between the guide portion 114 and the locking grooves 114U and 114D of the first contact pin 11 is explained with reference to the locking member 138 of the second contact pin 13. However, it goes without saying that the relationship between the guide portion 134 and the locking grooves 134U and 134D of the second contact pin 13 with reference to the locking member 118 of the first contact pin 11 can be similarly applied.

[0090] Meanwhile, in order to realize the above-mentioned structure, the locking member 118 of this embodiment may be composed of a locking step 1181 , a contact surface 1182 , an inclined surface 1183 and an outer surface 1184 .

[0091] More specifically, the shortest distance w4 between the pair of locking members can be formed between the contact surfaces 1182R, 1182L of the pair of locking members.

[0092] Therefore, the contact surface 1182 of the first contact pin 11 enables electrical contact with the bottom surface of the guide portion 134 of the second contact pin 13, and the contact surface 1382 of the second contact pin 13 enables electrical contact with the bottom surface of the guide portion 114 of the first contact pin 11, thereby electrically connecting the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13.

[0093] The spring contact 10 can be assembled by slightly compressing the spring 15 compared to its initial length, with the locking steps 1181, 1381 of each contact pin locked into the locking steps 1140D, 1340D of the second locking grooves 114D, 134D of the contact pins, which are cross-connected with each other.

[0094] The tip end of the locking member can be inserted into the locking grooves 114U and 114D of the guide portion, as described above.

[0095] On the other hand, the inclined surface 1183 can form a predetermined inclination from the contact surface 1182 toward the end of the locking member, and the inclined surface 1183 and the outer surface 1184 can form the end of the locking member into a curved surface having a predetermined curvature.

[0096] In this structure, when assembling the spring contact 10, if the second contact pin 13 is assembled so as to cross the first contact pin 11, the end of the locking member can be easily placed on the guide portion 114 along the inclined surface 1160 formed at the point where the main body portion 111 and the leg portion 117 are connected.

[0097] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a spring contact according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the spring contact of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the spring contact of FIG. 4 in a compressed state, and FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the spring contact of FIG. 6.

[0098] The following description will be made with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7, and the details described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 will be omitted.

[0099] Figures 4 and 5 show the state of the spring contact 10 before compression (hereinafter referred to as the first state) after the first contact pin 11, the second contact pin 13 and the spring 15 are assembled, and Figures 6 and 7 show the state of the spring contact 10 after compression (hereinafter referred to as the second state).

[0100] In the first state, the second shoulders 1152, 1352 contact both ends of the spring 15 and support the elastic force of the spring 15. Also, the locking member 118 of the first contact pin is inserted into the second locking groove 134D of the second contact pin, and the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 are assembled with the spring 15 slightly compressed.

[0101] More specifically, if we take the locking member 118 of the first contact pin inserted into the second locking groove 134D as the reference, in the first state, the locking step 1181 remains in contact with and assembled to the step (locking step, 1340D) formed by the second locking groove 134D, and the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 are assembled while supporting the elastic force of the spring 15.

[0102] Meanwhile, in the second state, the locking step 1181 maintains contact with the step formed by the first locking groove 134U, thereby improving electrical contact performance when the spring contact 10 is compressed.

[0103] In addition, the locking step 1181 may form a predetermined inclined surface with the contact surface 1182, or the edge line connecting the locking step 1181 and the contact surface 1182 may be rounded.

[0104] Therefore, in the above-mentioned structure, when the locking step 1181 contacts the first locking groove 134U in the second state, the contact surface 1182 contacts the bottom surface of the locking groove 134U, thereby increasing the contact area between the first contact pin 11 and the second contact pin 13 and improving the electrical contact performance of the spring contact 10; and since the locking step 1181 forms a predetermined inclined surface toward the contact surface 1182, or the line (edge ​​line) connecting the locking step 1181 and the contact surface 1182 is rounded, the second state can be easily returned to the first state.

[0105] FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view depicting a spring contact being inserted into a pinhole according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0106] The following description will be made with reference to FIG. 8, and the details described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 will be omitted.

[0107] In the test socket, a plurality of spring contacts are arranged in a predetermined pattern in the housing 1. More specifically, a plurality of pinholes are formed in the housing 1, and the spring contacts are inserted into the pinholes.

[0108] The pinholes in this embodiment have different diameters, forming a kind of step hole.

[0109] More specifically, the process for forming the pinhole in this embodiment will be described as follows: first, a first hole h1 that forms a first diameter is formed in the housing 1. Then, a second hole h2 that forms a second diameter can be formed in the first hole h1. Here, the first diameter can be larger than the second diameter, and a step hole can be formed by the first hole h1 and the second hole h2.

[0110] As described above, forming a relatively large diameter hole h1 and then a smaller diameter hole h2 can improve hole processing efficiency. For example, the width w1 of the first shoulder can be 0.58 pi, and the width of the main body can be 0.45 pi. The smaller the pinhole diameter, the more costly and time-consuming the pinhole processing becomes, and the less accurate the pinhole processing becomes. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9 to 12 below, as the length of the spring contact increases according to customer requirements, the thickness of the housing 1 also increases, making it more difficult to process a small diameter pinhole.

[0111] Therefore, in this embodiment, after machining a first hole h1 with a relatively large diameter, a second hole h2 is machined in the remaining thickness of the housing 1 to form a diameter (step hole) that can accommodate the tip portion 112 and the contact portion 113, thereby easily machining pinholes that can accommodate spring contacts of various lengths.

[0112] In such a structure, it goes without saying that the diameter formed by the first hole h1 can correspond to the width w1 of the first shoulder.

[0113] Figures 9-12 illustrate spring contacts of various lengths according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. More specifically, Figure 9 illustrates spring contact 20 having a length of 6.7 mm, Figure 10 illustrates spring contact 30 having a length of 10 mm, Figure 11 illustrates spring contact 40 having a length of 16 mm, and Figure 12 illustrates spring contact 40 having a length of 22 mm.

[0114] In a conventional pogo-type spring contact structure, the longer the spring contact, the thicker the socket housing that accommodates the spring contact becomes, making it more difficult to process pinholes in the socket housing to accommodate the spring contact.

[0115] As described above, in order to solve such a problem, the present embodiment discloses a contact pin having a first shoulder 1151, 1351 formed thereon to assist in aligning the contact pin when fabricating the spring contact.

[0116] For example, in the case of a conventional structure in which there is no first shoulder 1151, 1351, and the contact pin is aligned in the pin hole by a protruding member (second shoulder in this embodiment: 1152, 1352) that supports the elastic force of the spring, as in the case of a spring contact, the longer the spring contact, the deeper the small diameter hole that accommodates the tip of the contact pin in the pin hole that accommodates the spring contact must be processed, which not only makes processing more difficult, but also makes it difficult to ensure the strength of the contact pin as the length of the main body of the contact pin increases, which can lead to problems such as a decrease in product quality.

[0117] Even if the length of the spring is increased relatively to prevent the length of the tip of the contact pin from becoming too long, there is a clear structural limit when considering the elastic force of the spring, and the longer the spring is, the greater the problem of reduced elastic restoring force may arise.

[0118] 9 to 12, when the spring contacts are formed to have different lengths, the distance between the first shoulder 2151 and the second shoulder 2152 can be made longer as shown in FIG. 9 compared to the spring contacts of FIGS. 1 to 7, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem. Alternatively, the first shoulders 3151, 4151, 5151 can be made longer along the longitudinal direction of the main body as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12. Furthermore, in the various embodiments described above, it goes without saying that the first and second contact pins can be formed to have different lengths to meet customer requirements.

[0119] FIG. 13 illustrates spring contacts forming various types of contacts according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0120] 13, the end of the contact portion 613 may have a plurality of edge lines to form a plurality of contact points with the test object. In this case, it goes without saying that the shape of the end of the tip portion 613 of the first contact pin 61 and the shape of the end of the tip portion of the second contact pin 63 may be different from each other.

[0121] 14 and 15 illustrate a spring contact including a contact pin whose contact portion is formed into a crown shape by rolling a portion of the contact pin body.

[0122] In this embodiment, the contact portions of the first contact pin 71 and the second contact pin 73 of the spring contact 70 may have different shapes.

[0123] More specifically, a portion of the body 711 of the first contact pin 71 may be rolled in the width direction of the body. In this embodiment, the portion of the body may refer to a portion between the contact portion 713 and the shoulder portion 715. For example, as in this embodiment, the tip portion 712 may be formed by rolling a stamped plate material in the width direction.

[0124] In this structure, the cross section of the contact portion 713 in the width direction may be formed in a circular shape. Also, the contact portion 713 may be provided in a crown shape having a plurality of edge lines along the periphery of the end of the tip portion 712.

[0125] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications to the above-described embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, but should be defined by the following claims as well as equivalents thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 1 Socket housing 10 Spring Contact 11 First contact pin 111 Main body 112 Tip 113 Contact part 115 Shoulder section 1151 First Shoulder 1152 Second Shoulder 114 Guide part 114U 1st locking groove 114D 2nd locking groove 1183 Slope 117 Legs 118 Locking member 13 Second contact pin 15 Spring

Claims

1. a body portion defining a predetermined width and thickness; a contact portion formed at one end of the main body portion and adapted to come into contact with an object to be inspected; a shoulder portion formed to protrude in a width direction of the main body portion; a leg portion extending in a direction facing the contact portion along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion; a guide portion formed along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion so as to guide the vertical movement of the other contact pin when the other contact pin is coupled with the other contact pin; Including, The shoulder portion is a first shoulder that assists in aligning the contact pin during fabrication of the spring contact; a second shoulder formed at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the first shoulder in a direction away from the contact portion, and supporting the elasticity of the spring; Including, The first shoulders are formed to protrude at positions symmetrically on both ends of the body portion at positions spaced a predetermined distance from the contact portion along the longitudinal direction of the body portion, and The contact portion forms at least one tip. A contact pin for a spring contact, characterized in that

2. The second shoulders are formed at symmetrical positions on both ends of the body, and protrude from the body. The width of the second shoulder is smaller than the outer diameter of the spring.

2. The contact pin for a spring contact according to claim 1, wherein the contact pin is a spring contact.

3. The width of the first shoulder is equal to or greater than the width of the second shoulder.

2. The contact pin for a spring contact according to claim 1, wherein the contact pin is a spring contact.

4. The contact portion is formed in a shape such that at least one of the width and the thickness of the main body portion is reduced at one end of the main body portion.

2. The contact pin for a spring contact according to claim 1, wherein the contact pin is a spring contact.

5. The legs are provided as a symmetrical pair and include a pair of locking members protruding in opposite directions from the ends.

2. The contact pin for a spring contact according to claim 1, wherein the contact pin is a spring contact.

6. The shortest distance between the pair of locking members is smaller than the thickness of the main body portion.

6. The contact pin for a spring contact according to claim 5.

7. The shortest distance between the pair of locking members is greater than or equal to the thickness of the guide portion.

6. The contact pin for a spring contact according to claim 5.

8. The guide portion includes a locking groove into which a locking member of another contact pin is inserted when the spring contact is compressed.

6. The contact pin for a spring contact according to claim 5.

9. The locking groove is a first locking groove formed at one end of the guide portion; a second locking groove formed by forming a step at the other end of the guide portion; Including, 9. The contact pin for a spring contact according to claim 8.

10. The locking member is a first surface that comes into surface contact with the step of the locking groove; a second surface that forms a predetermined inclination toward an end of the locking member at one end of the first surface; Including, 10. The contact pin for a spring contact according to claim 9.

11. the second surface forms a predetermined inclination in a direction in which the width of the locking member decreases; 11. The contact pin for a spring contact according to claim 10.

12. A spring contact including the contact pin according to any one of claims 1 to 11 as a pair of first and second contact pins, A spring contact including a spring supported by each shoulder of the first contact pin and the second contact pin.

13. The legs of the first contact pin and the second contact pin intersect perpendicularly with each other.

13. A spring contact according to claim 12, characterized in that it is

14. The first contact pin and the second contact pin have the same length.

14. A spring contact according to claim 13, characterized in that it is

15. The first contact pin and the second contact pin have different lengths.

14. A spring contact according to claim 13, characterized in that it is

16. The contact portion of the first contact pin and the contact portion of the second contact pin have different shapes.

14. A spring contact according to claim 13, characterized in that it is

17. At least one of the contact portion of the first contact pin and the contact portion of the second contact pin forms two or more contact points with the test object.

17. A spring contact according to claim 16, characterized in that it is

18. a contact portion of at least one of the first contact pin and the second contact pin has a circular cross section formed by rolling a part of the main body in a width direction; 17. A spring contact according to claim 16, characterized in that it is

19. The contact portion has a plurality of tips formed along the periphery of the end of the circularly formed main body portion.

19. A spring contact according to claim 18, characterized in that it is

Images