Probe Elastic Structure with Mirrored Support Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional three-piece elastic pins, such as pogo pins, face limitations including reduced volume, constrained current flow, uneven pressure distribution, susceptibility to skewing, and increased parasitic capacitance and resistance, leading to inaccuracies in high-frequency circuit testing.
Innovation Solution
A probe design featuring a plurality of elastic units with mirrored support elements on opposite sides of the axis, allowing for uniform force distribution and preventing skewing, which are connected to the end portions to form an integral unit, enabling reliable and accurate signal transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a spring is arranged inside the tube of a three-piece elastic pin, then the elastic pin can provide elastic force, but the volume of the probe cannot be sufficiently reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is extracted from the internal arrangement and replaced with elastic units formed as integral parts of the probe structure. The elastic units are disposed between the first and second end portions, eliminating the need for a separate spring component inside the tube, thus reducing volume while maintaining elastic force provision.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic units are formed as an integral unit with the connecting units and end portions, merging previously separate components (spring, tube, plunger) into a unified structure. This integration reduces overall volume while ensuring reliable elastic force through the monolithic construction.
2Reliability
If a spring is provided inside the elastic pin, then elastic force is generated, but the effective area for current flow is significantly constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic function is segmented into multiple elastic units distributed between the end portions, rather than relying on a single central spring. This segmentation allows current to flow through multiple parallel paths via the connecting units, increasing the effective cross-sectional area for current flow while maintaining elastic force through the distributed elastic units.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the spring receives non-uniform force distribution, then the probe becomes skewed, but uniform force distribution is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic units are arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis, with each elastic unit having support portions positioned at specific distances from the axis. This symmetrical arrangement ensures uniform force distribution across all elastic units, preventing probe skewing while maintaining structural simplicity through regular geometric patterns.
4Stress or pressure
If top and bottom contact points have substantially equal elastic forces, then contact pressure is uniform, but this leads to overly large or insufficient pressure affecting current flow path
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic units are designed with varying geometries and positioning, where each elastic unit has support portions at different distances from the axis and different thicknesses. This creates localized variations in elastic force and contact pressure, allowing optimization of pressure distribution at different contact points to ensure appropriate current flow path establishment without excessive or insufficient pressure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The probe design enhances reliability and accuracy in signal transmission by ensuring uniform force distribution and preventing skewing, thereby reducing parasitic capacitance and resistance, improving testing precision for high-frequency circuits.
Implementation Method 1
The elastic units are disposed between the first end portion and the second end portion. Each elastic unit includes a first support element and a second support element.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a probe and an elastic structure thereof. The probe includes: a first end portion, a second end portion and a plurality of elastic units. The elastic units are disposed between the first end portion and the second portion. Each elastic unit includes a first supporting element and a second supporting element, wherein the first supporting element and the second supporting element are at opposite sides of an axis, and the axis extends along a length of the probe.