Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-22
2002-06-04
Sherry, Michael J. (Department: 2829)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components
Of individual circuit component or element
C324S072500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06400167
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to probe adapters for measurement probes and more particularly to a probe tip adapter usable with very high frequency single ended and differential measurement probes.
Probe tip adapters are accessories developed for measurement probes to allow probing of various types of electrical components. The adapters allow connections to square pins mounted on a circuit board, ground points on the circuit board, leads of surface mounted integrated circuit devices, and the like. The P6243 Active Measurement Probe
10
, manufactured and sold by Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, Oreg. and assignee of the instant invention, has a socket type probe tip
12
and ground socket
14
as shown in FIG.
1
and depicted in design patent DES 354,923. The socket tip has an overall length of 0.255 inches and a diameter of 0.065 inches. The socket bore has a diameter of 0.038 inches and a length of 0.225 inches. Various types of probe Up adapters are inserted into the socket to allow various types of probing.
A positioning aid probe tip adapter
16
, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,872, has a housing
18
with a central bore
20
there through that receives a probing tip
22
. The housing
18
has teeth formed in one end defining slots
24
that are positionable between the leads of an integrated circuit device. The bore
20
extends into one of these slots
24
with the probing tip
22
exposed therein. The other end of the probing tip
22
extending from the other end of the housing
18
contact shaft for insertion into the socket type probe tip
12
. A standard probing tip
26
has a shaft
28
that has one end tapering to a point
30
for probing IC leads, points on a circuit board and the like. The other end of the shaft is inserted into the socket type probe tip
12
. The probing tip
26
may also include a cone shaped protrusion
32
formed on the shaft
28
for abutting against the socket type probe tip
12
. Adapter
34
is an assembly having a flexible electrically conductive lead
36
attached to an electrical contact shaft
38
that is inserted into the socket type probe tip
12
. Adapter
40
has a square pin socket
42
on one end and a contact shaft
44
on the other for inserting into the probe tip
12
. The contact shafts for the above described adapters have a length in the range of 0.250 inches.
The above described probe tip adapters may also be used with differential type probes, such as the P6246 Differential Probe
50
, manufactured and sold by Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, Oregon, the assignee of the instant invention and shown in FIG.
2
. The differential probe
50
has a measurement probe head
52
with dual socket type probing tips
54
,
56
extending from the nose of the probe head
52
. When used with a differential probe, the adapters are generally ganged together for ease of use. For example, two flexible electrically conductive lead adapters are positioned in a trapezoidal shaped housing
58
with the flexible electrically conductive leads
60
,
62
extending from one end of the housing
58
and the contact shafts
64
,
66
extending from the other end of the housing. The flexible electrically conductive leads
60
,
62
have a pitch geometry compatible with the leads of surface mounted integrated circuit devices and the contact shafts
64
,
66
have a pitch geometry compatible with the socket type probe tips
54
,
56
of the measurement probe head
52
. Such a probe tip adapter is described in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 08/738,861, filed Oct. 26, 1996 and assigned to the assignee of the instant invention. Offset probing tips
70
,
72
are ganged together with an insulating material
74
, such as plastic, having bores formed therein that receives the probing tips
70
,
72
. The bores have a center to center spacing or pitch geometry that provides the contact shafts
76
,
78
with a pitch geometry compatible with the socket type probing tips
54
,
56
. The respective probing tips
70
,
72
have bends
80
,
82
formed in them to offset the probing tips
84
,
86
to allow the probing tips to match various pitch geometries of surface mounted integrated circuit devices. Each offset probing tip
70
,
72
may be secured in the insulating material
74
by forming outwardly extending rib on the probing tip shaft that engage the interior surface of the bore in the insulating material
74
into which it is inserted. Alternately, each probing tips
70
,
72
may be provided with a small keeper that is slid onto the probing tips after the probe is inserted into the insulating member
74
and abuts the insulating material
74
. The keepers are frictionally held in place of the probing tips. The offset probing tips
70
,
72
may also be rotatable within the insulating material
74
to allow the pitch geometry of the probing tip to be changed to match the pitch geometry of the integrated circuit device. The differential square pin adapter
90
has a housing
92
having contact shafts
94
,
96
extending from one end that are compatible with the pitch geometry of the differential probe tips
54
,
56
. Extending from the other end of the housing
92
are wires
98
,
100
that are attached to the square pin sockets
102
,
104
. The differential probe also has a tip saver adapter
110
that fits over the nose of the differential probe head
52
. The tip saver
110
has contact shafts
112
,
114
extending into a cavity
116
formed in the tip saver
110
. The nose of the measurement probe head fits into the tip saver cavity
116
with the contact shafts
112
,
114
being inserted into the socket type probe tips
54
,
56
of the probe head. Each contact shaft is connected to socket type probe tip
118
,
120
that are identical to the probe tip sockets of the measurement probe head. This adapter
110
prevents excessive wear and damage to the socket type probe tips
54
,
56
of the probe head. Excessive wear and damage to the socket type probe tips of the measurement probe head requires the replacement of the head.
Probe tip capacitance and inductance are major drawback to using socket type probe tip or tips in measurement probes. Tip capacitance and inductance limits the input bandwidth of the probe. With the electronic industry continuing to develop integrated and hybrid circuits operating at higher and higher frequencies, a new type of measurement probe design is required that has substantially reduced probe tip capacitance and inductance. This requires reducing the probe tip length and diameter. Likewise, probe tip adapters are required for these low capacitance measurement probes that have reduced length and diameter. Such probe tip adapters of necessity need to be very small in size. However, such small size adapters could be easily lost.
What is needed is a probe tip adapter that is compatible with a low capacitance measurement probe. The adapter should be adaptable to various types of configurations while minimizing as much as possible additional probe tip capacitance and inductance by reducing the length and diameter of the adapters. The adapter should also be attachable to the low capacitance probe tip of the probe over repeated cycles without losing physical or electrical connectivity. Further, the probe tip adapter should have some form of holder to prevent the loss of the adapters due to their small size.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is to a probe tip adapter for a measurement probe wherein the probe has at least a first probing tip extending from the measurement probe. The probe tip adapter has at least a first electrically conductive element with a bore at one end and a probing contact formed on the other end. Disposed in the bore of the electrically conductive element is an electrically conductive elastomer having sufficient tensile strength, compression set, hardness, deflection force, elongation and percent recovery for repeatably securing the electrically conductive element to the probing tip of the measurement probe. An element holder is positiona
Gessford Marc A.
Nightingale Mark W.
Reed Gary W.
Bucher William K.
Nguyen Tung X
Sherry Michael J.
Tektronix Inc.
LandOfFree
Probe tip adapter for a measurement probe does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Probe tip adapter for a measurement probe, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Probe tip adapter for a measurement probe will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2949303