KR101312079B1 - Probe unit assembly and testing method of flat panel display using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The probe unit assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of conductive plates, array frames, and conductive plates having grooves arranged in grooves, contact pins installed in the grooves of the array frames and contacting pad portions of the flat panel display element. It is preferable to include a probe unit including a covering assembly, and a shorting bar attached to the assembly, a shorting bar attached below the shorting body and including a shorting pad in contact with the pad part. Therefore, the probe unit assembly and the inspection method of the flat panel display device using the same according to the present invention first determine only whether the flat panel display device is damaged by using the shorting bar, and then proceeds the inspection process by using the probe unit, thus damaging the flat panel display device in advance. The presence or absence of the test can be used to quickly and accurately carry out the inspection process.

Probe Unit, Shorting Bar, Assembly, Liquid Crystal Display, Probe, Contact Pin

Description

PROBE UNIT ASSEMBLY AND TESTING METHOD OF FLAT PANEL DISPLAY USING THE SAME

1 is a perspective view illustrating a state of inspecting a pad portion of a liquid crystal display with a probe device including a probe unit assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a bottom view of a probe unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the probe unit of FIG. 2 taken along line III-III.

4 is a bottom view of the shorting bar according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view of the shorting bar of FIG. 4 taken along line IV-IV.

6 is a bottom view of a probe unit assembly in which a probe unit and a shorting bar are coupled according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the probe unit assembly of FIG. 6 taken along line VI-VI. FIG.

8 and 10 are views sequentially showing a state of performing a test process using a probe unit assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a front view illustrating in detail the state in which the shorting pad is in contact with the pad portion.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: flat panel display 12: pad portion

14: support 130: probe unit

131: array frame 132: conductive plate

133: contact pin 140: assembly

150: shorting bar 151: shorting pad

152: shorting body 153: silicone rubber

154: conductive material

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a probe unit assembly and a method of inspecting a flat panel display using the same, and more particularly, to a probe unit assembly and a method of inspecting a flat panel display using the same.

In general, a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display device selects a good product or a defective product through a partial or full electrical inspection during or after completion of the manufacturing process. In the electrical inspection process, a test apparatus that transmits various electrical signals from the outside and detects and analyzes a response signal of the flat panel display device is used. In order to electrically connect the pad of the test apparatus and the flat panel display device, a probe and A probe unit assembly with the same contact pin is used.

That is, the probe unit assembly contacts the signal line pad of the flat panel display device and then applies a test signal to inspect whether the flat panel display device is defective in the screen on state and the color implementation state of the flat panel display device.

According to the recent high integration trend, the pad portion of the flat panel display device is narrowed to about 50 μm or less, so that the thickness of the contact pin to contact the pad portion is reduced, resulting in a weak strength of the contact pin. This increases the risk of breaking or damaging the contact pins over long or hundreds of inspections.

When the inspection process is performed using the damaged contact pins as described above, it is difficult to determine whether the flat panel display itself is defective or whether the contact pin of the probe unit assembly is defective even if the flatness of the flat display apparatus is determined.

An object of the present invention is to provide a probe unit assembly and a method for inspecting a flat panel display device using the same, which improves a test speed and a defect detection capability by determining whether the flat panel display is defective in advance.

Probe unit assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is a plurality of conductive plates having a groove having an array frame, a contact pin is provided in the groove of the array frame contacting the pad portion of the flat panel display element, the array frame and the conductive plate A probe unit includes a probe unit including a combination covering a shorting body, and a shorting body attached to the combination, and a shorting bar attached to the shorting body and contacting the pad part.

In addition, it is preferable that the screw groove is formed in the assembly.

In addition, the shortening bar is preferably formed with a screw hole in a position corresponding to the screw groove.

In addition, the probe unit and the shorting bar may be coupled by a screw passing through the screw groove and the screw hole.

In addition, the shorting pad is preferably a structure in which a conductive material is mixed in the silicone rubber.

In addition, the conductive material is preferably any one selected from iron, nickel, cobalt, copper or resin particles coated with the material.

In addition, a method of inspecting a flat panel display using a probe unit assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes moving a probe unit assembly including a probe unit having a contact and a shorting bar having a shorting pad to move the shorting pad to a flat panel display. Contacting the pad part, supplying a signal to the pad part through the shorting pad to determine whether the flat panel display is damaged, and moving the probe unit assembly to contact the contact pin with the pad part. And checking a color implementation state of the flat panel display by supplying a signal to the pad unit through the contact pin.

In addition, it is preferable to press the shorting pad to contact the pad part by using a pressing means.

Then, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Now, a probe unit assembly and an inspection method of a flat panel display device using the same according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a state of inspecting a pad portion of a liquid crystal display with a probe device including a probe unit assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a probe device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a probe block 20 and a probe unit assembly 30 mounted at a lower end of the probe block 20 to perform an inspection. The probe unit assembly 30 includes a probe unit 130 and a shorting bar 150, and a contact pin 133 is installed at an end of the probe unit 130.

The contact pins 133 are brought into contact with the pad portion 12 of the flat panel display 10 mounted on the support 14 to apply a test signal to inspect the screen lighting state and the color implementation state of the flat panel display 10. do.

Hereinafter, the probe unit assembly 30 will be described in detail.

2 is a bottom view of the probe unit according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the probe unit of FIG. 2 taken along line III-III.

As shown in Figure 2 and 3, the probe unit 130 constituting the probe unit assembly 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged in the array frame 131, the array frame 131 Two conductive plates 132 and an assembly 140 installed under the conductive plates 132 to cover the conductive plates 132.

The arrangement frame 131 has a box shape as a whole and has a wide groove therein. Two through bars 135 are formed in the array frame 131, and the through bars 135 are fixed to both side walls of the array frame 131.

A plurality of conductive plates 132 are arranged in parallel in a wide groove of the array frame 131 while maintaining a small pitch interval of about 50 μm in accordance with the interval of the pad portion 12. The conductive plate 132 is disposed such that the longitudinal direction of the conductive plate 132 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the through bar 135, and the through bar 135 penetrates all the plurality of conductive plates 132 to conduct the conductive plate 132. The plate 132 is fixed to the array frame 131. A silicon pad (not shown) or the like is inserted between the gaps between the conductive plates 132.

One end of the conductive plate 132 is formed with a contact pin 133 in contact with the pad portion 12 of the flat panel display 10, and the other end of the conductive plate 132 is provided with an inspection device (not shown). Connecting pin 134 is formed.

 The assembly 140 is made of a steel plate having a predetermined thickness so as to cover the plurality of conductive plates 132, and three screw grooves 141 are formed in the center of the assembly 140. In addition, three guide pins 142 are formed at the edge of the assembly 140. The assembly 140 covers most of the conductive plate 132, but does not cover a portion where the contact pin 133 is formed. This is to allow the contact pin 133 to protrude to the outside to contact the pad portion 12.

4 is a bottom view of the shorting bar according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the shorting bar of FIG. 4 taken along line IV-IV.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shorting bar 150 constituting the probe unit assembly 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a shorting body 152 and a shorting attached to the shorting body 152. Pad 151.

The shorting body 152 is a metal support plate, the upper portion of which is attached to the assembly 140, the shorting body 152 is formed with a screw hole 155 at a position corresponding to the screw groove 141 of the array frame 131 The guide groove 156 is formed at a position corresponding to the guide pin 142. The guide pin 142 and the guide groove 156 allow the probe unit 130 to be precisely coupled to the shorting bar 150.

The shorting pad 151 may be in contact with the plurality of pad parts 12 to short-circuit the pad part 12. The shorting pad 151 is mostly made of a silicone rubber 153, and the conductive material 154 is mixed therein. The conductive material 154 may be any one selected from iron, nickel, cobalt, copper, or resin particles covering the metal.

The probe unit assembly is completed by combining the probe unit 130 and the shorting bar 150 described above, and the probe unit assembly is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a probe unit assembly in which a probe unit and a shorting bar are coupled according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the probe unit assembly of FIG. 6 taken along line VI-VI. Is shown.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the probe unit 130 and the shorting bar 150 are fixedly coupled to each other by the guide pin 142 and the screw 157.

The guide pin 142 of the coupling body 140 is inserted into the guide groove 156 of the shorting body 152, and the screw hole 155 of the shorting body 152 and the screw groove of the coupling body 140 are screws ( 157 is inserted into the shorting body 152 and the coupling 140 is screwed.

The structure in which the probe unit 130 and the shorting bar 150 of FIG. 6 are combined indicates a coupling structure of the probe unit assembly 30 to the flat panel display device 10 having both the gate and the data pad unit 12. . This is a probe unit assembly during horizontal movement for the contact process between the shorting pad 151 and the pad portion 12 of the shorting bar 150 and the contact pin 133 and the pad portion 12 of the probe unit 130. It is a structure for removing interference between the 30 and an inspection device (not shown).

On the other hand, in a flat panel display having only one gate pad or data pad, the inspection device (not shown) may move horizontally in either of the X and Y axes, so that the probe unit 130 and the shorting bar 150 may be separated. The bonding structure can be changed.

8 and 10 illustrate a state in which the inspection process is performed using the probe unit assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention in order.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, the probe unit assembly 30 including the probe unit 130 and the shorting bar 150 moves horizontally and vertically by a predetermined distance to move the shorting pad 151 to the flat panel display 10. Contact the pad portion 12. Therefore, the shorting pad 150 is brought into contact with the plurality of pads 12 as a whole to short-circuit the pads 12 and supply a signal to determine whether the flat panel display 10 is damaged.

9 illustrates a state in which the shorting pad is in contact with the pad part.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the shorting pad 151 is in contact with the pad part 12, the shorting pad 151 is pressed using a pressing means (not shown) to apply a constant pressure to the pad part 12. Deliver evenly. The pressure by the pressing means is different depending on the structure of the flat panel display and the number of pads, but preferably 2 to 5 kgf.

At this time, since the shorting pad 151 is made of elastic silicone rubber 153, even if there is a difference in the height of the pad part 12, all pad parts 12 are in contact without the pad part 12 which is not in contact. do. Therefore, a uniform signal may be applied to each pad unit 12.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the color implementation state of the flat panel display device 10 may be adjusted by horizontally and vertically moving the contact pin 133 of the probe unit 130 to the pad unit 12 by a predetermined distance. An inspection process such as a full contact test or a gross test is performed.

As described above, first, only the damage of the flat panel display 10 is determined using the shorting bar 150, and if it is determined that there is no abnormality, the inspection process is performed using the probe unit to perform the color implementation state and the overall precision inspection. To perform.

Even when a signal is not applied to the flat panel display device 10 due to the bad contact pin 133, the flat panel display device 10 is inspected for defects using the shorting pad 151. Since the inspection process is performed, it may be determined that the flat panel display device 10 is not defective even if the signal is not applied due to the failure of the contact pin 133 and thus the color is not implemented. Therefore, since the inspection process is performed again after replacing the contact pin 133, all defects can be perfectly detected.

Meanwhile, the inspection method using the contact pin 133 and the shorting pad 151 may be changed in order depending on the structure and the inspection environment of the flat panel display device. Alternatively, one of the two inspection methods may be selected and inspected. have.

The probe unit assembly and the inspection method of the flat panel display device using the same according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are not limited to a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display device.

In the probe unit assembly and the inspection method of the flat panel display apparatus using the same according to the present invention, since only the damage of the flat panel display apparatus is first determined using the shorting bar, the inspection process is performed using the probe unit. It can be judged so that the inspection process can proceed quickly and accurately.

In addition, since the shorting bar is manufactured by combining the conventional probe unit, no extra cost is incurred.

In addition, since the inspection process is performed while the shorting bar and the probe unit are coupled, two inspection processes can be performed simply by moving a predetermined position.

In addition, since the shorting pad is mixed with a conductive material in the silicone rubber, even when the height of the shorting pad is not constant, a uniform test signal can be applied to all the shorting pads, thereby improving the testability.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims are also within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (8)

An array frame having a groove, a probe unit including a plurality of conductive plates installed in the grooves of the array frame and having contact pins contacting pad portions of the flat panel display element, a combination covering the array frame and the conductive plate, and A shorting bar attached to the coupling body, a shorting bar attached to the shorting body and including a shorting pad in contact with the pad part. Probe unit assembly comprising a. In claim 1, Probe unit assembly is a screw groove is formed in the combination. 3. The method of claim 2, Probe unit assembly is formed in the shorting bar screw hole in a position corresponding to the screw groove. 4. The method of claim 3, And the probe unit and the shorting bar are coupled by a screw passing through the screw groove and the screw hole. In claim 1, The shorting pad is a probe unit assembly having a structure in which a conductive material is mixed in a silicone rubber. The method of claim 5, And the conductive material is any one selected from iron, nickel, cobalt, copper or resin particles coating the material. Moving the probe unit assembly comprising a probe unit having a contact pin and a shorting bar having a shorting pad to contact the shorting pad to a pad portion of the flat panel display device; Determining whether the flat panel display is damaged by supplying a signal to the pad part through the shorting pad; Moving the probe unit assembly to contact the contact pin with the pad part, and Checking a color implementation state of the flat panel display by supplying a signal to the pad unit through the contact pins; Inspection method of a flat panel display device using a probe unit assembly comprising a. 8. The method of claim 7, A method for inspecting a flat panel display using a probe unit assembly which presses the shorting pad using a pressing means to contact the pad part.

Images