WO2018101674A1

WO2018101674A1 - Camera module test device

Info

Publication number: WO2018101674A1
Application number: PCT/KR2017/013411
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hee-Chul Kim
Original assignee: Leeno Industiral Inc
Current assignee: Leeno Industiral Inc
Priority date: 2016-11-29
Filing date: 2017-11-23
Publication date: 2018-06-07
Anticipated expiration: 2019-05-29
Also published as: CN109983769B; JP2019537707A; KR20180060781A; KR101906575B1; CN109983769A; JP6847208B2; TWI644110B; TW201819942A

Abstract

Disclosed is a test device which electrically connects a terminal of an object to be tested and a testing terminal of a testing circuit. The test device includes a signal probe; a ground probe; a conductive block configured to comprise a signal probe hole through which the signal probe pass without electric contact, and a ground probe hole through which the ground probe pass with electric contact; and an insulating housing configured to accommodate the conductive block and support opposite ends of the signal probe. Thus, it is possible to effectively shield noise between the signal probe and a signal terminal.

Description

CAMERA MODULE TEST DEVICE

The present invention relates to a test device for inspecting electric properties of an object to be tested, for example a camera module.

Recently, a mobile device such as a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, etc. has been widespread. A small camera module used in these mobile devices includes a three-state mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) C-PHY 10. FIG. 1 shows the three-state MIPI C-PHY 10, in which a plurality of

terminals

12 and 14 to be tested is arranged protruding in two parallel rows as a connector.

The test device for inspecting the camera module performs a test by making a plurality of signal probes and ground probes arranged in two parallel rows be in respective contacts with signal terminals 12 and ground terminals 14 of the three-state MIPI C-PHY 10. However, a high-frequency test causes much noise to be generated between the signal probes in each row, and it is thus impossible to do the test.

The present invention is conceived to solve the foregoing problems, and an aspect of the present invention is to provide a camera module test device which blocks noise between signal probes in case of a high-frequency test, thereby improving reliability of the test.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a test device which electrically connects a terminal of an object to be tested and a testing terminal of a testing circuit. The test device includes a signal probe; a ground probe; a conductive block configured to comprise a signal probe hole through which the signal probe pass without electric contact, and a ground probe hole through which the ground probe pass with electric contact; and an insulating housing configured to accommodate the conductive block and support opposite ends of the signal probe. Thus, the grounded conductive block shields noise between the rows of the signal probes, thereby performing a reliable high-frequency test.

The conductive block may comprise a noise shield configured to pass the insulating housing and protrude and be extended in between the rows of the terminals to be tested, thereby more securely shielding noise.

The test device may further comprise an insert elastically floating on the insulating housing and having an object accommodating portion for accommodating a camera module and a bottom plate having a plurality of probe through-holes through which a first end portion of the signal probe and a first end portion of the ground probe pass.

The bottom plate may include a hole through which the noise shield passes.

The test device may further comprise a lower cover configured to comprise a plurality of second probe through-holes through which a second end portion of the signal probe and a second end portion of the ground probe pass.

The conductive block may comprises a second noise shield passing through the lower cover and protruding and being extended toward the testing terminal, thereby keeping a more secured ground state.

The second noise shield may include a ground protrusion being in contact with a ground terminal (pad) of the testing circuit.

A camera module test device of the present invention may exhaustively block noise between signal probes in case of a high-frequency test, thereby improving reliability of the test

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a three-state MIPI C-PHY of a camera module;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a test device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the camera module test device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the camera module test device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the camera module test device of FIG. 2, taken along line I-I; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of the camera module test device of FIG. 2, taken along line II-II.

Below, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to accompanying drawings.

The camera module test device 100 inspects electric properties of an object to be tested, for example, a small camera module for a smart phone. The camera module test device 100 performs a test by making signal probes 110 and ground probes 120 be in contact with a plurality of terminals of a three-state MIPI C-PHY 10 of the camera module as shown in FIG. 1, for example, through contact between the signal probes 110 and the signal terminals 12 and contact between the ground probes 120 and the ground terminals 14.

FIGs. 2 to 5 are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, a plan view and a cross-section view of the camera module test device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown therein, the camera module test device 100 includes the signal probe 110; the ground probe 120; a conductive block 130 penetrated by the signal probe 110 and the ground probe 120; an insulating housing 140 for accommodating the conductive block 130, an insert 150 arranged floating on the insulating housing 140, and a lower cover 160 arranged beneath the insulating housing 140.

The signal probe 110 and the ground probe 120 may be achieved by a pogo type pin, a cantilever type pin, a vertical type pin, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) pin, etc. Below, the pogo type pin will be described as an example of the signal probe 110 and the ground probe 120.

The signal probe 110 includes a cylindrical barrel, an upper plunger partially inserted in a first side of the barrel and sliding, a lower plunger partially inserted in a second side of the barrel and sliding, and a spring inserted in the barrel to elastically bias at least one of the upper plunger and the lower plunger. One of the upper plunger and the lower plunger comes into contact with the signal terminal 12, and the other one comes into contact with a signal terminal (pad) (not shown) of a testing circuit. The barrel may be generally surrounded with a tube made of an insulating material such as Teflon or attached with an insulating spacer so that the signal probe 110 can penetrate the conductive block 130 without electric contact. Further, one of the upper plunger and the lower plunger may be stationarily provided in the barrel without sliding. Further, the signal probe 110 may be achieved by an external-spring type pogo-pin in which an upper plunger and a lower plunger are arranged to cross-slide within a spring without any barrel.

The ground probe 120 has the same basic structure as the signal probe 110, and thus repetitive descriptions will be avoided. Of course, the ground probe 120 may be different in size from the signal probe 110, and does not need the insulating tube or the insulating spacer since it is irrelevant to contact with the conductive block 130.

The conductive block 130 may be made of brass or the like conductive material, or made of a nonconductive block coated or plated with a conductive material. The conductive block 130 includes a plurality of signal probe holes 132 through which the plurality of signal probes 110 passes without electric contact, and a plurality of ground probe holes 134 through which the plurality of ground probes 120 passes with electric contact. Here, the plurality of signal probe holes 132 and the plurality of ground probe holes 134 are formed in parallel with each other. When the signal probe 110 and the ground probe 120 are inserted in the conductive block 130, the ends of both the upper plunger and the lower plunger are at least partially exposed. According to an embodiment, fifteen signal probe holes 132 and two ground probe holes 134 are arranged to form one row. Specifically, a first row includes the 1^st to 5^th signal probe holes 132, the 6^th ground probe hole 134, the 7^th to 11^th signal probe holes 132, the 12^th ground probe hole 134, and the 13^th to 17^th signal probe holes 132. Likewise, a second row includes the 1^st to 5^th signal probe holes 132, the 6^th ground probe hole 134, the 7^th to 11^th signal probe holes 132, the 12^th ground probe hole 134, and the 13^th to 17^th signal probe holes 132. If the signal probe 110 is surrounded with the insulating tube or the insulating spacer, the insulating tube or the insulating spacer is in contact with the inner wall of the signal probe hole 132. This structure of the signal probe 110 and the ground probe 120 is given for illustrative purpose only, and various alternative structures may be applicable.

The conductive block 130 includes an upper noise shield 136 protruding upward on a top surface thereof between two rows of the probe holes 132 and 134. During the test, the noise shield 136 is sandwiched between two rows of the

terminals

12 and 14 to be tested, thereby more securely shielding the noise.

The conductive block 130 includes a lower noise shield 137 protruding downward on a bottom surface thereof between a first row of signal and ground probe holes 132 and 134 and a second row of signal and ground probe holes 132 and 134. The lower noise shield 137 includes ground protrusions 138 transversely extended from two ground probe holes 134 of the first row toward two ground probe holes 134 of the second row. Here, there are no limits to the shape of the ground protrusion 138. One pair of ground protrusions 138 is to come into contact with the ground terminal (pad) (not shown) of the testing circuit to be in contact with the ground probe 120. There may be one or more than three ground protrusions 138 in accordance with the shape or design of the ground pad in the testing circuit, and the ground protrusions 138 may be different in shape from one another.

The insulating housing 140 includes a conductive block accommodating portion 141 for accommodating the conductive block 130, and an insert accommodating portion 142 for accommodating the insert 150. The conductive block 130 in which the signal probe 110 and the ground probe 120 are inserted is accommodated in the insulating housing 140. The conductive block accommodating portion 141 includes upper plunger through-holes 143 through which the upper plungers of the signal probe 110 and the ground probe 120 pass, and a blocking wall 145 formed with a shield pass portion through which the noise shield 136 passes, on an upper side thereof. The upper plunger through-hole 143 includes a large caliber portion 146 in which the barrel is accommodated, and a small caliber portion 147 through which the plunger passes. Therefore, the barrel does not pass but is supported on the blocking wall 145. The blocking wall 145 may be provided separately from the insulating housing 140 and coupled to the insulating housing 140. The conductive block accommodating portion 141 is opened downward to receive the conductive block 130. The insert accommodating portion 142 is formed on the upper side at a position corresponding to the upper plunger through-hole 143 and the blocking wall 145 formed with a first shield pass portion 144.

The insert 150 includes a bottom plate 155 formed with second upper plunger through-holes 153 and a second shield pass portion 154 at a position corresponding to the blocking wall 145. The insert 150 keeps floating since four springs 170 are interposed in between the bottom plate 155 of the insert 150 and the blocking wall 145 of the insulating housing 140. The insert 150 is formed with a groove portion 159 extended vertically at opposite lateral sides and having a stepped portion 158. The insert 150 is restricted by a separation preventing pin 180 and thus prevented from being separated by elasticity of the springs 170. That is, the insert 150 moves up and down elastically by the spring 170 within the groove portion 159 in the state that a head 182 of the separation preventing pin 180 is inserted in the groove portion 159.

The lower cover 160 covers an opened bottom plate of the conductive block accommodating portion 141 of the insulating housing 140. The lower cover 160 is formed with lower plunger through-holes 163 through which the lower plungers of the signal probe 110 and the ground probe 120 pass, and a third shield pass portion 164 through which the lower noise shield 137 passes. The lower plunger through-hole 163 includes a second large caliber portion 166 in which the barrel is accommodated, and a second small caliber portion 167 through which the lower plunger passes. Therefore, the barrel does not pass the lower cover 160 but is supported on the lower cover 160.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of the test device 100 during the test. If the object to be tested, for example, the three-state MIPI C-PHY 10 inserted in the insert 150 is pressed during the test, the insert 150 moves down compressing the spring 170. Therefore, the noise shield 136 is accommodated in a space between two terminal rows of the three-state MIPI C-PHY 10 and shields two rows of the signal terminals 12 from each other. In FIG. 6, the signal probe 110 is in contact with the conductive block 130 as it is surrounded with Teflon or the like insulating tube.

Since the ground probe 120 is electrically connected to the conductive block 140, the conductive block 140 is generally grounded. In result, a noise shielding condition is set between the signal probes 110 that penetrate the conductive block 140 without electric contact.

As described above, the test device according to the present invention effectively shields noise while applying a high-frequency test to terminals of an object to be tested, for example, a three-state MIPI C-PHY 10 of a small camera module for a mobile device.

Although a few exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention has to be not limited to the foregoing exemplary embodiments but defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

A camera module test device comprising:

a signal probe;

a ground probe;

a conductive block configured to comprise a signal probe hole through which the signal probe pass without electric contact, and a ground probe hole through which the ground probe pass with electric contact; and

an insulating housing configured to accommodate the conductive block and support opposite ends of the signal probe.
The camera module test device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive block comprises an upper noise shield configured to protrude upwardly from the conductive block, pass a top plate of the insulating housing and extend in between rows of camera module terminals.
The camera module test device according to claim 2, further comprising an insert elastically floating on the insulating housing and having an object accommodating portion for accommodating a camera module and a bottom plate having a plurality of probe through-holes through which a first end portion of the signal probe and a first end portion of the ground probe pass.
The camera module test device according to claim 3, wherein the top plate of the insulating housing and the bottom plate of the insert respectively comprise a first shield pass portion and a second shield pass portion, through which the upper noise shield passes.
The camera module test device according to claim 1, further comprising a lower cover configured to comprise a plurality of second probe through-holes through which a second end portion of the signal probe and a second end portion of the ground probe pass.
The camera module test device according to claim 5, wherein the conductive block comprises a lower noise shield protruding downwardly from the conductive block and being extended in between rows of the plurality of signal probes, and

the lower cover comprises a third shield pass portion through which the lower noise shield passes.
The camera module test device according to claim 6, wherein the lower noise shield comprises at least one ground protrusion being in contact with a ground terminal of a testing circuit with which the ground probe comes into contact.