Browser probe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797927-B2
Application number	US-201514603826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2015
Priority date	Jan 23, 2015
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A browser probe has a probe body including a signal line, a nose of electrical insulating material integral with and projecting from the probe body, a pin supported by the probe body and electrically conductively connected to the signal line, a spring exerting a biasing force on the pin, an electrically conductive probe tip supported by the nose at a distal end of the nose remote from the probe body, and a plurality of discrete resistors interposed between the pin and the probe tip within the nose. The resistors are supported independently of another so as to be slidable within the nose. The probe tip is electrically conductively connected to the signal line via the resistors and the pin under the biasing force exerted by the spring.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A test probe comprising: a probe body including a signal line; a nose of electrical insulating material integral with and projecting from the probe body; a pin supported by the probe body and electrically conductively connected to the signal line, and a spring exerting a biasing force on the pin; an electrically conductive probe tip supported by the nose at a distal end of the nose remote from the probe body; and a plurality of discrete resistors interposed between the pin and the probe tip within the nose, and wherein the resistors are supported independently of one another so as to be slidable within the nose, the resistors are electrically conductively connected to one another, to the pin and to the probe tip, and the probe tip is electrically conductively connected to the signal line via the resistors and the pin under the biasing force exerted by the spring.

2. The test probe as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the probe body comprises a coaxial cable, the signal line is a core of the cable, and the nose is supported by a ground shield of the coaxial cable that extends around the core.

3. The test probe as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the nose has an internal shoulder at said distal end, and
the probe tip has an external shoulder that along with the internal shoulder of the nose retains the probe tip within the nose at the distal end of the nose.

4. The test probe as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the probe body comprises an electrically conductive shield extending around the signal line, and the nose is secured directly to the shield.

5. The test probe as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the nose is threaded to the shield such that the nose can be removed from the shield and screwed back onto the shield.

6. The test probe as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the nose has an internal shoulder at said distal end, and the probe tip has an external shoulder that along with the internal shoulder of the nose retains the probe tip within the nose at the distal end of the nose.

7. A test probe comprising: a probe body including a signal line, and an electrically conductive shield extending around the signal line; a nose of electrical insulating material projecting from the probe body and detachably mounted to the shield such that the nose can be detached from the probe body and attached back onto the probe body; a pin supported by the probe body and electrically conductively connected to the signal line, and a spring exerting a biasing force on the pin; an electrically conductive probe tip supported by the nose at a distal end of the nose remote from the probe body; and at least one discrete resistor disposed within the nose as interposed between and electrically conductively connected to the pin and the probe tip, wherein said at least one resistor is supported so as to be slidable within the nose, and the probe tip is electrically conductively connected to the signal line via the at least one resistor and the pin under the biasing force exerted by the spring.

8. The test probe as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the probe body comprises a coaxial cable, the signal line is a core of the cable, and the shield comprises a ground shield of the coaxial cable that extends around the core.

9. The test probe as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the nose is threaded to the shield.

10. The test probe as claimed in 7 , wherein the nose has an internal shoulder at the distal end, and
the electrically conductive probe tip has an external shoulder that along with the internal shoulder of the nose retains the electrically conductive probe tip within the nose at the distal end of the nose.

11. The test probe as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the at least one resistor comprises a plurality of discrete resistors supported within the nose, independently of one another, and the discrete resistors are electrically conductively connected to one another.

12. A test probe comprising: a probe body including a pair of laterally spaced apart signal lines, and an electrically conductive shield extending around the signal lines; and a pair of probe tip assemblies each including a nose of electrical insulating material connected to the shield of and projecting from the probe body, a pin supported by the probe body and electrically conductively connected to a respective one of the signal lines, and a spring exerting a biasing force on the pin, an electrically conductive probe tip supported by the nose at a distal end of the nose remote from the probe body, and a plurality of discrete resistors slidably disposed within the nose as interposed between the pin and the probe tip, and wherein the discrete resistors of each of the probe tip assemblies are electrically conductively connected to one another, to the pin and to the probe tip of the assembly, and the probe tip is electrically conductively connected to the respective one of the signal lines via the resistors and the pin under the biasing force exerted by the spring.

13. The test probe as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the probe body comprises a pair of coaxial cables,
the signal lines are cores of the cables, respectively, and
the shield comprises ground shields, of the coaxial cables, which extend around the cores, respectively.

14. The test probe as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the noses of the probe tip assemblies are detachably mounted to the shield such that the noses can be detached from and attached back onto the probe body.

15. The test probe as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the nose of each of the probe tip assemblies has an internal shoulder at said distal end, and
the probe tip of the assembly has an external shoulder that along with the internal shoulder of the nose retains the probe tip within the nose at the distal end of the nose.

16. The test probe as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the noses are threaded to the shield.

17. The test probe as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the probe body comprises a pair of coaxial cables,
the signal lines are cores of the cables, respectively, and
the shield comprises ground shields, of the coaxial cables, which extend around the cores, respectively.

18. The test probe as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the probe body further comprises a span-adjusting mechanism to adjust a span between the probe tips of the probe tip assemblies.

19. The test probe as claimed in claim 18 , wherein at least one of the noses is supported in the test probe so as to be swingable relative to the other about a respective axis of rotation, and
the span-adjusting mechanism is operable to swing said at least one nose about the axis of rotation to adjust the span between the probe tips of the probe tip assemblies.

20. The test probe as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the probe body comprises a pair of coaxial cables, and a housing in which the coaxial cables extend,
the signal lines are cores of the cables, respectively,
the shield comprises ground shields, of the coaxial cables, which extend around the cores, respectively, and end sections integral with the ground shields and supported in the test probe so as to be movable relative to each other,
the noses of the probe tip assemblies are detachably connected to the shield at the end sections of shield integral with the ground shields of the coaxial cables, respectively, and
the span-adjusting mechanism is operable to move the end sections of the shield relative to each other to adjust the span between the probe tips.

Assignees

• Keysight Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Mctigue Michael T

Classifications

• H01R11/18

  End pieces terminating in a probe · CPC title

• G01R1/18

  Screening arrangements against electric or magnetic fields, e.g. against earth's field · CPC title

• G01R1/06788 Primary

  Hand-held or hand-manipulated probes, e.g. for oscilloscopes or for portable test instruments (end pieces terminating in a probe H01R11/18) · CPC title

• G01R1/06705

  Apparatus for holding or moving single probes (for moving multiple probe heads or ICs under test G01R31/2886) · CPC title