Membrane probing system with local contact scrub

A method for probing an electrical device comprising:

• (a) providing a forward support of rigid material;
• (b) providing a membrane assembly having a region positioned in overlying relationship to said support;
• (c) providing a plurality of elongate nonupright contacts supported by said region, each of said contacts having a length and a contacting portion that is spaced apart from the axis of moment of said contact, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said region;
• (d) urging each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so as to move different portions of each contact different distances relative to said support so as to drive each contact in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said electrical device, each contact remaining supported by said membrane assembly along substantially all of said length of said contact during said tilting motion.

A probing assembly for probing an electrical device comprising:

• (a) a support of rigid material;
• (b) a membrane positioned in overlying relationship to said support;
• (c) a pair of elongate nonupright contacts disposed on said membrane, each contact having a length and a contacting portion that is spaced apart from the axis of moment of said contact, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said membrane;
• (d) a control mechanism locally operating in respect to each contact to urge each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so that each contact is driven in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said device, each contact remaining supported by said membrane along substantially all of said length of said contact during said tilting motion, so that each of said contact's lateral scrubbing movement is opposite to that of the other.

A probing assembly for probing an electrical device comprising:

• (a) a support of rigid material;
• (b) a membrane assembly having a region positioned in overlying relationship to said support;
• (c) a plurality of elongate non-upright substantially asymmetric contacts supported by said region, each of said contacts having a length, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said region;
• and
• (d) a control mechanism locally operating in respect to each contact to urge each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so that different portions of each contact move different distances relative to said support so that each contact is driven in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said electrical device, and each contact remaining supported by said membrane assembly along substantially all of said length during the tilting motion.

A method for probing an electrical device comprising:

• (a) providing a forward support of rigid material;
• (b) providing a membrane assembly having a region positioned in overlying relationship to said support;
• (c) providing a plurality of elongate nonupright substantially asymmetric contacts supported by said region, each of said contacts having a length, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said region;
• and
• (d) urging each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so as to move different portions of each contact different distances relative to said support so as to drive each contact in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said electrical device, each contact remaining supported by said membrane assembly along substantially all of said length of said contact during said tilting motion.

A probing assembly for probing an electrical device comprising:

• (a) a support of rigid material;
• (b) a membrane positioned in overlying relationship to said support;
• (c) a pair of elongate nonupright substantially asymmetric contacts disposed on said membrane, each contact having a length, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said membrane;
• and
• (d) a control mechanism locally operating in respect to each contact to urge each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so that each contact is driven in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said device, each contact remaining supported by said membrane along substantially all of said length of said contact during said tilting motion, so that each of said contact's lateral scrubbing movement is opposite to that of the other.

A probing assembly for probing an electrical device comprising:

• (a) a support of rigid material;
• (b) a membrane assembly having a region positioned in overlying relationship to said support;
• (c) a plurality of elongate non-upright contacts supported by said region, each of said contacts having a length, said each of said contacts having a height measured from said region where said height is not uniform along said length without symmetry around the center point of said length, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said region;
• and
• (d) a control mechanism locally operating in respect to each contact to urge each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so that different portions of each contact move different distances relative to said support so that each contact is driven in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said electrical device, and each contact remaining supported by said membrane assembly along substantially all of said length during the tilting motion.

A method for probing an electrical device comprising:

• (a) providing a forward support of rigid material;
• (b) providing a membrane assembly having a region positioned in overlying relationship to said support;
• (c) providing a plurality of elongate nonupright contacts supported by said region, each of said contacts having a length, said each of said contacts having a height measured from said region where said height is nonuinform along said length without symmetry around the center point of said length, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said region;
• and
• (d) urging each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so as to move different portions of each contact different distances relative to said support so as to drive each contact in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said electrical device, each contact remaining supported by said membrane assembly along substantially all of said length of said contact during said tilting motion.

A probing assembly for probing an electrical device comprising:

• (a) a support of rigid material;
• (b) a membrane positioned in overlying relationship to said support;
• (c) a pair of elongate nonupright contacts disposed on said membrane, each contact having a length, said each of said contacts having a height measured from said region where said height is nonuinforrn along said length without symmetry around the center point of said length, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said membrane;
• and
• (d) a control mechanism locally operating in respect to each contact to urge each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so that each contact is driven in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said device, each contact remaining supported by said membrane along substantially all of said length of said contact during said tilting motion, so that each of said contact's lateral scrubbing movement is opposite to that of the other.

A probing assembly for probing an electrical device defining a first plane comprising:

• (a) a support of rigid material;
• (b) a membrane assembly having a region positioned in overlying relationship to said support, and said region defining a second plane;
• (c) a plurality of elongate non-upright contacts supported by said region, each of said contacts having a length, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said region;
• and
• (d) a control mechanism locally operating in respect to each contact to urge each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, and as a result of relative perpendicular movement of said first plane with respect to said second plane where said first plane and said second plane are parallel to one another, into tilting motion so that different portions of each contact move different distances relative to said support so that each contact is driven in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said electrical device, and each contact remaining supported by said membrane assembly along substantially all of said length during the tilting motion.

A method for probing an electrical device defining a first plane comprising:

• (a) providing a forward support of rigid material;
• (b) providing a membrane assembly having a region positioned in overlying relationship to said support, and said region defining a second plane;
• (c) providing a plurality of elongate nonupright contacts supported by said region, each of said contacts having a length, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said region;
• and
• (d) urging each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, and as a result of relative perpendicular movement of said first plane with respect to said second plane where said first plane and said second plane are parallel to one another, into tilting motion so as to move different portions of each contact different distances relative to said support so as to drive each contact in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said electrical device, each contact remaining supported by said membrane assembly along substantially all of said length of said contact during said tilting motion.

A probing assembly for probing an electrical device defining a first plane comprising:

• (a) a support of rigid material;
• (b) a membrane positioned in overlying relationship to said support, and said region defining a second plane;
• (c) a pair of elongate nonupright contacts disposed on said membrane, each contact having a length, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said membrane;
• and
• (d) a control mechanism locally operating in respect to each contact to urge each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, and as a result of relative perpendicular movement of said first plane with respect to said second plane where said first plane and said second plane are parallel to one another, into tilting motion so that each contact is driven in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said device, each contact remaining supported by said membrane along substantially all of said length of said contact during said tilting motion, so that each of said contact's lateral scrubbing movement is opposite to that of the other.

A method for probing an electrical device comprising:

• (a) providing a forward support of rigid material;
• (b) providing a membrane assembly having a region positioned in overlying relationship to said support;
• (c) providing a plurality of elongate nonupright contacts supported by said region, each of said contacts having a length and a contacting portion that is spaced apart from the axis of moment of said contact, and each contact being electrically connected to a corresponding conductor that extends into said region;
• (d) urging each contact, when placed into pressing engagement with said electrical device, into tilting motion so as to move different portions of each contact different distances relative to said support so as to drive each contact in accordance with said tilting motion into lateral scrubbing movement across said electrical device, each contact remaining supported by said membrane assembly along substantially all of said length of said contact during said tilting motion.