Apparatus for testing printed circuit boards
AssigneeInternational Computers Limited
InventorAnthony James Dean
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The printed circuit board testing apparatus includes resiliently loaded probe pins carried in a support so that the pins can individually move relative to the support. A sealing means is positioned between the support and the printed circuit board, and is effective in operation to form a closed boundary enclosing a space occupied by the probes and the circuit connections and to enable a pneumatic clamp seal to be produced between the sealing means and the circuit board, to hold the probe pins in contact with the circuitry of the board.
Claims12
Apparatus for testing electrical installations on a planar circuit board which presents on a surface thereof a pattern of connections, the apparatus including;
- a group of probe members connectable to a circuit evaluation means;
- a plate like support means for mounting the probe members in alignment with each other such that the probe members conform to the pattern, and such that the probe members are individually displaceable with respect to the support means along the direction towards and away from the connections;
- sealing means connected with the support means, and effective in operation to form a closed boundary enclosing a space occupied by the probes and the connections and to enable a pneumatic clamp seal to be effected between the boundary and the circuit board thereby to maintain the support means and thus the probe members in a desired position with respect to the circuit board;
- a wall provided around the periphery of the support means to form therewith a cup like housing for the probe members and to co-operate with the space, deformable means associated with said chamber and co-operable with an air path between the chamber and space and means for producing within the space and chamber a pressure which is lower than that outside the boundary of the space so as to produce the pneumatic clamp effect when the seal is contacted with a board and also to cause the deformable means to load each probe into engagement with the circuit connections.
Apparatus for testing electric circuit boards presenting on a surface thereof a pattern of connections, the apparatus comprising
- a. a group of probe members connectable to circuit evaluation means;
- b. a plate like support means for mounting the probe members in alignment with each other in such positions that the probe members conform to said pattern with the probes individually displaceable with respect to the support means and having portions projecting from at least one side of the support means;
- c. means defining an airtight chamber to said one side of the support means;
- d. a wall in said chamber which is positioned so as to be co-operable with the projecting portions of the probe members, said wall being so adapted for displacement with respect to the support means as to be able correspondingly to displace the probe members relative to the support means outwardly from the other side of the support means;
- e. seal means locatable between the periphery of said other side of the support means and the circuit board and effective in operation to define a closed boundary enclosing said connections and defining a space occupied by the connections and within which the probe members are displaceable;
- f. first means providing an air pressure transfer path from one side of the support means to the other side thereof;
- g. second means providing an air pressure transfer path into said chamber whereby on applying the apparatus to a circuit board, with the seal means between the support means and the board, and then applying suction to the second air transfer means a pneumatic clamp seal is produced by the seal means to clamp the support means with respect to the circuit board and secondly to cause said wall to move relative to the support means thereby to advance the probe members into contact with said connections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.