Electronic test head positioner for test systems
AssigneeinTEST Corporation
InventorNathan R. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for positioning an electronic test head of a test system with respect to an electronic device handler. A positioner assembly moves vertically and provides substantial movement in the horizontal plane with six degrees of freedom. The positioner assembly includes a section for attaching the test head. A counterbalancing assembly is coupled to the positioner assembly to provide a substantially weightless condition to the positioner assembly with the test head attached.
Claims14
A system for maintaining an object in a substantially weightless condition without the effect of gravity comprising:
- support means having a first continuously vertical axis;
- positioner means coupled to the support means and having a vertical movement with respect to the support means and movement in a horizontal plane, the positioner means including cradle means for attaching the object;
- counterbalancing means coupled to the positioner means to provide a substantially weightless condition to the positioner means with the object attached whereby said positioner means is free to manually move vertically from a predetermined lowermost to a predetermined uppermost position free of mechanical restraints between the two positions;
- and
- the positioner means including continuously horizontal linear motion guide means for providing horizontal movement of the object with respect to the support means, the positioner means including a second continuously vertical axis, means for pivotally mounting the object about the second continuously vertical axis, at least one of said continuously vertical axes being free to rotate as the positioner means is manually extended, the positioner means having an additional continuously horizontal axis for providing rotation of the object about said additional continuously horizontal axis whereby as the object is extended in the horizontal plane and rotated, the two vertical axes, the horizontal linear motion guide means, and the additional horizontal axis themselves support the weight of the positioner means with the cradle means and the attached object without the effect of gravity.
A system for maintaining an object in a substantially weightless condition without the effect of gravity comprising:
- support means having a first continuously vertical axis;
- positioner means coupled to the support means and having a vertical movement with respect to the support means and movement in a horizontal plane, the positioner means comprises cradle means including object attachment means, the object attachment means having pivoting means secured to the cradle means for providing rotation of the attachment means about a further axis;
- counterbalancing means coupled to the positioner means to provide a substantially weightless condition to the positioner means with the object attached;
- and
- the positioner means including continuously horizontal linear motion guide means for providing horizontal movement of the object with respect to the support means, the positioner means including a second continuously vertical axis, means for pivotally mounting the object about the second continuously vertical axis, at least one of said continuously vertical axes being free to rotate as the positioner means is manually extended, the positioner means having an additional continuously horizontal axis for providing rotation of the object about said additional continuously horizontal axis whereby as the object is extended in the horizontal plane and rotated, the two vertical axes, the horizontal linear motion guide means, and the additional horizontal axis themselves support the weight of the positioner means with the cradle means and the attached object without the effect of gravity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.