Back to results
US 5,290,101 AGranted
Liquid thermal cycling methods and apparatus
AssigneeAT&T Bell Laboratories
InventorsPaul J. Englert, Michael A. Oien
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeAT&T Bell Laboratories
InventorsPaul J. Englert, Michael A. Oien
Estimating the term…
Circuit packs to be tested are loaded into first and second test chambers commonly served by a hot liquid reservoir and by a cold liquid reservoir of which both are coupled to both chambers by a liquid handling system containing valves controlled by program determined signals from a controller unit to direct liquid flows as desired between the chambers and reservoirs. During liquid contact periods for the chambers, liquid from the hot reservoir is intermittently pumped into each of the chambers at times different for the two chambers, and liquid from the cold reservoir is intermittently pumped into each of the chambers at times which are different for the two chambers and intervening at each chamber the times of hot liquid pumping thereto, whereby the packs in each chamber are alternately heated and chilled by such liquid so as to be thermally stressed, and the responses of the packs to such stressing are detected. After completion of the liquid contact periods, an air handling system common to both chambers is used to dry the chambers and the packs therein, to reclaim liquid absorbed as vapor in the air during such drying and to cool the dried articles to a comfortable temperature for unloading from the chambers.
Apparatus for testing articles comprising, means providing first and second chambers for containing separate bodies of fluid and for receiving said articles, first and second sources outside said chambers of liquid in hot form and cold form, respectively, liquid handling means comprising piping coupling each of said sources with each of said chambers, pumps disposed in said piping and responsive to control signals to be activated to thereupon produce flows of said liquid through said piping between said sources and chambers, valves in said piping responsive to control signals to be set to select different paths within said piping for said liquid flows, a controller unit for supplying coordinated control signals to said pumps and valves to produce intermittent flows from said first source of hot liquid into said chambers at times which are different, for, respectively, said first and second chambers, and to produce, also, intermittent flows from said second source of cold liquid into said chambers at times which are different for, respectively, said first and second chambers, and which are also different at each of said chambers than the times thereat of such hot liquid flows so as to environmentally stress articles in said chambers by alternately heating and chilling them by said liquid during test periods respective to said first and second chambers, and means to detect responses of said articles to such stressing.
Apparatus for testing articles comprising, means providing a test chamber for receiving said articles, means for environmentally stressing articles in said chamber by pumping therein liquid which is alternately hot and cold to alternately heat and chill said articles during a test period therefor, means to detect responses of said articles to said stressing thereof, a source of heated gas, and gas handling means comprising ducting coupling said chamber and source to produce through said chamber after said period a flow of said heated gas which removes liquid remaining in said chamber and on articles therein by converting said liquid into vapor contained in said gas, said chambers having an inlet and outlet for said gas which are on opposite sides of said chamber and are diagonally offset from each other to produce flow of said gas in a diagonal path through said chamber, and said articles being circuit packs held when in said chamber by a test fixture disposed in said chamber and having a backplane to which said packs are electrically connected, said apparatus further comprising means in said chamber to support said test fixture so as to interpose circuit packs held thereby in said diagonal path;
An article testing method comprising, loading a plurality of articles into first and second chambers for containing separate fluid bodies, intermittently contacting said articles in said chambers with hot liquid provided by a source therefor outside said chambers and common to both chambers at times for such hot contacts which are different for, respectively, said first and said second chamber and intermittently contacting said articles in said chambers with cold liquid provided by a source therefor outside said chambers and common to both outside said chambers and at times which are different for, respectively, said first and said second chambers, and which are also different at each chamber than the times thereat of said intermittent contacting of articles therein by said hot liquid so as, thereby, to environmentally stress aid articles by alternately heating and chilling each of them by said liquid during respective test periods for said two chambers, and detecting during said periods responses of said articles to said stressing.
An article testing method comprising, alternately applying liquid in hot form and liquid in cold form to an article in a receptacle so as to environmentally stress said article by alternately heating and chilling it by said liquid during a test period therefor, measuring a response of said article during said period to said stressing thereof, and contacting said article in said receptacle after said period by hot gas so as to dry said article by converting liquid remaining thereon into vapor contained in said gas, said method further comprising contacting said dried article with chilled gas so as to cool said articles in said receptacle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.