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US 6,784,675 B2Granted
Wireless test fixture adapter for printed circuit assembly tester
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorStephen Willard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A test fixture adapter for a printed circuit assembly tester is presented. The test fixture adapter implements the universal portions of the tester-to-fixture interface and allows mounting of a customized fixture interface printed circuit board thereon. The fixture interface printed circuit board and the fixture itself are completely separate. The adapter may be reused from one board design to the next, requiring only that a customized fixture interface printed circuit board and a customized fixture be redesigned and manufactured.
Claims20
A universal test fixture adapter for interfacing between a single printed circuit assembly tester and a plurality of different test fixtures, each of said plurality of different test fixtures customized to a different device under test (DUT) design having a different DUT conductive test pad configuration and each comprising a respective fixture interface printed circuit board (PCB) and a respective fixture probe assembly having a DUT mount for seating a DUT of said respective DUT design, each said respective fixture probe assembly comprising a plurality of first probe assembly electrical contact points accessible on a first side of said fixture probe assembly that are respectively conductively connected to a plurality of second probe assembly electrical contact points on a second side of said fixture probe assembly, and each said respective fixture interface PCB comprising a plurality of adapter interface conductive pads on a first side of said respective fixture interface PCB and a plurality of fixture interface conductive pads on a second side of said fixture interface PCB, said printed circuit assembly tester comprising a plurality of tester interface electrical contact points, said test fixture adapter comprising:
- a plurality of first electrical contact points;
- a plurality of second electrical contact points;
- a plurality of adapter conductive paths each electrically connecting a respective first electrical contact point with a at least one respective second electrical contact point;
- and
- a fixture interface PCB mount configured to hold a respective fixture interface PCB of a respective one of said plurality different test fixtures;
- wherein any of said plurality of different test fixtures may be mounted on said universal test fixture adapter to test various DUTs corresponding to said DUT design of said mounted test fixture such that when a selected fixture interface PCB of a selected one of said plurality of different test fixtures that is customized to said DUT design of a selected DUT is mounted in said fixture interface PCB mount of said universal test fixture adapter, a selected fixture probe assembly corresponding to said selected one of said plurality of different test fixtures is mounted over said fixture interface PCB mount of said universal test fixture adapter, said selected DUT is mounted in said DUT mount of said selected fixture probe assembly, and a test of said selected DUT is actuated;
- at least one of said first electrical contact points of said universal test fixture adapter precisely aligns with and makes electrical contact with a respective at least one test interface electrical contact point of said printed circuit assembly tester,
- said second electrical contact points that are conductively connected to said at least one of said first electrical contact points via at least one of said plurality of conductive paths precisely align with and make electrical contact with a respective at least one of said plurality of adapter interface conductive pads on said first side of said fixture interface PCB,
- said fixture interface conductive pads on said second side of said fixture interface PCB that are conductively connected to said at least one of said respective adapter interface conductive pads precisely align with and make electrical contact with at least one respective first probe assembly electrical contact point, and said second probe assembly electrical contact points that are conductively connected to said at least one respective first probe assembly electrical contact point precisely align with and make electrical contact with respective at least one DUT conductive test pads.
6 more elements
A test system comprising:
- a printed circuit assembly tester comprising a plurality of test interface electrical contact points arranged in a predetermined arrangement;
- a universal test fixture adapter for interfacing between a single printed circuit assembly tester and a plurality of different test fixtures, each of said plurality of different test fixtures customized to a different device under test (DUT) design having a different DUT conductive test pad configuration and each comprising a respective fixture interface printed circuit board (PCB) and a respective fixture probe assembly having a DUT mount for seating a DUT of said respective DUT design, each said respective fixture probe assembly comprising a plurality of first probe assembly electrical contact points accessible on a first side of said fixture probe assembly that are respectively conductively connected to a plurality of second probe assembly electrical contact points on a second side of said fixture probe assembly, and each said respective fixture interface PCB comprising a plurality of adapter interface conductive pads on a first side of said respective fixture interface PCB and a plurality of fixture interface conductive pads on a second side of said fixture interface PCB, said printed circuit assembly tester comprising a plurality of tester interface electrical contact points, said universal test fixture adapter comprising:
- a plurality of first electrical points;
- a plurality of second electrical contact points;
- a plurality of adapter conductive paths each electrically connecting a respective first electrical contact point with at least one respective second electrical contact point;
- and
- a fixture interface printed PCB mount configured to hold a respective one of any of said plurality of fixture interface PCBs corresponding to said plurality of different test fixtures to allow testing of various DUTs corresponding to a selected DUT design of a selected test fixture from among of said plurality different test fixtures;
- a selected fixture interface PCB of a selected one of said plurality of different test fixtures that is customized to said DUT design of a selected DUT mounted in said fixture interface PCB mount of said universal test fixture adapter;
- a selected fixture probe assembly corresponding to said selected one of said plurality of different test fixtures mounted over said fixture interface PCB mount of said test fixture;
- a selected DUT mounted in said DUT mount of said selected fixture probe assembly;
- wherein:
- at least one of said first electrical contact points of said universal test fixture adapter precisely aligns with and makes electrical contact with a respective at least one test interface electrical contact point of said printed circuit assembly tester,
- said second electrical contact points that are conductively connected to said at least one of said first electrical contact points via at least one of said plurality of conductive paths precisely align with and make electrical contact with a respective at least one of said plurality of adapter interface conductive pads on said first side of said fixture interface PCB,
- said fixture interface conductive cads on said second side of said fixture interface PCB that are conductively connected to said at least one of said respective adapter interface conductive pads precisely align with and make electrical contact with at least one respective first probe assembly electrical contact point, and
- said second probe assembly electrical contact points that are conductively connected to said at least one respective first probe assembly electrical contact point precisely align with and make electrical contact with respective at least one DUT conductive test pads.
12 more elements
A method for interfacing a printed circuit assembly tester and a customized test fixture, said printed circuit assembly tester comprising a tester interface comprising a plurality of tester interface electrical contact points, said method comprising:
- mounting a universal test fixture adapter comprising a plurality of first electrical contact points, a plurality of second electrical contact points, a plurality of adapter conductive paths each electrically connecting a respective first electrical contact point with at least one respective second electrical contact point, and a fixture interface PCB mount configured to hold a fixture interface PCB over said tester interface such that at least one of said first electrical contact points of said universal test fixture adapter precisely aligns with and makes electrical contact with a respective at least one test interface electrical contact point of said printed circuit assembly tester;
- mounting a selected fixture interface PCB of a selected test fixture that is customized to allow testing of a DUT corresponding to a selected DUT design in said fixture interface PCB mount of said universal test fixture adapter such that said second electrical contact points of said universal test fixture adapter that are conductively connected to said at least one of said first electrical contact points via at least one of said plurality of conductive paths of said universal test fixture adapter precisely align with and make electrical contact with a respective at least one of a plurality of adapter interface conductive pads on a first side of said selected fixture interface PCB;
- mounting a selected fixture probe assembly of said selected test fixture over said fixture interface PCB mount of said universal test fixture adapter such that respective at least one of said plurality of fixture interface conductive cads on said second side of said fixture interface PCB that are conductively connected to said at least one of said respective adapter interface conductive pads precisely align with and make electrical contact with respective at least one first probe assembly electrical contact points of said selected fixture probe assembly;
- mounting a selected DUT corresponding to said selected DUT design in a DUT mount of said selected fixture probe assembly such that respective at least one of said plurality of second probe assembly electrical contact points that are conductively connected to said at least one respective first probe assembly electrical contact points precisely align with and make electrical contact with respective at least one DUT conductive test pads on said selected DUT.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.