Pneumatic test fixture with springless test probes
US5252916A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 27, 1992 |
| Grant date | Oct 12, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 27, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01R2201/16
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A fluid actuated test fixture with springless contacts for use in the automatic testing of printed circuit boards is connected to an electronic circuit tester for performing high-speed testing of circuits on the board. The fixture includes a housing, an inner chamber formed by covering the opening of an air chamber housing with an elastomeric diaphragm, a support plate with a flex circuit laminated along one side, and an array of solid (springless) test probes disposed in the support plate for access to a surface of the circuit board. When the circuit board to be tested is placed on the fixture, a vacuum drawn between the circuit board and support plate urges the circuit board to contact the test probes. When the pressure within the inner chamber is increased, the probes move into the diaphragm to stretch the diaphragm and the diaphragm applies a resilient spring-like counter-force against the test probes in unison, which transfers the spring force to the test points on the board under test. A set of electrical test signals is communicated from the test probes through printed circuits on the flex circuit and through an array of interface pins connected to the circuit traces on the …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.