Testing device for printed circuit boards

• US 20030020506A1
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATG Test Systems GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: ATG Test Systems GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Prokopp, Manfred
• Granted Patent: US 6,677,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/761
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07335 for double-sided contacting or for testing boards with surface-mounted devices (SMD's)
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2806 Apparatus therefor, e.g. test stations, drivers, analysers, conveyors G01R31/2805, G01R31/281, G01R31/2818 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2808 Holding, conveying or contacting devices, e.g. test adapters, edge connectors, extender boards probe, multiprobe, probe manipulator or probe fixture G01R1/067

Abstract

A circuit board tester includes a contact array, contact fingers arranged for travelling in a plane parallel to the contact array, two contact fingers forming a probe pair as a component of a test current circuit, a controller for positioning the contact fingers on circuit board test points of a circuit board to be tested, the circuit boards being insertable into the tester simultaneously during a test procedure being tested, and two sets of contact fingers, one set being arranged for testing the front side and the other set for testing the rear side of a circuit board to be tested. Arranged between the two sets of contact fingers is a holder comprising portions for accommodating at least two circuit b to be tested, at least one of the circuit boards to be tested being insertable in the holder with its front side, and the other circuit board to be tested with its rear side, facing one of the two sets of contact fingers, and the controller is configured such that with both sets of contact fingers the circuit board test points on both the front and rear side of the circuit board to be tested can be contacted during a test procedure.

Claims

1. A circuit board tester including:

a test array,

two sets of contact fingers arranged for travelling in a plane parallel to said test array, one set being arranged for testing a front side and the other set for testing a rear side of a circuit board to be tested, two contact fingers forming a probe pair as a component of a test current circuit;

a controller for positioning said contact fingers on circuit board test points of circuit boards to be tested, said circuit boards being insertable into said tester simultaneously during a test procedure;

arranged between said two sets of contact fingers is a holder for holding the circuit boards to be tested,

wherein the holder has portions for accommodating at least two circuit boards to be tested, at least one of said circuit boards to be tested being insertable in said holder with its front side, and the other circuit board to be tested with its rear side, facing one of said two sets of contact fingers, and said controller is configured such that with both sets of contact fingers the circuit board test points on both the front and rear sides of said circuit board to be tested can be contacted during a test procedure.

2. The tester as set forth in claim 1, wherein said holder comprises a holder plate in which windows are provided having roughly the shape of said circuit boards to be tested and provided with holding elements for holding said circuit boards to be tested.

3. The tester as set forth in claim 2, wherein roughly half of said circuit boards to be tested are insertable in said holder plate with their front side facing one of said sets of contact fingers and the other half of said circuit boards to be tested being inserted with their rear side facing the other set of contact fingers.

4. The tester as set forth in claim 3, wherein said holding elements are configured as ledges protruding from the locating edge of said windows.

5. The tester as set forth in claim 4, wherein said ledges are milled integrally with said holder plate and produced by milling from a plate blank.

6. The tester as set forth in claim 5, wherein the shape of a first window in viewing said holder plate from above corresponds to the shape of a circuit board to be tested and the shape of a second window viewed from above is mirror-symmetrical to said first window.

7. The tester as set forth in claim 6, wherein several pairs of mirror-symmetrical windows are provided.

8. The tester as set forth in claim 7, wherein cross members cover the extent of said test array and are arranged stationary, and said contact fingers are arranged by means of swivel arms on said cross members so that said contact fingers cover a strip-shaped test zone of said test array, said test zones of adjacent cross members overlapping and a pair of mirror-symmetrical configured windows is arranged in said overlapping portion of adjacent test zones.

9. The tester as set forth in claim 8, wherein a mapping station for mapping offsets and/or displacements of said circuit board test points is provided, said mapping station being arranged outside of said test array and configured such that said individual circuit boards are inserted in said holder plate permitting mapping relative to a system of coordinates defined by said holder.

10. The tester as set forth in claim 9, wherein said holder comprises at least two electric contacts for contacting by means of said contact fingers to detect the position of said holder in said test array of said tester.

11. The tester as set forth in claim 1, wherein said holder comprises a holder plate in which windows are provided having roughly the shape of said circuit boards to be tested and provided with holding elements for holding said circuit boards to be tested.

12. The tester as set forth in claim 11, wherein said holding elements are configured as ledges protruding from the locating edge of said windows.

13. The tester as set forth in claim 12, wherein said ledges are milled integrally with said holder plate and produced by milling from a plate blank.

14. The tester as set forth in claim 11, wherein the shape of a first window in viewing said holder plate from above corresponds to the shape of a circuit board to be tested and the shape of a second window viewed from above is mirror-symmetrical to said first window.

15. The tester as set forth in claim 14, wherein several pairs of mirror-symmetrical windows are provided.

16. The tester as set forth in claim 15, wherein cross members cover the extent of said test array and are arranged stationary and said contact fingers are arranged by means of swivel arms on said cross members so that said contact fingers cover a strip-shaped test zone of said test array, said test zones of adjacent cross members overlapping and a pair of mirror-symmetrical configured windows is arranged in said overlapping portion of adjacent test zones.

17. The tester as set forth in claim 1, wherein a mapping station for mapping offsets and/or displacements of said circuit board test points is provided, said mapping station being arranged outside of said test array and configured such that said individual circuit boards are inserted in said holder plate permitting mapping relative to a system of coordinates defined by said holder.

18. The tester as set forth in claim 17, wherein said holder comprises at least two electric contacts for contacting by means of said contact fingers to detect the position of said holder in said test array of said tester.

19. Method for the testing of circuit boards, wherein contact fingers of a tester are moved in a plane parallel to a test array, and two contact fingers form a probe pair which is part of a test circuit, the method comprising:

the contact fingers being positioned on circuit board test points of a circuit board to be tested, in order to test during a test process several circuit boards which may be inserted in the tester simultaneously;

two sets of contact fingers being provided, wherein one set is arrange to test the front side and the other set to test the rear side of a circuit board to be tested;

the circuit boards to be tested being located between the two sets of contact fingers by a holder;

the holder having portions for accommodating at least two circuit boards to be tested, at least one of said circuit boards to be tested being insertable in said holder with its front side, and the other circuit board to be tested with its rear side, facing one of said two sets of contact fingers, and

both sets of contact fingers the circuit board test points on both the front and rear sides of said circuit board to be tested being contacted during a test procedure.

20. A circuit board tester, comprising:

holder for holding at least two circuit boards to be tested;

at least two sets of contact fingers being arranged on opposed sides of the holder to thereby test both sides of the at least two circuit boards; and

a controller for positioning said contact fingers on circuit board test points of the circuit boards to be tested;

wherein the holder has portions for accommodating the at least two circuit boards such that one of the circuit boards is held in front side up orientation and the other one of the circuit boards is held in a rear side up orientation.

21. A method for the testing of circuit boards, comprising:

inserting a first circuit board into a holder in a frontside up orientation;

inserting a second circuit board into the holder in a backside up orientation; and

contacting circuit board test points to test the circuit boards with a first set of contact fingers located on a first side of the holder while contacting circuit board test points to test the circuit boards with a second set of contact fingers located on a second side of the holder.