Static-free interrogating connector for electric components
First Claim
1. A connector for contacting an electric component comprising:
- a housing including means for locating said component in a specified physical relationship to said housing;
a plurality of contact members carried by and biased with respect to said housing so as to be urged into physical contact with a predetermined electric component in said specified physical relationship to said housing;
conductor means located such that at least some of said biased contact members are urged into electrically conductive relation with said conductor means when no electric component is in said specified physical relationship to said housing, and such that selected contact members are displaced out of their electrically conductive relation to said conductor means when an electric component is in said specified physical relationship to said housing, different combinations of said contact members being displaced by different electric components; and
means connected to said contact members for determining the combination of displacements of said contact members when an electric component is in said specified physical relationship to said housing, and for identifying the component responsive thereto.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved connector for connection to and identification and testing of electric components such as integrated circuits is described which features a number of spring biased contact elements normally in contacting relation with a shorting bar. When a particular component is placed in a specified physical relation to the connector, a combination of exposed electrical contacts and nonconductive elements on the component to be tested displace specified ones of the contact members away from the shorting bars, providing a connection pattern which can be detected. At the same time, test signals can be applied to the electric component to be tested. The circuit may be identified and its specific parameters identified and characterized in a single operation according to the invention. Advantageously, the shorting bar is grounded so that any static charge on the component to be tested is grounded before the contact elements are displaced from the shorting bar.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A connector for contacting an electric component comprising:
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a housing including means for locating said component in a specified physical relationship to said housing; a plurality of contact members carried by and biased with respect to said housing so as to be urged into physical contact with a predetermined electric component in said specified physical relationship to said housing; conductor means located such that at least some of said biased contact members are urged into electrically conductive relation with said conductor means when no electric component is in said specified physical relationship to said housing, and such that selected contact members are displaced out of their electrically conductive relation to said conductor means when an electric component is in said specified physical relationship to said housing, different combinations of said contact members being displaced by different electric components; and means connected to said contact members for determining the combination of displacements of said contact members when an electric component is in said specified physical relationship to said housing, and for identifying the component responsive thereto. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. In combination, an electric component and a connector for making electrical connection to a plurality of exposed contact elements on the component, said component comprising a body comprising locating means and a number of exposed contact elements, said connector comprising a plurality of contact members and a housing, said housing including locating means for mating with said locating means on the component, such that the physical position of the contact elements on the component is defined with respect to the contact members of the connector,
said contact members of said connector each comprising a fixed portion mounted in said housing, a terminal portion for electrical connection to a conductor, and a movable portion at least partially exposed with respect to said housing and adapted to engage a contact element on said electric component, at least said movable portion being biased into a rest position from which it is displaced when it engages a contact element on said component, said connector further comprising shorting means adapted to physically contact and be in electrically conductive relation with the movable portions of at least some of said contact members when in said rest position, said plurality of said contact members being arranged in at least one row and said shorting means comprising a conductive bar extending transversely to said row.
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13. In combination, an electric component and a connector for making electrical connection to a plurality of exposed contact elements on the component, said component comprising a body comprising locating means and a number of exposed contact elements, said connector comprising a plurality of contact members and a housing, said housing including locating means for mating with said locating means on the component, such that the physical position of the contact elements on the component is defined with respect to the contact members of the connector,
said contact members of said connector each comprising a fixed portion mounted in said housing, a terminal portion for electrical connection to a conductor, and a movable portion at least partially exposed with respect to said housing and adapted to engage a contact element on said electric component, at least said movable portion being biased into a rest position from which it is displaced when it engages a contact element on said component, said connector further comprising shorting means adapted to physically contact and be in electrically conductive relation with the movable portions of at least some of said contact members when in rest position, in further combination with means connected to said contact members for identifying a particular component responsive to interaction of the contact members with the particular component.
Specification