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Tester interconnect system

  • US 5,124,636 A
  • Filed: 02/22/1991
  • Issued: 06/23/1992
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In an automatic circuit tester comprising system pins adapted for connection to test points in a device under test and further including instruments for producing signals or monitoring signals applied thereto, the combination comprising:

  • A) a signal bus comprising an ordered sequence of links, each of which has first, and second opposite ends;

    B) a plurality of connection modules, each connection module being associated with a respective pair of first and second adjacent links, connected to the second end of the first link of the pair associated therewith and to the first end of the second link of the pair associated therewith, each of at least three of the connection modules being associated with at least a respective one of a plurality of tester resources, at least one of the tester resources being a system pin and at least one other of the tester resources being one of the instruments, each connection module being operable among first, second, and third module states such that;

    i in the first module state thereof, each connection module couples the second and first ends of the first and second links, respectively, of the pair of links associated therewith to each other so as to provide continuity between those links but isolate them from each tester resource associated therewith;

    ii in the second module state thereof, each connection module connects the second end of the first link associated therewith to a tester resource associated therewith and isolates the first end of the second link associated therewith from the first link and each tester resource associated therewith; and

    iii in the third state thereof, each connection module couples the first end of the second link associated therewith to a tester resource associated therewith and isolates the second end of the first link associated therewith from each tester resource associated therewith and from the second link associated therewith; and

    C) a control circuit, arranged for selectively assuming one of a plurality of control states, each of which is associated with a different pair of connection modules and in which the control circuit operates one of the associated pair of connection modules to its second state, the other to its third state, and all connection modules between the modules associated with that control state to their first states, whereby, in each control state, the tester provides a signal path between tester resources associated with the connection modules associated with that control state while isolating those resources from links in the bus beyond the part thereof providing the connection between the connection modules associated with that control state.

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