Pylon Company, Inc.

Willis E Golder

Joseph A Ierardi

Robert E Staples

Michael C Boyle

Carl Beety, Jr

The test fixture for automatic testing equipment of the present invention includes a cover pivotally mounted to an electronic test bed, and means mounted to the cover and operative as the cover is closed to provide full surface contact with an electrical circuit device to be tested. In preferred embodiment, the test fixture includes a spring-loaded lid that is snap-latchable to, and push-button releasable from, a test bed. A lid panel-inset is rotatably mounted to the lid at a preselected acute angle thereto. The angle is selected such that the panel-inset provides full surface contact with an electrical circuit to be tested when the lid engages the electrical device. The panel-inset rotates to maintain full surface contact while the lid is latched to the test bed. The lid panel-inset provides an abutment surface that is always equally distant from the electrical circuit device to be tested which distributes the impact of the lid panel-inset uniformly over the entire surface area of the electrical circuit device to be tested, thereby substantially eliminating device misalignment occasioned by non-uniform forces and torques.

Test fixture having full surface contact hinged lid

A test fixture for selectively electrically connecting an electronic circuit device for in-circuit and functional testing by automatic testing equipment. First and second pluralities of spring-loaded probes are fastened to the test fixture for respectively providing an in-circuit contact array on a first level and a functional contact array on a second level. An electronic cicuit device receiving face is mounted to the test fixture for movement to the first level for electrically connecting the electronic circuit device to the in-circuit contact array, and for movement to the second level for electrically connecting the electronic circuit device to the functional contact array. Means including a bi-level vacuum controller are disclosed for selectively moving the electronic circuit device receiving face to the first and second levels. Means coupled to the bi-level vacuum controller are disclosed for venting the test fixture to ambient during transitions from higher to lower vacuum pressures and to the unactuated condition. The bi-level vacuum controller may be locally actuated by a system operator or remotely actuated by the automatic testing equipment.

Vacuum actuated bi-level test fixture

An automated tester for a wired PC board is adapted to receive a wired PC board and secure it in a predetermined position by vacuum pressure. After the board is fully secured in position, the vacuum pressure applied to a fixture having an array of electrical contacts forces the contacts into position on the contact fingers of the PC board to provide electrical connection through the tester to connectors whereby the board can be tested. The contact array is controlled in position to make contact with the board fingers only after all board motion induced by the vacuum pressure pulldown has ceased, thereby minimizing scraping action between array contacts and PC board fingers. The fixture further includes a linkage arm arrangement which increases the contacting force of the array at the point of making connection to the PC board fingers to augment the reliability of contact.

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Holliston, MA, United States of America

Willis E Golder