The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 31, 1995
Filed:
Apr. 28, 1993
Toshiaki Ichinose, Yokohama, JP;
Takanori Ninomiya, Hiratsuka, JP;
Asahiro Kuni, Setagaya, JP;
Kozo Nakahata, Chigasaki, JP;
Toshimitsu Hamada, Yokohama, JP;
Toshihiko Ayabe, Yokohama, JP;
Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for inspecting a soldered joint with an X-ray, the soldered joint being formed by soldering a lead to a surface of a substrate. The method may include moving the substrate so as to move the surface of the substrate in an XY plane to position the soldered joint at a desired position in the XY plane, rotating the substrate so as to rotate the surface of the substrate in the XY plane to position the soldered joint at a desired orientation in the XY plane, rotating an X-ray source and a detector about the soldered joint in both of two mutually perpendicular planes perpendicular to the XY plane while maintaining the X-ray source and the detector at fixed positions relative to each other to establish a desired oblique irradiation angle between an X-ray from the X-ray source and the lead on the surface of the substrate, irradiating the soldered joint with the X-ray from the X-ray source at the desired oblique irradiation angle such that the X-ray is transmitted through the soldered joint and the substrate, detecting the X-ray transmitted through the soldered joint and the substrate with the detector, the detector producing an output signal indicative of the detected X-ray, and determining a condition of the soldered joint based on the output signal of the detector. The apparatus may operate in the same fashion.