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:
Nov. 02, 1999
Filed:
Nov. 17, 1995
Kevin G Chandler, Loveland, CO (US);
Barry A Alcorn, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Bryan D Boswell, Loveland, CO (US);
John M Heumann, Loveland, CO (US);
Ed O Schlotzhauer, Loveland, CO (US);
Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
An automatic circuit board tester for testing for shorts, opens, and interconnected pins or nodes on a circuit board. The tester first classifies the nodes as being in one of three categories based upon the design of the board and the intended interconnection of the nodes. The categories of nodes are: (1) connected to ground; (2) interconnected to all other nodes in the test group; or (3) isolated from all other nodes. The circuit board tester has a testhead containing a plurality of test channels, each configured to be coupled to a node on the circuit board. The testhead utilizes a digital signal from a digital driver to drive the node, at a predetermined voltage and a digital receiver to read the node voltage to determine if it is coupled to ground. Each test channel also includes a switch to connect the digital driver and receiver to the test node as well as a ground switch to selectively couple the node to ground. Various combinations of switch positions and testing sequences enables the circuit board tester to test all node connections and to ensure that the physical embodiment of the circuit board accurately reflects the circuit board design.