A test system

Abstract

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of circuit board testing, and discloses a test system, which comprises a host computer, a communication device and a test device, the test device comprises a main body part and a probe, the probe is configured to be installed on the main body part; the host computer is configured to be wirelessly connected in communication with the communication device, the main body part of the test device is configured to be wiredly connected in communication with the communication device; the host computer is configured to acquire position information and send the position information to the main body part of the test device through the communication device; the main body part of the test device moves the probe to a test point corresponding to the position information on a circuit board to be tested and makes the probe contact the test point, so as to collect electric signal data and send a test result determined based on the electric signal data to the host computer through the communication device. The host computer is wirelessly connected in communication with the communication device, so that the host computer can remotely control the test device to test the circuit board to be tested, thereby improving the applicability of the test system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of circuit board testing technology, and in particular to a testing system. Background Technology

[0002] Electronic products include printed circuit boards (PCBs). PCBs prevent errors from manual wiring, ensuring product quality, improving labor productivity, reducing costs, and facilitating repair. Every electronic product requires a PCB design during its development. Newly designed PCBs need to be tested to ensure their integrity and stability.

[0003] Currently, the most common PCB circuit board testing methods involve manual testing. However, since PCB circuit boards contain several test points that need to be tested, manual testing of PCB circuit boards takes a long time and is inefficient. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of this application mainly provide a testing system that can improve the efficiency of circuit board testing.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned technical effects, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions: In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a testing system, comprising: The host computer, communication device, and testing equipment, wherein the testing equipment includes a main body and probes, and the probes are configured to be mounted on the main body; The host computer is configured to wirelessly connect with the communication device, and the main body of the test equipment is configured to wiredly connect with the communication device. The host computer is configured to acquire position information and send the position information to the main body of the test device via a communication device. The main body of the test device moves the probe to the test point on the circuit board under test corresponding to the position information and makes the probe contact the test point to collect electrical signal data. The test result determined based on the electrical signal data is then sent to the host computer via the communication device.

[0006] In some embodiments, the main body of the testing equipment includes a mobile device and an analyzer; The probe is configured to be mounted on a mobile device, which is configured to have a wired communication connection with a communication device; The analyzer is configured to have a wired communication connection with the communication device and an electrical connection with the probe.

[0007] In some embodiments, the main body includes a robotic arm.

[0008] In some embodiments, the communication device includes a first connection interface and a second connection interface; The first connection interface is configured to connect a mobile device via a cable; The second connection interface is configured to connect to the analyzer via a cable.

[0009] In some embodiments, both the first connection interface and the second connection interface are USB interfaces.

[0010] In some embodiments, the communication device includes a router.

[0011] In some embodiments, the host computer includes a display screen; The display screen is configured to show test results, electrical signal data, probe positions, and / or test status.

[0012] In some embodiments, the host computer includes a network interface card (NIC).

[0013] In some embodiments, the analyzer includes an oscilloscope connected to probes via cables; The oscilloscope is configured to acquire electrical signal data at test points via probes for analysis and send the test results to a host computer.

[0014] In some embodiments, the host computer includes a memory.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this application's embodiments: Unlike existing technologies, this application provides a testing system comprising: a host computer, a communication device, and a testing device. The testing device includes a main body and probes, with the probes configured to be mounted on the main body. The host computer is configured to wirelessly connect with the communication device, and the main body of the testing device is configured to wiredly connect with the communication device. The host computer is configured to acquire position information and send it to the main body of the testing device via the communication device. The main body of the testing device moves the probes to the test point on the circuit board under test corresponding to the position information and makes the probes contact the test point to collect electrical signal data. The test result determined based on the electrical signal data is then sent to the host computer via the communication device. This method, by wirelessly connecting the host computer and the communication device, enables the host computer to remotely control the testing device to test the circuit board under test, achieving remote and local collaborative work, thereby improving the applicability of the testing system. Attached Figure Description

[0016] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference numerals in the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0017] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a testing system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a testing system provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present application will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present application, but do not limit the present application in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present application. These all fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0020] It should be noted that, unless there is a conflict, the various features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other, all of which are within the protection scope of this application. Furthermore, although functional modules are divided in the device schematic diagram and a logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in a different order than the module division in the device or the order in the flowchart. In addition, the terms "first," "second," and "third" used herein do not limit the data or execution order, but only distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. The term "and / or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0022] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of this application described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0023] After the circuitry and components on a PCB are soldered, the signals at the chip pins are easily contaminated by layers of packaging leads, pads, vias, crosstalk, power supply noise, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to collect electrical signal data at each node of the PCB after soldering to monitor for abnormalities such as jitter, overshoot, and noise within the PCB, thereby testing the performance of the PCB.

[0024] To avoid damage to the PCB circuit board caused by direct contact between the testing equipment and the chip pins during the acquisition of the aforementioned electrical signal data, thus increasing the cost of PCB circuit board testing, technicians reserve several test pads on some nodes of the PCB circuit board during the PCB design phase. These pads serve as pre-defined test points for connection to the testing equipment. The testing equipment can then collect electrical signal data corresponding to these pre-defined test points and perform relevant data analysis to complete the performance testing of the PCB circuit board.

[0025] Currently, the common method for testing PCB circuit boards is to manually operate testing equipment to test each test point on the PCB circuit board. However, since there are several test points on the PCB circuit board, it takes a long time to test each test point manually, resulting in low testing efficiency. In addition, manually controlling the connection between the testing equipment and the test points can lead to inaccurate test results due to control factors such as connection position deviation.

[0026] In view of this, please refer to Figure 1 This application provides a testing system 100, including a host computer 110, a communication device 120, and a testing device 130. The testing device 130 includes a main body 131 and a probe 132. The probe 132 is mounted on the main body 131. By contacting the test points on the circuit board under test, the testing device 130 can collect the electrical signal data corresponding to the test points. The host computer 110 is wirelessly connected to the communication device 120, and the main body 131 of the testing device 130 is wiredly connected to the communication device 120. The host computer 110 includes a memory 111.

[0027] Understandably, the circuit board under test has several test points. During the testing process, the technician imports a configuration file into the host computer 110. This configuration file includes the location information of several test points, the storage format of the test results, whether to output the maximum / minimum value of the test results, and whether to output the difference between the maximum and minimum values. The host computer 110 obtains the position information corresponding to several test points according to the configuration file, and sends the position information to the main body 131 of the test device via the communication device 120 using G-instructions (standard motion control instructions for CNC machine tools). The main body 131 of the test device 130 moves the probe 132 to the test point corresponding to the position information on the circuit board under test according to the received position information, and makes the probe 132 make contact with the test point to establish an electrical connection. The probe 132 sends a trigger signal to the test point electrically connected to the probe, and at the same time, it collects the electrical signal data of the trigger signal after passing through the circuit board through the test point. Then, it performs corresponding data analysis based on the collected electrical signal parameters, and sends the test results obtained from the data analysis to the host computer 110 via the communication device 120. The host computer 110 obtains the test result storage format according to the configuration file, and stores the received test results into the memory 111 according to the storage format.

[0028] By wirelessly connecting the host computer 110 to the communication device 120 and wiredly connecting the main body 131 of the test equipment 130 to the communication device 120, the host computer 110 can remotely control the main body 131 of the test equipment 130 via the communication device 120. Furthermore, by importing a configuration file containing the location information of all test points, the location information of each test point is sequentially sent to the main body 131 of the test equipment 130, enabling the main body 131 to automatically move according to the received location information to perform tests on the test points. Compared to manually controlling the test equipment 130 to test the PCB circuit board, the above method not only improves the testing efficiency of the test system 100 but also allows for remote control of the circuit board testing via the host computer 110, thus enhancing the applicability of the test system 100.

[0029] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2The main body 131 of the testing equipment 130 includes a moving device 131a and an analyzer 131b. The moving device 131a is equipped with a probe 132 and is wiredly connected to a communication device 120. The analyzer 131b is wiredly connected to the communication device 120 and electrically connected to the probe 132. It is understood that the moving device 131a internally houses a control chip. The control chip receives the test point location information sent by the host computer 110 through the communication device 120 and controls the moving device 131a to move accordingly to the test point. This allows the probe 132 on the moving device 131a to accurately contact the test point corresponding to the moved position. In other words, the analyzer 131b can electrically connect to the test point corresponding to the moved position through the probe 132, send a trigger signal to the corresponding test point through the probe 132, and collect the electrical signal data of the trigger signal fed back through the circuit board. Therefore, the analyzer 131b can collect electrical signal data from the test point electrically connected to the probe 132 via the probe 132, analyze the electrical signal data, and obtain the corresponding test results. Then, the analyzer 131b sends the obtained test results to the host computer 110 for storage via the wired communication device 120.

[0030] In some embodiments, please refer again Figure 2 The mobile device 131a includes a robotic arm 131a1. The robotic arm 131a1 includes a base with a sliding mechanism, a joint portion capable of adjusting its posture, an end effector for connecting to a probe 132, a driver for moving the robotic arm 131a1, and a controller for controlling the entire robotic arm 131a1. During testing of test points on the circuit board, the robotic arm 131a1 receives position information of several test points on the circuit board from a host computer 110 via a wired communication device 120. This position information is a G-command representing the three-dimensional coordinates of the test points. The anchor point of this three-dimensional coordinate is obtained based on the coordinate system of the robotic arm 131a1. Therefore, the host computer 110 can directly send the coordinate information of the test points to the controller of the robotic arm 131a1. The controller, based on the received coordinate information, controls the movement of the base and the joint portion via the driver, thereby enabling the probe 132 at the end of the robotic arm 131a1 to accurately contact the test point corresponding to the coordinate information.

[0031] The robotic arm 131a1 controls its base and joints to move to the coordinates corresponding to the test point based on the received position information, and transmits its own position coordinates back to the host computer 110 in real time. After confirming that the robotic arm 131a1 is at the same coordinate position as the test point, the host computer 110 controls the analyzer 131b to send a trigger signal to the test point through the probe 132, and collects the electrical signal data of the feedback signal after the trigger signal passes through the circuit. The test result of the corresponding test point is obtained by analyzing the electrical signal data. The above method can avoid the situation where the coordinate position of the robotic arm 131a1 does not coincide with the coordinate position of the test point, that is, when the probe 132 is not aligned with the test point, the joint movement is controlled to move the probe 132 to contact the circuit board, causing a certain error between the electrical signal data collected by the analyzer 131b and the actual electrical signal data of the test point, thus leading to an incorrect test result for the test point and a decrease in the test accuracy of the test system 100.

[0032] In some embodiments, please refer again Figure 2 The communication device 120 includes a first connection interface 121a and a second connection interface 121b. The first connection interface 121a is connected to the mobile device 131a via a cable; the second connection interface 121b is connected to the analyzer 131b via a cable. Both the first connection interface 121a and the second connection interface 121b are USB interfaces. The communication device 120 includes a router 121; the host computer 110 includes a network card 112.

[0033] Understandably, the host computer 110 establishes a wireless communication connection with the router 121 through the router's IP address and network card 112. The router 121 connects to the mobile device 131a and the analyzer 131b respectively through two different USB connection interfaces, the first connection interface 121a and the second connection interface 121b. Both the router 121 and the host computer 110 support the USB over IP protocol, which encapsulates the data transmission protocol of the USB device into the IP network protocol, so that the device connected to the router 121 through the USB interface can be remotely accessed and used through the network, just as if the device were directly connected to the host computer 110. Therefore, the mobile device 131a and the analyzer 131b are connected via two different USB connection interfaces, and then the host computer 110 wirelessly connects to the router 121 via the IP address of the router 121. Since both the host computer 110 and the router 121 support the USB over IP protocol, the host computer 110 can wirelessly connect to the router 121 and recognize the mobile device 131a and the analyzer 131b which are wired to the router 121 via the USB interface.

[0034] The mobile device 131a and the analyzer 131b are connected via two different USB interfaces, the first connection interface 121a and the second connection interface 121b, respectively. At the same time, the host computer 110 is wirelessly connected to the router 121 via the IP address of the router 121 and the network card 112. This allows the mobile device 131a and the analyzer 131b to be mapped onto the host computer 110 through the router 121. Thus, even if the mobile device 131a and the analyzer 131b are not wired to the host computer 110, the host computer 110 can still control and interact with the mobile device 131a and the analyzer 131b through the above method. That is, the host computer 110 can remotely control the test equipment 130 to test the PCB circuit board, thereby improving the applicability of the test system 100.

[0035] In some embodiments, please refer again Figure 2 The host computer 110 includes a display screen 113; the display screen 113 is used to display test results, electrical signal data, the position of probe 132 and / or test status. During the testing of the circuit board test points by the host computer 110, the host computer 110 first runs the corresponding test program. This test program can retrieve the relevant electrical signal data of the test points collected by the analyzer 131b through the API interface corresponding to the analyzer 131b, or the test results obtained by the analyzer 131b after analyzing the electrical signal data, and transmit the test results or electrical signal data back to the host computer 110 through the router 121 for real-time display on the display screen 113.

[0036] It is understood that the real-time test results mentioned above refer to the test results of the test points currently being tested, not the test results of all test points. Simultaneously, during its movement, the robotic arm 131a1 transmits its coordinate position back to the host computer 110 in real time, which displays the results on the screen 113. Since the robotic arm 131a1 has a probe 132 at its end, the coordinate position of the robotic arm 131a1 is the same as the coordinate position of the probe 132. By detecting the real-time position of the robotic arm 131a1, the host computer can accurately control the real-time position of the probe 132. Therefore, when the probe 132 moves to the test point, the test program can control the analyzer 131b to send a trigger signal to collect electrical signal data.

[0037] The test status includes "testing in progress" and "test completed." During the test, the host computer 110 displays the test results of each test point in real time on the display screen 113 and stores the test results of all test points in a preset format according to the configuration file requirements. Therefore, the test result file is continuously updated and written before the test is completed. If the file is exported before the test is completed, the complete test results of the test points cannot be obtained. Based on this, after the PCB circuit board test is completed, a pop-up window is displayed on the display screen 113 of the host computer 110 to indicate the test status of the PCB circuit board test. This prompts the technicians that the test is now complete, and the technicians can perform operations such as exporting or reading the test result file.

[0038] In some embodiments, please refer again Figure 2 The analyzer 131b includes an oscilloscope 113b1, which is connected to a probe 132 via a cable. The oscilloscope 113b1 is used to acquire and analyze electrical signal data from test points via the probe 132, and then sends the analyzed test results to a host computer 110. First, after establishing an electrical connection between the probe 132 and the test point, the oscilloscope 113b1 sends a trigger signal to the test point via the probe 132. Simultaneously, it acquires the electrical signal data of the feedback signal after the trigger signal passes through the circuit board via the probe 132, and transmits the acquired electrical signal to the input terminal of the oscilloscope 113b1 via a shielded cable. Next, the oscilloscope 113b1 amplifies and filters the input electrical signal to remove noise and interference. Then, it converts the analog signal into a digital signal and displays the digital data as a visualized waveform. The process involves analyzing the collected electrical signal data, including time-domain analysis, frequency-domain analysis, or mathematical operation analysis. The numerical and graphical data of the electrical signal data are analyzed to obtain the test results of the corresponding test points. The test results are then sent to the host computer 110 for display and storage via a router 121 connected by wired communication.

[0039] Understandably, when testing the test points on the circuit board via the host computer 110, the host computer 110 first runs the corresponding test program to control the entire testing process. Based on this, during data transmission, the host computer 110 calls the API interface corresponding to the analyzer 131b through the test program. This method not only enables the analyzer 131b to acquire the electrical signal data of the test points through this API interface, but also enables the host computer 110 to acquire the electrical signal data collected by the analyzer 131b or the corresponding test results through this API interface. The aforementioned API interface is the NI-VISA (National Instruments Virtual Instrument Software Architecture) interface.

[0040] Understandably, please refer to Figure 2 The host computer 110 also includes a controller 114, which is communicatively connected to the display screen 113, the memory 111, and the network card 112. When testing the circuit board using this solution, the host computer 110 is wirelessly connected to the router 121, while the robotic arm 131a1 and the oscilloscope 113b1 are wiredly connected to the router 121 via different USB interfaces. Therefore, after running the corresponding test program on the host computer 110, the devices wired to the router 121 are mapped to the host computer 110 via the IP address of the wirelessly connected router 121, and the USB interfaces of the robotic arm 131a1 and the oscilloscope 113b1 are opened through the host computer 110. The results of the above operations are judged. If the USB interfaces of the robotic arm 131a1 and the oscilloscope 113b1 fail to open, a pop-up prompt is displayed on the test program interface of the host computer 110, reminding technicians to perform corresponding troubleshooting tests.

[0041] After confirming that the USB interfaces of the robotic arm 131a1 and the oscilloscope 113b1 are successfully opened, the configuration file needs to be imported. This configuration file includes the position information of the test points on the circuit board under test and the storage format of the test results. The host computer 110 parses the configuration file according to preset rules, obtains the position information (three-dimensional coordinates) corresponding to the test points, and uses G commands to represent the obtained position information. At the same time, the above G commands are sent to the robotic arm 131a1 through the router 121 connected by wireless communication. The controller of the robotic arm 131a1 drives the base and joints of the robotic arm 131a1 to move according to the received test point position information, so that the probe 132 set at the end of the robotic arm 131a1 can accurately contact the test point at the corresponding position. Since the configuration file contains the position information of several test points, after the test program obtains the position information corresponding to multiple test points, it sends the corresponding position information of different test points to the robotic arm 131a1 in sequence.

[0042] During the movement of the robotic arm 131a1, it transmits its own position coordinates back to the host computer 110 in real time. The test program monitors the position of the robotic arm 131a1 by reading its real-time coordinates. When its real-time coordinates coincide with the position coordinates corresponding to the test point, the robotic arm 131a1 controls the probe 132 at the end of the robotic arm 131a1 to contact the test point on the circuit board, that is, the probe 132 is electrically connected to the test point. At the same time, the oscilloscope 113b1 sends a trigger signal to the test point electrically connected to the probe 132, and collects the electrical signal data of the feedback signal after the trigger signal passes through the circuit board through the probe 132.

[0043] Then, the oscilloscope 113b1 uses the corresponding API interface and probe 132, which is electrically connected to the test point, to acquire the electrical signal data of the feedback signal after the trigger signal passes through the circuit board. The acquired electrical signal data is then subjected to numerical or image analysis to obtain the test result corresponding to that test point. Simultaneously, the test program calls the corresponding API interface of the oscilloscope 113b1 to obtain the digitized electrical signal data or the analyzed test results from the oscilloscope 113b1. This data is then transmitted back to the host computer 110 via router 121, which is connected to the oscilloscope 113b1 via USB wired communication. The host computer 110 displays the data in real time and stores it according to the format specified in the configuration file. After obtaining the test results corresponding to the test point, the test program determines whether the test is complete, i.e., whether all test points with location information written in the configuration file have been tested. If the test is complete, a pop-up window appears on the test program interface, notifying the technician that the test is complete and allowing them to export or view the stored test result file.

[0044] In summary, this application achieves this by wirelessly connecting the host computer to the router and wiredly connecting the robotic arm and analyzer to the router via two different USB interfaces (first and second connection interfaces). This allows testing equipment such as the robotic arm and analyzer to be directly mapped to the host computer, enabling technicians to control these devices, even those not directly connected, remotely via the host computer. This allows for remote control of the testing equipment for PCB circuit board testing, enabling remote and local collaborative operation during PCB testing and improving the system's applicability. Furthermore, the host computer parses a configuration file containing test point location information according to preset parsing rules and sequentially sends the parsed test point location information to the testing equipment, enabling automatic testing of the PCB circuit board test points and significantly improving the system's testing efficiency.

[0045] It should be noted that the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0046] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and not to limit them; under the concept of this application, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of this application as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity; although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A testing system, characterized in that, include: The host computer, communication device, and testing equipment, wherein the testing equipment includes a main body and probes, the probes being configured to be mounted on the main body; The host computer is configured to wirelessly connect with the communication device, and the main body of the test equipment is configured to wiredly connect with the communication device. The host computer is configured to acquire location information and send the location information to the main body of the test equipment via the communication device. The main body of the test equipment moves the probe to the test point on the circuit board under test corresponding to the location information and makes the probe contact the test point to collect electrical signal data and send the test result determined based on the electrical signal data to the host computer via the communication device.

2. The testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body of the testing equipment includes a mobile device and an analyzer; The probe is configured to be mounted on the mobile device, which is configured to be wired to the communication device; The analyzer is configured to have a wired communication connection with the communication device and an electrical connection with the probe.

3. The testing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mobile device includes a robotic arm.

4. The testing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The communication device includes a first connection interface and a second connection interface; The first connection interface is configured to connect the mobile device via a cable; The second connection interface is configured to connect to the analyzer via a cable.

5. The testing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, Both the first connection interface and the second connection interface are USB interfaces.

6. The testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The communication device includes a router.

7. The testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The host computer includes a display screen; The display screen is configured to display the test results, the electrical signal data, the position of the probe, and / or the test status.

8. The testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The host computer includes a network card.

9. The testing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The analyzer includes an oscilloscope, which is connected to the probe via a cable; The oscilloscope is configured to acquire and analyze electrical signal data at the test points through the probe, and send the test results to the host computer.

10. The testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The host computer includes a memory.

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