Side-Mounted Test Pads for Compact Circuit Board Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
As consumer electronic products and circuit boards decrease in size, traditional testing methods that rely on test pads or points on the top or bottom surfaces become inefficient, consuming valuable space and requiring probe tips to move across multiple regions, thereby increasing the size of the circuit board and products.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of side-mounted test pads and interconnect points on circuit boards, allowing test probes to be applied to test points on at least one side plane, enabling electrical testing and interconnection without occupying top or bottom surface space, and using elastomeric materials to facilitate these connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If test pads or test points are located on the top or bottom surface of the circuit board, then testing can be performed, but the surface area consumed by test pads increases the size of the circuit board and resulting consumer products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves test points from the traditional top or bottom surfaces of the circuit board to the side surfaces (edges) of the board. This dimensional relocation allows testing functionality to be achieved without consuming valuable top or bottom surface area, thereby reducing the overall footprint of the circuit board while maintaining complete testing capability.
2Reliability
If an array of probe tips moves from one region to the next to complete testing, then testing coverage is achieved, but the test process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
By pre-positioning test points on the side surfaces of the circuit board in accessible locations, the patent enables the probe array to contact multiple test points simultaneously or in rapid sequence without requiring complex movement between distant regions. This preliminary placement of test points optimizes the testing sequence and reduces the time required to achieve complete testing coverage.
3Area of stationary object
If consumer electronic products decrease in size, then product compactness is improved, but test points are restricted to a small surface area making testing more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the space constraint issue by relocating test points to the side surfaces of the circuit board. This dimensional change provides additional accessible areas for testing without requiring increased top or bottom surface area, thereby maintaining testing accessibility even as the overall product size decreases and compactness improves.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses for testing circuit boards having side mounted test pads are described here.In one aspect of the invention, a test method includes applying test probes to test pads located on at least one side plane of a circuit board. The test method further includes testing components of the circuit board by applying electrical signals to the test pads that are each coupled to at least one of a plurality of conductive members coupled to the circuit board.