Smart Card Programmer Alignment Substrate for Visual Pin Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of aligning contact pins on a chip programming head with electrical contacts on a programmable chip is not adequately addressed, leading to potential communication failures during chip programming.
Innovation Solution
An alignment substrate with a test chip and alignment features is used to visually verify the alignment of contact pins with electrical contact pads, allowing for adjustment and ensuring proper alignment before programming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If contact pins are adjusted to align with electrical contacts, then alignment precision is improved, but the complexity of the alignment process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an alignment substrate as an intermediary tool between the chip programming head and the programmable chip. This substrate contains alignment features (such as alignment marks or test chips) that provide visual reference points, allowing operators to easily verify and adjust contact pin alignment without directly measuring the final chip contacts. The intermediary substrate simplifies the alignment process by providing a convenient reference standard.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment substrate creates a simplified copy or representation of the actual chip contact arrangement. By replicating the contact pad layout and adding visible alignment features on the substrate, the patent allows operators to practice alignment and verify positioning without working directly with the actual programmable chip, thereby reducing the complexity of the alignment process.
2Measurement precision
If alignment verification is performed manually, then measurement precision is improved, but the time required for alignment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment substrate incorporates visually distinct alignment features such as colored marks, contrasting patterns, or illuminated indicators that make proper alignment immediately visible to the operator. These visual cues allow for rapid verification of contact pin alignment without requiring complex measurement procedures, thereby reducing alignment time while maintaining precision through clear visual feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment substrate is designed to self-indicate proper alignment through its inherent alignment features. When the contact pins are correctly positioned, the alignment marks on the substrate automatically provide visual confirmation, eliminating the need for additional verification steps or complex measurement procedures. This self-verifying capability speeds up the alignment process while ensuring accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
An alignment substrate that contains a test chip connected to contact pads, as well as alignment features, is positioned relative to a chip programming head. When the alignment substrate and the chip programming head are actuated toward one another so that the contact pins are near or in contact with the contact pads, the alignment features allow a user to visually verify that the contact pins are on the same alignment plane as the alignment substrate, and therefore on the same alignment plane as a card with a programmable chip to be programmed.