Vision-Guided Modular Test System for Diverse Device Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
System-level testing (SLT) systems face challenges in accommodating diverse device types with different form factors, electrical interfaces, thermal requirements, and physical interfaces, limiting their ability to efficiently test a wide range of devices simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A modular test system with configurable packs and pick-and-place automation that supports various device types by using test sockets with different pitches and configurations, along with advanced temperature control and ionized air management, enabling simultaneous testing of devices with diverse characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed configuration test system is used, then the testing process is simple and reliable, but the system cannot accommodate diverse device types with different form factors, electrical interfaces, and thermal requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The test system is divided into modular packs, each containing test sockets with specific configurations for different device types. These packs can be independently configured and swapped, allowing the system to adapt to diverse devices without redesigning the entire system. Each pack is a self-contained module that can be optimized for specific testing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The test system employs dynamically reconfigurable test sockets that can adjust their electrical interface configurations based on the device being tested. The sockets support multiple pin assignments and electrical characteristics that can be programmed and changed during operation, enabling a single physical socket to accommodate various device types with different interface requirements.
2Productivity
If multiple device types are tested simultaneously, then testing throughput increases, but alignment precision and thermal control become more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The test system incorporates vision-guided pick-and-place automation that uses machine vision to automatically locate, align, and position devices onto test sockets. The system captures images, processes them to determine precise device locations and orientations, and adjusts picker positions accordingly, enabling accurate alignment even when handling multiple diverse device types simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The pick-and-place automation system is designed with universal capabilities to handle multiple device types through a single gantry and picker assembly. The system can service different pack configurations and accommodate various device form factors, pitches, and orientations using the same hardware infrastructure, maintaining precision through software-controlled adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional thermal management is used, then the system structure is simple, but it cannot provide independent temperature control for multiple devices with different thermal requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal management system is segmented into independent thermal zones, with each test socket or pack having its own temperature control capability. This allows different regions of the test system to be maintained at different temperatures according to the specific thermal requirements of each device being tested, rather than using a single unified thermal environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal control system dynamically adjusts temperature parameters for different test sockets based on the devices being tested. Each socket can be independently heated or cooled to match the optimal operating temperature requirements of different device types, with the system able to change temperature settings rapidly and independently for each zone.
4Productivity
If manual device handling is used, then the system is simpler, but testing speed and throughput are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical handling with automated pick-and-place robots equipped with vision guidance. These automated systems use robotic pickers mounted on a gantry to automatically grasp, transport, and place devices onto test sockets, eliminating manual operations and significantly increasing testing speed and throughput while maintaining precision through feedback control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves efficient and flexible testing of multiple device types with different characteristics, ensuring proper alignment, thermal management, and electrostatic protection, thereby enhancing testing throughput and precision.
Implementation Method 1
The test system may include an air-to-liquid heat exchanger to produce the cool air from circulated warm air from the warm atrium
Implementation Method 2
one or more fans to move the cool air into the cool atrium
Implementation Method 3
The test system may include an ionized air supply and one or more fans to move ionized air from the ionized air supply over at least some of the test sockets
Data Source
AI summary
An example test system includes test sites that include sockets for testing devices under test (DUTs), pickers for picking DUTs from the sockets or placing the DUTs in the sockets, and a gantry on which the pickers are mounted. The gantry is configured to move the pickers relative to the test sites to position the pickers for picking the DUTs from the sockets or placing the DUTs into the sockets. The test system also includes one or more LASER range finders mounted on the gantry for movement over the DUTs in the sockets and in conjunction with movement of the pickers. A LASER range finder among the one or more LASER rangefinders mounted on the gantry is configured to detect a distance to a DUT placed into a socket.