Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-14
2001-04-17
Metjahic, Safet (Department: 2858)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components
Of individual circuit component or element
75
Reexamination Certificate
active
06218849
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an IC testing apparatus, and in particular, to an IC testing apparatus which is provided with a positioned status recognition apparatus on a handler for inspecting the attitude of an IC, which is a device to be measured, as it is seated on a contact assembly of an IC socket.
An IC testing apparatus comprises a mechanism, generally referred to as a handler, which mounts IC's to be tested on an IC socket of the testing apparatus successively and which classifies tested IC's on the basis of test results, and a testing apparatus proper which applies a test signal to an IC to be tested in order to perform an electrical test. Detachably mounted on the handler is a socket guide on which an IC socket having an IC to be tested carried thereon is mounted. The IC socket
2
and the socket guide
3
on which it is mounted vary depending on the variety of an IC to be tested. Accordingly, when IC's of different varieties are to be tested, it is necessary to change the IC socket
2
and the socket guide
3
. A conventional example will be described with reference to FIG.
3
.
In
FIG. 3
, there is shown an IC socket
2
which is substantially rectangular in its outer configuration and which is mounted on a socket guide
3
, which is in turn mounted on the base of a handler. An IC abutment
20
has a cross section in the horizontal plane which is rectangular in a manner corresponding to the outer configuration of an IC, having pairs of opposing sides which run parallel to each other. When an ICI which is held attracted by an attraction pad, not shown, is dropped onto the IC abutment
20
, the orientation of the IC is defined by the latter. Specifically, the IC abutment has a bottom surface
21
, a pair of bevelled lateral guide taper surfaces
22
X and a pair of bevelled longitudinal guide taper surfaces
22
Y guiding the dropped IC
1
so that its lower surface
13
is brought into proper contact with the bottom surface
21
of the IC abutment
20
, the respective pair of surfaces being parallel to each other. The attraction head which holds the IC attracted thereto is positioned above the IC abutment and is then driven downward, followed by releasing the suction applied to allow the IC
1
to drop onto the IC abutment. IC
1
has terminal pins
11
, the free ends of which then contact the longitudinal guide taper surfaces
22
Y, while the outer casing
12
of the IC
1
contacts the lateral guide taper surfaces
22
X. In this manner, IC
1
moves down while being guided by these guide taper surfaces, and if it comes to a stop with the lower surface
13
of IC
1
in proper contact with the bottom surface
21
of the IC abutment
20
, the terminal pins
11
of IC
1
are positioned on a socket contact assembly
24
(see
FIG. 2
) at the same time therewith. The socket contact assembly
24
is connected to an IC testing apparatus proper through an adaptor socket
5
, a socket board or a performance board
6
.
A positioned status recognition apparatus which inspects whether or not IC
1
is properly positioned on the IC abutment
20
of the IC socket
2
utilizes a light transmission type sensor comprising a light projector element
41
and a light receptor element
42
which receives the light projected by the light projector element
41
. In the prior art, as shown in
FIG. 3
, the light projector element
41
is inserted into a through-opening
3
TL formed in the socket guide
3
and disposed to the left of IC
1
to be measured while the light receptor element
42
is inserted into a through-opening
3
TR formed in the socket guide and disposed to the right of the IC
1
to be measured. When the light projector element
41
projects light, the light will be interrupted by IC
1
, if it exists, and thus the light cannot be received by the light receptor element
42
. By contrast, in the absence of IC
1
, the light projected by the light projector element
41
directly impinges on the light receptor element
42
, allowing the absence of IC
1
to be recognized.
In a conventional arrangement, in order to allow different varieties of IC's to be tested, it is necessary that the light projector element
41
and the light receptor element be removed from the through-openings
3
TL,
3
TR in the IC socket
2
and the socket
3
which are currently used, the set of IC sockets
2
and socket guide
3
be changed to one which is commensurate with the variety of an IC which is to be tested next and which is then mounted on the base of a handler, and the light projector element
41
and the light receptor element
42
be again mounted in the through-openings
3
TL,
3
TR in the changed socket guide
3
, causing an inconvenience.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an IC testing apparatus which permits an easy replacement of a socket guide having an IC socket in accordance with the variety of an IC to be tested and which eliminates the need for removal/insertion of a light projector and a light receptor element.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided an IC testing apparatus including a handler on which an IC socket and a socket guide on which the IC socket is centrally mounted are mounted, and comprising
a projected light guide embedded in the socket guide and having a light incident end which is located on the peripheral edge of the socket guide and having a light radiating end on which a light reflecting surface is formed;
a received light guide embedded in the socket guide in parallel relationship with the projected light guide and having a light incident end on which a light reflecting surface is formed;
a light projector element disposed on the handler in opposing relationship with the projected light guide;
and a light receptor element disposed on the handler in opposing relationship with the received light guide.
The IC testing apparatus may include a single set of projected light guide and received light guide.
In the IC testing apparatus, the projected light guide may be formed by a pair of mutually adjacent, parallel projected light guides having different lengths and the received light guide may be formed by a pair of mutually adjacent, parallel received light guides having different lengths. The difference in the length between the pair of mutually adjacent, parallel projected light guides and the difference in the length between the pair of mutually adjacent, parallel received light guides may be chosen in a manner corresponding to the size of the outer configuration of an IC being measured.
In the IC testing apparatus, a further projected light guide which is embedded in the socket guide
3
in orthogonal relationship to the projected light guide mentioned above, a further received light guide embedded in the socket guide
3
in parallel relationship with the further projected light guide, a light projector element disposed in an opposing relationship with the further projected light guide, and a light receptor element disposed in an opposing relationship with the further received light guide may be provided.
In the IC testing apparatus, either one of a set of the first mentioned projected light guide and received light guide or another set of the further projected light guide and received light guide may be formed by a set of a pair of mutually adjacent, parallel projected light guides having different lengths and a pair of mutually adjacent, parallel received light guides having different lengths. In the IC testing apparatus, the difference in the length between the pair of mutually adjacent, parallel projected light guides and the difference in the length between the pair of mutually adjacent, parallel received light guides may be chosen in a manner corresponding to the size of the outer configuration of an IC being measured.
In the IC testing apparatus, both the set of the first mentioned projected light guide and received light guide and the set of the further projected light guide and received light guide may be formed each by a set of a pair of mutually adjacent, parallel proj
Advantest Corporation
Gallagher & Lathrop
Kobert Russell M.
Lathrop David N.
Metjahic Safet
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