Electricity: measuring and testing – Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components – Of individual circuit component or element
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-20
2003-04-22
Oda, Christine (Department: 2858)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components
Of individual circuit component or element
C439S083000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06552558
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method of testing the fastening of a connector to a printed circuit board.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Typically, a connector is fastened to a printed circuit board by soldering the connector by its legs onto pads located on the printed circuit board. Typically, connectors are tested by inserting the counterpart of a connector into an automatic testing processor for a short period of time, which has presented the problems that the fastenings of the legs of the connector to the pads on printed circuit board have come off and connectors have broken; the problems have further resulted in poor gain in the manufacturing process and large additional costs. Another way to test the connectors is a method in which test signals are supplied from a testing device to the printed circuit board by test pins. Also in this method, the fastenings of the legs of the connectors to the pads remain untested. Since it has been impossible to ensure the fastenings of the legs of the connectors to the pads of the printed circuit board in the testing, defective fastenings considerably reduce the gain of the printed circuit boards.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is thus to provide a method and a printed circuit board implementing the method so as to enable the above-mentioned problems to be solved. This is achieved by the following method of testing the fastening of a connector fastened by its leg to a pad of a printed circuit board. The method comprises supplying a test signal to a first pad part of the pad; measuring the occurrence of the test signal through a second pad part of the pad or a part of the printed circuit board connected to the second pad part, which second pad part is separate from the first pad part, and the leg of the connector is fastened both to the first pad part and to the second pad part during the manufacturing process in order to establish a connection between the pad parts through the leg.
The invention further relates to a method of testing the fastening of a component fastened by its leg to a pad of a printed circuit board. The method comprises supplying a test signal to a first pad part of the pad, measuring the occurrence of the test signal through a second pad part of the pad or a part of the printed circuit board connected to the second pad part, which second pad part is separate from the first pad part, and the leg of the component is fastened both to the first pad part and to the second pad part during the manufacturing process in order to establish a connection between the pad parts through the leg.
The invention further relates to a printed circuit board comprising: at least one pad connectable to a test device; at least one connector comprising at least one leg fastened to the pad. The pad comprises at least two separate pad parts, i.e. a first and a second pad part, and a test device is connectable to at least one pad part, and the leg of the connector is fastened both to the first pad part and to the second pad part in order to establish a connection between the pad parts through the leg.
The invention further relates to a printed circuit board comprising: at least one pad connectable to a test device; at least one component comprising at least one leg fastened to the pad. The pad comprises at least two separate pad parts, i.e. a first and a second pad part, and the test device is connectable to at least one pad part, and the leg of the component is fastened both to the first pad part and to the second pad part in order to establish a connection between the pad parts through the leg.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.
The idea underlying the invention is that while the leg of the connector fastens to at least two separate parts of the pad, the leg establishes a connection between the pad parts in question. A signal enabled by the connection is measured through a second pad part or a part of the printed circuit board connected to the second pad part, whereby it is ensured that the leg is securely fastened to the pad parts; if the leg of the connector is unsuccessfully fastened to at least one pad part, no connection exists between the pad parts, and thus, no signal to be measured to indicate the connection either. In other words, it then becomes apparent that the leg of the connector has come off one pad part, possibly both pad parts.
Several advantages are achieved by the method and printed circuit board of the invention. The invention enables the fastenings of the legs of connectors to the printed circuit board to be tested. This considerably improves the gain of the manufacturing process of printed circuit boards, in other words, the invention enables large costs to be saved.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4707657 (1987-11-01), Boegh-Petersen
patent: 5801536 (1998-09-01), Brambilla et al.
patent: 6117693 (2000-09-01), Fogal et al.
patent: 195 06 720 (1996-09-01), None
patent: 0 693 784 (1996-01-01), None
patent: 0 747 930 (1996-12-01), None
patent: 06181400 (1994-06-01), None
patent: 09102665 (1997-04-01), None
International Search Report for PCT/FI00/00133.
LeRoux Etienne P
Nokia Corporation
Oda Christine
Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP
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