Circuit board test fixture

Claim 1

In test apparatus for temporarily making individual electrical contacts to a multiplicity of test points of a circuit board wherein test points may be arranged on the circuit board in a plurality of different possible planar patterns, the combination comprising: means providing a planar member containing an array of contact probes of sufficient number and arrangement to accommodate said plurality of different possible patterns of test points, each of said probes being resiliently urged in a like predetermined direction perpendicular to said member and extending therefrom; a plurality of personalizing boards, one for each different type of test point pattern which may be provided for a circuit board to be tested by said apparatus, each personalizing board having a predetermined pattern of holes provided therein corresponding to the test point pattern of the respective circuit board to be tested thereby, each hole being of appropriate size for receiving one of said contact probes; means providing for the disposing of one side of a personalizing board adjacent and parallel to said array of probes such that the array of holes in the personalizing board are in alignment with and receive corresponding ones of said probes; means for mechanically forcing a personalizing board against said array of probes so that the probes which are not in alignment with holes in said personalizing board are depressed while the probes received by said holes remain undepressed, the thickness of said personalizing board being chosen relative to the length of said probes so that the undepressed probes are able to extend beyond the other side of the personalizing board after the personalizing board is mechanically forced against said probes; means providing for the disposing of a circuit board to be tested by said apparatus on a corresponding personalizing board so that its test points are in alignment with the holes provided therein; and vacuum producing means for causing the test points of a circuit board disposed on a personalizing board which has been forced against said array of probes to be forced into electrical contact with the probes extending from the holes in the personalizing board.

Claim 10

A method for temporarily making individual electrical connections to a multiplicity of test points of a circuit board wherein test points may be arranged on the circuit board in a plurality of different possible patterns of test points, said method comprising: providing a planar member containing an array of contact probes of sufficient number and arrangement to accommodate said plurality of different possible patterns of test points; resiliently urging said probes in a like predetermined direction perpendicular to said array so as to extend from said member; mechanically depressing those probes which are not required for the circuit board to be tested while leaving required probes undepressed; disposing the circuit board so that its test points are adjacent to and in alignment with the undepressed probes; and applying vacuum in a manner such that said circuit board is forced against the undepressed probes causing them to make electrical contact with their corresponding test points on the circuit board.

Claim 11

A method for temporarily making individual electrical connections to a multiplicity of test points of a circuit board wherein test points may be arranged on the circuit board in a plurality of different possible patterns of test points, said method comprising: providing a planar member containing an array of contact probes of sufficient number and arrangement to accommodate said plurality of different possible patterns of test points; resiliently urging said probes in a like predetermined direction perpendicular to said array so as to extend from said member; mechanically depressing those probes which are not required for the circuit board to be tested while leaving required probes undepressed; disposing the circuit board so that its test points are adjacent to and in alignment with the undepressed probes; and applying vacuum in a manner such that said circuit board is forced against the undepressed probes causing them to make electrical contact with their corresponding test points on the circuit board.