Apparatus for testing successive ones of a plurality of electrical components

Claim 1

In an apparatus for testing components with a test set; a turntable having a plurality of notches formed in a peripheral edge thereof; means mounting said turntable for rotary movement in a first direction; a plurality of pairs of workholders mounted on said turntable adjacent said peripheral edge, with one workholder of each pair of workholders aligned with one of said notches in said turntable, each of said workholders adapted to receive one of said components; a test arm extending radially of the turntable past the peripheral edge thereof; means for mounting rotatably said test arm; contacts on each of said workholders for establishing electrical connections with the one of said components received in said workholder; a plurality of connector blocks mounted on said turntable, each of said connector blocks aligned with one of said notches and having terminals connected electrically with the contacts on each of said pair of workholders associated with the one of said notches; probe means extending radially inward from said test arm and connected to said test set for engaging said terminals on each successive one of said connector blocks to connect electrically each successive pair of said components to said test set; latching means mounted on an outer end of said arm and movable radially thereof relative to said arm into one of the notches for locking said arm to said turntable to rotate therewith; means for biasing said probe means and said latching means radially inward to lock the arm to the turntable and to engage said probe means with said terminals of said associated connector block; means for urging said test arm to rotate in a second direction opposite to said first direction; and camming means for unlocking said latching means from said turntable after a predetermined rotation in said first direction to permit said urging means to move said test arm in said second direction to lock into the next successive notch.

Claim 3

An apparatus for testing components with a test set, which comprises: a turntable for transporting spaced components to be tested through a predetermined distance and having a plurality of spaced notches cut in a peripheral edge thereof; means for mounting rotatably the turntable; a plurality of pairs of test sockets mounted on said turntable, each of the test sockets adapted to receive one of the components, each pair of test sockets associated with one of said notches; a connector block associated with each pair of test sockets and mounted on the turntable, each of the connector blocks aligned with the associated notch and having one portion thereof mounted on one flat surface of the turntable and another portion thereof mounted on the other flat surface of the turntable; a rotatably mounted test arm extending radially of the turntable and extending past the peripheral edge thereof, the test arm having a detent formed thereon and being received in successive ones of the notches for locking the arm to the turntable in alignment wIth successive ones of the connector blocks; spaced contacts on each portion of each connector block projecting radially outward from the turntable, the spaced contacts on the one portion being connected to one of the associated pair of test sockets and with the spaced contacts on the other portion being connected to the other test socket of the associated pair of test sockets; a test fixture mounted on the test arm for reciprocal movement along a path radial of the turntable; means for urging the test fixture toward the turntable to move the detent into one of the notches at one end of said predetermined distance and engage the test fixture with the contacts on the one of the connector blocks; camming means positioned in the path of movement of the test arm at the other end of the predetermined distance for overcoming the urging means to move the test fixture out of engagement with the contacts and to disengage the detent from the notch; means rendered effective when the detent is disengaged from each successive one of the notches for returning the test arm to the one end of the predetermined distance to permit the urging means to move the detent into the next successive notch and to engage the test fixture with the contacts of the connector block associated with the next successive notch and associated pair of test sockets; means for moving the turntable to advance each successive pair of the components and the test arm through the predetermined distance; means responsive to the movement of the test arm from the one end of the predetermined distance with the detent in engagement with one of the notches for detecting the next successive notch; and means rendered effective by the detecting means for testing the components in the test sockets connected to the connector block associated with the notch being engaged by the detent.

Claim 4

An apparatus for testing components with a test set, which comprises: a turntable for transporting spaced components to be tested through a predetermined distance and having a plurality of spaced notches cut in a peripheral edge thereof; means for mounting rotatably the turntable; a plurality of pairs of test sockets mounted on said turntable, each of the test sockets adapted to receive one of the components, each pair of test sockets associated with one of said notches; a connector block associated with each pair of test sockets and mounted on the turntable, each of the connector blocks aligned with the associated notch and having one portion thereof mounted on one flat surface of the turntable and another portion thereof mounted on the other flat surface of the turntable; a rotatably mounted test arm extending radially of the turntable and extending past the peripheral edge thereof, the test arm having a detent formed thereon and being received in successive ones of the notches for locking the arm to the turntable in alignment wIth successive ones of the connector blocks; spaced contacts on each portion of each connector block projecting radially outward from the turntable, the spaced contacts on the one portion being connected to one of the associated pair of test sockets and with the spaced contacts on the other portion being connected to the other test socket of the associated pair of test sockets; a test fixture mounted on the test arm for reciprocal movement along a path radial of the turntable; means for urging the test fixture toward the turntable to move the detent into one of the notches at one end of said predetermined distance and engage the test fixture with the contacts on the one of the connector blocks; camming means positioned in the path of movement of the test arm at the other end of the predetermined distance for overcoming the urging means to move the test fixture out of engagement with the contacts and to disengage the detent from the notch; means rendered effective when the detent is disengaged from each successive one of the notches for returning the test arm to the one end of the predetermined distance to permit the urging means to move the detent into the next successive notch and to engage the test fixture with the contacts of the connector block associated with the next successive notch and associated pair of test sockets; means for moving the turntable to advance each successive pair of the components and the test arm through the predetermined distance; means responsive to the movement of the test arm from the one end of the predetermined distance with the detent in engagement with one of the notches for detecting the next successive notch; and means rendered effective by the detecting means for testing the components in the test sockets connected to the connector block associated with the notch being engaged by the detent.