Test apparatus for determining continuity paths on a multiterminal arrangement

Claim 1

A test apparatus for testing for undesired electrical connections among a plurality of terminals with selected conductive paths connected to at least two of such terminals wherein the number of terminals may be increased essentially without limit and wherein the terminals are subject to designation in a coordinate system and have locations given by 1, 2, 3, .... M, and 1, 2, 3, 4, .... N, in X-Y coordinates and the apparatus comprising: first means connected to a plurality of the terminals; said first means including an X storage register means of M capacity and a Y storage register means of N capacity; means for inputting to said X and Y storage register means a X-Y designation of a terminal; signal forming means for imposing an electrical condition at the terminal indicated by the designation in said X and Y storage register means; a gate means connected to each of the plurality of terminals to be scanned, said gate means being connected to the plurality of terminals in a manner such that an indicia of the electrical condition of the terminal is communicated to said respective gate means; second X and Y storage register means having respectively capacities of M and N; means for inputting a terminal designation signal into said second X and Y storage register means of value equal to or less than M and N to designate a terminal; connective means connected so said second X and Y storage register means, said connective means forming unique enable signals for selected ones of said gate means; said gate means, on receipt of enable signals, enabling said gate means to form output signals related to the electrical condition of the terminals connected thereto; and, comparator circuit means provided with output signals from said gate means and also adapted to be provided with signals to be compared with such output signals, and forming a comparative output signal when the compared signals achieve a desired comparison.