Method for testing electronic assemblies

Claim 1

A method of testing electronic assemblies comprised of a plurality of finished interconnected electronic components each having an internal transducer switch comrpising the steps of: A. placing all said plurality of electronic components on said electronic assembly in a quiescent state by application without electrical contact with said plurality of electronic components of an external quiescence control signal not normally found in the operating environment of said electronic assemblies which will activate the internal transducer switch within each of said plurality of electronic components, said internal transducer switch when activated produces an internal quiescence control signal operative to cause each output stage of each of said plurality of electronic components to assume a high-impedance state; B. selecting one of said plurality of electronic components as a target component to be tested in relative isolation from all the rest of said plurality of electronic components; C. making said target component functional by removing said quiescence control signal; D. applying test stimulus at one or more inputs of said target component; E. measuring the results of said test stimulus at one or more outputs or said target component; and F. going back to Step B and selecting an untested one of said plurality of electronic components as said target component, unless each of said plurality of electronic components has been tested as said target component; whereby said target components is tested in selective isolation from other electronic components connected to said target components' inputs or outputs, and whereby said testing is conducted with little or no analysis of the interconnection of said plurality of electronic components within said electronic assembly; and whereby the electronic assembly can be tested by concatenating a series of component-level tests.

Claim 2

A method of testing electronic assemblies comprised of a plurality of finished interconnected electronic components each having an internal transducer switch comrpising the steps of: A. placing all said plurality of electronic components on said electronic assembly in a quiescent state by application without electrical contact with said plurality of electronic components of an external quiescence control signal not normally found in the operating environment of said electronic assemblies which will activate the internal transducer switch within each of said plurality of electronic components, said internal transducer switch when activated produces an internal quiescence control signal operative to cause each output stage of each of said plurality of electronic components to assume a high-impedance state; B. selecting one of said plurality of electronic components as a target component to be tested in relative isolation from all the rest of said plurality of electronic components; C. making said target component functional by removing said quiescence control signal; D. applying test stimulus at one or more inputs of said target component; E. measuring the results of said test stimulus at one or more outputs or said target component; and F. going back to Step B and selecting an untested one of said plurality of electronic components as said target component, unless each of said plurality of electronic components has been tested as said target component; whereby said target components is tested in selective isolation from other electronic components connected to said target components' inputs or outputs, and whereby said testing is conducted with little or no analysis of the interconnection of said plurality of electronic components within said electronic assembly; and whereby the electronic assembly can be tested by concatenating a series of component-level tests.

Claim 7

The method of claims 1 wherein said external quiescence control signal is air pressure and said internal transducer switch is a switch sensitive thereto.