Test Plate for Electronic Component Handler

Abstract

Test plates with improved test pockets are described herein. One embodiment is a circular test plate comprising a plurality of test pockets, each test pocket being a quadrilateral hole in the test plate, and each quadrilateral hole having four sides and four corners located at the intersections of the sides. Each of the four corners comprises at least one corner having a corner relief that extends from and intersects each of the at least one corner's two intersecting sides, and any remaining corners not having a corner relief. The test plate can be incorporated into a component handler.

1 . A circular test plate comprising:
 a plurality of test pockets, each test pocket being a quadrilateral hole in the test plate, each quadrilateral hole having four sides and four corners located at the intersections of the sides, each of the four corners comprising:   at least one corner having a corner relief that extends from and intersects each of the at least one corner's two intersecting sides, and   any remaining corners not having a corner relief.   
     
     
         2 . The test plate of  claim 1 , wherein the test plate is installed in an electronic component handler at an inclined angle. 
     
     
         3 . The test plate of  claim 2  wherein each test plate has a loading efficiency, whereby the loading efficiency of the test plate having test pockets with corner reliefs is greater than a test plate having test pockets without corner reliefs, due to the addition of the corner reliefs. 
     
     
         4 . The test plate of  claim 1  wherein at least one corner relief comprises an arcuate hole extending from a top surface of the test plate to a bottom surface of the test plate beyond the intersecting sides of the corner relief's corner. 
     
     
         5 . The test plate of  claim 1  wherein:
 the test plate has a thickness, a top surface and a bottom surface; 
 each of the test pockets includes side walls that are contiguous and flat between the top surface and the bottom surface of the test plate and the corners of its test pocket; and 
 each side wall is perpendicular to at least one of the top surface or the bottom surface of the test plate. 
 
     
     
         6 . The test plate of  claim 5  wherein each corner relief includes at least one side wall, the at least one side wall being contiguous between the top surface of the test plate, the bottom surface of the test plate, and the intersections between the corner relief and the intersecting sides of the corner relief's corner. 
     
     
         7 . The test plate of  claim 1  wherein the at least one test pocket includes two corners having a corner relief and two corners not having a corner relief. 
     
     
         8 . The test plate of  claim 7  wherein the test plate is installed in an electronic component handler about an axis of rotation and wherein the two corner reliefs are situated at radially-outer corners of a test pocket. 
     
     
         9 . The test plate of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of test pockets are arranged in a plurality of concentric rings on the surface of the test plate. 
     
     
         10 . A test plate including a plurality of test pockets wherein:
 the test plate is circular, has a thickness, a top surface and a bottom surface;   each of the plurality of test pockets is a quadrilateral hole through the test plate having a radially-inner surface, a radially-outer surface and two side surfaces;   the surfaces of each test pocket are perpendicular to at least one of the top surface or the bottom surface of the test plate;   the surfaces of each test pocket meet to form four interior edges at corners of the test pocket;   the surfaces of each test pocket are each contiguous between the top surface and the bottom surface of the test plate; and   each test pocket includes at least one corner relief at an interior edge thereof, each corner relief extending the test pocket beyond at least one of the surfaces of the test pocket.   
     
     
         11 . The test plate of  claim 10  wherein the at least one corner relief comprises an arcuate hole extending from one of the side surfaces and one of the radially-inner or the radially-outer surface. 
     
     
         12 . The test plate of  claim 10  wherein:
 the surfaces of each test pocket extends between one of two of the interior edges, one of the interior edges and a corner relief, or two corner reliefs; and 
 each test pocket is contiguous between those extents. 
 
     
     
         13 . The test plate of  claim 10  wherein:
 the test pocket includes two corner reliefs adjacent a respective one of the interior edges; and 
 the test pocket includes rounded corners at the remaining interior edges. 
 
     
     
         14 . The test plate of  claim 13  wherein:
 the test plate is rotatably mounted in a electronic component handler; and 
 the each of the two corner reliefs is situated about the interior edge at the intersection between the radially-outer surface and a respective one of the two side surfaces. 
 
     
     
         15 . In a method of testing electronic components using a rotatable test plate installed in an electronic component handler at an inclined angle and having a plurality of test pockets extending through the rotatable test plate, the improvement comprising:
 rotating the test plate so that each of a plurality of electronic components resting on a top surface of the rotatable test plate is guided into a respective test pocket of the plurality of test pockets by a corner relief, each test pocket being a quadrilateral hole in the rotatable test plate, each quadrilateral hole having four sides and four corners located at the intersections of the sides, at least one corner of the four corners having the corner relief that extends from and intersects each of the at least one corner's two intersecting sides, and any remaining corners of the four corners not having a corner relief   
     
     
         16 . The method of testing electronic components of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 arranging the corner relief so that a loading efficiency of the electronic component handler is greater than a loading efficiency of the electronic component handler without the corner relief.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the corner relief comprises at least two corner reliefs, one corner relief situated at a first radially-outer corner of the test pocket and another corner relief situated at a second radially-outer corner of the test pocket.