US Patent No: 6,360,935
Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000
Apparatus and method for assessing solderability
Stats
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Mar 26, 2002
Issued date -
Jan 26, 1999
filing date -
09/237,774
serial no -
In Force
status
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Abstract
The invention is an apparatus and method for assessing the solderability of electronic component leads and adjacent mounting surfaces. The apparatus and method enables assessment of solderability of fine pitch surface mount components that may be "leadless" or have such small leads that other methods are unable to make measurements required for assessing solderability. The invention also provides a reliable automated test technology for electronic component solderability. It is based on the use of measurements of the distinctive changes in the IR radiation signal of a wetted soldered connection during the solder reflow process, resulting from rapid changes in emissivity of the materials. This is accomplished through the use of an IR camera connected to a computer, and a substrate heater controlled by the computer to achieve a predetermined temperature profile at the component leads.
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First Claim
Related Publications
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International Classification(s)
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Cited Art
| Patent Info | (Count) | # Cites | Year |
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| 5,676,302 Method and apparatus for crescent boundary thresholding on wire-bonded leads | 32 | 1995 | |
| 5,912,984 Method and apparatus for in-line solder paste inspection | 64 | 1996 | |
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| 5,148,375 Soldering appearance inspection apparatus | 21 | 1990 | |
| 5,206,705 Method of checking external shape of solder portion | 8 | 1990 | |
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| 4,409,333 Method for the evaluation of solderability | 6 | 1981 | |
| 4,467,638 Method and apparatus for quantitatively evaluating the soldering properties of a wave soldering system | 8 | 1983 | |
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| 5,425,859 Method and apparatus for assessing and restoring solderability | 2 | 1993 | |
| 5,401,380 Apparatus for assessing solderability | 1 | 1993 | |
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| 4,657,169 Non-contact detection of liquefaction in meltable materials | 16 | 1984 | |
| 4,696,104 Method and apparatus for placing and electrically connecting components on a printed circuit board | 24 | 1986 | |
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| 4,657,196 Mechanism for supporting and rotating a coil | 5 | 1985 | |
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| 5,089,700 Apparatus for infrared imaging inspections | 5 | 1990 | |
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| 5,208,528 Method for inspecting a populated printed circuit board, particularly for inspecting solder joints on the board and a system for working this method | 14 | 1992 | |
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| 5,246,291 Bond inspection technique for a semiconductor chip | 30 | 1992 | |
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| 5,963,662 Inspection system and method for bond detection and validation of surface mount devices | 84 | 1996 | |
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| 5,574,801 Method of inspecting an array of solder ball connections of an integrated circuit module | 106 | 1994 | |
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| 5,836,504 Method and apparatus for soldering inspection of a surface mounted circuit board | 6 | 1997 | |
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| 4,941,256 Automatic visual measurement of surface mount device placement | 13 | 1989 | |
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| 5,250,809 Method and device for checking joint of electronic component | 30 | 1992 | |
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| 5,118,945 Photothermal test process, apparatus for performing the process and heat microscope | 20 | 1990 | |
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| 4,792,683 Thermal technique for simultaneous testing of circuit board solder joints | 46 | 1987 | |
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| 5,988,487 Captured-cell solder printing and reflow methods | 16 | 1997 | |
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| 5,262,022 Method of assessing solderability | 6 | 1991 | |
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| 5,357,346 Solderability tester methodology | 3 | 1992 | |
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| 5,446,549 Method and apparatus for noncontact surface contour measurement | 35 | 1993 | |
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| 5,971,249 Method and apparatus for controlling a time/temperature profile inside of a reflow oven | 16 | 1997 | |
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| 5,407,275 Non-destructive test for inner lead bond of a tab device | 5 | 1992 | |
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| 4,227,415 Method and apparatus for testing solderability and de-soldering wicks | 4 | 1979 | |
Patent Citation Ranking
Maintenance Fees
| Fee | Large entity fee | small entity fee | micro entity fee | due date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.5 Year Payment | $7400.00 | $3700.00 | $1850.00 | Sep 26, 2013 |
| Fee | Large entity fee | small entity fee | micro entity fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surcharge - 11.5 year - Late payment within 6 months | $160.00 | $80.00 | $40.00 |
| Surcharge after expiration - Late payment is unavoidable | $700.00 | $350.00 | $175.00 |
| Surcharge after expiration - Late payment is unintentional | $1,640.00 | $820.00 | $410.00 |