Integrated cooling system for electronics testing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10297339-B2
Application number	US-201414184549-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2014
Priority date	Feb 19, 2014
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

Example features or aspects of the present invention are described in relation to a small, quiet integrated cooling system for an apparatus for testing electronic devices. Characteristics of the test apparatus including a low noise output, low power consumption and a compact size with a small spatial and volume footprint are selected for deployment and use in a an office like environment. The test apparatus comprises a chassis frame and a cooler frame disposed within the chassis frame and thus integrated within the test apparatus, which has a reduced form factor suitable for the in-office deployment. Embodiments offer the ability to maintain the working fluid at a constant temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling system disposed within a test apparatus operable for testing a plurality of devices under test, the cooling system comprising:
a bay disposed over printed circuit assemblies (PCA) test processor modules of the test apparatus, wherein the PCA test processor modules comprise a plurality of test processors, wherein the bay is operable for bathing the PCA test processor modules entirely inside a liquid working fluid during an operation of the plurality of test processors for testing the plurality of devices under test, wherein heat related to the operation of the PCA test processor modules is transferred to the liquid working fluid, and wherein the PCA test processor modules are disposed in a test head of the test apparatus and each of the plurality of devices under test is tested by a respective one of the plurality of test processors;
a heat exchanger disposed within the test apparatus and operable for transferring heat from the liquid working fluid to air;
a pump component disposed within the test apparatus and operable for driving the liquid working fluid through and between the bay and the heat exchanger; and
a controller disposed within the test apparatus and operable for regulating a temperature range of the liquid working fluid based on a sensed temperature thereof,
wherein the test apparatus comprises a chassis frame and a cooler frame, wherein the cooler frame is disposed within the chassis frame and wherein at least one of the heat exchanger and the pump component is disposed within the cooler frame, and wherein the test head is-disposed upon the chassis frame during a testing operation.

2. The cooling system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a ventilation component operable for driving air through the heat exchanger.

3. The cooling system as recited in claim 2 wherein the ventilation component comprises a fan.

4. The cooling system as recited in claim 2 wherein the controller is operable for regulating the temperature of the liquid working fluid based upon input received from one or more temperature sensors, the one or more temperature sensors sense a temperature of at least one of:
an intake of the ventilation component
the liquid working fluid at an inlet of the heat exchanger; and
the liquid working fluid at an outlet of the heat exchanger;
the controller is further operable for controlling an output flow of air from the ventilation component based on the sensed temperature at the intake of the ventilation component;
and the controller is further operable for controlling one or more actuating devices, the one or more actuating devices operable for adjusting a flow characteristic of the liquid working fluid.

5. The cooling system as recited in claim 4 wherein the one or more actuating devices comprises a bypass valve, and wherein the bypass valve is operable for adjusting the flow characteristic of the liquid working fluid by controllably diverting a flow of the liquid working fluid in relation to the heat exchanger in response to detecting a temperature decrease at the outlet of the heat exchanger.

6. The cooling system as recited in claim 4 wherein the one or more actuating devices comprises a throttle valve, and wherein the throttle valve is operable for adjusting the flow characteristic of the liquid working fluid by throttling a flow of the liquid working fluid in relation to the bay in response to a detected temperature change of the liquid working fluid.

7. The cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein the pump component comprises a centrifugal pump and a motor and wherein a speed of the motor is operable to be throttled in response to a detected temperature change of the liquid working fluid.

8. The cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein the heat exchanger comprises tube sections operable to allow the liquid working fluid to flow therein, each of the tube sections disposed within an array of parallel sheets.

9. A testing apparatus for testing a plurality of devices under test, the test apparatus comprising:
a chassis frame;
a test head disposed upon the chassis frame and proximate to the plurality of devices under test, wherein the test head comprises printed circuit assemblies (PCA) test modules that comprise a plurality of test processors for testing said plurality of devices under test, wherein a bay is disposed over the PCA test modules, wherein heat generated by the plurality of test processors is transferred to a liquid working fluid, wherein the PCA test modules are submerged in the liquid working fluid, wherein the bay is operable for bathing the PCA test modules entirely in the liquid working fluid, and wherein each of the plurality of devices under test is tested by a respective one of the plurality of test processors; and
a cooler frame disposed within the chassis frame, the cooler frame comprising a cooling system operable for transferring heat from the liquid working fluid to air, wherein the cooling system comprises:
a pump operable for driving the liquid working fluid through the cooling system;
a heat exchanger operable for the transferring heat from the liquid working fluid to air;
a fan operable for ventilating a cooling surface of the heat exchanger with air;
one or more controllably adjustable valves; and
a controller operable for regulating a temperature of the liquid working fluid.

10. The testing apparatus as recited in claim 9 wherein the controller is operable for regulating the temperature of the liquid working fluid based upon input received from at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor is operable for detecting a liquid working fluid temperature; and
the controller is further operable for controlling the one or more controllably adjustable valves and a motor, the one or more controllably adjustable valves and the motor are operable for adjusting, based on a detected liquid working fluid temperature a flow characteristic of the liquid working fluid.

11. The testing apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein the one or more controllably adjustable valves comprises a throttle valve and a bypass valve, and
the bypass valve to is operable for diverting a flow of the liquid working fluid from the heat exchanger; and
the throttle valve is operable for throttling a flow rate of the liquid working fluid.

12. The testing apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein the one or more controllably adjustable valves comprises a bypass valve, and
the bypass valve is operable for diverting a flow of the liquid working fluid from the heat exchanger; and
the motor is operable for changing a speed of the pump.

Assignees

• Advantest Corp

Inventors

• Thordarson Brent
• Andberg John W
• Nishiura Koei

Classifications

• G11C29/56016 Primary

  Apparatus features · CPC title

• G01R31/2834

  Automated test systems [ATE]; using microprocessors or computers (G01R31/317 takes precedence; ATE for detection of defective computer hardware G06F11/2736) · CPC title

• G01R31/2877 Primary

  related to cooling · CPC title

• G01R31/2851

  Testing of integrated circuits [IC] (G01R31/317 takes precedence; testing individual devices G01R31/26; testing printed circuits G01R31/2801) · CPC title

• H05K7/20236

  by immersion · CPC title