Flexible Solutions for Testing Panelized and Non-Panelized Automotive Electronics

In the automotive industry, manufacturers utilize various boards, including panelized and non-panelized boards to accommodate the diverse electronic systems found in vehicles. However, this diversity presents challenges in testing processes, often requiring multiple testers to handle both panelized and non-panelized boards. Managing multiple testing systems becomes cumbersome and costly. Therefore, automotive manufacturers actively seek to balance the flexibility in testing panelized and non-panelized boards cost-effectively to streamline processes and enhance efficiency throughout manufacturing.

The automotive industry has witnessed a significant increase in board complexity, with a corresponding rise in small boards for high-volume production. This trend has encouraged the adoption of Panelization as a timely and cost-efficient solution. Nonetheless, non-panelized boards, such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) boards or high-complexity boards, continue to be favored for specific applications within the industry.

Hence, automotive manufacturers must invest in multiple testing systems to efficiently test both panelized and non-panelized boards. This results in a larger footprint, increased scaling and operational costs, and additional workforce required for support and maintenance. Therefore, the lack of flexibility in testing panelized and non-panelized boards presents a significant challenge for manufacturers striving to reduce production costs while maintaining high-quality standards. 

One of the ways to fulfill the testing for high-volume manufacturing of small automotive boards is by adopting the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) panelization technique. The PCB panelization technique allows the testing of multiple boards in parallel on a panel using a specialized tester, also known as parallel testing. Parallel testing typically tests up to four boards at a time. However, massively parallel testing leverages the typical parallel testing technique to test simultaneously up to 20 boards in a single panel at a time. It is also crucial for the test system to be flexible in accommodating both panelized and non-panelized boards. This necessity arises from the diversity of boards found in automotive electronics. 

Given this scenario, it becomes important for the board test system to offer flexibility in configuration, enabling it to accommodate both panelized and non-panelized boards with minimal fixture adjustments. This capability is essential for manufacturers to optimize their investment by utilizing a single test system to test various board types.

The challenges mentioned above can be addressed by Keysight's i7090 Massively Parallel Board Test solution. A standout feature of the i7090 is its 20 parallel cores, providing adaptable scalability and configuration options to optimize test efficiency across various board sizes. Each parallel core is one channel of a Vectorless Analog Measurement (VAM) card with a 128 analog pin card. Each Vam card can support up to two channels.

This configuration allows for user-defined core combinations, enabling a single core to support up to 2,560 pins. Thanks to the i7090's flexibility and scalability, you have diverse options to customize your testing strategy according to your specific needs. For instance, you can opt for different core bundles to test up to 20 parallel small boards with 128 test nodes or test one large board with 2,560 nodes sequentially. 

One notable aspect of the i7090 system is its adaptability to different testing scenarios. While you can utilize multiple cores for parallel testing, such as the four VAM cards in this configuration, you also have the flexibility to opt for a simpler setup, such as a single core (utilizing one VAM card) with multiple analog pin cards.

The i7090 Massively Board Test System offers extensive capabilities, encompassing In-Circuit testing, flash programming, and functional testing, ensuring precise and thorough examination tailored to your specific needs. This capability is attributed to the sophisticated test engine housed within the i7090 test system. This engine comprises Device Under Test (DUT) power supplies, PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation Express (PXIe) chassis, and card cages that enable versatile configurations on the i7090 platform. 

The i7090's test engine card cage can be equipped with an analog pin card and programmer carrier card, enabling simultaneous in-system programming at a rapid read/write speed of up to 160 channels, increasing the system throughput. 

The instrument integration with Keysight Open Test Automation Project (OpenTAP) software offers a comprehensive platform for efficient functional test measurements and streamlined testing process management within the same platform while also benefiting from PXI support for Keysight and third-party instruments.

In conclusion, the i7090 massively parallel board test system offers cost-effectiveness and scalable solutions to address manufacturers' needs for testing panelization and non-panelization boards. With its features to support multiple low-complexity boards in parallel or a single high-complexity board in sequence, you will enjoy the flexibility of testing panelized and non-panelized boards in one test system by only changing the test fixtures.