Patent ID: 6381553
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: H05K

Abstract:
A system that identifies at least one seating plane for an array of connection elements attached to a substrate, each at least one seating plane being defined by a plane that coincides with at least some of a plurality of input data points obtained from the connection elements such that each seating plane coincides with at least three data points, three of the at least three data points form a triangle in the seating plane, all the data points not included in the seating plane lie between the seating plane and the substrate, and the triangle encompasses the center of gravity of the connection elements and substrate, the system comprising:a seating plane determining circuit that determines at least one test plane that is a potential seating plane and that selects at least one seating plane from the determined at least one test plane, wherein: for each of the at least one test plane that is a potential seating plane, at least three of the data points coincide with that test plane and form a triangle in that test plane, wherein the triangle formed in that test plane does not necessarily encompass the center of gravity, and the seating plane determining circuit determines, for each such test plane, at least two of the data points forming the triangle in that test plane in conjunction with determining that test plane, such that the at least three data points that coincide with that test plane and that form the triangle are insured to be the most extreme data points in a direction normal to that determined test plane and away from the substrate.