Keithley Expands Capabilities, Reduces Cost of Tests for Airbag Igniters, Cables, Harnesses, Connectors, and Components

Cleveland, Ohio - November 17, 2003 - Keithley Instruments, Inc. (NYSE: KEI) today announced availability of its Model 2790-A SourceMeter® Airbag Inflator DC Electrical Test System. Series 2790 SourceMeter instruments are the only standard, commercially available test systems that combine all the sourcing, measurement, and signal routing capabilities required for insulation resistance and conductor (bridgewire) continuity testing in one compact, cost-effective package. The Model 2790-A expands the high resistance measurement capabilities of these systems to cover a span of 1MΩ to 10GΩ, which allows testing a wider range of airbag system characteristics in a single box. By having all the functionality required for airbag electrical system testing in one package, reliability is increased, integration complexity of multiple test system components is eliminated, support and maintenance costs are reduced, and test system programming is minimized. The result is a high voltage, multi-channel resistance measurement solution that speeds and simplifies electrical checks of airbag inflators and other automotive electrical test applications.

While the high voltage ohms measurement range is expanded in the Model 2790-A, it retains the fast current limiting capability of other instruments in this series, which limits measurement circuit energy, so voltage and current sources are less likely to damage a device under test. Specific safety features include a hardware source interlock, an automatic output cable capacitance discharge circuit for high voltage insulation resistance testing, and automatic cold switching scanner operation.

Applications and Markets

Series 2790 SourceMeter instruments fully satisfy the testing requirements for the main passenger and driver airbag inflators and modules, as well as those that are increasingly used in side impact and other applications, such as side torso, seat, foot, knee, and headliner inflatable tubes and curtains. They can be used for both single- and multi-stage inflators and modules and serve equally well for testing pyrotechnic seatbelt pre-tensioners and related safety systems. Beyond these primary airbag inflator and module applications, the modular design and flexibility of the Model 2790-A make it an excellent choice for automated production testing where multi-channel, programmable high voltage leakage resistance and low current ohms measurement modes are needed for critical electrical controls, switches, connectors, and power distribution applications.

Product Details

The Model 2790-A consists of a precision multi-function/multi-channel datalogger mainframe, plus a set of specially designed plug-in modules. These modules enable high voltage insulation resistance testing, and low current, low resistance measurements. The source/measure modules also contain tailored switching capabilities to allow automatic configuration of single- and multi-stage inflator interconnections for all needed measurements, including bridgewire continuity, insulation resistance, shorting clip, and probe-to-body connections. The combined signal switching, source, and measurement capabilities of the Model 2790-A enhance test throughput by buffering test sequences in the programmable memory pattern mode and by allowing parallel high voltage soaks on multiple single-stage inflators or individual multi-stage devices. The multiple module mainframe expandability also accommodates multi-head test stands that increase operator efficiency and minimize idle time.

About Keithley Instruments

Keithley Instruments, Inc. provides optical and electrical measurement solutions from DC to RF (radio frequency) to the wireless, semiconductor, optoelectronics, and other electronics manufacturing industries. Engineers and scientists around the world use Keithley's advanced hardware and software for process monitoring, production test, and basic research.

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