Correlated testing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9322872-B2
Application number	US-201113149855-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2011
Priority date	Jun 1, 2010
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

A computer implemented system for testing electronic equipment where test inputs, test outputs, test applied environmental conditions, and test processes are recorded and correlated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A testing apparatus for monitoring a testing environment, including:
a computer system comprising a first storage medium section adapted to store and read non-transitory machine readable instructions operable to be read by said system that further comprises a processor that executes said non-transitory machine readable instructions, said non-transitory machine readable instructions comprising:
a first processing sequence read and executed by said system that receives and stores operational data from an electrical device under test that interfaces with a first and second automated data source that said electrical device under test is in communication with during operation in said testing environment onto a second storage medium section, the electrical device operational data including information regarding processor operation successes, errors, exceptions, and failures, wherein the electrical device operational data includes an indication of called process retries associated with more than one components in said testing environment comprising said first and second automated data source, wherein the first processing sequence further includes machine instructions read and executed by said system for receiving and storing said operational data from said electrical device under test onto said second storage medium section that was input to the electrical device under test and receiving and storing output data generated by the electrical device under test in response to said inputs;
a second processing sequence read and executed by said system that receives and stores operational data related to a test chamber that imparts environmental conditions upon the electrical device under test;
a third processing sequence read and executed by said system that correlates and saves into a correlated data output on said second storage medium section the operational data from the electrical device under test and the operational data related test chamber received in the first and second processing sequences;
a fourth processing sequence read and executed by said system that correlates and saves into said correlated data output on said second storage medium section data streams from a testing interface computer within said testing environment that is controlling one or more sections of said testing environment comprising said electrical device under test and said first and second automated data sources that said electrical device under test is in communication with during operation in said testing environment;
a fifth processing sequence read and executed by said system that reads the correlated data output; and
a sixth processing sequence read and executed by said system that displays the correlated data output such that a real-time representation of the correlated data output is provided;
wherein said automated data sources comprises equipment that said device under test requires input from to function and are positioned outside of said test chamber.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrical device operational data includes an indication of operation failure where the operation failure fails to result the device under test failing any component of the test.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the environmental conditions include vibration.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the environmental conditions include humidity.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each piece of data received as part of the first and second processing sequence is time-stamped.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the third processing sequence utilizes the time stamps to correlate the data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data that was input to the electrical device includes a data stream that is a collation of prioritized data from a plurality of sources comprising said first and second automated data sources, and said testing interface computer.

8. A method for operating an apparatus comprising a computer that includes a processor, input/output system, and a non-transitory storage medium read by said processor to operate said apparatus to monitor a testing environment, including:
operating said computer, an electrical device under test, and a first and second automated data system to receive and store a first plurality of operational data on a non-transitory storage medium from said electrical device under test that interfaces with said first and second automated data sources that said electrical device under test is in communication with during operation in said testing environment, the electrical device operational data including information regarding processor operation successes, errors, exceptions, and failures, wherein the electrical device operational data includes an indication of called process retries associated with more than one components in said testing environment comprising said first and second automated data sources and said electrical device under test,
operating said computer to receive and store said operational data from said electrical device under test onto said non-transitory storage medium that was input to the electrical device under test and receiving and storing output data generated by the electrical device under test in response to said inputs;
operating said computer to receive and store a second plurality of operational data on said non-transitory storage medium related to a test chamber that outputs data on environmental conditions of the electrical device under test within the test chamber;
operating said computer to correlate and save into a correlated output data stored on the non-transitory storage medium the first and second plurality of operational data received from the electrical device under test and the test chamber to produce correlated operational data;
correlating and saving into said correlated data output on said non-transitory storage medium data streams from a testing interface computer within said testing environment that is controlling one or more sections of said testing environment comprising said electrical device under test and said first and second automated data sources that said electrical device under test is in communication with during operation in said testing environment;
reading the correlated data output; and
displaying the correlated data output such that a real-time representation of the correlated data output is provided;
wherein said automated data sources comprises equipment that said device under test requires input from to function and are positioned outside of said test chamber.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first plurality of operational data comprises electrical device operational data that includes an indication of operation failure where the operation failure fails to result the device under test failing any component of the test.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the environmental conditions include vibration.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the environmental conditions include humidity.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein each piece of said first and second plurality of operational data received is time-stamped.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the third processing sequence utilizes the time stamps to correlate the first and second plurality of operational data.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first plurality of operational data that was input to the electrical device includes a data stream that is a collation of prioritized data from a plurality of sources comprising said first and second automated data sources, and said testing interface computer.

15. A test apparatus comprising a computer system inc

Assignees

• Hill David T
• Us Navy

Inventors

• Hill David T

Classifications

• G01R31/2849 Primary

  Environmental or reliability testing, e.g. burn-in or validation tests (of individual semiconductors G01R31/2642; of printed circuits boards G01R31/2817; of IC's G01R31/2855) · CPC title