Test apparatus and test module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9342425-B2
Application number	US-201213430713-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2012
Priority date	Mar 1, 2012
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

In order to efficiently test a plurality of types of devices under test, provided is a test apparatus that tests a device under test, comprising one or more test modules that each include a plurality of testing sections testing the device under test by exchanging signals with the device under test; and a plurality of control apparatuses that control operation of the testing sections. In each of the one or more test modules, the plurality of testing sections are each allocated to one of the plurality of control apparatuses, and each of the control apparatuses is capable of executing a test program managed by a different user, and controls operation of the testing sections allocated thereto.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A test apparatus that tests a device under test, comprising:
one or more test modules that each include a plurality of testing sections that test the device under test by exchanging signals with the device under test; and
a plurality of control apparatuses that control operation of the testing sections, wherein
each of the testing sections is allocated to one of the control apparatuses and, in each of the one or more test modules, at least two of the plurality of testing sections are allocated to different control apparatuses from among the plurality of control apparatuses, such that the plurality of testing sections in each of the one or more test modules can execute different tests under the control of different control apparatuses simultaneously,
each of the control apparatuses is capable of executing a test program managed by a different user, and controls operation of the testing sections allocated thereto,
each of the one or more test modules further includes an interface section that, according to a command received from one of the control apparatuses, accesses one of the testing sections assigned to the control apparatus that transmitted the command,
in each of the one or more test modules, the interface section includes an assignment storage section that stores an entry of identification information for each of the testing sections in the test module, the identification information indicating the control apparatus that is assigned to the testing section, such that the at least two of the plurality of testing sections are allocated to different control apparatuses by their respective entries of identification information in the assignment storage section,
each control apparatus, prior to executing a thread of a new test program, exclusively stores identification information for identifying the control apparatus in an empty entry of the assignment storage section of a test module of the one or more test modules, the identification information including a set of a site number indicating the control apparatus and a context number indicating the thread,
each control apparatus executes in parallel a plurality of threads corresponding respectively to a plurality of test programs,
during execution of a thread, each control apparatus transmits to a test module of the one or more test modules a command that includes a set of a site number indicating the control apparatus and a context number indicating the thread, and,
in each of the one or more test modules, the interface section further includes an input/output section that acquires the command in a case where the set of the site number and the context number contained in the received command are included in the identification information stored in the assignment storage section and discards the command in a case where the set of the site number and the context number contained in the received command are not included in the identification information stored in the assignment storage section.

2. The test apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
from among one or more devices under test designated as test targets by the received command, the interface section masks access to devices under test other than the one or more devices under test corresponding to the set of the site number and the context number.

3. The test apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
each control apparatus transmits to the test module the command including a logical address identifying one or more terminals of the device under test,
the interface section further includes a pin map table that stores a connection relationship between terminals of the device under test and the testing sections of the corresponding test module,
the input/output section supplies the pin map table with a logical address contained in the acquired command, and
in response to receiving the logical address, the pin map table outputs a physical address identifying one or more testing sections connected to the one or more terminals of the device under test identified by the logical address.

4. The test apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the interface section further includes:
a DUT map table that stores a plurality of candidates among physical addresses corresponding to sets of a site number and a context number, which are candidates for the physical address identifying the terminal of the device under test that is to be a test target, and outputs the physical address corresponding to the set of a site number and a context number contained in the command acquired by the input/output section, from among the plurality of candidates; and
an AND circuit that outputs a physical address identifying only the testing section corresponding to the terminal identified by the physical address output from the DUT map table, from among the one or more of the testing sections designated by the physical address output from the pin map table.

5. The test apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the interface section further includes an accessing section that accesses the one or more testing sections identified by the physical address, according to the command.

6. The test apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of editing apparatuses that are provided to correspond respectively to the plurality of control apparatuses, and that each enables a user to edit the test programs to be executed by the corresponding control apparatus.

7. A test module for use in a test apparatus that tests a device under test, the test module comprising
a plurality of testing sections that test the device under test by exchanging signals with the device under test, each of the testing sections allocated to a control apparatus from among a plurality of control apparatuses that control operation of the testing section and are each capable of executing a test program managed by a different user, at least two of the plurality of testing sections allocated to different control apparatuses from among the plurality of control apparatuses, such that the plurality of testing sections can execute different tests under the control of different control apparatuses simultaneously; and
an interface section that, according to a command received from one of the control apparatuses, accesses one of the testing sections assigned to the control apparatus that transmitted the command, wherein
the interface section includes an assignment storage section that stores an entry of identification information for each of the testing sections in the test module, the identification information indicating the control apparatus that is assigned to the testing section, such that the at least two of the plurality of testing sections are allocated to different control apparatuses by their respective entries of identification information in the assignment storage section,
each control apparatus, prior to executing a thread of a new test program, exclusively stores identification information for identifying the control apparatus in an empty entry of the assignment storage section of the test module, the identification information including a set of a site number indicating the control apparatus and a context number indicating the thread,
each control apparatus executes in parallel a plurality of threads corresponding respectively to a plurality of test programs,
during execution of a thread, each control apparatus transmits to the test module a command that includes a set of a site number indicating the control apparatus and a context number indicating the thread, and
the interface section further includes an input/output section that acquires the command in a case where the set of the site number and the context number contained in the received command are included in the identification i

Assignees

• Yaguchi Takeshi
• Sugimura Hajime
• Nakajima Takahiro
• Adachi Toshiaki
• Advantest Corp

Inventors

• Yaguchi Takeshi
• Sugimura Hajime
• Nakajima Takahiro
• Adachi Toshiaki

Classifications

• G06F11/273 Primary

  Tester hardware, i.e. output processing circuits {(G06F11/263 takes precedence)} · CPC title