Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Testing system – Of circuit
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-19
2004-08-17
Hoff, Marc S. (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Testing system
Of circuit
C702S081000, C702S121000, C702S122000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06778934
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to automatic measurement technology of electronic machines such as audio machines and setting technology of test data involved in automatic measurement.
BACKGROUND ART
Hitherto, an automatic measuring apparatus for conducting a performance inspection of electronic machines such as in-car audio machines, which will be hereinafter referred to as measured objects, has been proposed and used for performance inspection on a manufacturing line, prototype test in a developing process, quality inspection, etc.
Since there are various types of measured objects and measurement items, measurement conditions, etc., vary from one type of measured object to another, configuring an automatic measuring apparatus for each type of measured object is uneconomical and is contrary to automation and labor saving of inspection. Thus, various improvements have been made (for example, (1) automatic measuring apparatus is configured so as to deal with multi-purpose measurement elements by combining a plurality of measurement functions and signal lines in one and (2) to improve saving time and labor of setting a plurality of inspection conditions formerly set by manual operation at the final operation inspection time before shipment, the inspection conditions are previously written into ROM of a control microcomputer contained in an audio machine and setting the inspection conditions on an electronic volume and a display panel is automatically executed by performing predetermined button operation.
In recent years, there has been a general tendency of electronic machines toward multifunctional, high-grade machines having various functions such as audio machines. The electronic machines may be sold to the ultimate consumers as discrete commodity products; however, if the electronic machines are shipped as OEM products as with in-car audio machines, even the same model may often differ in measurement items, measurement conditions, and standard depending on the supplied manufacturer with the products, the destination, etc.
At the developing stage and the quality assurance inspection stage (and the sampling inspection stage on the manufacturing line), hitherto, setting the measurement items, the measurement conditions, and the standard in an automatic measuring apparatus for measuring measured objects has been executed by manual work, and problems of taking time and labor and easily making a mistake are involved (in (2) mentioned above, the inspection conditions are previously written into the ROM of each measured object (audio machine) and thus the configuration cannot cope with the case where the supplied party with the products or the destination is changed or the case where the inspection conditions are not determined at the developing stage).
Hitherto, the input items and the output items (measurement values and determination result) of an automatic measuring apparatus have been displayed on a display panel and if the determination result is “not good,” an alarm or a warning has been used to indicate the “not good” result. Thus, if the measurement items, the measurement conditions, and the standard differ depending on the supplied manufacturer with the products, the destination, etc., it has been difficult to display the measurement values and the determination result corresponding to the input items (the measurement items, the measurement conditions, and the standard different depending on the supplied manufacturer, the destination, etc.,) in an easy-to-understand format and make a statistical evaluation to carry out the whole evaluation; this is a problem.
If the electronic machine manufacturer of audio machines, etc., has a research laboratory and a manufacturing plant at separate locations and has an oversea affiliated firm, if the results of measurement formerly conducted separately in the research laboratory, the manufacturing plant, the oversea affiliated firm, etc., can be managed in a unified manner and shared among them, for example, by connecting the research laboratory as a server and the manufacturing plant and the oversea affiliated firm through a communication network (for example, the Internet), contributions to development, design, manufacturing, sale, etc., can be expected.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an automatic measuring apparatus and an automatic measurement data processing and control apparatus of electronic machines for making it possible to execute various measurements different in measurement item, measurement condition, standard, etc., on each measured object by simple operation. It is another object of the invention to provide a network system for making it possible to share the measurement result of the automatic measurement value among the research laboratories, the manufacturing plants, the oversea sites, etc., of a manufacturer.
To the end, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an automatic measuring apparatus for giving a test signal to a measured object implemented as an electronic machine and measuring the measured object, the automatic measuring apparatus comprising display control means for displaying test conditions corresponding to a specified measurement category in a predetermined format, test condition selection and setting instruction means for instructing a test condition fitted to the measured object to be selected and set from among a plurality of test conditions displayed by the display control means, selection and setting means for selecting and setting a test condition instructed to be selected and set by the test condition selection and setting instruction means, test data generation means for generating test data based on the test condition set by the selection and setting means, and measurement timing control means for controlling the test data generation means to generate test data and sending the generated test data to test signal generation means.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an automatic measuring apparatus for giving a test signal to a measured object implemented as an electronic machine and measuring the measured object, the automatic measuring apparatus comprising display means for displaying a plurality of selection and setting screens or listing screens represented in predetermined formats, retention and storage means for retaining and storing the formats of the plurality of selection and setting screens or listing screens, display control means for displaying the plurality of selection and setting screens or listing screens stored in the retention and storage means on the display means in a predetermined order, selection and setting means for selecting and setting a test condition for measuring the measured object from the selection and setting screen displayed on the display means by the display control means, test data generation means for generating test data based on the test condition selected and set through the selection and setting means, measurement timing control means for inputting the test data generated by the test data generation means to test signal generation means, test signal generation means for generating a test signal based on the test data input by the measurement timing control means and giving the generated test signal to the measured object, and signal measurement means for measuring a signal output from the measured object to which the test signal is input from the test signal generation means and outputting the measurement result.
In a third aspect of the invention, the automatic measuring apparatus in the first or second aspect of the invention further includes antenna input signal generation means for inputting the test signal generated by the test signal generation means and generating an antenna input signal of the measured object.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a network system comprising a management apparatus comprising a data base and communication control means, a communication network, and a plurality of automatic measu
Hori Hideki
Kakinuma Yoshishige
Katsui Toru
Clarion Co. Ltd.
Hoff Marc S.
McGinn & Gibb PLLC
Suarez Felix
LandOfFree
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