Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system in a specific environment – Electrical signal parameter measurement system
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-23
2004-06-01
Assouad, Patrick (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system in a specific environment
Electrical signal parameter measurement system
C702S084000, C702S182000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06745140
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic systems for performing automated tests of complex electronic, electromechanical and mechanical equipment and products. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic test system with a test results view filter that enables the user to effectively and efficiently select certain test results of an entire test.
2. Statement of the Problem
Complex electronic, electromechanical and mechanical products and equipment are generally tested using automated test systems. Such tests can include validation tests which run through the various operations that the device under test (DUT) is capable of and records whether each operation was performed properly; environmental tests which expose the DUT to various combinations of temperature, pressure, and humidity, and records the results; and production tests, etc. Generally, both the DUT and the systems providing the environmental and other constraints on the DUT are controlled electronically. In the last decade or so, computerized programs which are capable of controlling a variety of automated tests, referred to in the art as “test executive” programs, have been developed.
Test executive programs in the prior art include internal test executive programs developed by Agilent Technologies and TESTSTAND software developed by National Instruments Corporation, which is described as a ready-to-run test executive for organizing, controlling, and executing automated prototype, validation, or production test systems. The prior art Agilent Technologies programs did not use a graphical user interface (GUI), therefore limiting the ability of the program to display large amounts of data in a simple fashion. The TESTSTAND software, while using a GUI, requires the user to scroll through multiple windows to determine the overall progress of a test. The TESTSTAND software showed the results in a spreadsheet that was not easy to analyze. The prior art software at best was limited to showing the results of a given measurement by colored test such as “passed” in blue color, “skipped” in yellow color and “failed” in red color. Therefore, it takes significant time to scan textual results to determine what further action is needed. When a test fails, it is usually necessary to examine the details of the test further to find the source of the failure before taking further action. Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a test executive system in which test results are more easily selected and analyzed.
Tests usually are defined by a set of rules or specifications to which the DUT is compared. The rules or specifications generally comprise various inputs defined by electrical and mechanical parameters applied to the DUT, such as voltage, current, specified manipulations of controls and device parts, as well as environmental parameters under which the test is conducted, such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and the time period over which a parameter is applied. Each test will include many combinations of the parameters applied to each element of the DUT, and often will be repeated many times. Each combination of parameters will define a measurement that results in one or more datapoint values, which are recorded and compared to numerical or Boolean limits defining the specifications. Thus, as equipment and products become more complex, electronic test programs have become very long and complex, often requiring several days, or even a week or more to run a complete test.
In prior art test systems, the test results are displayed on a computer display screen as the test progresses, with the current test conditions and results, or a small portion of the conditions and results just prior to the current time, visible. If the user desires to see the test results which failed to meet a particular test specification limit, such as failed test results, the user scrolls through a display to see which individual test results in a test program failed to meet a particular test specification limit. This can be a lengthy, laborious and error prone means for determining which test results failed to meet a certain test specification limit.
If the user desires to see specific test results, such as failed or marginal test results, from earlier portions of the test, the user scrolls through a lengthy display of all test results manually seeking the desired test results. Because of the length and complexity of the test, it is not physically possible to display the entire report of a test on the screen at one time. At any given point in the scrolling, the user has only a partial view of the results, making it difficult for the user to view certain or particular test results without time consuming and tedious viewing and hand recording.
It would be highly desirable to have a test executive system in which the user could effectively and quickly filter the test results for viewing according to the user's interests and concern.
3. Solution to the Problem
The above and other problems are solved and an advance in the art is made by an electronic test program with interactive electronic displays in accordance with this invention. A first advantage of this invention is that it allows the user to filter the datapoint values of an entire test procedure by simply selecting a test results view filter option button in the test results view filter. A second advantage of this invention is that the output device displays only those datapoint values that are selectively filtered. A third advantage of this invention is that it allows the user to filter repeatedly and differently the results of a test procedure without having to rerun the procedure. A fourth advantage of this invention is that the datapoint values can be filtered while the test procedure is progressing or after the test procedure has been completed.
The test results view filter enables the user to filter an entire test report by selecting a particular test results view filter option button. This allows the user to save time by immediately selecting datapoint values of interest to the user, such as the datapoint values that failed test specification limits or those datapoint values that marginally met test specification limits. The user does not have to search through the whole listing of datapoint values to determine those datapoint values that failed test specification limits or those datapoint values that met marginal test specification limits.
The test results view filter enables the user to see just the filtered datapoint values. It displays only the filtered datapoint values of interest to the user, thereby leaving the display screen clear of any unwanted or uninteresting datapoint values. The user can effectively and efficiently view the datapoint values that are of interest to them. This alleviates the tedious and laborious task of viewing the entire test procedure display output searching for those datapoint values of interest to them. The user doesn't have to make notes or record values while scanning an entire test procedure output. The user need only select the test results view filter option button corresponding to the desired datapoint values of interest, and the invention displays just the filtered datapoint values.
The test results view filter enables the user to filter the same set of test procedure datapoint values repeatedly in different filter modes without having to rerun the test procedure. This allows the user to filter all test procedure datapoint values according to a user's first interest, and then filter subsequently all test procedure datapoint values according to the user's second interest. The test results view filter is capable of filtering over and over the same set of test procedure datapoint values.
The test results view filter enables the user to filter the datapoint values while the test procedure is running or after the test procedure has completed. The user can select the test results view filter option button corresponding to the datapoint values that the us
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