Mobile device test infrastructure

• US 10,149,189 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2017
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ross, Peter George
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Hirdepal
• Application Number:
  US15/694,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20170366991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 457 Days
• Field of Search: 455419
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

A mobile device test module enables a remote client to execute client-developed mobile device applications on a mobile device, via a communication network, to test application performance on the mobile device. The module includes a host compute board which establishes a device communication link, which can include a wireless link, with a mobile device mounted in the module and generates commands to the mobile device based on signals received at the board. The module restricts the host compute board and mobile device to device communication links between each other. The module housing can restrict device communication links with devices external to the module. The module can be installed in a slot of a chassis which can provide structural, power, and communication support to the module. The chassis includes interface clusters which each can support various modules installed in the slots and can support redundant links with an installed module.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one mobile device test module, comprising;

an individual mobile device,

at least one instance of processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the mobile device, and

one or more communication connector interfaces communicatively coupled with the at least one instance of processing circuitry,

wherein the at least one mobile device test module is configured to enable testing of at least one mobile device program of instruction, received from a remotely-located user via a communication network, on the individual mobile device via a device communication link established between the at least one instance of processing circuitry and the individual mobile device; and

a test module chassis configured to communicatively couple the at least one instance of processing circuitry with the communication network, the test module chassis comprising;

a backplane communicatively coupled with the communication network and comprising one or more corresponding communication connector interfaces;

wherein;

the at least one mobile device test module is configured to couple, at the one or more communication connector interfaces, with the one or more corresponding communication connector interfaces of the backplane to establish a redundant communication link between the at least one instance of processing circuitry and the communication network, and

the at least one instance of processing circuitry is configured to generate a command signal which, when communicated to the mobile device via the established device communication link, causes the mobile device to execute the at least one mobile device program of instructions, based at least in part upon a command received from the remotely-located user via the communication network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

to communicatively couple the at least one instance of processing circuitry with the communication network, the test module chassis further comprises a slot space configured to receive the at least one mobile device test module into the slot space, and

the backplane is configured to couple with the at least one communication connector interface of the at least one mobile device test module received into the slot space to communicatively couple the at least one instance of processing circuitry with the communication network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

the one or more communication connector interfaces are arranged in a particular arrangement;

the one or more corresponding communication connector interfaces of the backplane are arranged in the particular arrangement; and

each communication connector interface of the one or more corresponding communication connector interfaces is configured to communicatively couple separate instances of processing circuitry, included in separate mobile device test modules received into the slot space of the test module chassis, to the communication network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device test module comprises at least one connector interface which is configured to communicatively couple the at least one instance of processing circuitry to an external power source.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one connector interface comprises at least one blind mate connector interface.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one instance of processing circuitry comprises a physical connector which is configured to carry at least some electrical power received at the at least one instance of processing circuitry from the external power source and is further configured to be coupled with a power connector interface of the individual mobile device, such that the mobile device test module is configured to provide electrical power support to the individual mobile device via the physical connector.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the mobile device test module comprises a power connector, coupled to the at least one connector interface, which is configured to carry at least some electrical power received at the at least one connector interface from the external power source and is further configured to be physically coupled with a power connector interface of the individual mobile device, such that the mobile device test module is configured to provide electrical power support to the individual mobile device independently of the at least one instance of processing circuitry.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile device test module configured to enable testing of at least one mobile device program, received from a remotely-located user via a communication network, on an individual mobile device, wherein the mobile device test module comprises;

a housing configured to receive and structurally support the individual mobile device within an interior of the housing;

at least one instance of processing circuitry, physically coupled to the interior of the housing and communicatively coupled to the communication network, which is configured to;

establish a device communication link with the individual mobile device structurally supported within the interior of the housing, and

command the mobile device to execute the at least one mobile device program; and

a mobile device test interface coupled to the interior of the housing, the mobile device test interface comprising one or more of;

a microactuator assembly configured to interact with one or more touch-sensitive user interfaces of the mobile device,

a camera assembly configured to capture images of one or more display interfaces of the mobile device, or

a positional adjustment assembly configured to adjust a physical position of the mobile device within the interior of the housing.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein to establish a device communication link with the individual mobile device structurally supported within the interior of the housing, the at least one instance of processing circuitry is configured to establish a wireless communication link with the individual mobile device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the mobile device test module further comprises a housing which is configured to at least partially inhibit Radio Frequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation from passing between the interior of the housing and an exterior of the mobile device test module.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the at least one instance of processing circuitry is configured to command the mobile device to execute the at least one mobile device program based at least in part upon commands received from the remotely-located user via the communication network; and

the mobile device test module comprises at least one connector interface, coupled to the housing, which is configured to communicatively couple the at least one instance of processing circuitry to an external power source.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one instance of processing circuitry comprises a physical connector which is configured:

to carry at least some electrical power received at the at least one instance of processing circuitry from the external power source, and

to be coupled with a power connector interface of the individual mobile device, such that the mobile device test module is configured to provide electrical power support to the individual mobile device via the physical connector.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the mobile device test module comprises a power connector, coupled to the at least one connector interface, which is configured to:

carry at least some electrical power received at the at least one connector interface from the external power source, and

be physically coupled with a power connector interface of the individual mobile device, such that the mobile device test module is configured to provide electrical power support to the individual mobile device independently of the at least one instance of processing circuitry.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the mobile device test module comprises a set of mounting elements, coupled to the interior of the housing, which are configured to structurally stabilize the mobile device in a particular position within the interior of the housing.

15. A method, comprising:

configuring a mobile device test module to enable testing of at least one mobile device program, received from a remotely-located user via a communication network, on a mobile device included in the module, wherein the configuring comprises;

placing an individual mobile device in an interior of a housing, such that the individual mobile device is structurally supported within the interior of the housing;

coupling at least one instance of processing circuitry to the interior of the housing, wherein the at least one instance of processing circuitry is configured to be communicatively coupled with the communication network;

coupling the mobile device test module to a chassis network switch device included in a test module chassis comprising the mobile device test module, wherein said coupling the mobile test module comprises coupling a set of symmetrically-positioned communication connector interfaces of the mobile device test module with a corresponding set of symmetrically-positioned communication connector interfaces of the test module chassis to establish a set of redundant communication links between the at least one instance of processing circuitry and the communication network; and

establishing a device communication link between the at least one instance of processing circuitry and the individual mobile device, such that the at least one instance of processing circuitry is configured to command the individual mobile device, via the device communication link, to execute the at least one mobile device program based at least in part upon commands received from the remotely-located user via the communication network.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

mounting the mobile device test module in a slot of the test module chassis, such that the mobile device test module is structurally supported by the test module chassis,

coupling the mobile device test module to a chassis network switch device included in the test module chassis, such that the at least one instance of processing circuitry in the mobile device test module is communicatively coupled to the communication network via the chassis network switch device, and

coupling the mobile device test module to a power source via one or more power transmission lines included in the test module chassis.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the mobile device test module comprises a communication connector interface which is coupled to the at least one instance of processing circuitry; and

coupling the mobile device test module to the chassis network switch device included in the test module chassis comprises slidably inserting the mobile device test module into the slot of the test module chassis to couple at least the communication connector interface of the mobile device test module with a complementary communication connector interface of the test module chassis to communicatively couple the at least one instance of processing circuitry with the communication network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

each of the set of communication connector interfaces is configured to communicatively couple a separate instance of processing circuitry, included in a separate mobile device test module mounted in the slot, to the communication network; and

each of the corresponding set of symmetrically-positioned communication connector interfaces is coupled to a respective instance of processing circuitry.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

restricting, based at least in part on a housing which is configured at least partially inhibit Radio Frequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation from passing between the interior of the housing and an exterior of the mobile device test module, the at least one instance of processing circuitry to establishing device communication links with the individual mobile device.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

establishing a sideband communication link with the individual mobile device; and

monitoring one or more operational parameters of the mobile device, based at least in part upon communicating with one or more portions of the individual mobile device via the established sideband communication link.