DEVICE MANUFACTURING USING THE DEVICE'S EMBEDDED WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY

• US 20120276887A1
• Filed: 07/06/2012
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Feenaghty, Dennis Michael, Burke, Joseph Patrick, Jha, Sanjay K., Soliman, Samir S., Romine, Christopher Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,639,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25062 Detect physical location of field device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

Embodiments describe manufacturing, programming, testing, and servicing of wireless computing devices utilizing their embedded wireless technology. An embodiment method ensures that the wireless computing devices are successfully programmed in the event a disruption to the manufacturing, programming, testing and servicing process flow occurs. The method includes retrieving a last known location of the wireless device before the disruption event and comparing the last known location with the location of the wireless of the wireless device after the disruption event. A wireless device may be returned to the last known location before the disruption event if there is a difference in locations. The programming at the last known location before the disruption event occurred may be successfully completed. Further embodiments include configuring the manufacturing, programming, testing, and servicing of wireless computing devices utilizing the embedded wireless technology in the device based on a reported location of the device within a facility.

Claims

1. A method of programming wireless devices in a manufacturing environment, comprising:

sending program data to at least one wireless device though a wireless communication during a manufacturing or testing process;

retrieving a before-event last known location of the at least one wireless device, when an event disrupting a device process flow is over;

comparing the before-event last known location of the at least one wireless device with an after-event location of the at least one wireless device;

returning the at least one wireless device to the before-event last known location if there is a difference between the before-event last known location and the after-event location as a result of the comparing;

determining whether the at least one wireless device has successfully completed the programming at the before-event last known location; and

programming the at least one wireless device with the program data if the at least one wireless device has not successfully completed the programming.

2. The method of claim 1, the wireless communication is one of Bluetooth, WiFi, Wireless USB, Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), wide-band CDMA (WCDMA), Global Systems for Mobile Communication (GSM), enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), WiMAX or IEEE 802.16 standard, and Global Positioning System (GPS) format.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

concurrently receiving the program data at a plurality of other wireless devices at a substantially similar time as the at least one wireless device; and

concurrently programming the plurality of other wireless devices.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

distinguishing among the plurality of other wireless devices based at least in part on a unique identifier; and

configuring the sent program data based at least in part on the unique identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, before the act of sending program data to at least one wireless device though a wireless communication, further comprising:

determining a first location of the at least one wireless device; and

configuring the program data based at least in part on the first location.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

determining a second location of the at least one wireless device;

extracting data from the at least one wireless device at the second location; and

comparing the extracted data with the program data configured at the first location.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

returning the at least one wireless device to the first location if the extracted data does not match the program data configured at the first location.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

processing the at least one wireless device at the second location if the extracted data matches the program data configured at the first location.

9. A method of testing a plurality of wireless computing devices, comprising:

locating a plurality of wireless computing devices in a manufacturing process;

sending a wireless test signal to the plurality of wireless computing devices;

retrieving before-event last known locations of the plurality of wireless computing devices, when an event disrupting a device process flow is over;

comparing the before-event last known locations of the plurality of wireless computing devices with after-event locations of the plurality of wireless computing device;

returning the plurality of wireless computing devices to the before-event last known locations if there is a difference between the before-event last known location and the after-event location as a result of the comparing;

determining whether the plurality of wireless computing devices have successfully completed the testing at the before-event last know locations; and

processing the wireless test signal at each of the plurality of wireless computing devices at the same time if the plurality of wireless computing devices have not successfully completed the testing.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

testing the plurality of wireless computing devices as a batch of devices.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

assigning a unique identifier to each of the plurality of wireless computing devices; and

distinguishing among the plurality of wireless devices based at least in part on the unique identifier.

12. The method of claim 9, the act of locating a plurality of wireless computing devices in a manufacturing process further comprising:

determining where each of the plurality of wireless computing devices is located based upon a manufacturing process; and

grouping a subset of the plurality of wireless computing devices using the determined locations.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

beginning a data communication automatically when each device of the plurality of wireless computing devices enters a signal range; and

ending a data communication automatically when each device of the plurality of wireless computing devices exits a signal range.

14. The method of claim 13, the data communication is one of a test procedure and a data transfer.

15. The method of claim 9, the wireless test signal is one of Bluetooth, WiFi, Wireless USB, Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), wide-band CDMA (WCDMA), Global Systems for Mobile Communication (GSM), enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), WiMAX or IEEE 802.16 standard, and Global Positioning System (GPS) format.

16. A method for facilitating wireless testing and programming of wireless devices;

comprising;

establishing communication between at least one control unit and at least one wireless device;

receiving information at the at least one wireless device from the at least one control unit;

transmitting response information to the at least one control unit from the at least one wireless device;

retrieving a before-event last known location of the at least one wireless device, when an event disrupting a device process flow is over;

comparing the before-event last known location of the at least one wireless device with an after-event location of the at least one wireless device;

returning the at least one wireless device to the before-event last known location if there is a difference between the before-event last known location and the after-event location as a result of the comparing;

determining whether the at least one wireless device has successfully completed the testing and programming at the before-event last know location; and

facilitating the testing and programming the at least one wireless device during at least one manufacturing process if the at least one wireless device has not successfully completed the testing and programming.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

updating a processor of the wireless device with the received information; and

storing the received information in a memory of the wireless device.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a location of the at least one wireless device;

performing a wireless test of the at least one wireless device; and

receiving a signal from the at least one wireless device that contains test result information.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

sending a wireless test signal to a plurality of wireless devices at a similar time;

processing the wireless test signal at the plurality of wireless devices in parallel; and

receiving respective test result signals from each of the plurality of wireless devices.

20. The method of claim 19, the plurality of wireless devices are in different manufacturing areas.

21. A manufacturing system comprising:

at least one control unit configured to;

send program data to a plurality of wireless devices though a wireless communication during a manufacturing or testing process;

retrieve before-event last known locations of the plurality of wireless devices, when an event disrupting a device process flow is over;

compare the before-event last known locations of the plurality of wireless devices with after-event locations of the plurality of wireless devices;

return the plurality of wireless devices to the before-event last known locations if there is a difference between the before-event last known location and the after-event location as a result of the comparing;

determine whether the plurality of wireless devices have successfully completed the programming at the before-event last know locations; and

program the plurality of wireless device with the program data during at least one manufacturing process if the plurality of wireless devices have not successfully completed the programming,

wherein the at least one control unit interfaces wirelessly with the plurality of wireless devices during the at least one manufacturing process.

22. The system of claim 21, the plurality of wireless devices and the at least one control unit communicate in a format supported by an embedded wireless technology of the plurality of wireless devices.

23. The system of claim 21, the at least one control unit and the plurality of wireless devices communicate wirelessly utilizing one of Bluetooth, WiFi, Wireless USB, Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), wide-band CDMA (WCDMA), Global Systems for Mobile Communication (GSM), enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), WiMAX or IEEE 802.16 standard, and Global Positioning System (GPS) format.

24. The system of claim 21, the at least one manufacturing process is one of a flash, RF calibration, call test, MMI test, audio test, antenna test and provisioning and customization.

25. The system of claim 21, the wireless interface is one of a data transfer, a test procedure, and a customization file.

26. The system of claim 21, the plurality of wireless devices are assigned a unique identifier that identifies a particular wireless device.

27. A system that concurrently programs a plurality of wireless devices during manufacturing or testing, comprising:

means for determining location information for a plurality of wireless devices;

means for configuring program data using the determined location;

means for wirelessly transmitting the program data to the plurality of wireless devices;

means for retrieving before-event last known locations of the plurality of wireless devices, when an event disrupting a device process flow is over;

means for comparing the before-event last known locations of the plurality of wireless devices with after-event locations of the plurality of wireless;

means for returning the plurality of wireless devices to the before-event last known location if there is a difference between the before-event last known location and the after-event location as a result of the comparing;

means for determining whether the plurality of wireless devices have successfully completed the concurrently programming at the before-event last known locations; and

means for facilitating the concurrently programming of the plurality of wireless devices with the program data if the plurality of wireless devices have not successfully completed the concurrently programming.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for concurrently associating each of the plurality of wireless devices with an identifier; and

means for distinguishing the plurality of wireless devices based at least in part on the identifier.

29. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for communicating a test program wirelessly to the plurality of wireless devices; and

means for concurrently testing the plurality of wireless devices with the communicated test program.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

means for receiving a test result from each of the plurality of wireless devices, wherein the test result includes identification information.