Test apparatus, diagnosing program and diagnosing method therefor

• US 7,158,908 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2005
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Original Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Inventors: Iwamoto, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, JOHN H
• Application Number:
  US11/137,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 702/119, 702/121, 702/183, 701/29, 705/26, 705/28, 705/400, 714/25, 714/30, 714/724, 714/738, 717/126
• US Class Current: 702/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31901 Analysis of tester Performance; Tester characterization

Abstract

There is provided a test apparatus having a plurality of test modules. The test apparatus stores object diagnosing programs for controlling diagnosis of the object test module to be diagnosed of a certain type per type of the test module to be diagnosed and stores, separately from it, a set of identification information of diagnostic performance board to be mounted on a test head to diagnose the object test module to be diagnosed by the respective object diagnosing programs per type of the object test modules to be diagnosed. When the diagnostic performance board is mounted on the test head, the test apparatus obtains identification information of the diagnostic performance board and executes the object diagnosing program corresponding to that type under the condition that the identification information coincides with the identification information stored correlatively with the type of the designated object test module to be diagnosed.

Claims

1. A test apparatus for testing devices-under-test, comprising:

a plurality of test modules for supplying a test signal to said device-under-test and receiving an output signal output by said device-under-test corresponding to the supplied test signal;

a test head for carrying a testing performance board that carries said device-under-test and connects said mounted device-under-test with said plurality of test modules; and

a control unit for controlling said plurality of test modules;

wherein said control unit has;

a diagnosing program storage section for storing object diagnosing programs for causing said control unit to control the diagnosis of a certain type of the object test module to be diagnosed per type thereof;

a file storage section for storing a compatible information file recording, per type of the object test module to be diagnosed, identification information of at least one mutually compatible diagnostic performance board to be mounted on said test head instead of said testing performance board to diagnose said object test module to be diagnosed by the respective object diagnosing program;

an identification information obtaining section for obtaining the identification information of said diagnostic performance board when said diagnostic performance board is mounted on said test head; and

an object diagnosing program executing section for executing said object diagnosing program corresponding to the type under the condition that at least one of the identification information recorded in said compatible information file correlatively with the type of said designated object test module to be diagnosed coincides with the identification information obtained by said identification information obtaining section.

2. The test apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said file storage section also stores a system configuration file recording the respective types of said plurality of test modules mounted on said test apparatus;

said control unit further comprises;

a type obtaining section for reading out said system configuration file to obtain the type of said respective test modules mounted on said test apparatus; and

an object diagnosing program selecting section for setting each of said test modules sequentially as said object test modules to be diagnosed and sequentially selecting said object diagnosing programs corresponding to the type of said object test modules to be diagnosed; and

said object diagnosing program executing section executes said object diagnosing program selected by said object diagnosing program selecting section under the condition that at least one of the identification information recorded correlatively with the type of the object diagnosing program coincides with the identification information obtained by said identification information obtaining section.

3. The test apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said control unit has further a mount detecting section for detecting that any one of said diagnostic performance boards is mounted on said test head;

and said identification information obtaining section obtains the identification information of the diagnostic performance board corresponding to that the diagnostic performance board is detected as being mounted by said mount detecting section.

4. The test apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said control unit further comprises:

a display section for displaying each of said plurality of test modules so that the user can select under the condition that any one of the identification information corresponding to the type of the test module in said compatible information file coincides with the identification information obtained by said identification information obtaining section; and

an object diagnosing program selecting section for selecting an object diagnosing program for diagnosing the test module designated by the user among the test modules displayed on said display section; and

said object diagnosing program executing section executes the object diagnosing program selected by said object diagnosing program selecting section.

5. The test apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said display section displays the identification information recorded in said compatible information file to the user as information indicating a performance board to be mounted on said test head when none of the identification information recorded in said compatible information file correlatively with the type of said test module designated by the user coincides with the identification information obtained by said identification information obtaining section.

6. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a diagnosing program which is executable by a processor, the diagnosing program comprising instructions for diagnosing test modules by a control unit in a test apparatus comprising the plurality of test modules that supply a test signal to a device-under-test, the control unit for controlling said plurality of test modules and a test head for carrying a testing performance board that carries said device-under-test and connects said mounted device-under-test with said plurality of test modules:

wherein

said diagnosing program operates said control unit as;

a diagnosing program storage section for controlling diagnosis of a certain type of the object test module to be diagnosed by said control unit per type of the object test module to be diagnosed;

a file storage section for storing a compatible information file recording, per type of the object test module to be diagnosed, identification information of at least one mutually compatible diagnostic performance board to be mounted on said test head instead of said testing performance board to diagnose said object test module to be diagnosed by the respective object diagnosing program;

an identification information obtaining section for obtaining identification information of said diagnostic performance board when said diagnostic performance board is mounted on said test head;

an object diagnosing program executing section for executing said object diagnosing program corresponding to the type under the condition that at least one of the identification information recorded in said compatible information file correlatively with the type of said designated object test module to be diagnosed coincides with the identification information obtained by said identification information obtaining section.

7. A diagnosing method for diagnosing test modules by a control unit in a test apparatus comprising the plurality of test modules for supplying a test signal to a device-under-test, the control unit for controlling said plurality of test modules and a test head for carrying a testing performance board that carries said device-under-test and connects said mounted device-under-test with said plurality of test modules:

wherein

said control unit has a diagnosing program storage section for controlling diagnosis of a certain type of the object test module to be diagnosed by said control unit per type of the test module to be diagnosed; and

a file storage section for storing a compatible information file recording identification information of at least one mutually compatible diagnostic performance board to be mounted on said test head instead of said testing performance board to diagnose said object test module to be diagnosed by the respective object diagnosing program per type of the object test module to be diagnosed; and

said diagnosing method comprises an identification information obtaining step of obtaining identification information of said diagnostic performance board when said diagnostic performance board is mounted on said test head; and

an object diagnosing program executing step of executing said object diagnosing program corresponding to the type under the condition that at least one of the identification information recorded in said compatible information file correlatively with the type of said designated object test module to be diagnosed coincides with the identification information obtained by said identification information obtaining section; and

an outputting step of outputting a result of executing said object diagnosing program.