System and method for automatic hardware and software sequencing of computer-aided design (CAD) functionality testing

• US 8,589,886 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: QualiSystems Ltd.
• Original Assignee: QualiSystems Ltd.
• Inventors: Lavie, Eitan, Moskovitch, Moshe, Tamir, Assaf
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivera, Anibal
• Application Number:
  US13/002,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/263 Generation of test inputs, e.g. test vectors, patterns or sequences ; with adaptation of the tested hardware for testability with external testers

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method for creating hardware and/or software test sequences and in particular, to such a system and method in which modular building blocks are used to create, sequence and schedule a large scale testing sequence using a matrix like platform.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for defining and implementing a testing sequence for a UUT (unit under test) using directly controllable modular building blocks on a graphical user interface defining a test sequencing platform wherein said sequencing platform alleviates the need to manually connect said modular blocks, the method comprising:

a. abstracting hardware test requirements for a UUT;

b. defining a plurality of modular building blocks to correspond to said hardware test requirements, wherein each of said modular building blocks defines an elementary graphical unit utilized to configure a step within said hardware test requirement;

c. building said test sequence by the user by placing said plurality of modular building blocks on said sequencing platform, said platform defining a graphical interface displayed to the user wherein said building blocks may be manipulated by the user, said platform comprising a plurality of cells defining a matrix platform provided for placing said building blocks and for forming a relative stacking order of said building blocks on said platform wherein said stacking order corresponds to said hardware test sequence requirements and wherein said platform automatically links said building blocks according to said stacking order determining the flow and execution of said test sequence according to said hardware test requirements;

wherein said stacking order may be edited by a user within said platform such that said platform automatically re-links and reconfigures the flow and execution of said test sequence; and

d. executing said test sequence according to the relative location of said plurality of modular building blocks on said matrix platform.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of said modular building blocks are chosen from a library of predefined modular blocks.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said building blocks are chosen from the group consisting of:

a. logic test sequences building blocks comprising test sequences chosen from the group consisting of;

parallel process, start, case block, loop block, while, wait for event, delay, terminate, set event, end, analysis, criteria, paraloop, if then, conditional, group, and lock &

unlock;

or

b. test &

measurements equipment building blocks comprising test sequences chosen from the group consisting of;

oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, Geiger counter, voltmeter, decibel meter, odometer, tachometer, pressure meter, flow meter, DC power, AC power, analog I/O, attenuators, audio analyzers, camera, chamber, communication, counter, data transmission, digital I/O, digital wave, electronic load, function generator, multimeter, network analyzer, power meter, power supply, pulse pattern generator, scope, signal generator, sound, spectrum, switch, mobile, traffic generator, or any combination thereof.

4. The library of claim 2 comprising categorized, or grouped, or favorite or often used building blocks.

5. The method of claim 1 for testing process automation or resource management using said directly controllable modular building blocks.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said resource management comprises synchronization and coordination between different test sequences and wherein said resource management comprises defining resource attributes required to execute a test sequence on a given UUT forming a common denominator attributes specific to said resource.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said resource management test sequences are chosen from the group consisting of test equipment, hardware.

8. The matrix of claim 1 wherein the size of said matrix is user defined.

9. The sequencing platform of claim 1 wherein said modular building blocks are placed over and controllably associate with said cells.

10. The sequencing platform of claim 1 wherein said building blocks provide a platform for creating fluid test sequences chosen from the group consisting of splitting, branching, delayed process, parallel process, between process and within a process.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said modular building blocks correspond to at least one process undertaken during said test sequence.

12. The modular building block of claim 3 wherein said Test and Measurement (T&

M) modular building blocks are configured to automatically comprise the relevant analytical procedure according to a product and/or process under test.

13. The modular building blocks of claim 3 wherein said building blocks may be customized according to at least one user defined parameters chosen from the group consisting of:

relevant equipment type, equipment family, vendor, vendor driver, specific functionality required and hardware interface.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein test sequences, modular building blocks, or building block sequences may be exported to a third party system through a computer readable media;

and wherein said export is facilitated by running a generated code that may be run on an appropriate programming language or script interface chosen from the group consisting of C, C++, object oriented language, markup language, TCL and XML.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising abstracting software test requirements and defining said modular building blocks to correspond to said software test requirements.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said building blocks comprising said software test requirements are chosen from the group consisting of:

a. software test sequences building blocks comprising test sequences chosen from the group consisting of;

exe, .net dll, Win32 dll, activex, webservices, python, Java script, vb script, perl, tcl and batch;

or

b. communication protocols building blocks chosen from the group consisting of;

serial, TCPIP, UDP, Telnet, GPIB, USB, FTP, parallel, Web GUI, Web services, FTP, BUS, TFTP5MAIL, CLI, SNMP, SSH, HTTP, Application GUI;

or

c. administrative utilities comprising test sequences chosen from the group consisting of;

File Engine, MatShell, and Transformation;

or

d. third party API;

or

e. reporting tools.

15. The method of 3 wherein said conditional building blocks are implemented with at least two building blocks wherein a first modular building block defines an event condition and a second modular building block to wait for the event condition to exist.

16. A computer aided design (CAD) system having a processor for evaluating and testing products and processes under evaluation with modular building blocks comprising:

a. a functional testing module for abstracting an evaluation and test sequences for evaluating products and/or processes; and

b. a test execution module for executing and performing said evaluation and test sequences abstracted with said function testing module; and

c. a requirements module for defining requirements for said evaluation and test sequences associated with said products and processes; and

d. a standards module for standardizing data exchange, communication and storage within said CAD system; and

e. a product and process description module providing product and process description for abstracting said evaluation and test sequence with said function testing module; and

f. an encapsulation module providing modular building blocks for abstracting said evaluation and test sequences for said products and/or processes with said test execution module and in accordance with said product and process description module and further based on requirements defined in said requirements module.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said CAD system further comprises:

g. a business intelligence module for analyzing said testing and evaluation of said products and processes with respect to an organization; and

h. a data evaluation module for providing said business intelligence module with data for said analysis; and

i. an enterprise processes module comprising user and/or enterprise based protocols providing for initiating the execution of sequences created by said functional testing module and provided to at least one or more management tools.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said standards module comprising at least one and more preferably a plurality of standard engines to provide a user with standardized data exchange and storage for said CAD system, chosen from the group consisting of standard reporting and documentation engine, standard communication engine and standard data engine;

and wherein said standardized communication engine is provided with a plurality of communication formats chosen from the group consisting of user defined standards, company standards, regional standards, local standards, international standards, BVQI, ISO.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising analysis module providing decision support associated with implementing and extrapolating solutions with respect to the results of said product and processes evaluation and test.

22. A computer implemented method for defining and implementing a testing sequence for a UUT (unit under test) using directly controllable modular building blocks on a graphical user interface defining a test sequencing platform wherein said sequencing platform alleviates the need to manually connect said modular blocks, the method comprising:

a. abstracting software test requirements for a UUT;

b. defining a plurality of modular building blocks to correspond to said software test requirements, wherein each of said modular building blocks defines an elementary graphical unit utilized to configure a step within said software test requirement;

c. building said test sequence by the user by placing said plurality of modular building blocks on said sequencing platform, said platform defining a graphical interface displayed to the user wherein said building blocks may be manipulated by the user, said platform comprising a plurality of cells defining a matrix platform provided for placing said building blocks and for forming a relative stacking order of said building blocks on said platform wherein said stacking order corresponds to said software test sequence requirements and wherein said platform automatically links said building blocks according to said stacking order determining the flow and execution of said test sequence according to said software test requirements;

wherein said stacking order may be edited by a user within said platform such that said platform automatically re-links and reconfigures the flow and execution of said test sequence; and

d. executing said test sequence according to the relative location of said plurality of modular building blocks on said matrix platform.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising abstracting hardware test requirements and defining said modular building blocks to correspond to said hardware test requirements.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said building blocks comprising said hardware test requirements are chosen from the group consisting of:

a. software test sequences building blocks comprising test sequences chosen from the group consisting of;

exe, .net dll, Win32 dll, activex, webservices, python, Java script, vb script, perl, tcl and batch;

or

b. communication protocols building blocks chosen from the group consisting of;

serial, TCPIP, UDP, Telnet, GPIB, USB, FTP, parallel, Web GUI, Web services, FTP, BUS, TFTP5MAIL, CLI, SNMP, SSH, HTTP, Application GUI;

or

c. administrative utilities comprising test sequences chosen from the group consisting of;

File Engine, MatShell, and Transformation;

or

d. third party API;

or

e. reporting tools.