Remote evaluation tool

• US 9,733,306 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices International Unlimited Company (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Analog Devices Global Unlimited Company (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Newcombe, Alexander, Willett, Ross, Straker, Andre, Schreier, Richard E.
• Primary Examiner(s): TU, CHRISTINE TRINH LE
• Application Number:
  US14/935,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20170067962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 714724, 714741, 714 25, 714 37, 714 471, 714 46, 717124, 717127, 717135, 702178, 702187, 702183
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31707 Test strategies methods for generation of test sequences G01R31/318371
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31718 Logistic aspects, e.g. binning, selection, sorting of devices under test, tester/handler interaction networks, Test management software, e.g. software for test statistics or test evaluation, yield analysis mechanical aspects G01R31/2808, G01R31/2851
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31724 Test controller, e.g. BIST state machine for scan test G01R31/318555
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3177 Testing of logic operation, e.g. by logic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318314 Tools, e.g. program interfaces, test suite, test bench, simulation hardware, test compiler, test program languages simulation software G01R31/318357; emulators G06F11/261
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Remote evaluation, e.g., web-based evaluation, lowers the evaluation barrier by allowing an engineer to gain experience with an integrated circuit (IC) using a client (e.g. a web browser) on a remote computer (e.g., a machine remote from the IC being evaluated but local to the engineer) to activate a test set-up that is maintained at a location that is far away from the engineer.

Claims

1. A method for remote evaluation of integrated circuits, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server computer, a test job submitted via a remote computer, wherein the test job comprises parameters for a task to be completed by one or more evaluation boards;

generating, at the server computer, data for a signal generator controller for controlling a signal generator based on the parameters, wherein the signal generator is coupled to the server computer and the evaluation board;

generating, at the server computer, data for an evaluation board controller for controlling the one or more evaluation boards based on the parameters;

processing, at the server computer, one or more output signals from the evaluation board to generate results of the test job; and

transmitting, from the server computer, the results of the test job to the remote computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters includes one or more of:

setup parameters and test parameters for the signal generator controller and the evaluation board controller.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

submitting, by the server computer, the test job to a queue for queuing test jobs to be completed by the evaluation board.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising

determining an expected time for completion based on one or more of:

the queue and test job(s) in the queue; and

transmitting the expected time for completion to the remote computer for output to a user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the expected time for completion equals to a number of test job(s) in the queue multiplied by an expected time per test job.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the expected time for completion equals to a sum of expected time for each test job in the queue.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining an expected time for completion based on one or more of;

the queue and test jobs in the queue; and

if the expected time exceeds a predetermined limit or threshold, transmitting a message to the remote computer that the test job cannot be added.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, in a memory of the server computer, a log of records maintaining information provided by a user via the remote computer, wherein the information comprises time, user information, intended target application, setup parameters, and test parameters.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the test job fails to complete within a prescribed time period, throwing an error by the server computer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining, in a memory of the server computer, a log of operations, failures, and errors.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining, in a memory of the server computer, usage statistics including a number of test jobs run over a given period of time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the one or more output signals from the evaluation board comprises reading a memory on the evaluation board for output data generated by the integrated circuit.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprises:

validating at the server computer to determine whether the test job is valid.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the test job exceeds a limit on allowable test job duration; and

dynamically changing the limit on allowable test job duration based on whether the server computer is busy.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, from the server computer to the remote computer, results of the text job for display in real time by the remote computer.

16. A server computer comprising:

one or more memory elements;

one or more processors coupled to said one or more memory elements, said one or more processors configured to;

receiving a test job submitted via a remote computer, wherein the test job comprises parameters for a task to be completed by one or more evaluation boards;

generating data for a signal generator controller for controlling a signal generator based on the parameters, wherein the signal generator is coupled to the server computer and the evaluation board;

generating data for an evaluation board controller for controlling the one or more evaluation boards of the remote evaluation tool based on the parameters;

processing one or more output signals from the evaluation board to generate results of the test job; and

transmitting the results of the test job to the remote computer.

17. The server computer of claim 16, wherein the server computer is coupled to a configurable interconnect fabric, wherein the configurable interconnect fabric is configurable to connect the server computer, one or more signal generators, and one or more selected evaluation boards.

18. The server computer of claim 17, wherein the configurable interconnect fabric is configurable to connect selected evaluation boards to run the test job according to a signal chain formed by the connected selected evaluation boards.

19. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a processor configure the processor to perform the following operations:

receiving, by a server computer, a test job submitted via a remote computer, wherein the test job comprises setup parameters and test parameters for a task to be completed by one or more evaluation boards;

generating, by the server computer, a file based on the test job;

listening, by an evaluation software associated with the one or more evaluation boards, for the file to be created;

executing, by the evaluation software, instructions in the file to carry out the test job;

compiling results of the test job using a math computing program; and

providing output including one or more of;

the math computing program plots and data files, to the remote computer.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprises:

providing the setup parameters and test parameters to an executable usable by the math computing program to configure the executable to compile the results of the test job.