Integration of Software Technologies into a Test System · Integration of Software Technologies...

www.geotestinc.com 1

Integration of Software

Technologies into a Test

System

Victor Fernandes

EMEA Sales Manager

Geotest M.T.S 6 – Impasse de la Nouzotte

78760 – Jouars Pontchartrain – France

Tel: +33 9 71 20 89 65 , Fax: +33 1 39 30 29 78

E-mail : [email protected]

www.geotestinc.com


Corporate Structure

2

Airborne Armament

Equipment - which

includes ejector racks,

missile launchers,

aircraft pylons and other

associated equipment

Large scale & precision

machined components,

assemblies and

subassemblies

Test and

Measurement

Instrumentation

Software &

Systems

Vehicle systems such

as equipment trailers,

environmental

systems and weapons

integration

Ground Vehicles - a

range of Advanced Light

Strike Vehicles for special

forces teams

http://www.marvingroup.com/index.php/companies/adi/

http://www.marvingroup.com/index.php/companies/mls/

http://www.marvingroup.com/index.php/companies/mts/

http://www.marvingroup.com/index.php/companies/flyer/

http://www.marvingroup.com/index.php/companies/mec/

http://www.marvingroup.com/index.php/companies/mec/

3

geotestinc.com

We are the only PXI manufacturer offering instruments, mainframes, and software as well as

system integration services & turnkey systems

Products Only

Geotest provides: Provide hardware and

software components

(COTS)

Customer Does :

All system development

and integration

Pre-wired system

Geotest provides:

Items installed in a rack

plus hardware is wired to

a mass interconnect

(Core ATE)

Customer Does :

All system software and

Interface Test Adapter

(ITA) development

Partial solution

Geotest provides:

Pre-wired system plus

a self-test adapter

Customer Does :

All UUT software and

ITA development

Turn-Key solution

Geotest provides:

All ATE Items plus all

UUT TPS

development

Customer Does :

Nothing

Geotest Products and Services

www.geotestinc.com

High voltage pin electronics

Other Resources

Digital

Resources

Digital I/O with

PMU

Measurement & Switching

FPGA Instrument

High Speed

Digital I/O

Software

Packages

Stimuli

Instruments

Chassis & Power Supply

Geotest - PXI Products

Applications

WWW.TEROTEST.COM

t e r o t e s t A U T O M A T I C T E S T E Q U I P M E N T

About Terotest

• Established 1982

– GEOTEST MTS Distributor for UK

• Produce a range of ATE, including:

- iTest Latest range of Functional, InCircuit

& PXI-based test systems

- CTS100 Functional Digital test system with

15V pin cards and links to LASAR

- LINX Fixtureless Backplane and Cable

Harness test system


Background

The incorporation of various software technologies and

methods has become common place in today’s functional test

systems.

Increasingly test engineers are employing multiple

languages and test methods as part of a test program set (TPS).

When one includes the use of both textual and graphical

programming languages, the breadth test methods grows even

larger.

Clearly, having a robust tool set that can accommodate

and assist the developer in combining these various

architectures, languages and methods can be a real benefit to

the test developer.


Background

Modern test systems routinely require incorporation multiple software and hardware technologies like:

Instrument Drivers

DLL, ActiveX/COM, .NET

IVI, FP, LLB, VI

Support for multiple instrument busses

PXI/PC, GPIB, VXI, LXI,PXIe,USB, RS232…

Integration of pure software components / applications

Excel

Database

XML/HTML/ATML

Math/Analysis

Support for a variety of programming languages

Legacy application support

• Summation ,proprietary ATE language….


The expanded language (TRD)

The expanded T&M language allows user-defined statements

(commands) that create a self documented, TRD

(Test Requirements Document)-like, easy to

generate test applications using built-in features

such as code completion. The language can be

used to create statements such as:

PS Set Voltage (5) Volts

DMM Set Function VDC

MATRIX Switch(Dmm,Row1 )

DMM Measure (TestResult)

Or statements such as:

SYSTEM Measure VDC J13 (TestResult)

9

geotestinc.com

ATEasy Library

Incorporation multiple software and hardware

technologies

Instrumentation/Switching

LabView /LW

•Tests

•Dev. UI

•Executables

C

VB •Tests

•Dev. UI

•Executable

Production & Development

Environments

Manage Test Sequence/flow

Production UI

Reports/

Data logging

Release / Control

Programs

Manage Users

&

Data Base

Test Executive

Python

TCL

Other

……

Core Software Technologies (DLL,OCX…)

Soft. Adapt Soft. Adapt Soft. Adapt Soft. Adapt

UUT

Instruments /Signal description language (TRD)

(READ VOLTAGE AT J1_P2 )

ATML / XML

ATLAS

Secondary Software Technologies(IVI.Visa.fp.VI)


Support for Core Software Technologies

DLL files

• Windows API support

• Instrument Drivers, IVI-C

• Bus Interfaces, e.g. PXI, VXI, LXI, etc.

COM/ActiveX/OCX support

• ActiveX Controls

• External Components (Excel)

• IVI-COM

.NET framework support

• Windows Components

• Support for a broad range of methods & features


Support for Secondary Software Technologies

IVI-C – DLL

Function Panel Drivers (.fp) - DLL

IVI-COM - ActiveX

C/C++ header files (.h) - DLL

LabView .llb/.vi - ActiveX, DLL

GPIB, VXI, LXI,… – DLL

Spreadsheet & Database support

• ActiveX

• .NET


Integrating Diverse Technologies

Can be a very complex task

Time consuming

Requires knowledge of technologies

Who writes the test applications?

How can we integrate all these technologies

and …

• Make them simple to use

• Provide a common interface for use

• Standardize error and exception handling

• Standardize initialization

A software framework can help integrate these

technologies



ActiveX objects

Data Base Excel & word templates

Soft

Adapt

Driver & commands

definition editor

OCX

DLL

DLL

IVI

VI

FP

ActiveX

TRD – Program documentation

Tasks

Tests

Init Proc

End Proc

Program Generator & debug

Test executive

System

&

resources

management

Soft

Adapt

Soft

Adapt

Soft

Adapt

T&M Instruments



Tasks

Tests

Init Proc

End Proc

Power Supply Set Voltage (5) Volts

DLL

DLL

Soft

Adapt

Soft

Adapt

Soft

Adapt

T&M Instruments

Program Generator & debug

Test executive

OCX


Commands definition example

Commands are User

Defined Statements

Example: DMM Set Function VDC

DMM Measure (TestResult)


Integrating a DLL

Dynamic Link Library (DLL):

• Export functions by name or number

• No type or parameters information required

• No description

Language dependent programming interface

• C – just include header file and call function

• VB – include header or create one from .h

• Other languages

• Manually describe function, data type, constants,

& return call convention

• Automatic importing of header file (.h)


Integrating DLLs - Problems

Data Types are different

• Type conversion?

• Ambiguous data types (short *, short [])

• Structure packing, union

Calling Conventions (stdcall, cdecl),

Return data type can be ambiguous

Ordinal support

Preprocessing of header files can be complex

• Typedef

• Macro

• Nested include

• Windows.h


Integrating a DLL – Automatic Conversion


Integrating a DLL – Automatic/Manual Process


DLL based Driver (Cont’d)

A typical DLL function call to an instrument may look like that below

void _API_ Gx6616Close(SHORT nHandle, SHORT nGroup, SHORT nRow, SHORT

nColumn, LPSHORT pnStatus);

This can be mapped to a command to make easier to use and make test

flow easier to understand

The procedure parameters for handle and status can be handled at a

lower layer allowing for simpler command use

MATRIX Close (Channel_1, Ressource_DMM, Status)


Integrating ActiveX/COM Objects

Component Object Model (COM)

• Libraries that contain type description for control,

classes, functions and data types

Classes/Controls : Properties, methods, Events

Data types limited and adhere to a standard

Run and design time information (properties)

Late and Early Bind

Function may contain a description and link to

external help


Integrating an ActiveX/COM Object (cont’d)


Integrating .NET Assemblies

Similar to COM, but more complex

Feature and types are rich

Supports inheritance, static and virtual

members, parameter constructors, overloading,

templates and more…

Large libraries are built into windows and

support most windows API in an object

oriented (OO) manner

Assemblies can be written with any .NET

language


Integrating .NET Assemblies - Example


Integrating Function Panel (.fp) drivers

VXI Plug & Play Drivers support not only VXI

instruments (http://www.vxipnp.org)

DLL based driver

Offers some standardization for instrument

drivers

• Goes beyond a plain DLL

• Includes initialization, error handling,

• Based on VISA

Includes a command tree

http://www.vxipnp.org/


Integrating a Function Panel – Example (34401A)


IVI Drivers

Builds on top of the VXI Plug & Play standard

Classes for “standard instruments” and custom for others

Allows interchangeability of instruments without

changing the software

8 classes include SCOPE,

PS, SWITCH, ARB,

Spectrum Analyzer, …

Two flavors of IVI

• IVI-C

• IVI-COM (Agilent mostly)

28 geotestinc.com

LabView Drivers

Wizard creates functions to pass

parameters to LabVIEW

VIs can be selected and opened for

viewing or editing within wizard interface

Parameter can be included or

excluded, selection is remembered for

future re-import – this avid redundant

parameters and allow keeping track of

changes

LabView run-time must be installed

along with all dependent VIs


Summary - Integration, Anyone?

A software framework can greatly simplify and

speed-up the integration of software technologies

Minimizes the requirement to be a “software

technologist”

Promotes consistent use of technologies and

methods

Use of encapsulation hides the difficult parts of

Implementation

The right tool set or framework offers a cost

effective and time-saving solution when integrating

various software technologies


200x 20xx 199x

ATEasy ROADMAP

1991 ATEasy 1.0

1994 ATEasy 2.0

1999 ATEasy 3.0

32-bit arch.

2002 ATEasy 4.0

2004 ATEasy 5.0

2006 ATEasy 6.0

2007 ATEasy 7.0

1995 NT support 2010

ATEasy 8.0

Compatibility is always maintained between versions

Integration of Software Technologies into a Test System · Integration of Software Technologies...

Documents

Transcript of Integration of Software Technologies into a Test System · Integration of Software Technologies...