公开(公告)号：US06675362B1

公开(公告)日：2004-01-06

申请号：US09592033

申请日：2000-06-12

申请人： Richard D. Ortiz ,  John P. Huetter ,  Gale A. Sill ,  Duong Xuan Vu

发明人： Richard D. Ortiz ,  John P. Huetter ,  Gale A. Sill ,  Duong Xuan Vu

IPC分类号： G06F1750

CPC分类号： G01R31/318307 ,  G01R31/31705 ,  G01R31/3183 ,  G01R31/318342 ,  G01R31/318371

摘要： Methods and apparatus for managing circuit tests. In a first embodiment of the invention, a number of electrical characteristics of a number of electrical components which exist in a circuit are identified, and the number of electrical components are then grouped in response to the number of electrical characteristics. Thereafter, and for each group of electrical components, a circuit test which is common to the electrical components of the group is established. When the execution of a test results in a false fail, the test is debugged, and the debugged test is then associated with each other component in its group. Much of a programmer's debug effort is therefore “proactive” rather than “reactive”. Preferably, a test history log is maintained for each component group so that previously abandoned test solutions are not repeated as tests are debugged. In a second embodiment of the invention, a number of test parameters of a number of circuit tests created for a number of electrical components which exist in a circuit are identified. Circuit components are then grouped in response to the test parameters rather than in response to electrical characteristics (though some of the test parameters may actually be electrical characteristics). The methods are preferably implemented in software. The methods and apparatus disclosed not only shorten the time required to complete a debug effort (i.e., to insure that tests are stabile), but also insure a greater degree of uniformity among tests which are associated with like electrical components.

摘要翻译： 用于管理电路测试的方法和装置。 在本发明的第一实施例中，识别存在于电路中的多个电气部件的多个电特性，然后响应于电特性的数量对电气部件的数量进行分组。 此后，对于每组电气部件，建立了该组的电气部件共同的电路测试。 当测试的执行导致错误失败时，调试测试，然后调试的测试与其组中的每个其他组件相关联。 因此，程序员的调试工作大部分是“主动”而不是“被动”的。 优选地，为每个组件组维护测试历史日志，使得在测试被调试时，先前放弃的测试解决方案不被重复。 在本发明的第二实施例中，识别为电路中存在的多个电气部件产生的多个电路测试的多个测试参数。 电路组件然后根据测试参数进行分组，而不是响应于电气特性（尽管一些测试参数实际上可能是电气特性）。 这些方法优选地以软件实现。 所公开的方法和装置不仅缩短了完成调试工作所需的时间（即确保测试稳定），而且确保了与类似电气部件相关联的测试之间的更大程度的一致性。