L. Benetazzo, Matteo Bertocco, S. Cappellazzo, P. Pegoraro
{"title":"Platform independent architectures for cooperative remote control of automated test laboratories","authors":"L. Benetazzo, Matteo Bertocco, S. Cappellazzo, P. Pegoraro","doi":"10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243555","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243555","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents solutions for the development of test procedures that require remote control of instrumentation through the network. At first, a brief critical summary of some existing technologies is reported and commented. Then, an architecture based on a multiserver-multiclient paradigm is described. The architecture provides instrumentation management in a device-independent manner, fast development of user applications and supports different network configurations.","PeriodicalId":385780,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings AUTOTESTCON 2003. IEEE Systems Readiness Technology Conference.","volume":"42 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115506894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The BRIC - a new generation of PXI switch products [ATE system applications]","authors":"K. Moore, D. Owen","doi":"10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243616","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243616","url":null,"abstract":"Switching systems are an important part of any ATE system, and PXI has proven to be an ideal format to host them. Concerns about the complexity of switching that can be supported in PXI have proven to be unfounded, as the new generation of BRIC switches from Pickering Interfaces has shown. This presentation shows how Pickering Interfaces have achieved switching densities not previously seen in a modular test format before, significantly exceeding the capability of VXI systems. The BRIC design uses a modular architecture within the PXI format that allows Pickering Interfaces to offer the user a large variety of matrix sizes while maintaining a high switching bandwidth and fast operating times. The architecture permits the user to upgrade the matrix size by the use of expansion cards. The presentation examines how the BRIC matrix is designed and how it can be most effectively used in applications requiring connection to high pin count test targets. The availability of complex high density switching systems in PXI allows many test scenarios to be supported that were previously the domain of more expensive and larger test systems.","PeriodicalId":385780,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings AUTOTESTCON 2003. IEEE Systems Readiness Technology Conference.","volume":"105 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116101420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Minimizing lifecycle cost of ATS solutions through COTS software design","authors":"I. Neag","doi":"10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243566","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243566","url":null,"abstract":"This paper identifies the design features of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software that impact the lifecycle costs of automatic test systems (ATSs) and provides a set of design guidelines. It demonstrates that the architecture of COTS software must be modular, based on correct functional allocation, should possess distribution capabilities and contain open interfaces that are backwards compatible. In the case of COTS development tools, the programmatic interface should be simple, extensible and enforced to the maximum extent in the development environment.","PeriodicalId":385780,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings AUTOTESTCON 2003. IEEE Systems Readiness Technology Conference.","volume":"40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122736925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Acquisition of commercial items by family [Air Force test equipment]","authors":"J. H. Howard","doi":"10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243639","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243639","url":null,"abstract":"The Air Force is committed to using commercial test equipment and practices. Commercial products however, must comply with the needs of Air Force to meet some unique environmental requirements. At the same time, we hope to have a partnership with industry allowing technical interchanges and discussion of business practices. The Engineering Branch of the Support Equipment and Vehicle Management Directorate is organizing equipment and personnel into product families, groups and lines to reduce proliferation and change the focus to purchase capabilities instead of single items.","PeriodicalId":385780,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings AUTOTESTCON 2003. IEEE Systems Readiness Technology Conference.","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114253187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A unified control interface for signal sources, sensors, switches and monitors","authors":"I. Neag, S. Gal","doi":"10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243585","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243585","url":null,"abstract":"The paper describes a new interface design for instrument drivers, which enables the signal-oriented control of instruments that generate, measure, monitor and switch signals. The interface also supports the synchronized operation of signal sources, sensors and switches. The utilization of the interface provides a high degree of instrument interchangeability and simplifies the development of signal drivers and test applications.","PeriodicalId":385780,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings AUTOTESTCON 2003. IEEE Systems Readiness Technology Conference.","volume":"134 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116513220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancing the F-16 depot level maintenance facility to provide long term support","authors":"L. Kirkland, R. Lessman","doi":"10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243599","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243599","url":null,"abstract":"Utilizing engineering skill, a USAF depot repair facility was enhanced for long term support. This was accomplished by updating a recent automatic test equipment (ATE) design, building new interface test adapters (ITAs), and rehosting existing test program sets (TPSs). All the test equipment, control software, software tools, and rehost environment required for the establishment of a depot repair facility were designed, engineered, fabricated, assembled, documented, controlled, demonstrated, tested and delivered including TPS software, ITA hardware and engineering data.","PeriodicalId":385780,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings AUTOTESTCON 2003. IEEE Systems Readiness Technology Conference.","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114684947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Universal serial bus (USB) to universal interface using field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) to mimic traditional hardware [military aircraft testing applications]","authors":"N. Stong","doi":"10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243602","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243602","url":null,"abstract":"Historically, whenever a unique digital interface was needed, a unique piece of hardware was created. In the field of loaders/verifiers this has often led to large, heavy, and expensive equipment to support aircraft platforms. Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) can be used to create many different interfaces without the need for unique hardware. This paper explores the techniques used to develop interfaces using FPGAs and provides examples of how FPGAs have reduced the size, weight, and cost of flight line test equipment over the last nine years. FPGAs may also be used to implement some standard interfaces such as IEEE-488, RS-422 and PC parallel ports. The benefits and risks of using FPGAs for these standard interfaces are evaluated.","PeriodicalId":385780,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings AUTOTESTCON 2003. IEEE Systems Readiness Technology Conference.","volume":"56 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126462094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhanced integrated satellite factory test environment","authors":"J. L. Amsell","doi":"10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243637","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243637","url":null,"abstract":"Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) is developing a forward-looking project to resolve issues of proliferation of assets and excessive non-compatible software applications and databases. This project has been in the planning stages for two and one-half years. Funding is now being allocated to procure and implement solutions that fit into the context of the integrated satellite factory (ISF) test environment software. The implications and benefits are far ranging. This paper discusses the effort to design the architecture and incorporate state-of-the-art test software methodologies and products.","PeriodicalId":385780,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings AUTOTESTCON 2003. IEEE Systems Readiness Technology Conference.","volume":"105 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115806930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Use of intelligent mezzanine carriers for legacy instrument replacement in VXI systems","authors":"G.W. Guilbeaux, D. Clark, F. Harrison, W. Duff","doi":"10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243615","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243615","url":null,"abstract":"Military and commercial automated test equipment (ATE) users are facing significant problems keeping their ATE supportable for the life cycle of the products they are being used to test. Further, the cost of completely replacing the system is often insignificant compared to the cost of replicating and re-certifying the test program software. As a result, requirements have increasingly surfaced to replace legacy equipment in such a manner as to re-use existing test program software. An approach using open standard mezzanine cards with platform specific carrier boards can provide an enormous selection of modern instruments from many different manufacturers, extensive reuse of legacy equipment and software, and a clear, easy migration path to existing and future platforms. Most common ATE instruments exist in a mezzanine format and carriers can be found for VXI, PXI, PCI, and many other platforms. Carriers can be non-intelligent allowing direct access to the mezzanine modules by the host software, or intelligent allowing on-board firmware to further emulate the legacy instrument.","PeriodicalId":385780,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings AUTOTESTCON 2003. IEEE Systems Readiness Technology Conference.","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133915545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"ATE obsolescence solutions; costs and benefits [military equipment]","authors":"P. Weaver, M. Ford","doi":"10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243641","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/AUTEST.2003.1243641","url":null,"abstract":"Test equipment obsolescence is a serious problem in DoD automated test equipment (ATE) systems today. Test instruments are routinely integrated into ATE that are used by the services at all maintenance levels from flight lines for routine maintenance to depots for major overhauls and factories for production and acceptance testing. Often ATE systems are required to operate for years, sometimes decades. In many systems, the instruments are now reaching end-of-life and are failing at increased rates. Exacerbating this problem, critical components necessary to repair the original instruments are often out of production, rendering the instrument obsolete and unsupportable. As a result of these factors, many complex ATE instruments have become, or are destined to become the problem-prone \"system degraders\" tracked in ATE program reviews. This paper presents data on the magnitude of obsolescence challenges facing the DoD, an overview of the costs and benefits of current approaches used to solve the problem in comparison to the composite replacement instrument approach.","PeriodicalId":385780,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings AUTOTESTCON 2003. IEEE Systems Readiness Technology Conference.","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128936626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}