Patent Application
20080088325
A system embodying the invention includes self-contained embedded diagnostics for a piece of electronic equipment. Among other fields, such a system may be employed in a measurement apparatus for radiofrequency (hereinafter “RF”) systems.
In such systems, it is desirable to be able to self-diagnose problems which can be solved by replacing sub-assemblies, cables, etc., without requiring the use of external test and measurement equipment. When such a problem is diagnosed, service personnel not necessarily requiring great expertise or training, can replace the problem component.
In the discussion which follows, the term “indicted” will be used to describe a component, sub-assembly, etc., for which a problem has been diagnosed. Also, the terms “component” and “communication component” will be used interchangeably, to refer broadly and without limitation to any cable, interface, component, circuit board, module, etc., within a communications system, for which a fault may occur. The term “fault” will refer to any problem that is, or can be, isolated within a particular component of the communication system. In particular, a “sub-assembly” of a piece of equipment is a functional module which is designed to be easily removed and replaced, as needed. In general, a piece of equipment is made up of a plurality of sub-assemblies, and a sub-assembly is made up of a plurality of parts. For purposes of the discussion that follows, the terms “component” and “sub-component” will be used, to make clear the hierarchy of one component comprising multiple sub-components. However, in some embodiments of the invention, the “components” will be sub-assemblies as defined above, and the “sub-components” will be parts of one of such sub-assemblies.
A diagnostic test performed by a system embodying the invention can identify an indicted component, a failing component, or the component most likely to fail or to have failed. Also, the particular nature of the fault or failure can be identified.
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It will be understood that the foregoing discussion of the test apparatus 4 of
In operation, a command to run a diagnostic test is received (18). The command may be entered by an operator through a user interface on either the remote test apparatus of
The component-level diagnostic test is then run (20). The diagnostic test will produce results, which may then be analyzed. In particular, it is determined from the results whether (22) there is a fault in the equipment 2. If no fault is detected, then the embodiment performs other operations, including waiting to receive (18) further commends to run diagnostic tests.
If so, it is determined which components 8 is indicted as being faulty, or is indicted as appearing to be the most likely to be faulty. If more than one component 8 could be faulty, the analysis may also include estimation and ranking of the likelihood that each indicted component could contain the fault.
Then, a further level of test is performed based on the results of the analysis. For the component 8 believed to be faulty, a sub-component-level diagnostic test is run (24). The results of the sub-component-level diagnostic test may enable the operator to further isolate the fault down to a faulty sub-component 10 within the faulty component 8.
The results of the component-level and/or sub-component-level diagnostic tests are reported to the operator, who can then replace (26) the indicted component or sub-component, and restore the equipment 2 to proper operation.
Computer processing and firmware functionality are shown as elements labeled 28. These include a computer processor (which may be a general purpose processor performing other functions related to operation of the equipment 2, a user interface such as a menu softkey, from which functions such as diagnostic tests can be selected, and a hardware acquisition data server (HADS), which is a software interface for hardware control used in equipment such as measurement products.
A diagnostic test application 30, here designated by the name “FaultDetective.net”, includes tests, logic, and application calls, for creating models of hardware which diagnoses hardware failures in equipment to be tested.
The embedded diagnostic system of
A menu list of tests, generally shown as 32, run as appropriate for either component-level testing of the spectrum analyzer as a whole, or for sub-component-level testing of discrete spectrum analyzer components, as would be understood by a person skilled in the spectrum analyzer arts, and particularly such a person who has knowledge of the calibration of spectrum analyzers.
For monitoring the tests, and receiving and analyzing the results, additional applications are shown, including a test results parser for receiving and parsing the results for analysis, and a run-time portion of the FaultDetective application.
Output applications, tasks, elements, etc, are shown as 36. These include elements for generating test results and a fault diagnosis, including identifying a faulty component or sub-component and the nature of the fault, for filing. Also included is a tool for storing the results in a test results store, which might for instance include an EEPROM on-board the component or sub-component. Additionally, a display, printer, or other output interface device may be provided, to communicate the test results and diagnosis to the operator.
Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to particular embodiments, persons possessing ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains will appreciate that various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow.
