Today, a plethora of innovative technologies are emerging, exerting a profound impact on the test and measurement industry. Through in-depth communication with engineers from various industries, and by combining academic research, business consulting, user surveys, and other tools, NI has identified five key technology themes that test and measurement engineers should focus on in 2010.
1. Adopt a standardized architecture
With the ever-expanding product lines of enterprises, developing a universal test platform using a standardized architecture is an effective way to improve the reusability of test hardware and software components throughout the product lifecycle, from R&D to production testing. An ideal solution is for enterprises to define a standardized "core standard test system" based on common practical testing needs. Actual test systems (or verification systems) for different product models and different regional factories/R&D centers are all implemented based on this "core standard system." On the one hand, this "standard system" should be customizable in terms of its actual functions through software programming; on the other hand, the "standard system" must also have the ability to be extended for specific applications. Considering these two factors, the ideal hardware implementation of the "standard system" is a software-defined modular hardware platform, with the specific modular hardware sourced from a reliable supplier's product list.
Furthermore, the "standard system" should provide a universal software architecture that enables rapid construction of test sequences, report generation, database connectivity, and other functionalities, allowing test engineers to focus solely on maintaining or developing specific test procedures. Additionally, a dedicated team can be established within the enterprise to provide technical support for the "standard system," writing clear documentation and development guidelines, thereby further improving the efficiency of test engineers.
By building such a "standard testing system," enterprises can maximize the reuse of testing equipment and code, reduce the development risk of the testing system, shorten development time, and reduce costs; at the same time, adopting a sufficiently open software and hardware architecture will not result in a loss of flexibility due to the choice of "standardization."
2. Multi-channel RF testing
The evolution of wireless technology has had a profound impact on the measurement and test industry, with two key trends being particularly prominent: MIMO technology and the integration of multiple wireless standards within a single system. Both trends necessitate RF measurement systems capable of parallel testing, requiring configurable multi-channel RF test systems. Such systems can test multiple wireless devices or multiple communication standards in parallel on a single device. For MIMO systems, phase synchronization between multiple channels is also crucial. Currently, modular software-defined radio platforms based on PXI offer several solutions to address these needs.
3. Peer-to-Peer High-Speed Transmission and Computation
With increasingly complex testing requirements and the exponential growth of data volume, automated testing systems need stronger processing capabilities, leading to the emergence of distributed processing architectures. A new generation of high-performance distributed architectures should possess three main characteristics: high-throughput point-to-point topology, low latency, and the ability to provide user-defined processing nodes. Based on these considerations, PXI Express technology is an ideal choice. Its peer-to-peer transmission can directly transfer data between modules without passing through a controller, offering high throughput and low latency. Furthermore, FlexRIO FPGA modules based on PXI Express can serve as custom processing nodes in distributed computing. To truly leverage high-speed peer-to-peer transmission and distributed computing technology, engineers also need a programming environment that allows for convenient visualization of the data stream and programming of FPGAs, real-time processors, or x86 processors. The LabVIEW graphical development environment provides these capabilities.
In automated testing applications, peer-to-peer high-speed transmission and computing technologies are still under development, and there are many areas where practical innovation is needed to enable test engineers to better utilize these new technologies to create smarter automated testing systems.
4. Real-time testing
When a part of the test system runs on a real-time system, it is called real-time testing. Real-time testing improves the stability and reliability of the test. A typical real-time test is hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, such as running a model of a controlled object on a real-time system to test a controller product or prototype (Figure 2). Another example is in semiconductor protocol-aware testing, where protocol-aware interfaces are often implemented based on a real-time system.
In the development process of electronic and electrical products, various forms of design simulation, verification, and system testing are typically involved, often requiring complex transitions between different tools. If engineers can proactively reuse models and other components during development and testing, product development efficiency will be significantly improved. Real-time test software provides this ability to reuse models and test tasks, including requirements traceability, stimulus models, test sequences, and analysis procedures, throughout the entire product design process. Besides improving efficiency and reducing costs, using the same test software at all stages of the design process can maximize the continuity and consistency from the initial product definition to the final system testing.
5. Reconfigurable instruments
Modular architectures with software at their core are widely used by engineers due to their flexibility and customizability. However, next-generation test systems require hardware with reconfigurability, typically Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). To maximize the effectiveness of FPGAs, engineers must be able to easily program them. The rise of advanced design tools is changing the rules of FPGA programming, using new technologies to translate graphical code and even C language code into digital hardware, making it easier for engineers to implement FPGA applications. NI LabVIEW combines the strengths of both processors and FPGAs, quickly implementing processing tasks for both the main processor and the FPGA. This innovative architecture can meet application challenges that traditional methods cannot achieve. For example, engineers can deploy their own processing algorithms on the FPGA embedded in the instrument to perform pass/fail tests of the device under test in real time without consuming main processor CPU resources.
PFGA-based reconfigurable instruments have been widely used in the defense and aerospace industries, and also have great potential in telecommunications, automation, medical devices, and consumer electronics.
The five technological trends and methodologies outlined above are applicable to all companies—regardless of their industry, size, or globalization. Staying abreast of technological advancements and implementing innovative applications is a continuous pursuit for engineers. Understanding and mastering these innovative technologies and methodologies will effectively optimize the testing process and reduce testing costs.
