Java Applet for Teaching Basics of Test and Diagnostics

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INTRODUCTION

This applet supports action-based learning via Internet the basics of Digital Test. It offers a set of tools for understanding the principles of test generation, fault simulation, fault diagnosis and fault location in digital circuits. A big reservoir of simple combinational circuits is given to train on the screen in interactive mode the main important techniques and algorithms. The software provides easy action and reaction (click and watch), the possibility of distance learning, and learning by doing.

The work window of this program consists of three parts - vector insertion panel, view panel for design schematics, and view panel for test vectors, fault tables and waveforms. Vector insertion panel has two sub-panels - one for manually inserting vectors and another one for automated pseudo random test generation. The boxes at the lines on schematics are clickable for inserting proper signals directly on the internal lines of the circuits to imitate deterministic test generation procedures.

SHORT THEORETICAL BASICS

Test Generation

Test generation (TG) is a complex problem with many interacting aspects e.g. the cost of TG (complexity of the method, test length) and the quality of generated tests (fault coverage).
There are different methods used in test generation: deterministic methods (fault-oriented TG, fault independent TG), random TG, combined deterministic/random TG, and others.

The complexity of TG methods and algorithms depends on the structure of the gate-level circuits. In general t
hree fundamental steps are used in generating a test for a fault:

To activate a fault stuck-at-1 (s-a-1) on the line 9 of the circuit we have to assign to the line 9 the value 0. In the case of the fault s-a-1 the value 0 on that line will change to 1.

To propagate the error signal of a fault stuck-at-1 (s-a-1) on the line 9 through the OR-gate 11 we have to assign value 0 to the line 10. In the case of the fault s-a-1 on the line 9 the value 0 on the line 11 will change to 1.

To justify the value 0 on the line 9, we have to assign 0 either to the line 3 or to the line 8 or to both lines.

Fault Diagnosis

A unit under test (UUT) fails when its observed behavior is different from its expected behavior. Diagnosis consists of locating the physical fault(s) in a structural model of the UUT. The diagnosis process is often hierarchical, carried out as a top-down process (with a system operating in the field) or bottom-up process (during the fabrication of the system).

Combinational Fault Diagnosis Methods

This approach does most of the work before the testing experiment. It uses fault simulation to determine the possible responses to a given test in the presence of faults. The database constructed in this step is called a fault table or a fault dictionary. To locate faults, one tries to match the actual results of test experiments with one of the precomputed expected results stored in the database. The result of the test experiment represents a combination of effects of the fault to each test pattern.

Fault Table Example

Sequential Fault Diagnosis Methods

In sequential fault diagnosis the process of fault location is carried out step by step, where each step depends on the result of the diagnostic experiment at the previous step. Such a test experiment is called adaptive testing. Sequential experiments can be carried out either by observing only output responses of the UUT or by pinpointing by a special probe also internal control points of the UUT (guided probing). Sequential diagnosis procedure can be graphically represented as diagnostic tree.

Example of Fault Location by Edge-Pin Testing

The diagnostic tree in the Figure below corresponds to the fault table example. We can see that most of the faults are uniquely identified, two faults F1,F4 remain indistinguishable. Not all test patterns used in the fault table are needed. Different faults need for identifying test sequences with different lengths. The shortest test contains two patterns the longest four patterns.


Rather than applying the entire test sequence in a fixed order as in combinational fault diagnosis, adaptive testing determines the next vector to be applied based on the results obtained by the preceding vectors. In our example, if T1 fails, the possible faults are {F2,F3}. At this point applying T2 would be wasteful, because T2 does not distinguish among these faults. The use of adaptive testing may substantially decrease the average number of tests required to locate a fault.

Guided-Probe Testing

Guided-probe testing extends edge-pin testing process by monitoring internal signals in the UUT via a probe which is moved (usually by an operator) following the guidance provided by the test equipment. The principle of guided-probe testing is to backtrace an error from the primary output where it has been observed during edge-pin testing to its physical location in the UUT. Probing is carried out step-by-step. In each step an internal signal is probed and compared to the expected value. The next probing depends on the result of the previous step.

Additional theory is available here or here

EXERCISES

APPLET MANUAL

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS:

WARNING: This page contains links to PDF files of articles that may be covered by copyright. You may browse the articles at your convenience. (in the same spirit as you may read a journal or a proceeding article in a public library). Retrieving, copying, or distributing these files, however, may violate the copyright protection law. We recommend that the user abides international law in accessing this directory.

  1. Ubar, R., Orasson, E., Wuttke, H.-D. Interactive Teaching Software "Introduction To Digital Test". 45th International Conference, Ilmenau, Germany, 2000, p.949-954
  2. Ubar, R., Wuttke, H.-D. Action Based Learning System for Teaching Digital Electronics and Test. Proc. of 3rd European Workshop on Microelectronics Education, Aix-en-Provence, France, 2000, p.65-66
  3. Ubar,R., Wuttke,H.-D. The DILDIS-Project - Using Applets for More Demonstrative Lectures in Digital Systems Design and Test. Abstracts of 31st ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Reno, NV, USA, 2001, p.83
  4. Ubar,R., Orasson,E., Evartson,T. Java Applet for Self-Learning of Digital Test Issues. 13th EAEEIE Conference, York, Great Britain, 2002
  5. Ubar,R., Orasson,E., Evartson,T. Self-learning tool for digital test. Proceedings of 2nd Int. Conf. "Distance learning - educational sphere of the XXI century", Minsk, Belarus, 2002, p.36-38
  6. A. Jutman, M. Kruus, A. Sudnitson, and R.Ubar, “Distance-Learning Tools for Digital Design and Test Issues,” in Proc. 29th International Conference and Scientific Discussion Club “Information Technologies in Science, Education, Telecommunications, Business” (IT+SE’2002), Yalta-Gurzuf, Ukraine, May 20-30, 2002, pp. 269-272
  7. Ubar, R., Orasson, E. E-Learning tool and Exercises for Teaching Digital Test.. Proc.of 2nd IEEE Conf. on Signals, Systems, Decision and Information Technology., Sousse, Tunisia, 2003, CIT-6, p.1-6

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Last update: 3 August, 2004