阅读说明：本技术 使用动态应用构建器的分解的分布式测量分析系统 (Decomposed distributed measurement analysis system using dynamic application builder ) 是由 R·J·普利肯 S·K·M·拉迈亚 S·M·克里什纳库马 M·G·拉克什米帕蒂 V·V·坎丹 于 2020-01-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：分解的分布式测量分析系统提供了一种测试和测量自动化平台,该测试和测量自动化平台使用解决方案工作流元数据来创建自动化测试套件,作为要部署在测试和测量自动化平台的自动化引擎中的解决方案。自动化平台提供了用于开发测量和在自动化引擎中部署解决方案而不需要重启系统的工具和技术。该系统通过测试和测量自动化平台使得用户能够针对解决方案开发测量,并在测试和测量自动化平台的自动化引擎中部署和执行每个解决方案,而不需要编译解决方案。(The decomposed distributed measurement analysis system provides a test and measurement automation platform that uses solution workflow metadata to create an automation test suite as a solution to be deployed in an automation engine of the test and measurement automation platform. The automation platform provides tools and techniques for developing measurements and deploying solutions in the automation engine without requiring a restart of the system. The system enables a user to develop measurements for a solution through a test and measurement automation platform and deploy and execute each solution in an automation engine of the test and measurement automation platform without the need to compile the solution.)

1. A computerized method for creating and executing an automated test suite in a test and measurement system, comprising:

receiving, by at least one computer processor, input indicative of measurements to be performed for a Device Under Test (DUT) and a solution workflow including a first solution of an automated test suite; and

the instructions of the first solution are dynamically executed by the at least one computer processor to perform measurements on the DUT without having to compile the first solution.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving the input, solution workflow metadata associated with the first solution is created by the at least one computer processor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein executing instructions comprises using the solution workflow metadata to facilitate dynamic execution of instructions of a first solution without having to compile the first solution.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

constructing, by at least one computer processor, a first solution using solution workflow metadata to prepare the first solution for execution after the first solution is deployed in the test and measurement system without compilation.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the instructions to execute the first solution are based on solution workflow metadata associated with the first solution.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein executing the instructions comprises using solution workflow metadata to facilitate dynamic execution of the first solution without requiring a test and measurement system reboot.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing a user interface configured to communicate with an Application Programming Interface (API) in response to user input to execute a solution workflow based on solution workflow metadata as part of execution of the instructions.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, by at least one computer processor, input indicating additional measurements to be performed and a different solution workflow comprising a second solution of another automated test suite;

creating, by at least one computer processor, solution workflow metadata associated with the second solution in response to receiving the input; and

dynamically executing, by the at least one computer processor, the instructions of the second solution based on solution workflow metadata associated with the second solution to perform measurements on the DUT without having to compile and without having to restart the test and measurement system between execution of the instructions of the first solution and execution of the instructions of the second solution.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein executing instructions comprises invoking a plurality of services that are self-registered as part of a test and measurement system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the automation engines of the test and measurement automation platform are built on a distributed architecture and support failover and recovery.

11. A computerized method for enabling creation of an automated test suite in a test and measurement system, comprising:

providing, by at least one computer processor, a test and measurement automation platform that uses solution workflow metadata to create an automation test suite with decomposed software as a solution to be deployed in an automation engine of the test and measurement automation platform; and

with the test and measurement automation platform, a user is enabled to develop measurements for a solution and deploy each solution in an automation engine of the test and measurement automation platform without requiring a test and measurement system reboot.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to:

receiving input regarding a first one of the solutions; and

instructions of a first one of the solutions are dynamically executed to perform testing on the integrated circuit.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to: solution workflow metadata associated with a first one of the solutions is created in response to receiving input regarding the first one of the solutions.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to: solution workflow metadata is used to facilitate dynamic execution of a first one of the solutions to perform measurements on the integrated circuit.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to: using the solution workflow metadata to facilitate deploying a first one of the solutions in the testing and measurement system without having to compile the first one of the solutions.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to: building a first one of the solutions using solution workflow metadata to prepare the first one of the solutions for execution without compilation after the first one of the solutions is deployed in the test and measurement system.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein execution of the instructions of the first one of the solutions is based on solution workflow metadata associated with the first one of the solutions.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein enabling a user to develop measurements for a solution through a test and measurement automation platform and deploying the solution in an automation engine of the test and measurement automation platform comprises enabling use of the solution workflow metadata to facilitate dynamic execution of a first solution in a solution to perform measurements on an integrated circuit without requiring the test and measurement system to reboot.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the input indicates a measurement and solution workflow to perform.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform comprising: a user interface configured to execute a solution workflow based on the solution workflow metadata using the API as part of execution of the instructions in response to user input.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to:

receiving input regarding a second one of the solutions;

in response to receiving input regarding a second one of the solutions, creating solution workflow metadata associated with the second one of the solutions; and

dynamically executing instructions of a second one of the solutions based on solution workflow metadata associated with the second one of the solutions to perform testing on the integrated circuit without having to compile and without having to restart the testing and measurement system between execution of the instructions of the first one of the solutions and execution of the instructions of the second one of the solutions.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the input indicates a measurement and solution workflow to perform, and providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to: extensibility features are provided that enable a user to modify a solution workflow or solution according to additional requirements for testing of integrated circuits.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to:

the user interface is provided by at least providing as part of the user interface a menu of templates for testing an automation workflow or solution to facilitate construction of the solution, from which the user can select as a basis for one or more of the solutions.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to:

a user interface of the test and measurement automation platform is provided that enables a user to visualize how the test and measurement automation platform controls the hardware, performs analysis of the measurements, and executes solutions.

25. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a test and measurement automation platform comprises providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to: input is received via a user interface and an Application Programming Interface (API).

26. The method of claim 13, wherein execution of the instructions comprises invoking a plurality of services that are self-registered as part of the test and measurement system.

27. The method of claim 13, wherein the automation engines of the test and measurement automation platform are built on a distributed architecture and support failover and recovery.

28. A system for creating and executing an automated test suite in a test and measurement system, the system for creating an automated test suite comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory has computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to:

receiving an input indicative of a measurement to be performed for a Device Under Test (DUT) and a solution workflow including a first solution of an automated test suite; and dynamically executing instructions of the first solution to perform measurements on the DUT without having to compile the first solution.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:

in response to receiving the input, solution workflow metadata associated with the first solution is created.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the execution of the instructions comprises using solution workflow metadata to facilitate dynamic execution of the instructions of the first solution without compiling the first solution.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:

constructing a first solution using solution workflow metadata to prepare the first solution for execution after the first solution is deployed in a test and measurement system without compilation.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein execution of instructions for a first solution is based on solution workflow metadata associated with the first solution.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the execution of the instructions comprises using solution workflow metadata to facilitate dynamic execution of the first solution without requiring a test and measurement system reboot.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:

providing a user interface configured to communicate with an Application Programming Interface (API) in response to a user input to execute a solution workflow based on solution workflow metadata as part of execution of an instruction.

35. The system of claim 30, further wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:

receiving an input indicating additional measurements to be performed and a different solution workflow including a second solution of another automated test suite;

in response to receiving the input, creating solution workflow metadata associated with the second solution; and

the instructions of the second solution are dynamically executed based on solution workflow metadata associated with the second solution to perform measurements on the DUT without having to compile and without having to restart the test and measurement system between execution of the instructions of the first solution and execution of the instructions of the second solution.

36. The system of claim 28, wherein execution of the instructions comprises invoking a plurality of services that are self-registered as part of the test and measurement system.

37. The system of claim 28, wherein the automation engines of the test and measurement automation platform are built on a distributed architecture and support failover and recovery.

38. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receiving an input indicative of a measurement to be performed for a Device Under Test (DUT) and a solution workflow including a first solution of an automated test suite; and

the instructions of the first solution are dynamically executed to perform testing on the DUT without having to compile the solution.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 38, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:

in response to receiving the input, solution workflow metadata associated with the first solution is created.

40. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 39, wherein execution of the instructions comprises using solution workflow metadata to facilitate dynamic execution of the first solution without compilation.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 39, wherein the measurements to be performed for the DUT are signal measurements comprising one or more of: jitter measurement, base measurement, eye pattern measurement, time measurement, and amplitude measurement.

Technical Field

The technical field relates to collaborative computing technology and, in particular, to a decomposed distributed measurement analysis system.

Background

Currently, the conventional technical solution available on the market for creating automated test suites for devices such as integrated circuits is a custom programming interface. Such a programming interface has two significant problems. First, the user of the system needs to understand the programming language, depending on the concepts of writing, building, and deployment. Second, known programming interfaces require a user to integrate and then install programs in a desired software ecosystem, and to restart applications when they are installed. Some of these solutions are specific to only one piece of hardware and may only address a limited portion of the only hardware they manage.

Still further, other conventional solutions require additional hardware beyond the hardware they are managing. Additionally, some of the automated test kits for testing and measuring systems have solutions specific to particular interfaces, such as HDMI, USB, PCI, etc., and are not valid for other interfaces.

Therefore, there is a need to address the above-mentioned technical problems and limitations of currently known systems.

Accordingly, the systems and methods described herein: providing an automation platform that uses metadata to create an automation test suite in decomposed software; enabling an automation platform to provide techniques for compiling measurements and deploying in an automation engine without requiring a system reboot; and provides a method for creating an automated test suite in decomposed software using the metadata.

In accordance with at least one embodiment, a computerized method for creating and executing an automated test suite in a test and measurement system, comprises: receiving, by at least one computer processor, input indicative of measurements to be performed for a Device Under Test (DUT) and a solution workflow including a first solution of an automated test suite; and dynamically executing, by the at least one computer processor, instructions of the first solution to perform measurements on the DUT without having to compile the first solution.

The method may further include creating, by the at least one computer processor, solution workflow metadata associated with the first solution in response to receiving the input.

Execution of the instructions may include using solution workflow metadata to facilitate dynamic execution of the instructions of the first solution without having to compile the first solution.

The method may further include building, by the at least one computer processor, the first solution using the solution workflow metadata to prepare the first solution for execution after the first solution is deployed in the test and measurement system without compilation. The instructions to execute the first solution may be based on solution workflow metadata associated with the first solution.

Execution of the instructions may include using the solution workflow metadata to facilitate dynamic execution of the first solution without requiring a test and measurement system reboot.

The method may further include providing a user interface configured to communicate with an Application Programming Interface (API) in response to user input to execute the solution workflow based on the solution workflow metadata as part of instruction execution.

The method may further include receiving, by at least one computer processor, input indicating additional measurements to be performed and a different solution workflow including a second solution of another automated test suite; creating, by at least one computer processor, solution workflow metadata associated with the second solution in response to receiving the input; and dynamically executing, by the at least one computer processor, the instructions of the second solution based on the solution workflow metadata associated with the second solution to perform measurements on the DUT without having to compile and without having to restart the test and measurement system between execution of the instructions of the first solution and execution of the instructions of the second solution.

Execution of the instructions may include invoking a plurality of services that are self-registered as part of the test and measurement system.

The automation engines of the test and measurement automation platform may be built on a distributed architecture and support failover and recovery.

According to at least one embodiment, a computerized method for enabling creation of an automated test suite in a test and measurement system includes: providing, by at least one computer processor, a test and measurement automation platform that uses solution workflow metadata to create an automation test suite with decomposed software as a solution to be deployed in an automation engine of the test and measurement automation platform; and enabling a user to develop measurements for the solutions through the test and measurement automation platform and deploy each of the solutions in an automation engine of the test and measurement automation platform without requiring a test and measurement system reboot.

Providing a test and measurement automation platform may include providing a test and measurement automation platform configured to: receiving input regarding a first one of the solutions; and dynamically executing instructions of a first one of the solutions to perform testing on the integrated circuit.

According to various embodiments, a system for creating and executing an automated test suite in a test and measurement system includes: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory has computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform one or more of the above-described methods.

According to various embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium has stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform one or more of the above-described methods.

Drawings

The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views;

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating elements of an example test and measurement system that is a disaggregated distributed measurement analysis system including an automation platform, in accordance with various example embodiments;

FIG. 2 is an overview block diagram illustrating an example computing device in which an embodiment of an automation platform of a testing and measurement system may be implemented, in accordance with various example embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an automation engine workflow that may be deployed on an automation platform in accordance with various example embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a computerized method for creating and executing an automated test suite in a test and measurement system, according to various example embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a computerized method for creating and executing multiple automated test suites in a test and measurement system without having to restart the system between executions of the test suites, in accordance with various example embodiments;

fig. 6 is a flow diagram of a computerized method for enabling creation of an automated test suite in a test and measurement system, according to various example embodiments.

Detailed Description

Various embodiments of the present technology disclosure provide an operating platform that uses metadata to create an automated test suite in decomposed software. The presently disclosed automation platform provides tools and techniques for developing or writing measurements and deploying associated solution workflows including automated test suites in an automation engine without requiring a system restart. Furthermore, the measurements are self-registered in the present system and they are immediately available to the user.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating elements of an example test and measurement system 100, the example test and measurement system 100 being a disaggregated distributed measurement analysis system including an automation platform, in accordance with various example embodiments. Shown in fig. 1 are an automation platform 102, an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) 104, and hardware devices 106.

The automation platform 102 includes a user interface 108, an analysis (measurement) service engine 110, a core service engine 112, and a template directory service engine 114. In this example, the analytics service engine 110 includes signal measurement services, such as jitter measurement service 116, base measurement service 118, eye diagram measurement service 120, time measurement service 122, and amplitude measurement service 124.

The core services engine 112 includes an open Application Programming Interface (API) 126, which may be a representational state transfer (RESTful or REST) API designed to take advantage of existing protocols. Since REST can be used for almost any protocol, developers do not need to install libraries or additional software in order to utilize REST API design. Unlike Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), REST is not constrained to extensible markup language (XML), but can return XML, JavaScript object notation (JSON), or any other format depending on the client's request. And unlike remote procedure call RPC, the user does not need to know the procedure name or specific parameters of a specific order. The core services engine 112 also includes an automation engine 128 and a hardware controller 130, discussed in more detail below.

In this example, the template directory service engine 114 includes a schema generator 132, a measurement directory service 134, a solution directory service 136, and an equipment configuration/calibration directory service 138. The automation platform provides a user interface 108 to facilitate the building of solutions by providing at least a template menu of test automation workflows or solutions as part of the user interface from which a user can select as a basis for one or more of the solutions.

Example test equipment for hardware device 106 includes oscilloscope 140, Bit Error Rate Tester (BERT) 142, Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) 144, and spectrum analyzer 146.

With the aid of embodiments of the present technical disclosure, system 100 provides scalable capabilities for adding new measurements in a test and measurement system without restarting the application. In addition, the automation platform 102 also provides functionality for: a solution builder within the user interface 108 is used to create a useful solution and publish the solution directly and immediately into the ecosystem without having to restart the system 100.

In another embodiment, a new solution may also be created using the API 126. In addition, the automation platform 102 also helps the customer define the workflow in their test suite, which may include different types of hardware, such as oscilloscope 140, BERT 142, AWG 144, and the like.

The automation platform 102 is a disaggregated software solution that controls the hardware devices 106, performs analysis of measurements (e.g., waveforms) obtained by the hardware devices 106, and executes the solution with an API, such as API 126, via a user interface that provides a visualization experience to a user. For example, the automation platform 102 enables a user to visualize how the test and measurement automation platform 102 controls the hardware devices 106, performs analysis of measurements (e.g., waveforms), and executes solutions.

Furthermore, the test and measurement system 100 according to embodiments of the present technology disclosure is metadata-based, which allows for deployment of solutions without having to compile or reboot. The IDE 104 is used to deploy the measurement service 110 in the software environment of the automation platform 102. The deployed measurement service 110 self-registers into the measurement directory service 134 at startup. Once self-registered, the automation engine 128 may access the measurement service 110 to perform measurements during application execution. The solution is built once deployed in the system 100 and is immediately available for use throughout the system. The solution/application builder of the user interface 108 uses template-based methods via the use of the template directory service 114, thereby reducing the overall time for development and deployment.

Further, in one or more embodiments, the automation platform 102 can be written in JSON. The automation platform 102 may be written similar to other approaches using Domain Specific Language (DSL). The automation engine 128 reads the provided user input regarding the solution and dynamically executes the instructions. For example, the automation platform 102 may receive input indicative of measurements to be performed for a Device Under Test (DUT) and a solution workflow including a first solution of an automated test suite. The automation platform 102 then dynamically executes the instructions of the first solution in order to perform testing on the DUT without having to compile the solution. The automation platform 102 creates solution workflow metadata associated with the first solution in response to receiving the input. Execution of the instructions may include using solution workflow metadata to facilitate dynamic execution of the solution without having to compile. Execution of the instructions may further include using the solution workflow metadata to facilitate dynamic execution of the first solution without requiring a test and measurement system reboot. The illustrative flow shows that the create and deploy solution metadata (e.g., JSON metadata 148) is created and deployed into the solution directory service 136 via the API 126. The solution directory service 136 verifies the correctness of the metadata content and stores it. In an example embodiment, metadata creation and deployment is performed via use of API 126 (e.g., using JSON with OpenAPI over hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)).

The user interface 108 is configured to communicate with the API 126 to execute a solution workflow based on the solution workflow metadata as part of instruction execution in response to user input. An example execution request 150 (e.g., JSON execution request) is shown for executing a metadata instruction (e.g., JSON metadata 148) by retrieving the metadata from the solution directory service 136 by the automation engine 128. The automation engine 128 validates the solution execution request 150 against the solution metadata and executes the solution and the measurements defined in the solution. For example, a user may send execution instructions using the API 126 (e.g., using JSON over HTTP protocol using OpenAPI).

In at least one embodiment, the automation engine 128 uses microservice methods to invoke a plurality of services self-registered as part of the ecosystem. The deployed measurement service 110 self-registers into the measurement directory service 134 at startup. Once self-registered, the automation engine 128 may access the measurement service 110 to perform measurements during application execution. The automation engine 128 builds on a distributed architecture and supports failover and recovery.

The automation platform 102 may enable the creation and execution of multiple automated test suites in the test and measurement system 100 without having to restart the system between the executions of the test suites. For example, the automation platform 102 may receive input regarding a second solution and then, in response to receiving the input regarding the second solution, create solution workflow metadata associated with the second solution. The automation platform 102 then dynamically executes the instructions of the second solution based on metadata associated with the second solution in order to perform testing on the DUT without having to compile and without having to restart the testing and measurement system 100 between execution of the instructions of the first solution and execution of the instructions of the second solution.

Furthermore, embodiments of the present technology disclosure provide extensibility features that enable end users to modify workflows or solutions so that additional requirements for testing of DUTs can be added at any time, thereby reducing the total time to market.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example automation platform computer 210 in which embodiments of an automation platform of the test and measurement system 100 may be implemented in the example automation platform computer 210, in accordance with various example embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the automation platform computer 210 includes computer memory ("memory") 201, a display 202 (including but not limited to a Light Emitting Diode (LED) panel, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a touch screen display, etc.), one or more central processing units ("CPU") 203, input/output devices 204 (e.g., button panels, keyboards, mice, RF or infrared receivers, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports and other communication ports, etc.), other computer readable media 205, and a communication connection 206. The automation platform 102 is shown to reside in memory 201. In other embodiments, some or all of some portions and components of the content of the automation platform 102 may be stored on other computer-readable media 205 and/or transmitted through other computer-readable media 205. The components of the automation platform 102 preferably execute on one or more CPUs 203 and effectuate or otherwise facilitate receiving input indicative of measurements to be performed for the DUT and a solution workflow including a first solution of an automation test suite; and dynamically executing instructions of the first solution to perform testing on the DUT without having to compile the solution. The components of the automation platform 102 preferably execute on one or more CPUs 203 and may also perform or otherwise facilitate providing a test and measurement automation platform 102 that uses solution workflow metadata to create an automation test suite with decomposed software as a solution to be deployed in an automation engine of the test and measurement automation platform; and enables users to develop measurements for the solutions and deploy each solution in the automation engine 128 of the test and measurement automation platform 102 without requiring the test and measurement system 100 to reboot.

In other embodiments, other processing devices and configurations may be used, including but not limited to Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), ASICs, and embedded CPU/GPU blocks. The automation platform 102 may operate as part of, or work in conjunction with, and/or cooperate with various software applications stored in the memory 201. The automation platform 102 also facilitates communication with the IDE 104 and the hardware device 106 via the communication system 208. Communication system 208 may include many different types of communication media, including those used by a variety of different physical and logical communication channels now known or later developed. Non-limiting examples of media and communication channels include one or more or any operable combination of the following: high Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Universal Serial Bus (USB), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Wi-Fi systems, WLAN systems, short range wireless (e.g., Bluetooth) systems, peer-to-peer network systems, hardwired systems, communications buses, computer network wiring, Wide Area Network (WAN) systems, the Internet, cable systems, telephone systems, fiber optic systems, microwave systems, asynchronous transfer mode ("ATM") systems, frame relay systems, digital subscriber line ("DSL") systems, radio frequency ("RF") systems, cellular systems, and satellite systems.

The automation platform 102 includes an API 126 (shown in FIG. 1), the API 126 providing programmatic access to one or more functions or services of the test and measurement system 100, including services such as the analysis services engine 110, the core services engine 112, and the template directory services engine 114 shown in FIG. 1. For example, such APIs 126 may provide a programmatic interface to one or more functions of the automation platform 102 that may be invoked by one of the analysis services engine 110, the core services engine 112, and the template directory services engine 114 and/or other programs 230.

In an example embodiment, the components/modules of the automation platform 102 are implemented using standard programming techniques. For example, the automation platform 102 may be implemented as a "native" executable running on the CPU 203 along with one or more static or dynamic libraries. In other embodiments, the automation platform 102 may be implemented as instructions processed by a virtual machine executing as one of the other programs 230. In general, such example embodiments may be implemented using a range of programming languages known in the art, including representative implementations of various programming language paradigms, including, but not limited to, object oriented languages (e.g., JSON, Java, C + +, C #, Visual basic. NET, and Smalltalk, etc.), functional languages (e.g., ML, Lisp, and Scheme, etc.), procedural languages (e.g., C, Pascal, Ada, and Modula, etc.), scripting languages (e.g., Perl, Ruby, Scratch, Python, JavaScript, and VBScript, etc.), or declarative languages (e.g., SQL, Prolog, etc.).

In a software or firmware implementation, instructions stored in the memory, when executed, configure one or more processors (e.g., CPUs) of the automation platform computer 210 to perform the functions of the automation platform 102. The instructions cause the CPU 203 or some other processor, such as an I/O controller/processor, to perform the processes described herein.

The above-described embodiments may also use well-known or other synchronous or asynchronous client-server computing techniques. However, the various components may also be implemented as executable, e.g., running on a single CPU computer system, using more monolithic programming techniques, or alternatively, decomposed using various structural techniques known in the art, including but not limited to multiprogramming, multithreading, client-server or peer to peer (e.g., Bluetooth ® wireless technology) techniques, running on one or more computer systems each having one or more CPUs or other processors. Some embodiments may execute concurrently and asynchronously and communicate using messaging techniques. The automation platform 102 implementation also supports equivalent synchronization embodiments. Further, other functions may be implemented and/or performed by each component/module and in a different order and by different components/modules, yet still achieve the functionality of the automation platform 102.

Further, the programmatic interface of data stored as part of the automation platform 102 may be obtained through standard mechanisms, such as through C, C + +, C #, and Java APIs; a repository for accessing files, databases, or other data repositories; a scripting language; or a Web server, FTP server, or other type of server that provides access to stored data and machine learning models.

Different configurations and locations of programs and data are contemplated for use with the techniques described herein. Various distributed computing techniques are suitable for implementing the components of the illustrated embodiments in a distributed manner, including but not limited to TCP/IP, REST, sockets, RPC, RMI, HTTP, and Web services (XML-RPC, JAX-RPC, SOAP, etc.). Other variations are possible. Other functionality may also be provided by each component/module, or existing functionality may be distributed among the components/modules in a different manner, but still achieve the functionality of the automation platform 102.

Still further, in some embodiments, some or all of the components of the automation platform 102 may be implemented or provided in other ways, such as at least partially in firmware and/or hardware, including but not limited to one or more application specific integrated circuits ("ASICs"), standard integrated circuits, controllers (e.g., by executing appropriate instructions and including microcontrollers and/or embedded controllers), field programmable gate arrays ("FPGAs"), complex programmable logic devices ("CPLDs"), and so forth. Some or all of the system components and/or data structures may also be stored as content (e.g., as executable or other machine-readable software instructions or structured data) on a computer-readable medium (e.g., such as a hard disk; a memory; a computer network, a cellular wireless network, or other data transmission medium; or a portable media article of manufacture to be read by an appropriate drive or via an appropriate connection, such as a flash memory device) in order to enable or configure the computer-readable medium and/or one or more associated computing systems or devices to execute or otherwise use or provide the content to perform at least some of the described techniques.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example automation engine workflow 300 that may be deployed on the automation platform 102, in accordance with various example embodiments. FIG. 3 provides an example workflow that illustrates how a user 302 utilizes the automation platform 102: performing a first action 304 to cause the automation platform 102 to develop a measurement and solution workflow 310 by using the IDE 104; performing a second action 306 by using the API 126 and the user interface 108 to cause the automation platform 102 to create a solution 312 using the workflow metadata and deploy the solution 314 in the automation engine 128 using the workflow metadata with the assistance of the API; a third action 308 is then performed using the API 126 and the user interface 108 to cause the automation platform 102 to execute the solution request based on the metadata 316 with the assistance of the API.

Fig. 4 is a flow diagram of a computerized method 400 for creating and executing an automated test suite in the test and measurement system 100, according to various example embodiments.

At 402, the system 100 receives input indicating measurements to be performed for the DUT and a solution workflow including a first solution of an automated test suite.

At 404, the system dynamically executes instructions of the solution to perform measurements on the DUT without having to compile the first solution.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of a computerized method 500 for creating and executing multiple automated test suites in the test and measurement system 100 without having to restart the system between executions of the test suites, according to various example embodiments.

At 502, the system 100 receives input indicating additional measurements to be performed and a different solution workflow including a second solution of another automated test suite.

At 504, the system 100 creates solution workflow metadata associated with the second solution in response to receiving the input.

At 506, the system 100 dynamically executes the instructions of the second solution based on metadata associated with the second solution to perform measurements on the DUT without having to compile and without having to restart the test and measurement system between execution of the instructions of the first solution and execution of the instructions of the second solution.

Fig. 6 is a flow diagram of a computerized method 600 for enabling creation of an automated test suite in the test and measurement system 100, according to various example embodiments.

At 602, the system 100 provides a test and measurement automation platform that uses solution workflow metadata to create an automation test suite with decomposed software as a solution to be deployed in an automation engine of the test and measurement automation platform.

At 604, the system 100 enables a user to develop measurements for a solution through the test and measurement automation platform and deploy each solution in an automation engine of the test and measurement automation platform without requiring a test and measurement system reboot.

Although various embodiments have been described herein above, it should be understood that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as presently or hereinafter claimed.