ATE tester frame device and serial port unified collection method thereof

Abstract

A frame-type device of an ATE tester and a method for unified serial port collection thereof, the device comprises a plurality of line card side panels, a main control board and a host computer; the line card side panels comprise a host and a serial port communication module; the main control board comprises a serial port communication Hub module, a host 0 and a sending / receiving module; the present invention can configure the serial port communication module Hub on the main board with the help of a network protocol, activate the hub to collect the serial port information of any line card side panel slot, and transmit it to an external host such as a host computer through a network data packet. Therefore, the unified serial port collection method of the present invention not only has the characteristics of flexibility and simple wiring, but also can greatly simplify the communication management of the test machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor automatic test equipment (ATE for short), and in particular to a method for uniformly collecting serial ports of frame-type equipment of an ATE tester. Background Art

[0002] Serial communication, also known as Universal Asynchronous Serial Transceiver / Transmitter UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter), is a universal communication method with concise protocol and simple wiring, and is widely used in various fields.

[0003] The frame format of UART communication is as follows Figure 6 shown.

[0004] The frame format of UART communication includes the start field, data field, parity field and end field. The start field occupies 1 bit, and sends 1 when the bus is idle, and the start bit sends 0, indicating the start of communication; the data field generally has 5 to 9 bits, which is a valid data character, and generally transmits valid ASCII code of data, and one frame of data transmits 1 ASCII code; the parity field occupies 0 or 1 bit, and the parity check of the data is optional; the end field occupies 1 or 2 bits, and at the end character position, the bus is pulled high, indicating that a frame of data has ended.

[0005] The rate of UART communication is generally low, and the communication devices need to communicate at a fixed baud rate. UART communication is asynchronous transmission and does not require a clock. The level standard uses RS232 level, which can effectively prevent interference. Common communication methods include Figure 7 shown.

[0006] The UART communication process is as follows:

[0007] ①. Sending direction: The host encapsulates the data in UART frame format, the RS232 transceiver receives the data transmitted by the host, and converts the level into the universal RS232 standard, and sends it to the opposite device through the connector and interconnection cable;

[0008] ②. Receiving direction: The RS232 transceiver receives data on the link, converts the signal from RS232 into a level recognizable by the host, and the host parses the data frame and transmits it to the upper-layer application.

[0009] UART communication is mainly used for information collection and configuration distribution of single boards in ATE testers. In actual customer sites, ATE equipment is not equipped with serial port cables as standard, so it is inconvenient for on-site maintenance personnel to access single boards through serial ports. Summary of the invention

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide an ATE tester frame device and a unified serial port collection method of the present invention, which can centrally manage the serial ports of different boards to access all line card side boards (Line Card 1, Line Card 2...Line Card 3) in the ATE tester through a network protocol such as SSH without adding cables based on the default customer site environment. N ).

[0011] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0012] An ATE tester frame device, used for remote collection of serial port information, comprising:

[0013] N line card side panels (Line Card 1, Line Card 2…Line Card N ), each of the line card side panels includes a host and a serial port communication module;

[0014] A main control board, which includes a serial communication Hub module, a host 0 and a send / receive module;

[0015] A host computer, used for communicating with the sending / receiving module of the main control board;

[0016] Among them, the N line card side panels (Line Card1, Line Card2...Line Card N ) sends M serial communication data to the serial communication Hub module through its corresponding serial communication module; the serial communication Hub module selects the line card side board that is currently communicating with the host 0 in serial port communication according to the priority according to the first priority processing rule; after the sending / receiving module receives the serial communication service, it sends the serial communication data of the line card side board to the host computer through the communication link, and sends the serial communication data of the line card side board back by the host computer to the host of the corresponding line card side board through the host 0 and the serial communication Hub module; wherein M and N are integers greater than or equal to 1, and the first priority processing rule is to process the serial communication data of the M group according to the first-in-first-out queue, select the high-priority first-out queue according to the configured priority, or select only one output processing in the M group according to the configuration.

[0017] Furthermore, the serial communication Hub module includes a bus switch, an upstream buffer, a bus access module and a downstream buffer; the bus switch is used to receive serial communication data selected according to the first priority processing rule, and store the serial communication data in the upstream buffer, and the selection of the bus switch is configured by the bus access module between the host 0 and the communication hub; the host 0 controls the downstream buffer to cache the serial communication data received from the bus access module, and the bus switch selects one of the paths as the current serial communication data to be sent to the host of the corresponding line card side board according to the second priority processing rule; the second priority processing rule is to process the serial communication data of the M group according to the first-in-first-out queue, select the high priority first-out queue according to the configured priority, or select only one path of the M group for output processing according to the configuration.

[0018] Furthermore, after the host 0 receives the data sending request sent by the line card side board host, it caches the serial port communication data into the data buffer; correspondingly, after the host 0 receives the data sending request sent by the upper computer, it caches the serial port communication data into the data buffer.

[0019] Furthermore, the communication link is a network port or a serial port communication link.

[0020] Furthermore, each of the serial communication modules includes a serial communication cable and a serial communication switch, and the serial communication switch receives the panel mode and / or backplane mode instructions input by the user from the line card side panel host to enable remote collection of serial port information.

[0021] Furthermore, the N line card side panels (Line Card 1, Line Card 2...Line Card N ) are directly connected to the serial communication Hub module or connected to the serial communication Hub module through a backplane relay; N line card side panels (Line Card 1, Line Card 2...Line Card N )'s serial port communication data are all sent to the main control board through the backplane, or the serial port communication data sent by the main control board are received.

[0022] To achieve the above object, another technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0023] A serial port unified collection method, the above-mentioned ATE tester frame device, which specifically includes:

[0024] Step S1: N line card side panels (Line Card 1, Line Card 2, ... Line Card N) wherein the M blocks send M serial communication data to the serial communication Hub module through their corresponding serial communication modules;

[0025] Step S2: the serial port communication Hub module selects the line card side board currently performing serial port communication with the host 0 according to the priority according to the first priority processing rule;

[0026] Step S3: After the sending / receiving module receives the serial communication service, it sends the serial communication data of the line card side panel to the host computer through the communication link; the host computer sends back the serial communication data of the line card side panel through the communication link, and feeds back to the host of the corresponding line card side panel through the host 0 and the serial communication Hub module; wherein, M and N are integers greater than or equal to 1, and the first priority processing rule is that the serial communication data of the M group is processed according to the first-in-first-out queue, the high priority first-out queue is selected according to the configured priority, or only one output processing in the M group is selected according to the configuration.

[0027] Furthermore, the step S3 includes a receiving direction step S31 and a sending direction step S32:

[0028] The receiving direction step S31 includes:

[0029] Step S311: the bus switch is used to receive the serial communication data selected according to the first priority processing rule, store the serial communication data in an uplink buffer, and send an indication signal to the bus access module to indicate the buffer depth of the uplink buffer;

[0030] Step S312: the host 0 reads the data in the upstream buffer by accessing the bus module, or after the upstream buffer reaches half of its depth, the serial communication Hub module reports an interrupt to notify the host 0 to read the data;

[0031] The sending direction step S32 includes:

[0032] Step S321: After receiving the data request from the host computer, the host 0 caches the data into the downstream buffer and simultaneously initiates the access bus module write, and the downstream buffer feeds back a receiving indication signal in real time;

[0033] Step S322: if the data in the downstream buffer has filled up X% of the buffer depth, an interrupt is fed back to the host 0 to stop writing; wherein X% is greater than or equal to 60%;

[0034] Step S323: the host receives the indication signal in round 0 to obtain the buffer depth, and when the buffer depth of the downstream buffer is less than X%, it starts to rewrite the remaining data.

[0035] Furthermore, the X% is 80%.

[0036] It can be seen from the above technical scheme that the ATE tester frame device and the unified serial port collection method provided by the present invention can effectively collect serial port information on a single board in any slot, simplify the communication management between boards in the test, and facilitate customers and on-site maintenance personnel to quickly access the single board and locate problems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the ATE tester frame device of the present invention is shown as follows

[0038] Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the ATE tester frame device of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 3 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the implementation method of the line card side plate of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the implementation method of the mainboard side of the embodiment of the present invention is shown as follows

[0041] Figure 5 The flowchart of the serial port unified collection method of the present invention is shown as follows

[0042] Figure 6 The frame format diagram of the prior art UART communication is shown as follows

[0043] Figure 7 The following is a schematic diagram of the frame format of common communication methods. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The following is combined with Figure 1-7 , the specific implementation modes of the present invention are further described in detail.

[0045] It should be noted that, in the above-mentioned prior art, the serial port information of the line card slots Slot1 to slotN is communicated with the host computer through the serial port line of the line card side panel board itself. When the serial port needs to be accessed, a serial port cable must be added, and only one line card side panel board can be accessed at the same time. When the line card side panel board is replaced for access, the serial port cable must be constantly replaced. This is the "panel mode".

[0046] The ATE tester frame device and the unified serial port collection method of the present invention can configure the serial port communication module Hub on the main control board with the help of a network protocol (such as SSH), activate the serial port communication module Hub to collect the serial port information of any line card side panel single board slot, and transmit it to an external host (such as a host computer) through a network data packet. This centralized collection method is the "backplane mode", which can make wiring flexible and simple, and can greatly simplify the communication management of the ATE tester.

[0047] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the ATE tester frame device of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the ATE tester frame device for remote collection of serial port information includes N line card side panels (Line Card 1, Line Card 2...Line Card N ), a master board and a host computer.

[0048] Specifically, each of the line card side panels includes a host and a serial communication module; the main control board includes a serial communication Hub module, a host 0 and a sending / receiving module; the host computer is used to communicate with the sending / receiving module of the main control board.

[0049] The serial communication Hub in the main control board controls the current serial data exchange mode and selects the line card side board host for serial communication with host 0; the service for host 0 to access serial port information is implemented by a network protocol (such as SSH). After receiving the serial communication service, it collects the serial port data sent by the line card side board host and feeds it back to the external host.

[0050] In some embodiments of the present invention, the N line card side panels (Line Card1, Line Card2...Line Card N ) can be directly connected to the serial communication Hub module or connected to the serial communication Hub module through a backplane relay; in other embodiments of the present invention, N pieces of the line card side boards (Line Card1, Line Card2...Line Card N )'s serial port communication data can also be sent to the main control board through the backplane, or the serial port communication data sent by the main control board can be received.

[0051] That is to say, Figure 1 As shown, in different line card side panel slots (Line Card), the data bus of the serial communication module is all converged to the serial communication module hub (Hub) on the main control board through the backplane (BKP). The hub can be configured by host 0, and host 0 communicates with an external host such as a host computer through the network port.

[0052] Among them, the N line card side panels (Line Card1, Line Card2...Line Card N ) sends M serial communication data to the serial communication Hub module through its corresponding serial communication module; the serial communication Hub module selects the line card side board that is currently communicating with the host 0 in serial port communication according to the priority according to the first priority processing rule; after the sending / receiving module receives the serial communication service, it sends the serial communication data of the line card side board to the host computer through the communication link, and sends the serial communication data of the line card side board back by the host computer to the host of the corresponding line card side board through the host 0 and the serial communication Hub module; wherein M and N are integers greater than or equal to 1, and the first priority processing rule is to process the serial communication data of the M group according to the first-in-first-out queue, select the high-priority first-out queue according to the configured priority, or select only one output processing in the M group according to the configuration.

[0053] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the ATE tester frame device of the present invention. Each of the serial communication modules includes a serial communication cable and a serial communication switch, and the serial communication switch receives the panel mode and / or backplane mode instructions input by the user from the line card side panel host to enable remote collection of serial port information.

[0054] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an implementation method of a line card side panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the line card side board host 1 is taken as an example for explanation.

[0055] ①、Line card side panel host 1 sends

[0056] The serial communication data sent by the line card side panel host 1 is selected by the serial communication switch to go to the backplane, the front panel interface, or the broadcast mode in which both are selected.

[0057] The communication switch is enabled by the activity detection module, which has three input sources:

[0058] I. Is the panel serial port cable plugged in?

[0059] II. Whether the panel detects valid serial port data in the receiving direction;

[0060] III. The line card side board host 1 accesses the bus at a low speed and forces the communication switch to be enabled.

[0061] Input source 3 has the highest priority, and the relationship between the three input sources and the selection is as follows:

[0062]

[0063] ②、Line card side panel main board 1 receiving

[0064] The serial communication switch on the line card side panel can accept serial communication from the backplane (sent from the main board) and the panel. After being selected by the validity (activity) detection module, it is determined which source (for example, line card side panel main board 1) is received. The receiving direction does not support broadcasting and can only support one data source at a time. In other words, the selection relationship of the receiving direction is similar to that of the sending direction, except that broadcasting is not supported.

[0065]

[0066] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an implementation method of the mainboard side of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 As shown, the serial communication Hub module includes a bus switch, an upstream buffer, a bus access module and a downstream buffer; the bus switch is used to receive the serial communication data selected according to the first priority processing rule, and store the serial communication data in the upstream buffer, and the selection of the bus switch is configured by the bus access module between the host 0 and the communication hub.

[0067] That is to say, the host 0 controls the downlink buffer to cache the serial port communication data received from the bus access module, and the bus switch selects one of the paths as the current serial port communication data to be sent to the host of the corresponding line card side board according to the second priority processing rule; the second priority processing rule is that the serial port communication data of the M group is processed according to the first-in-first-out queue, the high priority first-out queue is selected according to the configured priority, or only one output processing in the M group is selected according to the configuration.

[0068] The main control board also includes a data buffer. After the host 0 receives the data sending request sent by the line card side board host, the serial communication data is buffered in the data buffer; correspondingly, after the host 0 receives the data sending request sent by the host computer, the serial communication data is buffered in the data buffer. The communication link is a network port or a serial port communication link.

[0069] Viewed from the main control board:

[0070] ①, Sending direction

[0071] It should be noted that the sending direction refers to the sending of the line card side board host. The serial communication hub on the main control board receives the serial port sending data sent from all line card side board hosts. The bus switch selects one of the channels and stores the data in the uplink buffer (TX buffer). The selection of the bus switch is configured by the access bus between host 0 and the serial communication hub. The uplink buffer continuously caches data and sends an indication signal to the bus access module about the cache depth.

[0072] Host 0 can actively access the bus to read the data in the upstream buffer, or wait until the cache depth of the upstream buffer reaches half, and then the serial communication hub reports an interrupt to notify Host 0 to read the data. Host 0 sends the read data through the network port via a network protocol such as SSH.

[0073] ② Receiving direction

[0074] It should be noted that the receiving direction refers to the receiving direction of the host on the line card side board. After host 0 receives the network data request sent by the external host (host computer), it caches the data in the data buffer and simultaneously initiates access to the bus write to write the data into the downlink buffer (RX buffer). The downlink buffer feeds back the receiving indication signal in real time. If it is found that the data has occupied 80% of the cache depth, it feeds back an interrupt to host 0 and stops writing. Host 0 trains the receiving indication to obtain the real-time cache depth of the downlink buffer, and starts to rewrite the remaining data after the downlink buffer is free.

[0075] In addition, the bus switch selects one of the line cards to send the data in the downstream buffer and finally sends it to the line card side board host.

[0076] In the actual process, the above functions can be realized through the software on the main control board to support the serial bus access message program (serial_connect), to select which line card side board SLOT to receive and send serial port connection, convert the user's command into serial port data for transmission, and output the serial port return message to the ssh terminal. By connecting different line card side board SLOTs, it is more convenient to collect serial port information remotely.

[0077] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 The flowchart of the serial port unified collection method of the present invention is shown. Figure 5 As shown, the serial port unified collection method, the above-mentioned ATE tester frame device, includes:

[0078] Step S1: N line card side panels (Line Card 1, Line Card 2, ... Line CardN ) wherein the M blocks send M serial communication data to the serial communication Hub module through their corresponding serial communication modules;

[0079] Step S2: the serial port communication Hub module selects the line card side board currently performing serial port communication with the host 0 according to the priority according to the first priority processing rule;

[0080] Step S3: After the sending / receiving module receives the serial communication service, it sends the serial communication data of the line card side panel to the host computer through the communication link; the host computer sends back the serial communication data of the line card side panel through the communication link, and feeds back to the host of the corresponding line card side panel through the host 0 and the serial communication Hub module; wherein, M and N are integers greater than or equal to 1, and the first priority processing rule is that the serial communication data of the M group is processed according to the first-in-first-out queue, the high priority first-out queue is selected according to the configured priority, or only one output processing in the M group is selected according to the configuration.

[0081] In an embodiment of the present invention, the step S3 includes a receiving direction step S31 and a sending direction step S32:

[0082] The receiving direction step S31 includes:

[0083] Step S311: the bus switch is used to receive the serial communication data selected according to the first priority processing rule, store the serial communication data in an uplink buffer, and send an indication signal to the bus access module to indicate the buffer depth of the uplink buffer;

[0084] Step S312: the host 0 reads the data in the upstream buffer by accessing the bus module, or after the upstream buffer reaches half of its depth, the serial communication Hub module reports an interrupt to notify the host 0 to read the data;

[0085] The sending direction step S32 includes:

[0086] Step S321: After receiving the data request from the host computer, the host 0 caches the data into the downstream buffer and simultaneously initiates the access bus module write, and the downstream buffer feeds back a receiving indication signal in real time;

[0087] Step S322: if the data in the downstream buffer has filled up X% of the buffer depth, an interrupt is fed back to the host 0 to stop writing; wherein X% is greater than or equal to 60%;

[0088] Step S323: the host receives the indication signal in round 0 to obtain the buffer depth, and when the buffer depth of the downstream buffer is less than X%, it starts to rewrite the remaining data.

[0089] In summary, based on the above unified collection method, you can use the network protocol (such as SSH) to configure the serial communication module Hub on the main control board, and activate the serial communication module Hub to collect the serial port information of any line card slot, and transmit it to an external host such as a host computer through a network data packet. This centralized collection method is flexible and has simple wiring, which can greatly simplify the communication management of the test machine, that is, to realize the collection of serial port information of all line card side panels, and the main control board interacts with the outside through the network protocol.

[0090] The above-described embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the embodiments are not intended to limit the patent protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent structural changes made using the description and drawings of the present invention should also be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ATE tester frame device for remote collection of serial port information, characterized in that: include: N line card side panels, each of which includes a host and a serial port communication module; A main control board, which includes a serial communication Hub module, a host 0 and a send / receive module; A host computer, used for communicating with the sending / receiving module of the main control board; Among them, M blocks among the N line card side boards send M serial communication data to the serial communication Hub module through their corresponding serial communication modules; the serial communication Hub module selects the line card side board that is currently communicating with the host 0 in serial port according to the priority according to the first priority processing rule; after receiving the serial communication service, the sending / receiving module sends the serial communication data of the line card side board to the host computer through the communication link, and the serial communication data of the line card side board sent back by the host computer is fed back to the host of the corresponding line card side board through the host 0 and the serial communication Hub module; wherein M and N are integers greater than or equal to 1, and the first priority processing rule is that the serial communication data of the M group is processed according to the first-in-first-out queue, the high priority first-out queue is selected according to the configured priority, or only one output processing in the M group is selected according to the configuration; The serial communication hub module includes a bus switch, an upstream buffer, a bus access module and a downstream buffer; the bus switch receives the serial communication data selected according to the first priority processing rule, and stores the serial communication data in the upstream buffer, and the selection of the bus switch is configured by the bus access module between the host 0 and the communication hub; the host 0 controls the downstream buffer to cache the serial communication data received from the bus access module, and the bus switch selects one of the paths as the current serial communication data to be sent to the host of the corresponding line card side board according to the second priority processing rule; the second priority processing rule is that the serial communication data of the M group is processed according to the first-in-first-out queue, the high priority first-out queue is selected according to the configured priority, or only one path in the M group is selected for output processing according to the configuration; The host 0 reads the data in the upstream buffer through the bus access module, or after the upstream buffer reaches half of its depth, the serial communication Hub module reports an interrupt to notify the host 0 to read the data.

2. The ATE tester frame device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main control board also includes a data buffer. After the host 0 receives the data sending request sent by the line card side board host, the serial port communication data is cached into the data buffer; correspondingly, after the host 0 receives the data sending request sent by the upper computer, the serial port communication data is cached into the data buffer.

3. The ATE tester frame device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The communication link is a network port or a serial port communication link.

4. The ATE tester frame device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the serial communication modules includes a serial communication cable and a serial communication switch. The serial communication switch receives the panel mode and / or backplane mode instructions input by the user from the line card side panel host, and enables remote collection of serial port information.

5. The ATE tester frame device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The N communication cables of the N line card side panels are directly connected to the serial communication Hub module or are connected to the serial communication Hub module through the backplane relay; the serial communication data of the N line card side panels are sent to the main control board through the backplane, or receive the serial communication data sent by the main control board.

6. A serial port unified collection method, which adopts the ATE tester frame device according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: include: Step S1: M of the N line card side panels send M serial communication data to the serial communication Hub module through their corresponding serial communication modules; Step S2: the serial port communication Hub module selects the line card side board currently performing serial port communication with the host 0 according to the priority according to the first priority processing rule; Step S3: After the sending / receiving module receives the serial communication service, it sends the serial communication data of the line card side panel to the host computer through the communication link; the host computer sends back the serial communication data of the line card side panel through the communication link, and feeds back to the host of the corresponding line card side panel through the host 0 and the serial communication Hub module; wherein, M and N are integers greater than or equal to 1, and the first priority processing rule is that the serial communication data of the M group is processed according to the first-in-first-out queue, the high priority first-out queue is selected according to the configured priority, or only one output processing in the M group is selected according to the configuration.

7. The serial port unified collection method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The step S3 includes a receiving direction step S31 and a sending direction step S32: The receiving direction step S31 comprises: Step S311: the bus switch receives the serial communication data selected according to the first priority processing rule, stores the serial communication data in an uplink buffer, and sends an indication signal to the bus access module about the buffer depth of the uplink buffer; Step S312: the host 0 reads the data in the upstream buffer through the bus access module, or after the upstream buffer reaches half of its depth, the serial communication Hub module reports an interrupt to notify the host 0 to read the data; The sending direction step S32 includes: Step S321: After receiving the data request from the host computer, the host 0 caches the data into the downlink buffer and simultaneously initiates the bus access module to write, and the downlink buffer feeds back a receiving indication signal in real time; Step S322: if the data in the downstream buffer has filled up X% of the buffer depth, an interrupt is fed back to the host 0 to stop writing; wherein X% is greater than or equal to 60%; Step S323: the host receives the indication signal in round 0 to obtain the buffer depth, and when the buffer depth of the downstream buffer is less than X%, it starts to rewrite the remaining data.

8. The serial port unified collection method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The X% is 80%.

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