Module chassis trigger system
By designing a module chassis trigger system in an automated test system, using control units, bus trigger subsystems and single-ended trigger subsystems to coordinate and transmit trigger signals, the problems of high design costs and poor signal synchronization in traditional systems are solved, and a more efficient, flexible and reliable test system is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411966629.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-30
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-25
AI Technical Summary
In traditional automated testing systems, the design cost of triggering systems is high and the flexibility and scalability of the system is limited, resulting in poor signal synchronization in complex testing scenarios, affecting the accuracy and reliability of the test results.
It provides a module chassis trigger system, including a control unit, a bus trigger subsystem, a single-ended trigger subsystem and several functional modules. Through the control unit, the trigger signal is generated and the trigger tasks inside and between the module chassis are coordinated. The bus trigger subsystem realizes signal transmission between multiple chassis cascades and functional modules, and the single-ended trigger subsystem allocates a synchronized single-ended trigger signal.
The system reduces the design cost of the trigger system, improves the flexibility and scalability of the system, ensures signal synchronization, and improves the accuracy and reliability of the test results.
Smart Images
Figure CN119883776A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of automated testing technology, and in particular to a module chassis trigger system. Background Art
[0002] In the field of modern electronic testing and measurement, especially in semiconductor parameter measurement and automated test systems, trigger systems play a vital role. The trigger signal is used to activate a specific event or operation of the instrument, ensuring that different modules in the system can work synchronously at the same time, thereby achieving accurate measurement and data acquisition. In many applications, the test equipment needs to trigger the source measurement unit, matrix switch, probe station, high-speed acquisition card and other equipment through a specific trigger signal to complete the automated measurement of various parameters of the object under test.
[0003] In traditional automated test systems, especially in multi-channel instruments (such as PXI chassis), independent star trigger cards are usually used to trigger the various function cards inside the chassis. The main disadvantage of this solution is that the use of trigger cards increases hardware costs and limits the flexibility and scalability of the system. In complex test scenarios, the transmission of trigger signals between multiple module chassis often requires dedicated buses or cables, but the transmission delay of trigger signals between different instruments may be inconsistent due to differences in hardware design, resulting in poor signal synchronization and affecting the accuracy and reliability of test results.
[0004] In addition, as testing requirements increase, traditional trigger systems often require complex hardware design and complex signal processing circuits to meet the requirements of high precision, high-speed synchronization, multi-chassis cascading, and triggering between different devices, which further increases the design complexity and cost of the system. Summary of the invention
[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a module chassis trigger system, which can reduce the design cost of the trigger system.
[0006] The embodiment of the present application provides a module chassis trigger system, including a control unit, a bus trigger subsystem, a single-ended trigger subsystem and a plurality of functional modules, wherein the control unit is connected between the bus trigger subsystem and the single-ended trigger subsystem, and the functional modules are connected to the bus trigger subsystem and the single-ended trigger subsystem respectively;
[0007] The control unit is used to generate trigger signals, manage trigger logic, and coordinate trigger tasks within and between module chassis;
[0008] The bus trigger subsystem is used to realize the transmission of trigger signals between module chassis and external devices to realize multi-chassis cascading; or to realize the transmission of trigger signals between functional modules to realize the combined operation of functional modules;
[0009] The single-ended trigger subsystem is used to distribute synchronous single-ended trigger signals to functional modules inside the module chassis.
[0010] In the module chassis trigger system provided in an embodiment of the present application, the single-ended trigger subsystem includes multiple independent first trigger signal channels, each of which is connected to the functional module and is used to distribute independent and synchronous single-ended trigger signals to the functional module.
[0011] In the module chassis trigger system provided in the embodiment of the present application, the single-ended trigger subsystem also includes a buffer, and each of the first trigger signal channels is connected to the corresponding functional module after being driven by the control unit I / O pin through the buffer.
[0012] In the module chassis trigger system provided in an embodiment of the present application, the bus trigger subsystem includes two bus controllers and a physical interface, both of the two bus controllers are connected between the physical interface and the control unit, and one of the bus controllers is connected to the functional module.
[0013] In the module chassis trigger system provided in the embodiment of the present application, the bus controller is used to manage the enabling of the trigger signal and its input and output direction; the physical interface is used to connect other module chassis or external devices via cables to realize the transmission and cascading of the trigger signal.
[0014] In the module chassis trigger system provided in the embodiment of the present application, the control unit includes a trigger configuration module, and the trigger configuration module implements flexible configuration of the trigger mode through 56-bit binary coding.
[0015] In the module chassis trigger system provided in the embodiment of the present application, the 56-bit binary code includes:
[0016] 4-digit chassis number, used to identify any one of multiple module chassis;
[0017] 32-bit module channel status bits, each bit corresponding to one of the first trigger signal channels, for configuring the input or output activation state of each of the first trigger signal channels;
[0018] 4-bit bus controller status bit, used to configure the transmission direction and enable status of the bus controller;
[0019] 8-bit bus channel selection bit, used to activate a specific second trigger signal channel.
[0020] In the module chassis trigger system provided in the embodiment of the present application, the multi-chassis cascade includes a first multi-chassis cascade mode, and the first multi-chassis cascade mode is that the control unit of the master chassis outputs a trigger signal, which is transmitted to the controlled chassis through the bus controller and physical interface of the master chassis, and then the functional module of the controlled chassis is triggered through the physical interface and bus controller of the controlled chassis.
[0021] In the module chassis trigger system provided in an embodiment of the present application, the multi-chassis cascade includes a second multi-chassis cascade mode, and the second multi-chassis cascade mode is that a trigger signal is output by a functional module of the master control chassis, which is transmitted to the controlled chassis through the bus controller and physical interface of the master control chassis, and then the functional module of the controlled chassis is triggered through the physical interface and bus controller of the controlled chassis.
[0022] In the module chassis trigger system provided in the embodiment of the present application, the control unit is an FPGA chip.
[0023] In summary, the module chassis trigger system provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a control unit, a bus trigger subsystem, a single-ended trigger subsystem and several functional modules, wherein the control unit is connected between the bus trigger subsystem and the single-ended trigger subsystem, and the functional modules are respectively connected to the bus trigger subsystem and the single-ended trigger subsystem; the control unit is used to generate trigger signals, manage trigger logic, and coordinate trigger tasks within the module chassis and between module chassis; the bus trigger subsystem is used to realize the transmission of trigger signals between module chassis and external devices to realize multi-chassis cascading; or for the transmission of trigger signals between functional modules to realize the combined operation of functional modules; the single-ended trigger subsystem is used to distribute synchronized single-ended trigger signals to the functional modules inside the module chassis. In this solution, each module chassis can realize the triggering of the functional module without relying on an independent trigger card, and can be connected to other module chassis through cascading. That is, this solution can reduce the design cost of the trigger system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.
[0025] Figure 1 It is a first structural schematic diagram of the module chassis trigger system provided in an embodiment of the present application.
[0026] Figure 2 This is a second structural diagram of the module chassis trigger system provided in an embodiment of the present application.
[0027] Figure 3 This is a third structural diagram of the module chassis trigger system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.
[0029] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "includes a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element. In addition, components, features, and elements with the same name in different embodiments of the present application may have the same meaning or different meanings, and their specific meanings need to be determined by their explanation in the specific embodiment or further combined with the context of the specific embodiment.
[0030] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.
[0031] In the subsequent description, the suffixes such as "module", "component" or "unit" used to represent elements are only used to facilitate the description of the present application, and have no specific meanings. Therefore, "module", "component" or "unit" can be used in a mixed manner.
[0032] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0033] In traditional automated test systems, especially in multi-channel instruments (such as PXI chassis), independent star trigger cards are usually used to trigger the various function cards inside the chassis. The main disadvantage of this solution is that the use of trigger cards increases hardware costs and limits the flexibility and scalability of the system. In complex test scenarios, the transmission of trigger signals between multiple module chassis often requires dedicated buses or cables, but the transmission delay of trigger signals between different instruments may be inconsistent due to differences in hardware design, resulting in poor signal synchronization and affecting the accuracy and reliability of test results.
[0034] In addition, as testing requirements increase, traditional trigger systems often require complex hardware design and complex signal processing circuits to meet the requirements of high precision, high-speed synchronization, multi-chassis cascading, and triggering between different devices, which further increases the design complexity and cost of the system.
[0035] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a module chassis trigger system, and the technical solutions shown in the present application will be described in detail through specific embodiments below. It should be noted that the description order of the following embodiments is not intended to limit the priority order of the embodiments.
[0036] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the module chassis trigger system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The module chassis trigger system may include a control unit 1, a bus trigger subsystem 2, a single-ended trigger subsystem 3 and a plurality of functional modules 4, wherein the control unit 1 is connected between the bus trigger subsystem 2 and the single-ended trigger subsystem 3, and the functional modules 4 are connected to the bus trigger subsystem 2 and the single-ended trigger subsystem 3 respectively.
[0037] Among them, the control unit 1 is used to generate trigger signals, manage trigger logic, and coordinate trigger tasks inside and between module chassis; the bus trigger subsystem 2 is used to realize the transmission of trigger signals between module chassis and external devices to realize multi-chassis cascading; or the bus trigger subsystem 2 is used for trigger signal transmission between functional modules 4 to realize the combined work of functional modules 4. The single-ended trigger subsystem 3 is used to distribute synchronized single-ended trigger signals to the functional modules 4 inside the module chassis.
[0038] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the control unit 1 is a field programmable gate array (FPGA) chip. The FPGA chip can work in parallel and directly process the trigger signal.
[0039] like Figure 2As shown, the bus trigger subsystem 2 includes two bus controllers 21 and a physical interface 22, and the two bus controllers 21 are connected between the physical interface 22 and the control unit 1, and one of the bus controllers 21 is connected to the functional module 4. The bus controller 21 is used to manage the enablement of the trigger signal and its input and output direction; the physical interface 22 is used to connect other module chassis or external devices through cables to realize the transmission and cascading of the trigger signal.
[0040] like Figure 3 As shown, the single-ended trigger subsystem 3 includes a buffer 31 and a plurality of independent first trigger signal channels 32, each of which is connected to a functional module 4 and is used to distribute an independent and synchronous single-ended trigger signal to the functional module 4. Specifically, each first trigger signal channel 32 is connected to the corresponding functional module 4 after being driven by the I / O pin of the control unit 1 through the buffer 31.
[0041] It should be noted that, in actual application, the control unit 1 can output a trigger signal in real time according to a preset mode to arrange and combine the working states of each functional module 4 to complete specific data acquisition (applicable to global synchronization tasks (such as starting measurement at the same time)). Alternatively, a certain functional module 4 can send a trigger signal to the control unit 1, and then the control unit 1 triggers other functional modules 4 (applicable to cascade trigger tasks).
[0042] In some embodiments, the control unit 1 may include a trigger configuration module, which implements flexible configuration of the trigger mode through 56-bit binary coding.
[0043] The 56-bit binary code may include a 4-bit chassis number, a 32-bit module channel status bit, a 4-bit bus controller 21 status bit, and an 8-bit bus channel selection bit. The 4-bit chassis number is used to identify any one of the multiple module chassis; each bit of the 32-bit module channel status bit corresponds to a first trigger signal channel 32, and is used to configure the input or output activation state of each first trigger signal channel 32; the 4-bit bus controller 21 status bit is used to configure the transmission direction and enable state of the bus controller 21; and the 8-bit bus channel selection bit is used to activate a specific second trigger signal channel 23.
[0044] By using 56-bit binary code to realize the permutation and combination of trigger modes, corresponding parameters are set to the module chassis according to the trigger function, and the module chassis and the functional module 4 are informed of which trigger mode to work in. According to the coding logic, a large number of trigger groups can be realized in the process of cascading the module chassis, and a large number of functional modules 4 can be supported, and hundreds of functional modules 4 can be triggered simultaneously.
[0045] Among them, the multi-chassis cascade includes a first multi-chassis cascade mode. The first multi-chassis cascade mode is that the control unit 1 of the master chassis outputs a trigger signal, which is transmitted to the controlled chassis through the bus controller 21 and the physical interface 22 of the master chassis, and then through the physical interface 22 and the bus controller 21 of the controlled chassis, the functional module 4 of the controlled chassis is triggered. At this time, the signal path of the master chassis is: control unit 1→bus controller 21→physical interface 22 output. The signal path of the controlled chassis is physical interface 22 input→bus controller 21→control unit 1→single-ended trigger subsystem 3→functional module 4.
[0046] The multi-chassis cascade also includes a second multi-chassis cascade mode. The second multi-chassis cascade mode is that a function module 4 of the master control chassis outputs a trigger signal, which is transmitted to the controlled chassis through the bus controller 21 and the physical interface 22 of the master control chassis, and then the function module 4 of the controlled chassis is triggered through the physical interface 22 and the bus controller 21 of the controlled chassis. At this time, the signal path is similar to the first multi-chassis cascade mode, but the trigger signal is sent by the function module 4. Specifically, the signal path of the master control chassis is: function module 4→bus controller 21→physical interface 22 output. The signal path of the controlled chassis is physical interface 22 input→bus controller 21→control unit 1→single-ended trigger subsystem 3→function module 4.
[0047] In actual application, by cascading multiple chassis, the trigger signal can be transmitted to any functional module 4, and the delay is only affected by the cable length and electrical characteristics, and the delay is low. It should be noted that if a functional module 4 or chassis is not activated, the bus controller 21 will automatically close the unused path to avoid signal interference.
[0048] As can be seen from the above, in the embodiment of the present application, each module chassis can trigger the functional module 4 without relying on an independent trigger card, and can be connected to other module chassis through cascade connection. That is, the embodiment of the present application can reduce the design cost of the trigger system. In addition, the transmission delay deviation between the I / O pins inside the FPGA chip is only 2-3 nanoseconds, the trigger signal transmission path is optimized, and the signal can be transmitted after passing through the two-level bus controller 21. There is an independent FPGA in each chassis responsible for signal management, which can avoid single point failure. The independently designed single-ended trigger subsystem 3 and bus trigger subsystem 2 in the embodiment of the present application can be used in any combination according to the scenario, and the fast coding configuration can support multiple trigger mode switching, with high flexibility.
[0049] In summary, the module chassis trigger system provided by the embodiment of the present application includes a control unit 1, a bus trigger subsystem 2, a single-ended trigger subsystem 3 and several functional modules 4, the control unit 1 is connected between the bus trigger subsystem 2 and the single-ended trigger subsystem 3, and the functional modules 4 are respectively connected to the bus trigger subsystem 2 and the single-ended trigger subsystem; the control unit 1 is used to generate trigger signals, manage trigger logic, and coordinate trigger tasks inside and between module chassis; the bus trigger subsystem 2 is used to realize the transmission of trigger signals between module chassis and external devices to realize multi-chassis cascading; or the bus trigger subsystem 2 is used for the transmission of trigger signals between functional modules 4 to realize the combined work of functional modules 4; the single-ended trigger subsystem 3 is used to distribute synchronous single-ended trigger signals to the functional modules 4 inside the module chassis. This solution can realize high-precision, low-latency trigger control through FPGA, support flexible combination of multiple trigger modes, and can realize cascade triggering between multiple module chassis and external devices through the bus controller 21. Each module chassis in the module chassis trigger system can trigger the function module 4 without relying on an independent trigger card, and can be connected to other devices through cascade, which greatly improves the scalability and flexibility of the system. The transmission of the trigger signal is more accurate, avoiding the problem of inconsistent trigger signal delay in traditional systems, and due to the high parallel processing capability of FPGA, the system can efficiently process a large number of trigger signals without interfering with other communication functions, meeting the needs of high-precision and high-speed measurement.
[0050] The module chassis trigger system provided by the present application is introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the core idea of the present application. At the same time, for technical personnel in this field, according to the idea of the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation method and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.
Claims
1. A module chassis trigger system, characterized in that: It includes a control unit, a bus trigger subsystem, a single-ended trigger subsystem and several functional modules, wherein the control unit is connected between the bus trigger subsystem and the single-ended trigger subsystem, and the functional modules are connected to the bus trigger subsystem and the single-ended trigger subsystem respectively; The control unit is used to generate trigger signals, manage trigger logic, and coordinate trigger tasks within and between module chassis; The bus trigger subsystem is used to realize the transmission of trigger signals between module chassis and external devices to realize multi-chassis cascading; or to realize the transmission of trigger signals between functional modules to realize the combined operation of functional modules; The single-ended trigger subsystem is used to distribute synchronous single-ended trigger signals to functional modules inside the module chassis.
2. The module chassis trigger system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The single-ended trigger subsystem includes a plurality of independent first trigger signal channels, each of which is connected to the functional module and is used to distribute an independent and synchronous single-ended trigger signal to the functional module.
3. The module chassis trigger system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The single-ended trigger subsystem further includes a buffer, and each of the first trigger signal channels is connected to a corresponding functional module after being driven by an I / O pin of the control unit through the buffer.
4. The module chassis trigger system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bus trigger subsystem includes two bus controllers and a physical interface. Both of the two bus controllers are connected between the physical interface and the control unit, and one of the bus controllers is connected to the functional module.
5. The module chassis trigger system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bus controller is used to manage the enabling of the trigger signal and its input and output direction; the physical interface is used to connect other module chassis or external devices through cables to realize the transmission and cascading of the trigger signal.
6. The module chassis trigger system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The control unit includes a trigger configuration module, and the trigger configuration module implements flexible configuration of the trigger mode through 56-bit binary coding.
7. The module chassis trigger system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The 56-bit binary code includes: 4-digit chassis number, used to identify any one of multiple module chassis; 32-bit module channel status bits, each bit corresponding to one of the first trigger signal channels, for configuring the input or output activation state of each of the first trigger signal channels; 4-bit bus controller status bit, used to configure the transmission direction and enable status of the bus controller; 8-bit bus channel selection bit, used to activate a specific second trigger signal channel.
8. The module chassis trigger system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-chassis cascading includes a first multi-chassis cascading mode, in which the control unit of the master chassis outputs a trigger signal, which is transmitted to the controlled chassis through the bus controller and physical interface of the master chassis, and then the functional module of the controlled chassis is triggered through the physical interface and bus controller of the controlled chassis.
9. The module chassis trigger system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-chassis cascading includes a second multi-chassis cascading mode, in which a trigger signal is output by a functional module of the master control chassis, which is transmitted to the controlled chassis through the bus controller and physical interface of the master control chassis, and then the functional module of the controlled chassis is triggered through the physical interface and bus controller of the controlled chassis.
10. The module chassis trigger system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The control unit is a FPGA chip.