Offline CPE Testing via Command Image Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for testing customer premise equipment, such as set-top boxes, are time-consuming, error-prone, and costly, often requiring manual testing of numerous features and are prone to inaccuracies due to slight deviations in pixel images, which can suggest equipment failure even when it is functioning properly.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for offline testing of customer premise equipment that identifies test scenarios, communicates commands, captures images, and displays expected results for user evaluation, allowing for efficient and accurate determination of command functionality without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual testing of numerous features is performed, then comprehensive testing coverage is achieved, but testing time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Test scenarios are pre-defined and stored in a database before actual testing begins. These scenarios include all necessary commands and expected results, allowing the automated testing system to execute comprehensive tests without requiring manual setup during the testing process itself.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of manually executing each test command, the system uses automated testing software that copies and executes pre-defined test scenarios. The system captures output images and compares them against expected results, replicating the manual testing process automatically at scale.
2Productivity
If automated testing systems are used, then testing efficiency is improved, but accuracy decreases due to pixel deviations suggesting false failures
Solution Approach 1:
A user evaluation interface serves as an intermediary between the automated testing system and the final test results. The system automatically executes tests and captures output images, but presents these results to users for final verification. This intermediary step allows automated efficiency while maintaining human judgment for accuracy verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to users through a graphical interface displaying captured output images alongside expected results. Users can review this feedback and confirm whether a test passed or failed, creating a feedback loop that combines automated execution with human verification to improve overall testing accuracy.
3Reliability
If multiple persons manually test hundreds of features, then thorough functionality verification is achieved, but error rate increases due to human fatigue and inconsistency
Solution Approach 1:
The testing system performs self-verification by automatically comparing captured output images against pre-defined expected results. The system independently determines whether tests passed or failed based on this comparison, reducing reliance on multiple human testers and their subjective judgments, thereby improving consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The user evaluation interface acts as an intermediary that presents test results for final human review. This single interface consolidates what would otherwise require multiple human testers, providing centralized verification while maintaining the benefits of automated execution and comparison.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are described for testing customer premise equipment in an offline fashion. According to certain embodiments, a testing system including one or more computing devices can identify a test scenario that includes information associated with one or more commands and expected results associated with the commands. Such commands can be executed by customer premise equipment. One or more respective images associated with the execution of a command can be captured, and information associated with the command, the associated expected result, and one or more respective images can be displayed for evaluation by a user to determine whether the command is operating properly in the customer premise equipment that executed the command. Certain embodiments describe a confidence level which can correspond to a number of images to be captured in order to decrease the possibility that content was not captured for evaluation.