Voice Recognition Control for Semiconductor Test Equipment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional semiconductor test equipment control systems are inefficient due to the need for users to be physically present and rely on cumbersome keyboard and mouse interactions, limiting productivity and allowing for non-work-related distractions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a control apparatus with speech detection and gesture recognition capabilities, allowing users to issue verbal and gesture commands to control test equipment remotely, eliminating the need for keyboards and mice and enhancing user interaction with intuitive commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If users interact with test control software using keyboard and mouse, then control operations can be performed, but user mobility is restricted and productivity is reduced due to inability to perform manual operations at test head simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical interaction system (keyboard and mouse) with a voice recognition system that processes verbal commands. This substitution allows users to control test equipment remotely using speech, eliminating the need to be physically present at the control apparatus and enabling simultaneous manual operations at the test head, thereby resolving the contradiction between productivity and operational convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The voice recognition system acts as an intermediary between the user and the test control software. Instead of direct mechanical interaction through keyboard and mouse, the user's verbal commands are captured, processed, and translated into control signals by the voice recognition module, enabling remote operation while maintaining intuitive control.
2Ease of operation
If keyboard and mouse are used for controlling test equipment, then graphical user interface can be accessed, but complex syntax must be memorized and errors are more prone
Solution Approach 1:
The voice recognition system replaces the mechanical input methods (keyboard typing and mouse clicking) with natural speech input. This eliminates the need to memorize complex syntax and reduces input errors, as users can speak commands in natural language that are directly translated into control actions, thereby improving both usability and reliability.
3Productivity
If control apparatus is located remotely from test equipment, then user safety is improved and workspace organization is optimized, but user cannot simultaneously perform manual operations and control operations
Solution Approach 1:
The voice recognition system enables remote control of test equipment through verbal commands, eliminating the need for the user to be physically present at the control apparatus. This allows simultaneous performance of manual operations at the test head and control operations remotely, thereby improving productivity while the added voice recognition module introduces minimal system complexity.
4Reliability
If traditional keyboard and mouse interface is used, then precise control can be achieved, but non-work related activities can be performed on the control computer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control interface from the general-purpose computer system by implementing voice recognition control. This separation allows the control computer to be used solely for test control purposes through voice commands, eliminating the possibility of non-work related activities while maintaining precise control capability, thereby improving both reliability and productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
System and method of systems and methods of controlling an IC test equipment in response to verbal commands issued by test equipment users. A control apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a speech detection device operable to detect verbal commands and test control software configured to control operations of the test equipment. The control software is added with verbal command recognition capabilities. Program action commands defined in the test control software are associated with respective recognizable verbal commands. Upon a recognizable verbal command is detected, it is interpreted into the corresponding program action command which triggers the intended test program actions. The control apparatus may also have a gesture detection device, through which user gesture commands can be detected and interpreted into corresponding program actions commands.