IEEE sets in motion dual ATML test standards
Greg Reed, Contributing Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 11/1/2005
Test engineers working on automotive and aerospace applications can expect a couple of new tools to arrive soon. The IEEE is developing two standards—IEEE P1671.1 and IEEE P1671.2—that cover the use of automatic test markup language (ATML) for exchanging descriptions via XML technology on both the test performed and the instruments evaluated. Work on the standards is already well underway; final internal ballots are ready for 2006, and delivery is expected in 2007.
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| The automatic test markup language (ATML) will facilitate an open exchange of test data among industry, academia, and government. Courtesy of IEEE. |
The IEEE P1671.1 standard is titled, "Trial-Use Standard Automatic Test Markup Language (ATML) for Exchanging Automatic Test Equipment and Test Information via XML: Exchanging Test Descriptions." It employs XML to define a format for exchanging information on test performance and conditions as well as the diagnostic requirements involved. Moreover, it facilitates the use of test descriptions to locate, align, and verify the proper operation of a unit under test; helps in preparing and documenting test programs; and provides a common description for automatic test systems (ATS) in the automotive, semiconductor, aerospace, and military sectors.
The second new standard, IEEE P1671.2, is named, "Trial-Use Standard Automatic Test Markup Language (ATML) for Exchanging Automatic Test Equipment and Test Information via XML: Exchanging Instrument Descriptions." This related standard focuses on the test and diagnosis of electronic systems by describing common instrument descriptions shared across various automatic test systems. In practice, an XML-based format exchanges the static description of an instrument to permit more dynamic instrument descriptions to fill such functions as test configuration descriptions and instrument capability descriptions.
According to Les Orlidge, IEEE SCC 20 chairman, "IEEE P1671.1 test description will add the facility to define test requirements suitable for use within a test executive and/or diagnostic reasoner system, allowing portable test descriptions to be specified to augment the existing test results. IEEE P1671.2 instrument description will provide a foundation to allow full instrument comparison over the Internet or direct inclusion of instrument details into an integrated test system."
The IEEE's SCC 20 working group hopes to expedite international adoption of these test procedures through agreements and alliances with key international test equipment providers and users. Once in place, the standards will facilitate an open industry-backed approach to exchanging test information promoting interoperability, scalability, and supportability required by the testing community.
Further information about these standards is available on the IEEE Web site, standards.ieee.org.
