Abstract: A method is provided for performing a diagnostic test of a piece of equipment, the equipment including a plurality of components and an embedded diagnostic tool, each component including a respective fault report store. The method comprises setting initial test limits; running a diagnostic test; testing whether the test limits need to be re-scaled, and if so, then (i) re-scaling the test limits, and (ii) re-running the diagnostic test.

Abstract: A method is provided for performing a diagnostic test on a piece of equipment, the equipment including a plurality of components, each of the components including a diagnostic test result store. The method comprises executing a diagnostic test by means of a diagnostic apparatus embedded within the piece of equipment, determining, based on the results of the diagnostic test, that one of the components is diagnosed to be faulty, preparing a report of results of the diagnostic test within the diagnostic test store of the faulty component; and storing the report in a test report store on-board the diagnosed faulty component.

Abstract: A method for performing a diagnostic test on a piece of equipment comprises performing a component level diagnostic test on the piece of equipment, the component level diagnostic test employing a component-level model of the piece of equipment; using the results of the component-level diagnostic test to determine whether a faulty component of the piece of equipment can be identified; and, if the component-level diagnostic test identifies a faulty component, then performing a sub-component level diagnostic test on the identified faulty sub-component, the sub-component level diagnostic test employing a sub-component level model of the identified failed component.

Abstract: An apparatus for performing an embedded diagnostic test on a piece of equipment, the equipment including a plurality of components and defining various pathways through respective subsets of the components, comprises an input stimulus generator for generating stimulus signals, coupled to provide the stimulus signals as input to the functionality of the equipment, respective ones of the stimulus signals exercising respective ones of the subsets of components; wherein the stimulus signals include a subset of core stimulus signals, such that a given one of the pathways includes a plurality of segments, different ones of the core stimulus signals exercising different ones of the segments of the given one of the pathways.

Abstract: For a communication system that employs interconnected communication components and defines a communication pathway running through the communication components and through interconnections therebetween, the communication pathway having test points, an apparatus for performing diagnostic tests on the communication system comprises testing agents residing on-board the communication components, and a test controller, coupled for communication over the communication pathway. The test controller includes a test signal apparatus coupled to send a test signal over the communication pathway, detectors, coupled to the test points, for sensing communication activity at the test points responsive to the test signal, and a communication activity analyzer, coupled to receive communication activity information from the detectors, for analyzing the received communication activity information to identify a fault and isolate a communication component containing the fault.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for automated diagnostic testing of an electronic device assembly so that functional testing, collection of test results, diagnosis for identifying potentially failed components in the device assembly is a software controlled automated process. In one embodiment of the present invention, a component-level block diagram is coupled to the controllable devices in the device assembly so that an operator can set up and conduct the functional testing of the device assembly. The diagram is also updated with the generated test data for displaying to the user potentially failed components and other information for helping the user to diagnose and to troubleshoot the situation.