Creating an Expandable Test Executive for Automated Testing with LabVIEW Object-Oriented Programming (LVOOP)

Designing a test platform that provides automated test capability for multiple Units Under Test (UUTs) presents many unique challenges. Using LabVIEW Object-Oriented Programming (LVOOP) design principles along with Packed Project Libraries, TSC has designed a modular Test Executive (TE) architecture that allows us to easily add capability as test requirements change or expand. This is achieved by following a simple set of rules without recompiling the executable. As a result this flexibility provides long term supportability, improves operational readiness, and reduces total cost of ownership. The highly configurable TE was designed to run as a standalone application. It performs various tasks for maintaining the equipment and files on the Test Bench. The TE contains all equipment calibration information so that a user can be warned if a piece of equipment is coming due for calibration. It allows users to create, edit, and save sequences of tests to perform for a selected UUT. It provides report writing and viewing capability as well as error handling. The TE also provides safety monitoring functionality at a Test Bench level and will call specific modules for monitoring a UUT specifically. Additionally users can run sequences of tests or select individual tests to run standalone. The software design for the UUT code is implemented as a plug-in to the TE. UUT code is designed and compiled and only needs to be placed in the correct folder alongside the TE executable for the TE to utilize it for automated testing. The TE does not need to be recompiled in order to run the code for the UUT, providing a consistent and managed executable interface for the users. To assist in supportability and enforcement of the UUT code standardization, we created several UUT wizards for test developers to use to ensure that the rules were followed. These wizards were essential to reduce test development time and cost of ownership.