Supporting hardware independence in the next generation of automatic test equipment

Hardware independence enables the replacement of obsolete instruments and the execution of TPSs on different hardware platforms. The emergence of new software technologies creates opportunities for developing more maintainable and interoperable ATS software. In this context, it is important to recognize the valuable characteristics of existing software solutions that support hardware independence and to preserve these characteristics while migrating to newer technologies. The paper contains a comparative analysis of existing software solutions that support hardware independence, including SCPI, IVI, ATLAS and IEEE 1641. The principle of signal-based, UUT-oriented specification of test behavior, combined with the use of general-purpose programming languages appears today as the most effective path for achieving a high degree of instrument independence in software solutions based on modern software technologies. The paper recommends a set of architectural and functional characteristics for the design of such solutions