1. A method for inferring relationships between test results, comprising:
receiving sequential test data from a tester performing tests on a number of devices under test (DUTs), the sequential test data comprising a number of DUT identifiers, wherein ones of the DUT identifiers are followed by any test results associated with an identified DUT;
upon receiving one of the DUT identifiers, determining if a data structure exists for the DUT identified by the one of the DUT identifiers;
upon determining that the data structure does not exist, creating the data structure and associating i) any test results associated with the one of the DUT identifiers with ii) the data structure; and
upon determining that the data structure exists, creating a child data structure, as a child of the data structure, and associating i) the any test results associated with the one of the DUT identifiers with ii) the child data structure, wherein the child data structure inferentially indicates that the test results associated therewith are retest results.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, setting a parent pointer of the child data structure to the data structure.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, setting a parent pointer of the data structure to a parent object.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon receiving the one of the DUT identifiers:
determining if the one of the DUT identifiers is associated with any test results; and
if the one of the DUT identifiers is not associated with any test results, not creating the data structure or the child data structure.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure and child data structure, if created, are created as data objects.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the DUT identifiers comprise locations of DUTs on a wafer.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the DUT identifiers further comprise wafer identifiers.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the sequential test data from the tester comprises receiving the sequential test data by way of an intermediate data store.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data store is a file.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein plural sets of retest results are respectively associated with plural child data structures of the data structure.
11. A number of machine-readable media having stored thereon sequences of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the actions of:
receiving sequential test data from a tester performing tests on a number of devices under test (DUTs), the sequential test data comprising a number of DUT identifiers, wherein ones of the DUT identifiers are followed by any test results associated with an identified DUT;
upon receiving one of the DUT identifiers, determining if a data structure exists for the DUT identified by the one of the DUT identifiers;
upon determining that the data structure does not exist, creating the data structure and associating i) any test results associated with the one of the DUT identifiers with ii) the data structure; and
upon determining that the data structure exists, creating a child data structure, as a child of the data structure, and associating i) the any test results associated with the one of the DUT identifiers with ii) the child data structure, wherein the child data structure inferentially indicates that the test results associated therewith are retest results.
12. The media of claim 11, wherein the sequences of instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to set a parent pointer of the child data structure to the data structure.
13. The media of claim 11, wherein the sequences of instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to set a parent pointer of the child data structure to a parent object.
14. The media of claim 11, wherein the sequences of instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to, upon receiving the one of the DUT identifiers:
determine if the on of the DUT identifiers is associated with any test results; and
if the one of the DUT identifiers is not associated with any test results, not create the data structure of the child data structure.
15. The media of claim 11, wherein the structure of child data structure, if created are created as data objects.
16. The media of claim 11, wherein the DUT identifiers comprise locations of DUTs on a wafer.
17. The media of claim 16, wherein the DUT identifiers further comprise wafer identifiers.
18. The media of claim 11, wherein receiving the sequential test data from the tester comprises receiving the sequential test data by way of an intermediate data store.
19. The media of claim 18, wherein the data store is a file.
20. The media of claim 11, wherein the sequences of instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to respectively associate plural sets of retest results with plural child data structures of the data structure.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for determining at least one orientation parameter of an elongate object having a tip contacting a plane surface, the method comprising:
a) illuminating the plane surface with a probe radiation beam emitted from the elongate object at an angle \u03c3 relative to an axis of the elongate object;
b) varying the angle \u03c3 in accordance with a predetermined pattern so that the probe radiation beam illuminates various locations on the plane surface at various corresponding times;
c) detecting at the elongate object at a first time t1 a first scattered portion of the probe radiation beam returning from a first illuminated location along a path having a first predetermined angle \u03c41 relative to the axis;
d) detecting at the elongate object at a second time t2 a second scattered portion of the probe radiation beam returning from a second illuminated location along a path having a second predetermined angle \u03c41 relative to the axis;
e) deriving the orientation parameter from a time difference \u0394t=t2\u2212t1 between detecting the first scattered portion and the second scattered portion.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined pattern is a continuous scan pattern.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the continuous scan pattern is a uniaxial scan pattern.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the uniaxial scan pattern varies sinusoidally with respect to time, and wherein the first and second illuminated locations are illuminated during a substantially linear region of variation of the uniaxial scan pattern.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the continuous scan pattern is a biaxial scan pattern.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one orientation parameter comprises an Euler angle of the elongate object.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the Euler angle is the second Euler angle \u03b8.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plane surface comprises a jotting surface.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the jotting surface is selected from the group consisting of a screen, a display, a pad, and a paper surface.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the elongate object is selected from the group consisting of jotting implements, pointers, robotic arms, and canes.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the jotting implements are selected from the group consisting of pens, pencils, and styluses.
12. An apparatus for determining at least one orientation parameter of an elongate object having a tip contacting a plane surface, the apparatus comprising:
a) a beam source for emitting a probe radiation beam from the elongate object to illuminate the plane surface;
b) a beam direction controller for directing the probe radiation beam from the elongate object at various angles \u03c3 relative to an axis of the elongate object to various locations on the plane, wherein the various angles \u03c3 are in accordance with a predetermined pattern;
c) a first angularly-selective radiation detector for sensing at a first time t1 a first scattered portion of the probe radiation beam returning from a first location on the plane surface to the elongate object along a first path having a first angle \u03c41 relative to the axis;
d) a second angularly-selective radiation detector for sensing at a second time t2 a second scattered portion of the probe radiation beam returning from a second location on the plane surface to the elongate object along a second path having a second angle \u03c42 relative to the axis;
e) a computing unit for deriving the orientation parameter from a time difference \u0394t=t2\u2212t1 between sensing the first scattered portion and sensing the second scattered portion.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the beam direction controller comprises a beam scanner selected from the group consisting of uniaxial scanners and biaxial scanners.
14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the beam source comprises a laser.
15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the angularly-selective detector comprises an angular gating optic.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the angular gating optic comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of apertures, holographic elements, diffractive elements, refractive elements and reflective elements.
17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the computing unit comprises a timing circuit and a look-up table.