Patent ID: 7408336

Claim:
A method of testing an electronic component, the method comprising: storing simulation data resulting from simulation testing of an electronic component's design; employing electronic test equipment to perform real-time testing of the actual electronic component and obtain real-time test signals therefor; automatically correlating the stored simulation data with the real-time test signals; and performing at least one of: overlaying at least a portion of the correlated simulation data as virtual signals with corresponding real-time test signals for facilitating evaluation of the real-time test signals and the electronic component; displaying at least a portion of the correlated simulation data as virtual signals with the real-time test signals on a common display for facilitating evaluation of the real-time test signals and the electronic component; employing a trigger event automatically ascertained from the stored simulation data, and triggering the electronic test equipment based thereon, thereby automatically controlling the real-time testing of the electronic component via the simulation data; and wherein the performing comprises triggering the electronic test equipment automatically employing the trigger event ascertained from the stored simulation data, and wherein the method further comprises automatically ascertaining the trigger event, the automatically ascertaining comprising: computing a clock delay value from a data synchronizing event to a simulation data trigger event; loading the computed clock delay value into a delay trigger counter employed by the electronic test equipment; waiting for the synchronizing event to occur; upon occurrence of the synchronizing event, starting counting of the delay trigger counter, and upon reaching the loaded clock delay value, triggering the electronic test equipment to either initiate capturing or discontinue capturing of at least one real-time test signal at an accessible port of the electronic component under test.