Patent ID: 7219287

Claim:
A method of detecting faults in a programmable device, comprising: determining a fault coverage for each of a plurality of test patterns for the programmable device; wherein each fault coverage indicates one or more faults that are detectable by a corresponding test pattern; identifying a potential fault set for the programmable device; configuring the programmable device with the test patterns; applying a set of test vectors to the programmable device configured with the test patterns; identifying a test pattern as a failing test pattern in response to indication of one or more faults by the test pattern responding to application of the test vectors; identifying a test pattern as a pattern test pattern in response to no indication of faults by the test pattern responding to application of the test vectors; and reducing the potential fault set using the fault coverages; wherein the reducing includes eliminating from the potential fault set, faults that are not detectable by at least two failing test patterns as indicated by the fault coverages of the at least two failing test patterns.