Patent ID: 7237161

Claim:
A method for remotely controlling an integrated circuit installed in a remote system, the integrated circuit comprising one or more functional blocks, one or more test structures configured to test said one or more functional blocks, and a test access mechanism which processes test access mechanism input vectors received on corresponding respective signal ports of the test access mechanism to control the one or more test structures, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining, via a computer, a first set of test access mechanism signal vectors each comprising a set of respective data and/or control values to be applied to the corresponding respective signal ports of the test access mechanism of the integrated circuit installed in the remote system; transmitting, via a first communications interface in the computer, the first set of test access mechanism signal vectors to a second communications interface in the remote system, the second communications interface operating to effect application of the first set of test access mechanism signal vectors to the corresponding respective signal ports of the test access mechanism of the integrated circuit; and receiving, via the first communications interface in the computer, a second set of test access mechanism signal vectors comprising test result data output onto said the corresponding respective signal ports of the test access mechanism of the integrated circuit and transmitted to the first communications interface of the computer by the second communications interface of the remote system.