Installations and work instructions. R&D, Glenview & Global Technical Operation March 2012

Transcription

1 Range Test for ITC Installations and work instructions R&D, Glenview & Global Technical Operation March 2012

2 Range test for ITCs Contents General section: Purpose of Test 3 Operators section: Pairing the device to the SAS 4 Holding the DUT 5 Performing the Range test 6 Determent results of the Range test 7 Engineering section: Test location and set-up 8 Test installation verification 9 Special considerations for Alera 4 devices 10 Final Comments 11 Range Test for ITCs Global Technical Operation page 2

3 Purpose of Test The human body, including the ear canals, absorbs 2.4 GHz radio waves. As the ITC s sits inside of the customers ear canal during use, a portion of the 2.4 GHz signal is lost because of this absorption. Due to this fact a regular wireless test in the RF chamber is not appropriate, and will not provide reliable results. The purpose of range test is to simulate the performance of the device as if the customer was wearing it. With the Range Test we want to create an environment for the device as similar to this situation as possible. We can do this by creating an simulated ear canal with our hands. The Range test is an subjective listen test where the operator evaluate the sound quality of the transmitted signal from a ReSound Unite TM TV Streamer. (SAS) For the Range Test the Device Under Test (DUT) is paired to a controlled SAS installation in the lab and then moved away from the streamer to a range that will ensure our specifications for the devices has been made. The operator will be holding the devices in the hand and be listening to the sound quality of the devices during the moving of the device. Range Test for ITCs Global Technical Operation page 3

4 Pairing the Device to the SAS Before the Range test can begin you must pair the DUT with the SAS. Pairing button LED s With a battery in the DUT, and the battery door open, Press the Pairing button on the SAS. (see above left picture for location of pairing button). After the pairing button has been pressed, close the battery door on the DUT under test. When the DUT pairs with the SAS, two things will occur. The 3 LED s on the SAS will light up for 3 seconds The will be an upward moving series of tones in the DUT After the device is paired, the SAS LED #1 will continue to blink as the SAS remains in pairing mode. Once pairing mode is completed, you can then switch the DUT to listen to the streamer. To do this, press and hold the push button for 3 seconds. Range Test for ITCs Global Technical Operation page 4

5 Holding the DUT With your hand you can create asimulated ear canal. When holding the DUT it is very important that the device is completely surrounded by the hand. It sits slightly below the surface of the fingers (like it is inside of the ear). The depth of the device in the hand is not critical. It should be the top of the fingers. Since the Range Test is a subjective test it is important that all devices are held the same way every time by each operator, but individual operator differences are acceptable. The device is connected to the listening tube. The tube should exit out the bottom of the hand. The position of the hand should be at a comfortable spot for the test. The most important part of holding the device is to hold it the same way for every device. Holding the DUT between 1 and 5 mm below Holding the DUT Range Test for ITCs Global Technical Operation page 5

6 Performing the Range Test During installation of the test area two reference points should be established. These reference point are identified as the A spot (Acceptable device) and a B spot (Bad device). The A spot is the important distance to accept the range of the device. The B is merely a reference point where devices which are not assembled well should fail. This point is primarily used to ensure that the installation will find poorly assembled devices. All electronic circuits have already been tested with the connection test in the DSA 6000 system, so the Range test is primarily focusing on the assembly of the device. SAS Walking direction Bad device B spot A spot 2.0 meters Accepted device Entire test area ~15 meters After pairing the device with the SAS, the test operator should walk backwards from the SAS so that the hand/device is NOT shielded by the body. If walking backwards a is not safe, then the test operator can walk forward to the distance dsta established by the bad device. If the device performance is OK, then the operator can move away from the SAS another 3m and check performance again. An acceptable device will reach the A spot before failing. A device which reached less then the A spot is not assembled correctly and will not perform as expected by the customer. Range Test for ITCs Global Technical Operation page 6

7 Determining results of the Range Test Determining when the device has reached its maximum range is the most challenging part of this test because it is a subjective test. Each person will have his or hers own interpretation when a device is failing. The golden samples should be used for reference. It is important for this procedure is each person is consistent and makes the same decision about maximum range for each device. What to listen for when making decision is: multiple drop outs or distortion Do not stop at the first strange sound that is heard, but walk to a spot where there are multiple drop outs. Stop, move your hand or your body slowly and listen for more drop outs. Try and find the distance where the device is consistently dropping out (loss of signal) or consistently distorting the signal. This test is subjective because each operator determines multiple dropouts differently. This is acceptable as long as B +20M 2.0 each operator uses the same decision for every device including the good and bad golden samples, the result will be a production line with all devices compared to the golden sample(s). The goal is for every production device to have a range at Test area example least 2m past the bad device. If the performance is the same as the bad reference device, the device should be opened and the antenna should be routed differently. Bad Good Range Test for ITCs Global Technical Operation page 7

8 Test location and set-up The Test area. The location of the Range test can be chosen to be anywhere within the facility where it is possible to walk 15 long paces in a straight line. Ideally, the location should be chosen so that the furniture or any office equipment is not moved regularly. Thegoalistokeeptheenvironmentfortherangetesttobeasconsistent as possible on a daily basis. Using Golden Samples (good and bad) will help to set the standard if the environment changes. Best case is if nothing moves or changes. An example of a test area setup is shown the picture on page 7. Here a walkway that is used for the test. This walkway has a lot of reflective surfaces. If you have a location that is more open with no furniture or walls the range results will be different. It is important if the location changes or some furniture moves, that the operator use the good and bad Golden Samples to correlate the new range test. The SAS installation and validation. The SAS should be place on a non-metallic surface. The height should be between 1-2m. The preference is to listen to music so an MP3 player should be connected to the SAS. After choosing the location and finishing the set-up of the range, the test must be validated using the good and bad Golden Samples. Typical SAS installation The good sample is used to give an example of the range thatt can be expected if the device is assembled well. The bad sample is a reference device, if the DUT is not assembled well. (For example, the antenna is touching the battery contacts inside of the shell, or the end of the antenna is routed deep inside the shell instead of near the surface of the shell.) Range Test for ITCs Global Technical Operation page 8

9 Test installation verification Verification with Golden Samples. Once the Test Area is established the A and B spot can be identified. Use the bad golden sample to identify the B spot. This will typically be 4 to 7 meters away from the SAS depending on the conditions of the test area. The B sample is a known bad device, deliberately assembled to fail the range test. To identify the B spot in the Test Area first perform a Pairing process with SAS. Follow instructions on page 4. Secondly, follow the instructions on page 5: Holding the DUT and thirdly perform the Range Test as described in page 6 and 7. The spot where the bad devices have multiple drop outs or distortions is the B spot for your Test Area. Add 3 to 4 meters to the B spot and mark the A spot. A spot can be verified using the A Golden Sample following instructions in page 4 to 7. Golden Samples are not available from normal stock. Please contact GTO. Setting up Test Area without Golden Samples. This procedure is not recommended as the uncertainty of the local Test Area environment. Still if this method is preferred the B spot should be marked as 7 meters from the SAS installationandthe A spottobe3 4metersfurtheraway. Since no verification is made make sure that the there is a straight, unblocked line between the test spots and nothing is blocking the radio waves. Also make sure that no bigger metal objects like metal cupboards or workbenches are in the neighborhood of the Test Area. Range Test for ITCs Global Technical Operation page 9

10 Special considerations for Alera 4 products The Alera 4 products do not have allow SAS streaming, so the range test cannot be used to approve Alera 4 ITC and ITE-HS HS. The Alera 4 can be used with Remote Control (RC). Since this is what the customer can use, we will use the RC to approve the performance of Alera 4 ITC and ITE-HS. Prepare for test. Before the test you need to pair the DUT to RC. DO NOT switch the Alera 4 devices on yet. Remove battery cover on Remote Control Press the pairing button using a point instrument. Check that Remote Control display switch to pairing mode. Pairing mode will be active for 20 seconds. While Remote Control in pairing mode switch on the device Test Alera 4 devices. Hold DUT as described on page 4. Hold RC with the other hand with the arm completely extended. Press Program change button on RC. Listen for program change beep on DUT. If beep occurs in <1 second, then the DUT passes the test. Pairing button. Testing Alera 4 devices Change back to Program 1 for shipping. Range Test for ITCs Global Technical Operation page 10

11 Final Comments Some units will have a range test performance better than the good golden sample. This is of course acceptable. The Range test is focusing on stopping the least performing units from leaving the factory. The operators should focused on units that perform significantly worse than most of the production units. Since all electronic circuits have already been tested with the connection test in the DSA 6000 system, the Range test is focusing on the assembly of the device, primarily mounting and placing of the antenna. When a bad unit is found, it should be noted what was wrong with the antenna routing so that information can be shared with production. This will ensure spreading know-how on the antenna mounting. This test is critical the early units at each site as the operators learn how to best route the antenna. Range Test for ITCs Global Technical Operation page 11