Model-based pre-assembly testing of multi-component production devices

1 . A method of making a multi-component production device in accordance with a device design having performance specifications, the method comprising:

receiving respective component behavioral models of the production components constituting the production device;

combining the component behavioral models in accordance with the device design to form a device behavioral model; and

prior to assembling the production device, predicting performance metrics for the production device by performing simulated tests on the device behavioral model.

2 . The method of claim 1 , additionally comprising checking compliance of the predicted performance metrics of the production device with the performance specification of the device design.

3 . The method of claim 2 , additionally comprising, when the checking indicates that the performance metrics comply with the performance specifications, assembling the production components to form the production device.

4 . The method of claim 1 , additionally comprising, when the checking indicates that the performance metrics do not comply with the performance specifications:

in the device behavioral model, replacing one of the component behavioral models with the component behavioral model of a substitute component of the same type to create a modified device behavioral model; and

repeating the predicting and the checking using the modified behavioral model.

5 . The method of claim 4 , additionally comprising, when the repeated checking indicates that the performance metrics comply with the performance specifications, assembling the production components corresponding to the component behavioral models constituting the modified device behavioral model.

6 . The method of claim 1 , in which:

the receiving comprises receiving batches of component behavioral models corresponding to batches of the production components;

the method additionally comprises making sets of the component behavioral models from the batches of component behavioral models;

the combining comprises combining the component behavioral models in each set of the component behavioral models to form the device behavioral model of a respective possible production device;

the predicting comprises predicting performance metrics for each possible production device by performing simulated tests on the device behavioral model thereof; and

the method additionally comprises selecting for assembly the production components whose component behavioral models constitute the respective device behavioral models of those of the possible production devices that meet a specified manufacturing objective.

7 . The method of claim 6 , in which the manufacturing objective comprises maximizing the number of production devices whose performance metrics comply with the performance specifications.

8 . The method of claim 7 , in which the selecting comprises:

generating a list in which those of the device behavioral models whose predicted performance metrics meet the performance specifications are ranked in order of the number of other device behavioral models in which one the component behavioral models thereof is used;

selecting for assembly the production components whose respective component behavioral models constitute the one of the device behavioral models for which the number of other device behavioral models is least; and

removing from the list all the device behavioral models that comprise the component behavioral models of the production components selected for assembly.

9 . The method of claim 6 , in which the manufacturing objective comprises maximizing the performance metrics of the production devices.

10 . The method of claim 9 , in which the selecting comprises:

deriving a performance-indicting metric from the predicted performance metrics of each of the possible production devices;

generating a list in which ones of the device behavioral models whose predicted performance metrics meet the performance specifications are ranked in order of their performance-indicating metrics;

selecting for assembly the production components whose respective component behavioral models constitute the one of the device behavioral models having the highest performance-indicating metric; and

removing from the list all of the device behavioral models that comprise the component behavioral models of the production components selected for assembly.

11 . The method of claim 6 , in which:

the device design has more than one set of performance specifications; and

the manufacturing objective comprises maximizing the number of production devices that comply with one of the sets of performance specifications.

12 . The method of claim 6 , in which:

the device design has more than one set of performance specifications; and

the manufacturing objective is approximating the number of production devices that comply with each set of performance specifications to market demand for the production devices that comply with the respective set of performance specifications.

13 . The method of claim 12 , in which:

the method comprises generating a picking pattern having a density of states proportional to the market demand for the production devices that comply with the respective sets of performance specifications;

deriving a performance-indicting metric from the predicted performance metrics of each of the possible production devices;

generating a list in which those of the device behavioral models whose predicted performance metrics comply with any of the sets of performance specifications are ranked in order of their performance-indicating metrics;

selecting for assembly the production components whose respective component behavioral models constitute the one of the device behavioral models having one of (a) the highest performance-indicating metric and (b) the lowest performance-indicating metric, depending on the state of the picking pattern; and

removing from the list all of the device behavioral models that comprise the component behavioral models of the production components selected for assembly.

14 . The method of claim 12 , in which:

the method comprises generating a picking pattern having a density of states proportional to the market demand for the production devices that comply with the respective sets of performance specifications;

deriving a performance-indicting metric from the predicted performance metrics of each of the possible production devices;

generating a first list in which those of the device behavioral models whose predicted performance metrics comply with a first one of the sets of performance specifications are ranked in order of their performance-indicating metrics;

generating a second list in which ones of the device behavioral models whose predicted performance metrics comply with a second one of the sets of performance specifications are ranked in order of their performance-indicating metrics;

selecting for assembly the production components whose respective component behavioral models constitute the one of the device behavioral models having the highest performance-indicating metric on one of the first list and the second list depending on the state of the picking pattern; and

removing from the first list and from the second list all of the device behavioral models that comprise the component behavioral models of the production components selected for assembly.

15 . The method of claim 6 , in which the making comprises making one of the sets of component behavioral models from each allowed combination of the component behavioral models.

16 . The method of claim 6 , in which:

each of the component behavioral models is based on a component model form for a respective component design, the component model form comprising a basis function and model form parameters;

the receiving comprises:

receiving the component model forms, and

receiving respective values of the model form parameters for the production components; and

the combining comprises:

combining the component model forms in accordance with the device design to form a device model form; and

inserting the values of the model form parameters into the component model forms constituting the device model form to form the device behavioral model.

17 . The method of claim 1 , in which:

each of the component behavioral models is based on a component model form for a respective component design, the component model form comprising a basis function and model form parameters;

the receiving comprises:

receiving the component model forms, and

receiving values of the model form parameters for the production components; and

the combining comprises:

combining the component model forms in accordance with the device design to form a device model form; and

inserting the values of the model form parameters into the component model forms constituting the device model form to form the device behavioral model.

18 . The method of claim 1 , in which the receiving comprises:

generating a component model form for a respective component design of one of the production components, the component model form comprising a basis function and model form parameters;

using the component model form, extracting values of the model form parameters from a measurement performed on the one of the components; and

generating the component behavioral model of the one of the components using the basis function and the extracted values of the model form parameters.

19 . A method of making a production device in accordance with a device design having performance specifications, the production device comprising production components each in accordance with a respective component design, the method comprising:

receiving a component model form for each of the component designs, the component model form comprising a basis function and model form parameters;

combining the component model forms in accordance with the device design to form a device model form;

receiving values of the model form parameters for the production components;

inserting the values of the model form parameters into the component model forms constituting the device model form to form a device behavioral model of the production device; and

prior to assembling the production device, predicting performance metrics for the production device by performing simulated tests on the device behavioral model.

20 . The method of claim 19 , additionally comprising checking compliance of predicted performance metrics of the production device with the performance specifications of the device design.

21 . The method of claim 20 , additionally comprising, when the checking indicates that the predicted performance metrics comply with the performance specifications, assembling the production components to form the production device.

22 . The method of claim 19 , in which:

the receiving the values of model form parameters comprises receiving batches of model form parameters corresponding to batches of the production components;

the method additionally comprises making sets of the model form parameters from the batches of model form parameters;

the inserting comprises inserting the model form parameters in each set of the model form parameters into the component model forms constituting the device model form to form the device behavioral model of a respective possible production device;

the predicting comprises predicting performance metrics for each possible production device by performing simulated tests on the device behavioral model thereof; and

the method additionally comprises selecting for assembly the production components whose component behavioral models constitute the respective device behavioral models of the possible production devices that meet a specified manufacturing objective.