Electronics equipment testing apparatus and method utilizing unintended RF emission features

A hand-held apparatus that tests at least one electrical instrument from a plurality of electrical instruments mounted in an instrument panel, each electrical device having one end thereof protruding above a surface of the instrument panel, said hand-held apparatus comprising:

• a housing, said housing configured as a hand-held housing;
• a horn-shaped antenna coupled to one end of said housing, said horn-shaped antenna configured to capture one or more emissions of an electromagnetic energy in a radio-frequency (RF) range, said one or more emissions of said electromagnetic energy being emitted from one or more electrical devices from the plurality of electrical devices, said horn-shaped antenna being sized and shaped to receive the protruding one end of the one or more electrical devices in a direct contact between an interior surface of said horn-shaped antenna and a peripheral edge of the one end, said direct contact forming a shield during capture of said one or more emissions;
• one or more position sensing devices mounted on an exterior surface of said horn-shaped antenna;
• a receiver mounted within said housing and coupled to said horn-shaped antenna, said receiver configured to receive said electromagnetic energy captured by said horn-shaped antenna and at least convert said one or more emissions captured by said horn-shaped antenna from an analog form to a digital form;
• a user interface accessible from outside of said housing;
• one or more processor;
• and
• a memory that is not a transitory propagating signal, said memory connected to said one or more processors and encoding computer readable instructions, including processor executable program instructions, said computer readable instructions accessible to said one or more processor, wherein said processor executable program instructions, when executed by said one or more processors, cause said one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
• generate a digital signal in a time domain, said digital signal characterizing said one or more emissions,
• convert said digital signal from said time domain to a frequency domain, said digital signal containing a signature of said one or more emissions,
• process said signature of said one or more emissions, and
• determine a condition of the electrical device in a response to said processed signature.

A method of testing an electrical instrument in an instrument panel, said method comprising:

• aligning a horn-shaped antenna with said instrument;
• capturing with said horn-shaped antenna an emission of an electromagnetic energy in a radio-frequency (RF) range, said emission of said electromagnetic energy being emitted from said electrical instrument;
• receiving, with a receiver disposed within a hand-held housing coupled to said horn-shaped antenna, said electromagnetic energy captured by said horn-shaped antenna;
• at least converting, with said receiver, said received emission from an analog form to a digital form;
• and
• performing, with one or more processors and a memory that is not a transitory propagating signal and that includes a processor executable program instructions, said one or more processors and said memory disposed within said hand-held housing, operations when said processor executable program instructions being executed by said one or more processors, said operations comprising:
• generating a digital signal in a time domain, said digital signal characterizing said emission;
• converting said digital signal from said time domain to a frequency domain, said digital signal containing a signature of said emission, processing said signature of said emission, and
• determining a condition of said electrical instrument in a response to said processed signature.