Network-based system for configuring a system using configuration information generated based on a user specification

• US 20050125512A1
• Filed: 11/01/2004
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Sierer, Brian, Pasquarette, John, Ranganathan, Ganesh, Fuller, David W. III, Santori, Michael L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/34 for reconfigurable circuits, e.g. field programmable gate arrays [FPGA] or programmable logic devices [PLD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A system and method for online configuration of a measurement system. The user may access a server over a network and specify a desired task, e.g., a measurement task, and receive programs and/or configuration information which are usable to configure the user'"'"'s measurement system hardware (and/or software) to perform the desired task. Additionally, if the user does not have the hardware required to perform the task, the required hardware may be sent to the user, along with programs and/or configuration information. The hardware may be reconfigurable hardware, such as an FPGA or a processor/memory based device. In one embodiment, the required hardware may be pre-configured to perform the task before being sent to the user. In another embodiment, the system and method may provide a graphical program in response to receiving the user'"'"'s task specification, where the graphical program may be usable by the measurement system to perform the task.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a measurement system, wherein the measurement system includes;

a client computer system, wherein the client computer system includes;

a display, wherein the display displays a graphical user interface (GUI) for receiving user input indicating one or more requirements for a measurement task;

a user input device, wherein the user input device is useable for providing input to the graphical user interface; and

a first network interface device for coupling to a network;

wherein the client computer system is operable to provide the one or more requirements for the measurement task over the network;

one or more measurement devices coupled to the client system; and

a server computer system, comprising;

a second network interface device for coupling to the network;

wherein the server computer system is operable to couple to the measurement system over the network, wherein the server computer system is operable to receive the one or more requirements for the measurement task to be performed by the measurement system;

a processor;

a memory medium coupled to the processor and comprising program instructions for determining configuration information in response to the one or more requirements;

wherein the server computer system is operable to provide the configuration information to the measurement system over the network; and

wherein the configuration information is useable to configure the measurement system, wherein the measurement system is operable to perform the measurement task after being configured using the configuration information.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the client computer system includes a configuration software program which is operable to receive the configuration information and configure the measurement system using the configuration information.

3. The system of claim 1,

wherein the configuration information includes configuration data for configuring the measurement system;

and

wherein the configuration information further includes one or more programs that are executable to configure the measurement system with the configuration information to perform the measurement task.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein the measurement system includes a client computer system;

and

wherein the configuration information further includes configuration software which is executable by the client computer system to configure one or more of;

the client computer system, the one or more measurement devices, and one or more application programs with the configuration data.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein the configuration information comprises parameters for configuring one or more of the measurement devices;

and

wherein the parameters comprises one or more of sampling rate, gain setting, signal type, timing information, and scaling information.

6. The system of claim 1,

wherein the one or more requirements comprise information indicating types of the one or more measurement devices.

7. The system of claim 1,

wherein the one or more requirements comprise information indicating desired operation of the one or more measurement devices.

8. The system of claim 1,

wherein the one or more requirements comprise information regarding one or more of signal type, sampling rate, timing, scaling, analysis function, and display function.

9. The system of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions for determining configuration information are executable to retrieve the configuration information from a memory medium based on the one or more requirements.

10. The system of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions for determining configuration information are executable to programmatically generate the configuration information based on the one or more requirements.

11. The system of claim 1,

wherein the server is operable to receive information regarding the one or more measurement devices present in the measurement system;

and

wherein the program instructions for determining configuration information are executable to determine the configuration information based at least in part on the information regarding the one or more measurement devices present in the measurement system.

12. The system of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions for determining configuration information are executable to programmatically determine information regarding the one or more measurement devices present in the measurement system.

13. The system of claim 1,

wherein the one or more measurement devices comprise at least one reconfigurable measurement device coupled to or comprised in the client computer system;

and

wherein the configuration information is usable to configure the reconfigurable measurement device to perform the measurement task.

14. The system of claim 1,

wherein the measurement system comprises a plurality of measurement devices;

and

wherein the configuration information comprises configuration information for each of the plurality of measurement devices.

15. The system of claim 1,

wherein the graphical user interface displayed by the client computer system is operable to display a plurality of panels on the display to guide a user of the client computer system in providing the one or more requirements for the measurement task.

16. The system of claim 15,

wherein the server computer system is operable to provide the graphical user interface (GUI) to the client computer system over the network;

17. The system of claim 1,

wherein the measurement system is operable to perform the measurement task after being configured using the configuration information.

18. The system of claim 1,

wherein the client computer system is operable to provide payment information to pay for receipt of the configuration information.

19. The system of claim 18,

wherein the server computer system is operable to receive the payment information to pay for receipt of the configuration information.

20. The system of claim 1,

wherein the measurement system is operable to receive a signal from a signal source;

and

wherein the one or more measurement devices are operable to analyze the signal in accordance with the configuration information.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said signal source comprises one or more of a unit under test (UUT), a sensor, and an actuator.

22. The system of claim 1,

wherein the configuration information includes one or more help files.

23. The system of claim 1,

wherein the configuration information includes one or more example files.

24. The system of claim 1,

wherein the one or more requirements comprise information specifying one or more target measurement devices to be configured by the configuration information.

25. The system of claim 24,

wherein the graphical user interface (GUI) on the display of the client computer system iconically illustrates the measurement system.

26. The system of claim 25,

wherein the user input indicating one or more requirements for the measurement task comprises user input specifying the one or more target measurement devices to be configured by the configuration information.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein, in iconically illustrating the measurement system, the GUI is operable to:

display one or more device icons corresponding to respective ones of the one or more measurement devices in the measurement system; and

display connections between the one or more device icons, wherein the displayed connections correspond to couplings between the one or more measurement devices.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the GUI is further operable to:

display one or more configuration icons associated with the configuration information; and

wherein the program instructions are further associate at least one configuration icon with at least one device icon in response to user input, wherein the at least one configuration icon corresponds to first configuration information, wherein the at least one device icon corresponds to a first device, wherein said associating operates to configure the first device with the first configuration information.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement system is operable to be configured with the configuration information by one or more of:

a user of the measurement system;

the client computer system; and

the server computer system.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the measurement devices comprises a programmable hardware element.

31. A method for configuring a measurement system, comprising:

a client computer system displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display;

the client computer system receiving user input to the GUI indicating one or more requirements for a measurement task to be performed by the measurement system, wherein the measurement system includes the client computer system and one or more measurement devices coupled to or comprised in the client computer system;

the client computer system providing the one or more requirements for the measurement task to a server over a network;

the server receiving the one or more requirements for the measurement task over the network;

the server determining configuration information in response to said one or more requirements, wherein the configuration information is useable for configuring the measurement system to perform the measurement task; and

the server providing the configuration information to the measurement system over the network;

wherein the measurement system is configurable using the configuration information, wherein the measurement system is operable to perform the measurement task after being configured using the configuration information.