Realtime power mask trigger

• US 20060015277A1
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edward C. Gee, Kyle L. Bernard
• Original Assignee: Edward C. Gee, Kyle L. Bernard
• Inventors: Bernard, Kyle L., Gee, Edward C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,251,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/76
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/0254 for triggering, synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 23/16 Spectrum analysis; Fourier analysis

Abstract

A realtime power mask trigger generator for an instrument that acquires data in response to a trigger signal integrates power amplitudes over a defined bandwidth within a frequency spectrum for an input signal to produce an average signal power, and compares the average signal power with a specified reference power level for the defined bandwidth. Violation of the reference power level by the average signal power generates the trigger signal for acquiring data from the input signal about the trigger event by the instrument. The frequency spectrum may be divided into more than one defined frequency bandwidth, and each defined frequency bandwidth may have its own specified reference power level. The defined frequency bandwidths and associated reference power levels define a realtime power mask trigger.

Claims

1. A realtime power mask trigger comprising:

a defined frequency band within a frequency spectrum for an input signal; and

a specified power level for the defined frequency band so that when an integrated power for the input signal over the frequency band violates the specified power level, a trigger signal is generated to acquire data from the input signal.

2. A realtime power mask trigger generator comprising:

means for converting a segment of time domain data representing an input signal into a frequency spectrum having a plurality of frequency bins, each frequency bin having a corresponding power amplitude;

means for integrating the power amplitudes over a defined bandwidth of the frequency bins to produce an average signal power for the defined bandwidth; and

means for comparing the average signal power with a specified power level for the defined bandwidth to generate a trigger signal when the average signal power violates the specified power level.

3. The generator as recited in claim 2 wherein the integrating means comprises means for adding the power amplitudes over the frequency bins within the defined bandwidth to produce the average signal power.

4. The generator as recited in claim 2 wherein the integrating means comprises means for averaging the power amplitudes over the frequency bins within the defined bandwidth to produce the average signal power.

5. The generator as recited in claim 2 wherein the integrating means comprises means for averaging the power amplitudes over the frequency bins within the defined bandwidth over a plurality of time segments of the input signal to produce the average signal power.

6. A method of acquiring data in response to a realtime power mask trigger comprising the steps of:

converting a segment of time domain data representing an input signal to a frequency spectrum having a plurality of frequency bins, each frequency bin having a power amplitude;

integrating the power amplitude over a defined bandwidth of the frequency bins to produce an average signal power for the defined bandwidth; and

comparing the average signal power with a specified power level to generate a trigger when the average signal power violates the specified power level.