Method for acquiring data in a logic analyzer
First Claim
1. A method for acquiring data in a logic analyzer having a plurality of memory sections, the method comprising the steps of:
- automatically storing data in one of the plurality of memory sections upon in occurrence of a trigger condition;
repeating the automatically storing step upon the further occurrence of the trigger condition until all of the memory sections have been used;
continuing to repeat the automatically storing step after all of the memory sections have been used once by reusing the memory sections to store new data;
automatically ascertaining that the trigger condition is no longer occurring; and
automatically stopping the logic analyzer to complete the data acquisition in response to the ascertaining step.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A logic analyzer stores the activity around the last in a series of triggering events while also storing the activity around several other triggering events immediately preceding the last trigger. The acquisition memory is first positioned into a number, N, of memory sections and the trigger condition of interest is defined. Then repeated acquistions are performed using this same trigger condition. At first, data from each of these acquisitions is stored in each one of the number of memory sections. When all of the memory sections have been filled once, if the trigger condition is still occurring, the acquisition memories are reused in the same order in which they were originally used as many times as necessary until it is ascertained that the trigger condition is no longer occurring or some external conditon has changed, at which time the logic analyzer is stopped. One of the memory sections then contains the data that occurred in the vicinity of the last trigger. Another of the memory sections contains data reflecting the activity that immediately preceded the stopping of the logic analyzer. The remaining N-2 memory sections contain data that occurred in the vicinity of the triggers that immediately preceded the last trigger. Timestamping the acquired data allows the timing relationships involved to be reconstructed.
-
Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A method for acquiring data in a logic analyzer having a plurality of memory sections, the method comprising the steps of:
-
automatically storing data in one of the plurality of memory sections upon in occurrence of a trigger condition; repeating the automatically storing step upon the further occurrence of the trigger condition until all of the memory sections have been used; continuing to repeat the automatically storing step after all of the memory sections have been used once by reusing the memory sections to store new data; automatically ascertaining that the trigger condition is no longer occurring; and automatically stopping the logic analyzer to complete the data acquisition in response to the ascertaining step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13)
-
-
11. A method for acquiring data in a logic analyzer having a plurality of memory sections, the method comprising the steps of:
-
defining a trigger condition; starting the logic analyzer and a timestamp clock; automatically storing data and the time on the timestamp clock in one of the plurality of memory sections upon an occurrence of the trigger condition; repeating the automatically storing step upon the further occurrence of the trigger condition until all of the memory sections have been used; continuing to repeat the automatically storing step after all of the memory sections have been used once by reusing the memory sections to store new data; automatically ascertaining that the trigger condition is no longer occurring; and automatically stopping the logic analyzer to complete the data acquisition in response to the ascertaining step. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
-
Specification