Test system for acquiring, calculating and displaying representations of data sequences

• US 5,081,592 A
• Filed: 01/16/1990
• Issued: 01/14/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Jenq, Yih-Chyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce Y.
• Application Number:
  US07/463,828
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 364/484, 364/485, 364/486, 364/487, 364/521, 340/700, 340/720, 340/721, 324/77 R
• US Class Current: 702/68
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/34 Circuits for representing a single waveform by sampling, e.g. for very high frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2834 Automated test systems [ATE]; using microprocessors or computers G01R31/317 takes precedence; ATE for detection of defective computer hardware G06F11/2736
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2839 using signal generators, power supplies or circuit analysers G01R31/2879 takes precedence; multimeters G01R15/12, network analysers G01R27/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3167 Testing of combined analog and digital circuits testing ADC's H03M1/1071
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3177 Testing of logic operation, e.g. by logic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31912 Tester/user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/25 Testing of logic operation, e.g. by logic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/322 Display of waveforms, e.g. of logic analysers G06F11/323 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/34 Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/97 Instrumentation and component modelling, e.g. interactive control panel

Abstract

A system for testing electronic devices includes a waveform generator, a data acquisition system, and a computer. The waveform generator continuously generates a test signal having adjustable parameters set by the computer in response to user input. The data acquisition system acquires data representing the output of the device under test in response to the input signal and stores the last N acquired data values. The computer transfers a data sequence from the acquisition system to another memory and generates in a window on a terminal screen a wagveform display representing the stored data sequence. The computer also displays menu items referencing mathematical operations that may be performed on one or more data sequences. When a user selects one of the menu items, the computer prompts the user to select one or more windows containing waveform displays. Thereafter, the computer performs the selected operation on the data sequence controlling the waveform displays in the selected windows. When the result of the operation is a new data sequence, the computer stores the new data sequence in memory and then produces in a user-selected window a new waveform display based on the new data sequence.

Claims

1. A method of providing a waveform display characterizing a device under test comprising the steps of:

storing a data sequence from the device under test that represents the response of the device under test to an input signal;

displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen, a first one of the windows displaying a first waveform representing the data sequence;

displaying menu items in a second one of the windows, each menu item corresponding to one of multiple operations that may be performed on the data sequence to produce an output data sequence;

selecting one of the menu items and a third one of the windows;

performing the operation indicated by the selected menu item to produce from the data sequence the output data sequence;

storing the output data sequence;

displaying in the third window a second waveform representing the output data sequence;

selecting another one of the menu items and a fourth one of the windows;

performing the operation indicated by the another selected menu item to produce from the data sequence another output data sequence;

storing the another output data sequence; and

displaying in the fourth window a third waveform representing the another output data sequence.