Measurement system control using real-time clocks and data buffers
First Claim
1. A method of controlling measurement instruments in a system having a coordination means that transmits control instructions to different ones of a plurality of remotely-located measurement instruments which are responsive to control instructions to perform measurements and transmit results of those measurements back to the coordination means, the method comprising:
- transmitting from the coordination means to a first one of the measurement instruments a control instruction that specifies a measurement to be performed and a predetermined finite time after occurrence of a predefined event at which the measurement is to be performed;
storing the control instruction in a local buffer in the first measurement instrument;
detecting the time of occurrence of the specified event by means of a local clock in a second measurement instrument;
transmitting said time of occurrence to the first measurement instrument;
determining by reference to a local clock in the first measurement instrument that the time at which the measurement is to be performed is at hand;
performing the measurement when said time to perform the measurement is at hand; and
storing the result of the measurement and the time at which the measurement was taken in the local buffer in the first measurement instrument.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for regulating a measurement system. The apparatus includes a coordinator that transmits instruction signals based upon a program stored in a memory to an instrument through a communication bus. The instrument is also coupled to a device under test. A real-time synchronized clock and a data buffer are placed on each instrument that performs a measurement, provides a stimulus, controls a device, manages data, or performs a test. Signals passing between the device under test and the instrument are processed by function circuitry. After the measurement is made and a parameter or an output signal from the device under test is collected by the instrument, the real-time clock supplies a reference time signal which is associated with each parameter or group of data derived from the device under test. The data buffer stores each group of data with its associated reference time signal until the coordinator calls for the instrument to dispatch the results of the measurement or stimulus back along the communication bus in the form of an instrument output signal. If the instrument provides a stimulus to the device under test, the stimulus appears as an input signal in accordance with the instruction signal which has been stored in data buffer. The stimulus is triggered by a timing signal from the real-time clock.
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Citations
5 Claims
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1. A method of controlling measurement instruments in a system having a coordination means that transmits control instructions to different ones of a plurality of remotely-located measurement instruments which are responsive to control instructions to perform measurements and transmit results of those measurements back to the coordination means, the method comprising:
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transmitting from the coordination means to a first one of the measurement instruments a control instruction that specifies a measurement to be performed and a predetermined finite time after occurrence of a predefined event at which the measurement is to be performed; storing the control instruction in a local buffer in the first measurement instrument; detecting the time of occurrence of the specified event by means of a local clock in a second measurement instrument; transmitting said time of occurrence to the first measurement instrument; determining by reference to a local clock in the first measurement instrument that the time at which the measurement is to be performed is at hand; performing the measurement when said time to perform the measurement is at hand; and storing the result of the measurement and the time at which the measurement was taken in the local buffer in the first measurement instrument. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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Specification