Unified analog/digital waveform software analysis tool with video and audio signal analysis methods

• US 6,502,045 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2000
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ICS Systems, Inc. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: ICS Systems, Inc. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: Biagiotti, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raymond, Edward
• Application Number:
  US09/575,221
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 702/66, 702/67, 702/68, 702/69, 702/70, 702/71, 702/77, 702/108, 702/109, 702/112, 702/117, 702/124, 702/126, 702/183, 702/189, 348/739, 345/418, 345/661, 345/204
• US Class Current: 702/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/00 Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals

Abstract

A unified software apparatus and method for evaluating a generic electrical signal and complex multiple-format video signals. The methods may be operated manually or programmatically and are especially intended for evaluating analog signals within an automated testing environment. The test signal data is supplied by an external source such as an external hardware digitizer or other means. This signal data may be analog or digital in nature and may comprise up to three separate channels. The apparatus generates visual aids and supporting numerical computations, resulting in concrete and tangible results, allowing analysis based upon user selected criteria such as voltage measurements, histograms, frequency domain computations, or total harmonic distortion. In addition to these methods, video waveforms may be analyzed for content based upon numerical measurements applied to a region-within-a-region concept. Within a definable “region of interest”, a section of the test video signal'"'"'s content may be isolated and compared to a surrounding “region of interest” to determine the accuracy of image placement and intensity.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing and testing a waveform selected from a group of an electrical signal, a digitized audio signal and a digitized video signal, comprising the steps of:

providing a single equipment package including a computer having a sound card, at least one speaker, a screen and means for processing a command log,

when the waveform is an electrical signal plotting and displaying a swath of the electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is a digitized audio signal, directing the audio signal to the sound card and speaker,

when the waveform is a digitized video signal, reconstructing the video signal on the screen,

providing a plurality of software tools operative on the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal to effect changes in the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal,

when the waveform is the electrical signal, displaying the changed electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is the audio signal, directing the changed audio signal to the sound card and speaker,

when the waveform is the video signal, displaying the changed the video signal on the screen,

generating the command log through programming to perform desired control of the tools, and

operatively accessing the command log to obtain the desired control commands for the tools such that automatic adjustment of the waveform via the;

tools is accomplished.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the equipment further includes a user interface, further comprising the step of:

controlling the tools via the user interface to enable manual adjustment of the waveform.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing a test station digitizer for digitizing audio and video signals, and

inputting audio signals and video signals to be analyzed into the test station digitizer to be digitized prior to analysis.

4. The method of claim 1, further rising the steps of:

digitizing any audio signals and video signals to be analyzed, and

storing the digitized audio signals and ;

digitized video signals in a binary file.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

encoding additional information about the waveform in combination with the waveform.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein when the waveform is the electrical signal, further comprising the step of:

plotting and displaying a plurality of !swathes of the electrical signal on the screen, each swath in a discrete portion of the screen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a plurality of tools includes the step of providing a plotting tools including options selected from a group consisting of time domain plotting, FFT results, spectrum/magnitude plotting, autocorrelation plotting and cross correlation plotting.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a plurality of tools includes the steps of providing a configuration adjustment tool including options selected from a group consisting of orientation adjustment of a graph of the waveform, color adjustments, test adjustments, highlighting and axis scale lock adjustments.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a plurality of tools includes the step of providing a signal manipulation tool including options selected from a group consisting of filters, a ranking of peaks in the at least one test signal by amplitude, averaging, fixed voltage removal, and addition and subtraction of an additional test signal to the at least one test signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein when the waveform is an electrical signal or a video signal, further comprising the step of:

limiting operability of the tools to only a selected portion of the electrical signal or video signal on the screen.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein when the waveform is an electrical signal or video signal, further comprising the steps of:

selecting a portion of the electrical signal or video signal, and

displaying the selected portion in a different area of the screen.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the electrical signal or video signal is displayed on a primary image window and the selected portion is displayed on an auxiliary window on the same screen as the primary image window, further comprising the step of:

linking the auxiliary window to the primary image window.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

limiting operability of the tools to only the selected portion of the electrical signal or video signal on the screen.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a plurality of tools includes the steps of:

providing a library of stored subroutines in the equipment to perform the functions of the tools such that the electrical signal, the video signal and the audio signal are able to be manipulated by running the subroutines.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveform is an electrical signal or a video signal, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a portion of the electrical signal or video signal separate from the display of the entire electrical signal or video signal,

applying at least one signal modification technique to the portion of the electrical signal or video signal, and

linking the display of the entire test signal to the display of the portion of the electrical or video signal such that the application of the at least one signal modification technique to the portion of the electrical signal or video signal is reflected in the display of the entire electrical signal or video signal.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveform is an electrical signal or a video signal, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a portion of the electrical signal or video signal separate from the display of the entire electrical signal or video signal,

applying at least one signal modification technique to the entire electrical signal or video signal, and

linking the display of the entire electrical signal or video signal to the display of the portion of the electrical signal or video signal such that the application of the at least one signal modification technique to the entire electrical signal or video signal is reflected in the display of the portion of the electrical signal or video signal.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveform is an electrical signal, wherein the step of providing a plurality of tools includes the step of providing an error bounds tool, the error bounds tools including the step of:

defining upper and lower error bounds for the electrical signal on the screen.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the error bounds tool further comprises the step of:

visually differentiating the upper and lower bound regions.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveform is an audio signal, wherein the step of providing a plurality of tools includes the step of providing a prefilter tool capable of filter undesired audio frequencies and background noise.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein a picture image reconstructed from the electrical signal or video signal is displayed on a primary image window and the selected portion of the electrical signal or video signal is reconstructed and displayed on an auxiliary window on the same screen as the primary image window.

21. A method for analyzing and testing a waveform selected from a group of an electrical signal, a digitized audio signal and a digitized video signal, comprising the steps of:

providing a single equipment package including a computer having a sound card, at least one speaker and a screen,

when the waveform is an electrical signal, plotting and displaying a swath of the electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is a digitized audio signal, directing the audio signal to the sound card and speaker,

when the waveform is a digitized video signal, reconstructing the video signal on the screen,

providing a plurality of software tools operative on the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal to effect changes in the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal,

when the waveform is the electrical signal displaying the changed electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is the audio signal, directing the changed audio signal to the sound card and speaker, and

when the waveform is the video signal, displaying the changed the video signal on the screen,

when the waveform is an electrical signal, the step of providing a plurality of tools including the step of providing an error bounds tool enabling the defining of upper and lower error bounds for the electrical signal on the screen.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of constructing the error bounds tool to enable visual differentiation of the upper and lower bound regions.

23. A method for analyzing and testing a waveform selected from a group of an electrical signal, a digitized audio signal and a digitized video signal, comprising the steps of:

providing a single equipment package including a computer having a sound card, at least one speaker and a screen,

when the waveform is an electrical signal, plotting and displaying a swath of the electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is a digitized audio signal, directing the audio signal to the sound card and speaker,

when the waveform is a digitized video signal, reconstructing the video signal on the screen,

providing a plurality of software tools operative on the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal to effect changes in the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal,

when the waveform is the electrical signal, displaying the changed electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is the audio signal, directing the changed audio signal to the sound card and speaker, and

when the waveform is the video signal, displaying the changed the video signal on the screen,

wherein when the waveform is the electrical signal, further comprising the step of;

simultaneously plotting and displaying a plurality of swathes of the electrical signal on the screen in the same form, each swath in a discrete portion of the screen.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein a picture image reconstructed from the electrical signal or video signal is displayed on a primary image window and the selected portion of the electrical signal or video signal is reconstructed and displayed on an auxiliary window on the same screen as the primary image window.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein a picture image reconstructed from the electrical signal or video signal is displayed on a primary image window and the selected portion of the electrical signal or video signal is reconstructed, magnified and displayed on an auxiliary window on the same screen as the primary image window.

24. A method for analyzing and testing a waveform selected from a group of an electrical signal, a digitized audio signal and a digitized video signal, comprising the steps of:

providing a single equipment package including a computer having a sound card, at least one speaker and a screen,

when the waveform is an electrical signal, plotting and displaying a swath of the electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is a digitized audio signal, directing the audio signal to the sound card and speaker,

when the waveform is a digitized video signal, reconstructing the video signal on the screen,

providing a plurality of software tools operative on the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal to effect changes in the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal,

when the waveform is the electrical signal, displaying the changed electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is the audio signal, directing the changed audio signal to the sound card and speaker, and

when the waveform is the video signal, displaying the changed the video signal on the screen,

wherein when the waveform is an electrical signal or video signal, further comprising the steps of;

selecting a portion of the electrical signal or video signal, and

displaying the selected portion in a different area of the screen at the same time as the full electrical or video signal is being displayed on the screen.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the electrical signal or video signal is displayed on a primary image window and the selected portion is displayed on an auxiliary window on the same screen as the primary image window, further comprising the step of:

linking the auxiliary window to the primary image window.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the selected portion displayed in the auxiliary window is linked to the primary image window such that the selected portion displayed varies upon movement of a screen tool across the primary image window.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of:

limiting operability of the tools to only the selected portion of the electrical signal or video signal on the screen.

30. A method for analyzing and testing a waveform selected from a group of an electrical signal, a digitized audio signal and a digitized video signal, comprising the steps of:

providing a single equipment package including a computer having a sound card, at least one speaker and a screen,

when the waveform is an electrical signal, plotting and displaying a swath of the electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is a digitized audio signal, directing the audio signal to the sound card and speaker,

when the waveform is a digitized video signal, reconstructing the video signal on the screen,

providing a plurality of software tools operative on the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal to effect changes in the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal,

when the waveform is the electrical signal, displaying the changed electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is the audio signal, directing the changed audio signal to the sound card and speaker, and

when the waveform is the video signal, displaying the changed the video signal on the screen,

wherein the waveform is an electrical signal or a video signal, further comprising the steps of;

displaying a portion of the electrical signal or video signal in the same form as but separate from the display of the entire electrical signal or video signal,

applying at least one signal modification technique to the portion of the electrical signal or video signal, and

linking the display of the entire test signal to the display of the portion of the electrical or video signal such that the application of the at least one signal modification technique to the portion of the electrical signal or video signal is reflected in the display of the entire electrical signal or video signal.

31. A method for analyzing and testing a waveform selected from a group of an electrical signal, a digitized audio signal and a digitized video signal, comprising the steps of:

providing a single equipment package including a computer having a sound card, at least one speaker and a screen,

when the waveform is an electrical signal, plotting and displaying a swath of the electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is a digitized audio signal, directing the audio signal to the sound card and speaker,

when the waveform is a digitized video signal, reconstructing the video signal on the screen,

providing a plurality of software tools operative on the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal to effect changes in the electrical signal, the audio signal and the video signal,

when the waveform is the electrical signal, displaying the changed electrical signal on the screen,

when the waveform is the audio signal, directing the changed audio signal to the sound card and speaker, and

when the waveform is the video signal, displaying the changed the video signal on the screen,

wherein the waveform is an electrical signal or a video signal, further comprising the steps of;

displaying a portion of the electrical signal or video signal in the same form as but separate from the display of the entire electrical signal or video signal,

applying at least one signal modification technique to the entire electrical signal or video signal, and

linking the display of the entire electrical signal or video signal to the display of the portion of the electrical signal or video signal such that the application of the at least one signal modification technique to the entire electrical signal or video signal is reflected in the display of the portion of the electrical signal or video signal.