Electrical test instrument having an improved operator interface
First Claim
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1. An electrical safety compliance test instrument, comprising:
- a main controller;
safety compliance test circuitry for applying an electrical signal to a device under test and for monitoring results of the test;
a keypad including a plurality of keys;
a display controller; and
a display screen controlled by the display controller and having sufficient area to permit a complete set of test parameters and instructions to be displayed simultaneously, said display controller being arranged to dynamically assign values to selected ones of said plurality of keys situated adjacent said display screen and to display the key assignments on the screen adjacent to the keys to form softkeys for selecting submenus of a main menu that enables selection of types of safety compliance tests requiring different test circuits and different electrical connections to a device under test, and entry of individual parameters for the safety compliance tests.
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Abstract
An electrical test instrument includes an improved operator interface capable of including the following features: (i) a pause/prompt feature enable prompts to be displayed during a pause, in order to facilitate operator reconfiguration of the instrument during testing; (ii) an autocalibration alert function to alert the operator that the instrument requires calibration; (iii) a security function that enables the operator to select from among a plurality of security level options; and (iv) a more flexible menu structure that enables set-up of additional tests performed by plug-in test instrument modules.
60 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An electrical safety compliance test instrument, comprising:
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a main controller;
safety compliance test circuitry for applying an electrical signal to a device under test and for monitoring results of the test;
a keypad including a plurality of keys;
a display controller; and
a display screen controlled by the display controller and having sufficient area to permit a complete set of test parameters and instructions to be displayed simultaneously, said display controller being arranged to dynamically assign values to selected ones of said plurality of keys situated adjacent said display screen and to display the key assignments on the screen adjacent to the keys to form softkeys for selecting submenus of a main menu that enables selection of types of safety compliance tests requiring different test circuits and different electrical connections to a device under test, and entry of individual parameters for the safety compliance tests. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An operator interface method for an electrical safety compliance test instrument, comprising the steps of:
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providing a display screen controlled by the display controller and having sufficient area to permit a complete set of test parameters and instructions to be displayed simultaneously;
displaying a main menu;
dynamically assigning values to selected ones of said plurality of keys situated adjacent said display screen to form softkeys for selecting submenus of said main menu to enable selection of types of safety compliance tests and entry of individual parameters for the safety compliance tests;
reconfiguring safety compliance test circuits based on said selection; and
selecting from among a plurality of different possible electrical connections to a device under test based on instructions displayed on said screen. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification