Measuring instrument with multiple signal terminals shared in multiple operation modes

• US 6,816,708 B1
• Filed: 06/11/2001
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Anritsu Corporation
• Original Assignee: Anritsu Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Yasunori, Sugita, Shunichi, Kono, Hidekazu, Kinase, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US09/857,851
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 455/423, 455/424, 455/115.1, 455/115.2, 455/164.2, 455/161.3, 455/226.1, 455/550.1, 455/90.3, 345/35, 375/224, 375/228, 370/247, 370/241
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/04 Housings; Supporting members; Arrangements of terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/342 for displaying periodic H.F. signals G01R13/345 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/125 for digital multimeters
• 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

Abstract

A housing 1 contains a plurality of signal processing units for performing signal processing corresponding to a plurality of operation modes. At a front surface 1a of the housing, an operation panel 3, a display, and a plurality of signal terminals 5a are provided, the signal terminals being located close to the display and shared by the signal processing units. A signal name memory stores signal names 11 allocated to the respective signal terminals for each of the signal processing units. A changeover switch is switched such that the signal processing units are connected to the signal processing unit corresponding to the designated operation mode in response to the operation-input operation mode designation, and the signal name corresponding to the designated operation mode is read out from the signal name memory, and is then displayed in the vicinity of the corresponding signal terminal on a display screen 4a of the display.

Claims

1. A measurement apparatus comprising:

a plurality of signal processing units contained in a housing and corresponding to a plurality of operation modes concerning a signal processing, respectively;

an operation panel, a display, and a plurality of signal terminals disposed in the vicinity of the display and shared by said respective signal processing units, which are arranged on a front surface of said housing, respectively;

a changeover switch circuit, disposed between said plurality of signal terminals and said respective signal processing units, for switching/connecting said plurality of signal terminals to said respective signal processing units;

a signal name memory, disposed for each of said signal processing units, for storing a signal name of a signal allocated to each of said signal terminals;

switch circuit control means for switching said changeover switch circuit in response to an operated/inputted operation mode designation to connect said each signal terminal to the signal processing unit corresponding to the designated operation mode; and

signal name display means for reading each signal name corresponding to said designated operation mode from said signal name memory and displaying the signal name in the vicinity of the corresponding signal terminal in a display screen of said display in response to said operation mode designation.

2. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a display state of said signal name is maintained without being deleted for a period for which the measurement apparatus is operating.

3. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of markers are put down in contact with a lower side of the display screen of said display in said housing front surface, and in positions corresponding to said plurality of signal terminals.

4. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a display indicating that levels of input signals applied to the respective signal terminals should be applied as the same level is attached to attachment positions of said plurality of signal terminals in said housing front surface.

5. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a back surface correspondence memory in which a plurality of signal terminals shared by said respective signal processing units attached to a back surface of the housing, and signal names allocated to the respective shared signal terminals are prepared,

wherein said signal name display means reads the signal names allocated to the plurality of signal terminals attached to said housing back surface from said back surface correspondence memory in response to a back surface terminal display instruction and displays the signal names in the display screen of said display.

6. The measurement apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said signal name display means reads the signal names allocated to the plurality of signal terminals attached to said housing back surface and displays the signal names in a table form in the display screen of said display for a predetermined time.

7. The measurement apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a display indicating that levels of input signals applied to the respective signal terminals should be applied as the same level is attached to attachment positions of said plurality of signal terminals in said housing back surface.

8. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of signal processing units comprise a TDMA signal generating unit for generating a TDMA signal for a test, and a CDMA signal generating unit for generating a CDMA signal for the test.

9. The measurement apparatus according to claim 8, wherein for said TDMA signal generating unit, said signal name display means displays “

data”

, “

symbol clock”

, “

burst gate”

, “

burst trigger”

, and “

data clock”

as the signal names for the respective signal terminals in the display screen of said display.

10. The measurement apparatus according to claim 8, wherein for said CDMA signal generating unit, said signal name display means displays “

frame trigger”

, “

data”

, “

power control”

, and “

reference data clock”

as the signal names for the respective signal terminals in the display screen of said display.