Spreadsheet having a clocked delay line object, for processing a continuous data stream

• US 7,069,499 B1
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cognex Technology & Investment Corporation (Cognex Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cognex Technology & Investment Corporation (Cognex Corporation)
• Inventors: McGarry, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar B
• Application Number:
  US10/244,208
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 715503-510, 715/904
• US Class Current: 715/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

An improved electronic spreadsheet is provided for applications that require the processing of continuous data streams over a time-based data interval of size greater than one. The improved spreadsheet supports the creation of expressions involving clocked delay line objects instantiated within spreadsheet cells. The delay line object includes data storage and a member function that implements a shift register. Data stream input functions supply the clocking signals that trigger the execution of the shift register function of the delay line object. Spreadsheet functions are provided that support random access of elements and other analysis over the buffered data interval The forgoing improvements extend the effective range of spreadsheet programming to include a wider range of applications than was previously possible, including signal processing, machine vision, and time evolution studies.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having an electronic spreadsheet for processing a continuous data stream for operation on a computer, the electronic spreadsheet having a plurality of cells, the improvement comprising:

a clocked delay line object, the clocked delay line object being instantiated as a software object and assigned to a cell of the spreadsheet, the clocked delay line object comprising a data buffer, and a method for clocking data through the buffer, the data buffer configured as a delay line, a pipeline, a FIFO, or a random access memory;

an external data input function adapted to provide a clock signal to the clocked delay line object; and

a spreadsheet function adapted to provide random access to data stored in the clocked delay line object.

2. The electronic spreadsheet of claim 1, wherein the clocked delay line object is parameterized by a plurality of arguments, including;

an input data stream;

a clock source;

a number of elements in a data buffer; and

a clock divider.

3. The electronic spreadsheet of claim 1, wherein the clocked delay line object is adapted to trigger an activation of the data buffer upon receipt of a clock signal provided by the external data input function.

4. The electronic spreadsheet of claim 1, further including a spreadsheet function that performs a statistical analysis on the data stored in the clocked delay line object over a buffered interval.

5. The electronic spreadsheet of claim 1, further including a spreadsheet function that performs a vector operation on the data stored in the clocked delay line object over a buffered interval.

6. A method for using an electronic spreadsheet for processing continuous data streams over an interval of size greater than one, the method comprising:

instantiate as a software object and assign a clockable delay line object having data storage to at least one cell of the electronic spreadsheet, the clockable delay line object comprising a data buffer, and a method for clocking data through the buffer, the data buffer configured as a delay line, a pipeline, a FIFO, or a random access memory;

provide a clock signal to the delay line object;

randomly access the data storage over an interval of size greater than one; and

process the data so-accessed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the process step comprises a statistical analysis the data so-accessed.