System for three-dimensional rendering of electrical test and measurement signals

• US 20090195536A1
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C Speed, LLC
• Original Assignee: C Speed, LLC
• Inventors: Louise, Justin Ralph, Francis, Kevin Roy, Yaw, David James
• Granted Patent: US 8,502,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/0236 for presentation of more than one variable
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/80 Shading

Abstract

The system for three-dimensional rendering of signals has a computer system having acquired, streaming, or previously stored data in its memory representing multiple channels of signals in which each channel has a value which varies over a domain, e.g., time or frequency, and a display coupled to the computer. For each channel, the computer system segments the data of the channel into segments, orders the segments, renders on the display each of the segments, in which each of the rendered segments are aligned in such order along a three-dimensional perspective with gaps between adjacently rendered segments, and lines are rendered extending from each line of each one of the rendered segments to form a three-dimensional plane in the gap to the next successive one of the rendered ordered segments to form a three-dimensional continuous or discontinuous surface characterizing the channel. The surfaces of each of the channels are aligned on the display, and may be of different color, shading, and translucency, whereby channels of overlaid surfaces are viewable on the display.

Claims

1. A system for visualizing test and measurement signals comprising:

data representing multiple channels of signals in which the signals of each of said channels has values which are variable over time; and

a computer system having memory with said data, and a display coupled to the computer system, in which for each of said channels said computer system segments the data of the channel into segments, orders said segments, renders on said display each of said segments as one or more lines in accordance with the values of the data associated with the segment, in which each of said rendered segments are aligned in said order on said display along a three-dimensional perspective with gaps between adjacently rendered segments, in which lines are rendered extending from each of said lines of each one of said rendered segments to form a three-dimensional plane in the gap to the next successive one of said rendered ordered segments to form a three-dimensional continuous or discontinuous surface characterizing the channel, in which the surface characterizing each of said channels are aligned on said display.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein for each of said channels when a plurality of consecutive ones of said ordered segments of the channel align and are associated with common values, the planes extending between said plurality of segments are renderable as a common plane.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the surface of each of said channels are alignable on said display to enable a user to view relationships of two or more different ones of said channels of signals.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the data is contiguous in time for each of said segments of said each of said channels.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein for one of more of said channels, the order of the segments of the channel are contiguous in time.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein for one of more of said channels, the order of the segments of the channel are non-contiguous in time.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein for each of said channels said computer system segments the data of the channel into segments in which each of said segments has one or more of starts or stops at predefined or user defined conditions.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein for each of said channels said computer system orders said segments by predefined or user defined conditions.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein for one or more of said channels the order of said segments of the channel is defined by the order in which said segments are segmented.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein for one or more of the channels said computer system continuously segments the data representing the signal of the channels when the data represents additional or newer signals

11. The system according to claim 1 wherein said rendered ordered segments for at least one of said channels advances in the depth in the three-dimensional perspective as said computer system continues to segment data representing the signal of said one of said channels.

12. The system according to claim 1 wherein said computer system comprises a user interface enabling a user to smoothly vary one or more of the position or angle of said three-dimensional perspective in said view on said display.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein the surface of two or more of said channels are of different color.

14. The system according to claim 1 wherein the surface of two or more of said channels are of different color and translucency.

15. The system according to claim 1 wherein the surface of one or more of said channels represents one or more of digital or analog data.

16. The system according to claim 1 wherein said computer system comprises a user interface enabling a user to smoothly change said three-dimensional perspective view about a user selected point on one of said channels rendered on said display.

17. The system according to claim 1 wherein said data represents one or more of a plurality of channels of signals received in real-time from a device.

18. The system according to claim 1 wherein said data represents one or more of a plurality of channels of signals stored in said memory of said computer system or an external accessible memory.

19. The system according to claim 1 wherein said data representing one or more of a plurality of channels of signals represents simulated data.

20. The system according to claim 1 wherein said computer system enables the three-dimensional surface of each of said channels to be smoothly reduced to one of a two-dimensional or orthogonal view of the channel on said display.

21. The system according to claim 1 wherein said computer system enables one of a two-dimensional or orthogonal view on said display of each of said channels.

22. The system according to claim 1 wherein said computer system enables one of a two-dimensional or orthogonal view on said display of each of said channels to smoothly expand to the three-dimensional surface of each of said channels.

23. The system according to claim 1 wherein said computer system comprises a user interface enabling a user to smoothly transition between said view of the three-dimensional surface of each of said channels and one of a two-dimensional or orthogonal view of each of said channels about a user selected point on said display.

24. The system according to claim 1 wherein the surface of two or more of said channels are capable of overlaying in said view without precluding visibility of each other.

25. The system according to claim 1 wherein said computer system enables rendering of one or more three-dimensional planes or objects extending through or in relation to the surface of each of a plurality of ones of said channels.

26. The system according to claim 25 wherein said two or more three-dimensional planes or objects are of one or more of different color or translucency.

27. The system according to claim 1 wherein said computer system comprises means for generating instructions for rendering the segments and surfaces for each of the channels, and means for rendering said view on the display in accordance with said instructions.

28. The system according to claim 1 wherein said computer system further comprises a user interface which enables the user to select one or more said three-dimensional planes or objects on the display.

29. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a user interface for said computer system to enable the user to select one or more of the order of the channels in the view as represented by ones of the surface of said channels, color of the surface of one or more of said channels, and the number of ordered segments for each one of said channels that are displayed in three-dimension for each one of said channels.

30. The system according to claim 1 wherein said data representing said signals represent video signals.

31. The system according to claim 1 wherein the data for one or more of said channels of signals are derived from one or more other said channels of signals by said computer system.

32. The system according to claim 1 wherein for each of said channels, each of said rendered segments of the channel are aligned in time relationship with each other on said display.

33. The system according to claim 1 wherein the surface characterizing each of said channels are aligned on said display in time relationship with each other.

34. A method for visualizing in a three-dimensional view data representing multiple channels of signals in which the signals of each of said channels has values which are variable over time, said method comprising the steps of:

a) segmenting the data of one of said channels into segments;

b) ordering the segments; and

c) rendering on a display each of said segments as one or more lines in accordance with the values of the data associated with the segment, in which each of said rendered segments are aligned in said order on said display along a three-dimensional perspective with gaps between adjacently rendered segments, in which lines are rendered extending from each of said lines of each one of said rendered segments to form a three-dimensional plane in the gap to the next successive one of said rendered ordered segments to form a three-dimensional continuous or discontinuous surface characterizing the channel, wherein said surface represents one of a plurality of surfaces rendered on said display are aligned with each other in which each of said plurality of surfaces are provided by carried out steps (a), (b), and (c) on data representing each other one of said channels.

35. A system for visualizing in a three-dimensional view data representing multiple channels of signals in which the signals of each of said channels has values which are variable over time, said system comprising:

means for segmenting the data of one of said channels into segments;

means for ordering the segments; and

means for rendering on a display each of said segments as one or more lines in accordance with the values of the data associated with the segment, in which each of said rendered segments are aligned in said order on said display along a three-dimensional perspective with gaps between adjacently rendered segments; and

lines are rendered extending from each of said lines of each one of said rendered segments to form a three-dimensional plane in the gap to abut the next successive one of said rendered ordered segments to form a three-dimensional continuous or discontinuous surface characterizing the channel, wherein said surface represents one of a plurality of surfaces rendered on said display in time relationship with each other in which each of said plurality of surfaces are provided by utilizing said segmenting means, said ordering means, and said rendering means upon data representing each other one of said channels.

36. The system according to claim 35 wherein said means for segmenting means, said means for ordering, said means for rendering on the display, and said means for rendering three-dimensional planes are operative in a computer system coupled to said display.

37. The system according to claim 35 wherein at least one of said plurality of surfaces vary in one or more of color or intensity in accordance with values of data associated with the surface without varying height of the surface.

38. The system according to claim 35 wherein height of each of said surfaces is associated with values of data associated with the surface.

39. The system according to claim 35 wherein height and one or more of color or intensity of each of said surfaces is associated with values of data associated with the surface.

40. A system for visualizing signals in three dimensions comprising:

data representing signals in two or more channels; and

a computer system having memory storing said data, and a display coupled to the computer system, in which said computer system segments the data of each of said channels into segments and renders each of said segments of the channel along a three-dimensional perspective on said display to provide a three-dimensional continuous or discontinuous surface representative of at least a portion of said signals of the channel, and the surface of each of said channels are simultaneously renderable on said display.

41. The system according to claim 40 wherein the surface of each of said channels varies in one or more characteristics to distinguish each of the channels from each other.

42. The system according to claim 40 wherein for each said channel the segments of the channel are rendered in an order and one or more three-dimensional planes are formed between and along the segments of the channel to provide the three-dimensional continuous or discontinuous surface which is representative of at least a portion of said signals of the channel.

43. The system according to claim 42 wherein for each channel each of said planes have edges, and when two or more of the planes of the channel are adjacently rendered to each other and located along the same two of said three-dimensions said two or more planes appear joined to each other as a common plane on said display.

44. The system according to claim 42 wherein for each channel each of said planes have edges, and when any two planes of the channel meet along different ones of at least two of said three-dimensions said two planes appear to meet to form an edge.

45. The system according to claim 42 wherein the planes of said surface of each of said channels varies in one or more characteristics to distinguish each of the planes from each other.

46. The system according to claim 42 wherein each of the planes of said surface of one or more of said channels is rendered as an area that varies in one or more characteristics.

47. The system according to claim 40 wherein said computer system enables a user to change said three-dimensional perspective of the surface of each of the channels on the display.

48. The system according to claim 40 wherein said computer system comprises three-dimensional rendering hardware to optimize rendering of the surface of each of the channels on the display.

49. The system according to claim 40 wherein when the surface of one or more of said channels is rendered as two or more surfaces of different resolutions when the surface appears to extend along a distance in the three-dimensional perspective on said display.

50. The system according to claim 40 wherein said data represents signals in two or more channels which are variable over a domain.

51. The system according to claim 40 wherein said three-dimensional rendering is represented by one or more of a Cartesian, cylindrical, or spherical coordinate system.