MEASURING DEVICE AND MEASURING METHOD WITH INTERACTIVE OPERATION

• US 20150309716A1
• Filed: 06/23/2014
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: PAULY, Andreas, BRAUNSTORFINGER, Thomas, RIEGER, Angela, TIETSCHER, Gerald
• Granted Patent: US 9,658,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A measuring device comprises a control unit, a measuring unit, a display unit and an input unit. The measuring unit comprises a plurality of functional units and a connection unit configured for selectively connecting the plurality of functional units. The control unit is configured to control the display unit to display a plurality of function blocks each corresponding to at least one functional unit. The input unit is configured to allow a user to select one of the plurality of function blocks. The control unit is configured, after a function block is selected by the user, to control the display unit to display possible connections of the selected function block to further function blocks.

Claims

1. A measuring device comprising:

a control unit;

a measuring unit;

a display unit; and

an input unit;

wherein the measuring unit comprises a plurality of functional units and a connection unit configured for selectively connecting the plurality of functional units,

wherein the control unit is configured to control the display unit to display a plurality of function blocks each corresponding to at least one functional unit,

wherein the input unit is configured to facilitate selection of one of the plurality of function blocks, and

wherein, upon selection of a one of the function blocks, the control unit is further configured to control the display unit to display possible connections of the selected function block to further functions blocks.

2. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the display unit to display the possible connections by displaying the further function blocks at least partially in a first manner comprising one or more of a first color, a first texture and a first appearance, and displaying a cursor icon on the display unit at least partially in the first manner.

3. The measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to control the display unit to display the possible connections by displaying the selected function block at least partially in a second manner comprising one or more of a second color, a second texture and a second appearance, and displaying the cursor icon on the display unit at least partially in the second manner.

4. The measuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit is further configured to control the display unit to display connections of the connection unit between functional units as connections between corresponding function blocks on the display unit, and

wherein, when a connection is selected, the control unit is further configured to control the display unit to display a first function block connected by the selected connection in a first manner comprising one or more of a first color, a first texture and a first appearance, and to display a second function block connected by the selected connection in a second manner comprising one or more of a second color, a second texture and a second appearance, and to display the cursor icon at least partially in the first manner, and to display the cursor icon at least partially in the second manner, and

wherein, when a disconnection is selected, the control unit is further configured to control the connection unit to disconnect the connection between the functional units corresponding to the first function block and the second function block.

5. The measuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of function blocks each corresponds to a specific functional unit or to a combination of at least two functional units, and

wherein the plurality of functional units include one or more of coders, baseband processors, faders, noise generators, mappers, modulators, radio frequency generators, digital outputs, digital inputs, analog outputs, analog inputs, adders, mixers, multipliers and connectors.

6. The measuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of function blocks include one or more of coding blocks, baseband blocks, fading blocks, noise blocks, mapping blocks, modulator blocks, radio frequency blocks, digital output blocks, digital input blocks, analog output blocks and analog input blocks.

7. The measuring device according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the plurality of function blocks corresponds to a combination of at least two functional units,

wherein the input unit is further configured to facilitate initiation of a command for expanding the at least one function block, and

wherein, when the input unit detects initiation of the command for expanding the at least one function block, the control unit is further configured to control the display unit to display at least two function blocks each corresponding to one of the at least two functional units of the at least one function block.

8. The measuring device according to claim 7,

wherein the input unit is further configured to facilitate initiation of a command for collapsing the at least two function blocks, and

wherein, when the input unit detects initiation of the command for collapsing the at least two function blocks, the control unit is further configured to display on the display unit the at least one function block.

9. The measuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the input unit is further configured to facilitate initiation of a context menu command corresponding to one or more of at least one function block and at least one graphical element displayed on the display unit, and

wherein, when the input unit detects initiation of the context menu command, the control unit is further configured to control the display unit to display a context menu corresponding to the one or more of the at least one function block and the at least one graphical element.

10. The measuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the input unit is further configured to facilitate initiation of a preview command,

wherein the control unit is further configured to control the display unit to display a selection window for selecting different function block layouts,

wherein the input unit is further configured to facilitate initiation of a select command for selecting one of the function block layouts, and

wherein the control unit is further configured to control the display unit to display a preview window showing a function block layout selected in the selection window.

11. The measuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit is further configured to detect one or more ambiguities regarding an establishment or a deletion of at least one connection between function blocks, and

wherein, when the control unit detects at least one ambiguity, the control unit is further configured to control the display unit to display one or more of a warning message and a dialog requesting clarification of the at least one ambiguity.

12. A measuring system comprising at least one measuring device according to claim 1 and at least one further measuring device,

wherein at least one of the plurality of function blocks corresponds to the at least one measuring device, and

wherein at least one of the plurality of function blocks corresponds to the at least one further measuring device.

13. The measuring system according to claim 12, wherein the connection unit is adapted to connect functional units of the measuring device and of one or more further measuring devices.

14. A measuring method comprising:

displaying, on a display unit of a measuring device, a plurality of function blocks, each corresponding to at least one functional unit of the measuring device;

selecting one of the plurality of function blocks;

displaying, on the display unit, possible connections of the selected function block to further functions blocks of the measuring device;

selecting one of the further function blocks; and

establishing a connection between at least one functional unit corresponding to the function block and at least one functional unit corresponding to the further function block.

15. The measuring method according to claim 14, further comprising:

displaying, on the display unit, the possible connections by displaying the further function blocks at least partially in a first manner comprising one or more of a first color, a first texture and a first appearance; and

displaying, on the display unit, a cursor icon at least partially in the first manner.

16. The measuring method according to claim 15, further comprising:

displaying, on the display unit, the selected function block at least partially in a second manner comprising one or more of a second color, a second texture and a second appearance; and

displaying, on the display unit, the cursor icon at least partially in the second manner.