Scientific instrument emulator having a computer and an analog signal interface for real-time signal processing

• US 5,630,164 A
• Filed: 03/29/1996
• Issued: 05/13/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Associative Measurements Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Associative Measurements Pty Limited
• Inventors: Oates, John D., Williams, Donald V., Keeble, John B., Campos, Alejandro G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowler, Alyssa H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FOLLANSBEE, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US08/627,908
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/500, 395/140, 395/920, 364/578
• US Class Current: 703/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A scientific instrument emulator is disclosed and comprises a computer (1) including a memory (3) and at least two processors (2,9). An analogue I/O module (6) is configured within the computer (1) and connects via a bus (11) thereby permitting conversion of analogue signals into digital signals for processing by the processors (9). The module (6) permits connection to monitoring and/or sampling devices such as transducers which permit analysis and recording of physical phenomena. The emulator is programmable via a library of processing functions stored in the memory (3) to adapt the processors (9) to emulate the operation of a plurality of scientific instruments thereby permitting display of monitored events on a VDU (10) in real-time and/or storage of data relating to the events in the memory (3). Data can also be recorded in analogue format using one or more tape recoders connectable to the module (6).

Claims

1. A scientific instrument emulator comprising:

a computer including a memory coupled to a processor;

a multifunctional input/output signal module having at least one analogue signal input with digitizing means connected thereto and at least one signal output and being configurable with respect to at least a sampling frequency of said analogue signal input;

a video display coupled to a video display generator, said video display generator being coupled to said processor;

a library program stored in said memory, said library program including a plurality of instrumentation units each being able to be displayed on said video display and each having a predetermined signal processing function;

a set-up program stored in said memory and carried out by said processor to allow an operator to interconnect selected instrumentation units to form an array of interconnected instrumentation units, wherein a sampling frequency for said multifunctional input/output signal module is specified, said set-up program enables contiguous signal feedback interconnection in said array, said array having an output being provided to at least one of the following;

said video display, said multifunctional input/output signal module and said memory; and

a graphic compiler program stored in said memory and executable by said processor on completion of said set-up program to create a scientific instrument emulation program to carry out an overall signal processing function of said array of selected interconnected instrumentation units, said graphic compiler program being capable of resolving contiguous signal feedback in said array and to form an ordered list in said emulation program of said predetermined signal processing functions of said instrument units, which are each to be carried out once between successive samples of an input signal obtained using said multifunctional input/output signal module, said emulation program containing operations for configuring said sampling frequency of said multifunctional input/output signal module for sampling said input signal to provide a contiguous data stream;

an instrument emulation sub-assembly coupled to said processor, said memory, and said video display generator, wherein said instrument emulation sub-assembly is directly connected to said multifunctional input/output signal module, said instrument emulation sub-assembly having;

a second processor for executing said scientific instrument emulation program to continuously carry out said overall signal processing function so that each sample of said contiguous data stream is processed during a single sample time to produce an array output of said scientific instrument emulator before a successive sample of said input signal is obtained by said multifunctional input/output signal module;

wherein at least one of a plurality of operations is performed, said plurality of operations including each of displaying said array output on said video display in real time, storing said array output in the memory, and providing said array output to said signal output of said multifunctional input/output signal module in real time.

2. The scientific instrument emulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said instrumentation units are each represented by a corresponding icon which is able to be displayed on said video display during operation of said set-up program whereby each desired instrumentation unit can be selected, located in, and interconnected with other instrumentation units in said array.

3. The scientific instrument emulator as claimed in claim 2, wherein said array includes a data signal feedback loop connected between an output of one of said instrumentation units and an input of one said instrumentation units.

4. The scientific instrument emulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said multifunctional input/output signal module includes an additional signal output for connection to external hardware and that is available as a real time electric signal able to operate, or trigger, said external hardware.

5. The scientific instrument emulator as claimed in claim 4, wherein said multifunctional input/output signal module has both analogue and digital signal outputs.

6. The scientific instrument emulator as claimed in claim 4, wherein said array output stored in said memory is available for subsequent graphical manipulation and/or tabulation by said computer.

7. The scientific instrument emulator according to claim 1, wherein said instrument emulation processor assembly further comprises a video generator connected to said second processor for providing a displayable representation of said array output before a succeeding sample is obtained.

8. A method for determining execution order of predefined signal processing elements in a computer having a central processing unit and electronic memory to implement in real time a mathematical/signal processing function of an emulated instrument having at least one repetitively sampled signal input to form a signal output thereof, said method comprising the steps of:

applying a set-up program stored in said memory and carried out be said central processing unit to allow an operator to interconnect selected instrumentation units to form an array of interconnected instrumentation units, wherein a sampling frequency for a multifunctional input/output signal module is specified, said set-up program enables contiguous signal feedback interconnection in said array, said array having an output being provided to at least one of the following;

a video display, said multifunctional input/output signal module and said memory, each of said instrumentation units having a mathematical/signal processing function;

creating a scientific instrument emulation program using a graphic compiler program stored in said memory and executable by said central processing unit on completion of said set-up program, said scientific instrument emulation program carrying out said overall signal processing function of said array of selected interconnected instrumentation units;

determining an execution order of said mathematical/signal processing function including the steps of;

representing said function as a sequence of elemental mathematical steps in turn representable using predefined signal processing elements, and

arranging the predefined signal processing elements in said sequence for sequential execution within the time between successive samples and commencing with said at least one sampled signal input,

wherein said determining step thereby forms an array of instrumentation units having said overall circuit mathematical/signal processing function;

continuously carrying out said overall signal processing function so that each sample of said contiguous data stream is processed during a single sample time to produce an array output of said overall mathematical signal processing function before a successive sample of said input signal is obtained by said multifunctional input/output signal module;

representing said overall circuit mathematical/signal processing function as a sequence of events representable as predefined signal processing element events;

arranging said predefined signal processing element events in said sequence for sequential execution commencing with said at least one sampled array signal input, whereby a determinate computation time of the predefined signal precessing elements is ensured by executing every one of said predefined signal processing elements once between successive samples, whereby said method is capable of resolving data signal feedback in said array of instrumentation units;

displaying said array output on said video display in real time;

storing said array output in the memory; and

providing said array output to said signal output of said multifunctional input/output signal module in real time.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a parameter of said functional block is able to be specified without interrupting execution of the predefined signal processing elements.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said array includes at least one data signal feedback loop in which an output of one of said instrumentation units is connected to form an input of one of said plurality of instrumentation units, and an initial result of corresponding one of said executable events in said sequence of executable events is utilized in a repeated execution of an earlier event to generate a modified result of said corresponding one of said executable events from a previous sample period.

11. A scientific instrument for precessing electrical waveforms, said instrument comprising:

a computer having a central processing unit and electronic memory positioned within a housing for said computer, said housing including at least one floppy disc nacelle;

a video display coupled to said central processing unit;

an analogue signal processing module mounted in said floppy disc nacelle to enable access to an analogue input connector to an analogue output connector of said analogue signal processing module from the front of said computer;

an analogue-to-digital converter connected to said analogue input connector and to said central processing unit for converting an analogue input signal from said analogue input connector to a digital input signal for processing by said central processing unit, and a digital-to-analogue converter connected to said central processing unit and to said analogue output connector for converting a digital output signal from said central processing unit to an analogue output signal applied to said analogue output connector;

a library program stored in said memory, said library program including a plurality of instrumentation units each being able to be displayed on said video display and each having a predetermined signal processing function;

a set-up program stored in said memory and carried out be said central processing unit to allow an operator to interconnect selected instrumentation units to form an array of interconnected instrumentation units, wherein a sampling frequency for said converter is specified, said set-up program enables contiguous signal feedback interconnection in said array, said array having an output being provided to at least one of the following;

said video display, said converter and said memory;

a graphic compiler program stored in said memory and executable by said central processing unit on completion of said set-up program to create a scientific instrument emulation program to carry out an overall signal processing function of said array of selected interconnected instrumentation units, said graphic compiler program being capable of resolving contiguous signal feedback in said array and to form an ordered list in said emulation program of said predetermined signal processing functions of said instrument units, which are each to be carried out once between successive samples of an input signal obtained using said converter, said emulation program containing operations for configuring said sampling frequency of said converter for sampling said input signal to provide a contiguous data stream; and

an instrument emulation sub-assembly coupled to said central processing unit, said memory, and said video display generator, wherein said instrument emulation sub-assembly is directly connected to said converter, said instrument emulation sub-assembly having;

a second processing unit for executing said scientific instrument emulation program to continuously carry out said overall signal processing function so that each sample of said contiguous data stream is processed during a single sample time to produce an array output of said scientific instrument before a successive sample of said input signal is obtained by said converter;

wherein at least one of a plurality of operations is performed, said plurality of operations including each of displaying said array output on said video display in real time, storing said array output in the memory, and providing said array output to a digital to analog converter in real time.

12. The scientific instrument as claimed in claim 11, wherein said analogue-to digital converter includes sampling means for sampling said analogue input signal at a predetermined sampling rate.

13. The scientific instrument as claimed in claim 12, wherein said computer further includes at least one additional processing unit in addition to said central processing unit and additional memory in addition to said electronic memory, wherein all said additional processing units share said electronic memory and said additional memory.

14. The scientific instrument as claimed in claim 13, wherein said sampling means is connected to said additional processing unit and controlled thereby to select said rate.

15. The scientific instrument as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a video processing circuit connected to said analogue-to-digital converter for receiving said digital input signal and connected to a video display unit of said computer for display of a video image corresponding to said digital input signal.

16. The scientific instrument as claimed in claim 11, wherein said computer is a personal computer.

17. The scientific instrument as claimed in claim 11, wherein said analogue signal processing module further includes a frequency/count input connector and said instrument includes a counter connected to said frequency/count input connector and to said central processing unit for calculating a frequency or count from the input applied to said frequency/count input connector.