Statistical streaming

• US 7,868,886 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2005
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hottinger Baldwin Measurements, Inc. (Spectris PLC)
• Original Assignee: Hottinger Baldwin Measurements, Inc. (Spectris PLC)
• Inventors: Schild, Edwin, Kerkhofs, Gerard, Ackermans, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): GOOD JOHNSON, MOTILEWA
• Application Number:
  US11/205,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20060181440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,973 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2509 Details concerning sampling, digitizing or waveform capturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A method of providing a display signal, wherein digital data to be displayed has associated with it statistical values determined for pre-determined sized blocks of the digital data, comprising the steps of: determining display scaling parameters; determining from the display scaling parameters the extent to which the statistical values are suitable to use in place of some or all of the digital data when determining which data points of either the digital data and/or statistical values to display; determining the data points to display; reading the digital data and/or statistical values to be displayed; and generating the display signal from the digital data and/or statistical values.

Claims

1. A method for displaying digital data using statistical data streams, comprising:

receiving digital data;

determining at least one data block size;

for each data block size;

dividing the digital data into a plurality of data blocks based on the data block size,

calculating statistical values by a digital processor, including a minimum value and a maximum value, for each data block, and

creating a statistical data stream that includes the statistical values for each data block;

determining display scaling parameters, including a data points-per-pixel value, for a user-selected portion of the digital data;

if at least one data block size is smaller than or equal to the data points-per-pixel value;

selecting at least one statistical data stream having a respective data block size smaller than or equal to the data points-per-pixel value,

determining the number of complete data blocks contained within the user-selected portion of the digital data,

determining the number of partial data blocks contained within the user-selected portion of the digital data,

calculating statistical values for each partial data block, and

creating a display signal from the statistical values associated with the complete data blocks and the partial data blocks, and

otherwise;

decimating the digital data to create the display signal; and

outputting the display signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving analog data from an analog data source; and

digitizing the analog data, using a digital-to-analog (A/D) converter, to create the digital data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-selected portion of the digital data includes a portion of an initial data block, at least one complete data block and a portion of a final data block.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistical values include one or more of a root mean square value, a standard deviation value and a mean value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistical values include one or more of a sum of the digital samples value and a sum of the squares of the digital data samples value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display signal includes both minimum and maximum values.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

for a first selected statistical data stream having the largest data block size;

determining a first number complete data blocks that are contained within the user-selected portion of the digital data, and

determining a first number of partial data blocks that are contained within the user-selected portion of the digital data;

for a second selected statistical data stream having the next largest data block size;

determining a second number of complete data blocks that are contained within the first number of partial data blocks, and

determining a second number of partial data blocks that are contained within the first number of partial data blocks;

processing any remaining selected statistical data streams accordingly until a final number of partial data blocks is determined;

calculating statistical values for each final partial data block; and

creating a display signal from the statistical values associated with the complete data blocks, for each statistical data stream, and the final partial data blocks.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein three statistical data streams are created having respective data block sizes of 500, 10⁴ and 10⁶ samples.