Analog transitional storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10670632-B2
Application number	US-201815952547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2018
Priority date	Apr 14, 2017
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

A test and measurement instrument can include an input to receive an analog signal, a sampler to produce digital sample data corresponding to the analog signal, a buffer to store a portion of the sample data, a memory to store sample data from the buffer, a plurality of comparators to establish a vertical range, and a controller configured to configure the plurality of comparators to establish a first vertical range based on sample data in the buffer, and determine whether any of the sample data in the buffer transitions outside the first vertical range during a period of time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A test and measurement instrument, comprising:
an input configured to receive an analog signal;
a sampler configured to produce digital sample data corresponding to the analog signal;
a buffer configured to temporarily store a portion of the sample data corresponding to the analog signal;
a memory configured to store sample data from the buffer;
a plurality of comparators configurable to establish a vertical range; and
a controller configured to:
configure the plurality of comparators to establish a first vertical range based on a first sample data in the buffer;
determine whether any of the sample data in the buffer transitions outside the first vertical range during a period of time;
responsive to a determination that a second sample data in the buffer transitions outside the first vertical range during the period of time, cause the sample data in the buffer to be moved to the memory, reset the period of time, and further cause the plurality of comparators to be reconfigured to establish a second vertical range based on the second sample data in the buffer; and
responsive to a determination that none of the sample data in the buffer transitions outside the first vertical range during the period of time, cause the sample data in the buffer to be discarded and reset the period of time.

2. The test and measurement instrument of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of comparators are configured to establish either or both of an upper threshold and a lower threshold.

3. The test and measurement instrument of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause timestamp information to be stored, the timestamp information corresponding to when the second sample data transitions outside the first vertical range.

4. The test and measurement instrument of claim 3 , further comprising a display device, wherein the controller is further configured to display a waveform on the display device, the waveform being reconstructed from the sample data stored in the memory and the stored timestamp information.

5. The test and measurement instrument of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause timestamp information to be stored, the timestamp information corresponding to the sample data in the buffer being discarded.

6. The test and measurement instrument of claim 5 , further comprising a display device, wherein the controller is further configured to display a waveform on the display device, the waveform being reconstructed from the sample data stored in the memory and the stored timestamp information.

7. The test and measurement instrument of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first vertical range and the second vertical range is configured to be set by a user.

8. The test and measurement instrument of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes one or both of a processor and a state machine.

9. The test and measurement instrument of claim 1 , further comprising a display device, wherein the controller is further configured to cause at least one of the first vertical range and the second vertical range to be visually presented by the display device.

10. A test and measurement instrument, comprising:
an input configured to receive one or more analog signals on each of one or more channels;
a buffer configured to temporarily store sample data corresponding to each of the one or more analog signals;
a memory configured to store sample data from the buffer;
a plurality of comparators configured to establish a vertical range;
a controller configured to:
determine whether any of the one or more analog signals transitions outside the vertical range during a period of time;
responsive to a determination that at least one of the one or more analog signals transitions outside the vertical range during the period of time, cause the sample data in the buffer to be moved to the memory and reset the period of time; and
responsive to a determination that none of the one or more analog signals transitions outside the vertical range during the period of time, cause the sample data in the buffer to be disregarded and reset the period of time.

11. The test and measurement instrument of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of comparators are configured to establish either or both of an upper threshold and a lower threshold for each of the one or more channels.

12. The test and measurement instrument of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause timestamp information to be stored, the timestamp information corresponding to when the at least one of the one or more analog signals transitions outside the vertical range.

13. The test and measurement instrument of claim 12 , further comprising a display device, wherein the controller is further configured to display one or more waveforms on the display device, the one or more waveforms being reconstructed from the sample data stored in the memory and the stored timestamp information.

14. The test and measurement instrument of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause timestamp information to be stored, the timestamp information corresponding to the sample data in the buffer being disregarded.

15. The test and measurement instrument of claim 10 , further comprising a display device, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the vertical range to be visually presented by the display device.

16. A machine-implemented method, comprising:
receiving an analog signal;
producing digital sample data corresponding to the analog signal;
temporarily storing, in a buffer, a portion of the sample data corresponding to the analog signal;
establishing a first vertical range based on a first sample data;
determining whether any of the sample data transitions outside the first vertical range during a period of time;
responsive to a determination that a second sample data in the buffer transitions outside the first vertical range during the period of time, causing the temporarily-stored sample data to be moved to a memory, resetting the period of time, and further establishing a second vertical range based on the second sample data; and
responsive to a determination that none of the sample data in the buffer transitions outside the first vertical range during the period of time, causing the temporarily-stored sample data to be discarded and resetting the period of time.

17. The machine-implemented method of claim 16 , wherein each of the first vertical range and the second vertical range includes one or more vertical thresholds.

18. The machine-implemented method of claim 16 , further comprising storing timestamp information corresponding to when the second sample data transitions outside the first vertical range.

19. The machine-implemented method of claim 16 , further comprising storing timestamp information corresponding to the sample data being discarded.

20. The machine-implemented method of claim 16 , further comprising visually presenting the first vertical range or the second vertical range on a display device.

Assignees

• Tektronix Inc

Inventors

• Holaday David A
• O'Brien Joshua J

Classifications

• G01R13/345

  for displaying sampled signals by using digital processors by intermediate A.D. and D.A. convertors (control circuits for CRT indicators) · CPC title

• G11C27/02

  Sample-and-hold arrangements (G11C27/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R13/0254 Primary

  for triggering, synchronisation · CPC title

• G01R13/02

  for displaying measured electric variables in digital form · CPC title

• G01R13/34

  Circuits for representing a single waveform by sampling, e.g. for very high frequencies · CPC title