Measuring system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11061053-B2
Application number	US-201815871801-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2018
Priority date	Oct 12, 2017
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A measuring system for measuring signals with multiple measurement probes comprises a multi probe measurement device comprising at least two probe interfaces that each couple the multi probe measurement device with at least one of the measurement probes, a data interface that couples the multi probe measurement device to a measurement data receiver, and a processing unit coupled to the at least two probe interfaces that records measurement values via the at least two probe interfaces from the measurement probes, wherein the processing unit is further coupled to the data interface and provides the recorded measurement values to the measurement data receiver, and a measurement data receiver comprising a data interface, wherein the data interface of the measurement data receiver is coupled to the data interface of the multi probe measurement device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A measuring system for measuring signals with multiple measurement probes, the measuring system comprising:
a measurement data receiver comprising a first data interface and a number of analog input channels for acquiring analog signals, and
a multi probe measurement device comprising at least two probe interfaces that each couple the multi probe measurement device with at least one of the measurement probes,
a second data interface that couples the multi probe measurement device to the measurement data receiver, and
a processing unit coupled to the at least two probe interfaces that records measurement values via the at least two probe interfaces from the measurement probes, wherein the processing unit is further coupled to the first data interface and provides the recorded measurement values to the measurement data receiver,
wherein the first data interface of the measurement data receiver is coupled to the second data interface of the multi probe measurement device,
wherein the measurement data receiver is configured to receive the measurement data values form the measurement probes via the multi probe measurement device, and
wherein the at least two probe interfaces and the processing unit are configured to acquire measurement values with a lower sampling rate and/or bandwidth than a sampling rate and/or bandwidth of the number of analog input channels of the measurement data receiver.

2. The measuring system according to claim 1 , the multi probe measurement device comprising a timer coupled to the processing unit, wherein the processing unit provides the recorded measurement values with a time stamp.

3. The measuring system according to claim 2 , wherein the processing unit of the multi probe measurement device receives a synchronization message via the second data interface and configures the timer according to the synchronization message.

4. The measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two probe interfaces of the multi probe measurement device comprise a a USB interface and/or a LAN interface and/or a CAN interface and/or a CAN-FD interface and/or a LIN interface and/or a FlexRay interface and/or an I2C interface and/or a SENT interface, and/or
wherein the at least two probe interfaces of the multi probe measurement device comprise a WIFI interface and/or a Bluetooth interface, and/or
wherein the at least two probe interfaces of the multi probe measurement device comprise a voltage interface and/or a current interface and/or a thermocouple interface; and/or
wherein the multi probe measurement device comprises at least two probe interfaces of the same type.

5. The measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the second data interface of the multi probe measurement device comprises at least one digital data channel and/or at least one analog data channel.

6. The measuring system according to claim 1 , the multi probe measurement device comprising a trigger unit that outputs a trigger event signal via the second data interface if a predetermined condition is detected on one of the probe interfaces.

7. The measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement data receiver comprises a master clock device that generates a synchronization message and provides the synchronization message via the first data interface to the multi probe measurement device.

8. The measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement data receiver comprises a first number of analog measurement channels and a switching matrix, and
wherein the multi probe measurement device comprises a second number of analog input channels, and
wherein the switching matrix controllably switches up to the first number of analog measurement channels of the measurement data receiver to the first data interface for receiving analog signals from the analog inputs of the multi probe measurement device.

9. The measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement data receiver comprises a control unit coupled to the first data interface that automatically identifies the multi probe measurement device when the multi probe measurement device is connected to the measurement data receiver via the first data interface.

10. The measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the multi probe measurement device transmits information about measurement probes connected to the multi probe measurement device via the second data interface upon connection of the multi probe measurement device to the measurement data receiver.

11. The measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement data receiver comprises a power supply that supplies the multi probe measurement device with electrical power via the first data interface.

12. The measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement data receiver comprises a first number of analog measurement channels that acquire first measurement values according to a base parameter that is common between the analog measurement channels and the measurement values recorded via the at least two probe interfaces.

13. The measuring system according to claim 12 , wherein the base parameter comprises a common time base.

14. The measuring system according to claim 12 , wherein the measurement data receiver converts the measurement values recorded via the at least two probe interfaces into a color or color code for the first measurement values, and wherein the first measurement values are displayed on a display of the measurement data receiver according to the color or color code.

15. The measuring system according to claim 12 , wherein the measurement data receiver converts the measurement values recorded via the at least two probe interfaces into a height information for the first measurement values, and wherein the first measurement values are displayed on a display of the measurement data receiver in a three-dimensional perspective and the height of the first measurement values over a signal-value and time plane is determined based on the height information.

16. A method for measuring electrical signals, the method comprising:
coupling a multi probe measurement device to a measurement data receiver, wherein a first data interface of the measurement data receiver is coupled to a second data interface of the multi probe measurement device,
connecting to the multi probe measurement device with measurement probes, wherein the multi probe measurement device comprises at least two probe interfaces that each couple the multi probe measurement device with at least one of the measurement probes,
measuring analog signals the measurement data receiver with analog measurement channels of the measurement data receiver,
recording measurement values via the at least two probe interfaces from the measurement probes with the multi probe measurement device,
providing the recorded measurement values from the multi probe measurement device to the measurement data receiver via the first and the second data interface,
receiving the measurement data values from the measurement probes via the multi probe measurement device, and
recording analog signals by a number of analog input channels of the measurement data receiver, wherein the recorded measurement values from the multi probe device are measured and provided with a lower sampling rate and/or bandwidth than a sampling rate and/or bandwidth of the number of analog input channels of the measurement data receiver.

17. The method according to claim 16 , comprising timely synchronizing the measurement of the analog signals and the recording of the measurement va

Assignees

• Rohde & Schwarz

Inventors

• Bresser Gerd
• Reich Friedrich

Classifications

• G01R19/25

  using digital measurement techniques · CPC title

• G01R1/073

  Multiple probes · CPC title

• G01R1/06788

  Hand-held or hand-manipulated probes, e.g. for oscilloscopes or for portable test instruments (end pieces terminating in a probe H01R11/18) · CPC title

• G06F13/4282

  on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247) · CPC title

• G01R13/28

  Circuits for simultaneous or sequential presentation of more than one variable · CPC title