Simple generation of a remote-control sequence for measuring devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9377488-B2
Application number	US-201213359794-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2012
Priority date	Jan 27, 2011
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A measuring device provides a central data-processing unit, a control unit and at least one memory unit. The control unit and the at least one memory unit are connected to the central data-processing unit. At a given time, the control unit compares the adjustable parameters of the measuring device with parameters for a basic setting of the measuring device and generates control commands for the adjustment of the deviating parameters, or the control unit registers the parameter changes from a given time and generates control commands from these in order to adjust the changed parameters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A measuring device comprising:
a signal generator,
a central data-processing unit, a control unit and at least one memory unit,
wherein the control unit and the at least one memory unit are connected to the central data-processing unit,
wherein, at a given time, the control unit compares parameters to be adjusted in the measuring device with parameter values for a basic setting of the measuring device,
wherein, from a given time, the control unit registers parameter value changes between parameter values for the basic setting of the measuring device and parameter values to be adjusted in the measuring device, and generates control commands for parameters with registered parameter value changes in order to adjust parameters with the parameter values to be adjusted,
wherein the control unit generates control commands for parameters which are dependent from the parameters with registered parameter value changes, whereby the control commands for the dependent parameters are linked with control commands for the parameters with registered parameter value changes, and
wherein the control unit buffers the control commands in a chronological order to ensure that an output of the signal generator is activated only when a value for a level of a signal to be output has been set.

2. The measuring device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the case of a parameter change, the control unit registers only the last value for each parameter and generates a control command only for this in order to adjust it.

3. The measuring device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the control unit buffers the control commands in the at least one memory unit and/or
wherein the control unit displays the control commands on a visual-display unit connected to the measuring device and/or
wherein the control unit communicates the control commands to a computer system connected to the measuring device.

4. The measuring device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit buffers the control commands in the at least one memory unit and/or
wherein the control unit displays the control commands on a visual-display unit connected to the measuring device and/or
wherein the control unit communicates the control commands to a computer system connected to the measuring device.

5. The measuring device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit loads the generated control commands and/or a basic setting for the measuring device from the at least one memory unit and/or
wherein the control unit loads the generated control commands and/or a basic setting for the measuring device from a computer system connected to the measuring device and/or that these are loadable from a computer system connected to the measuring device and
wherein the control unit implements the generated control commands.

6. The measuring device according to claim 5 ,
wherein, in the implementation of previously generated control commands by the control unit, no testing of validity of the control commands takes place.

7. The measuring device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the generated control commands are buffered as plain text and/or
wherein the generated control commands can be transmitted to the measuring device via a LAN bus and/or via a USB bus and/or via a CAN bus as standard commands for programmable instruments and/or virtual instrument software architecture commands, so that the measuring device can be controlled remotely.

8. A method for operating a measuring device including a signal generator, a central data-processing unit, a control unit and at least one memory unit,
wherein the control unit and the at least one memory unit are connected to the central data-processing unit,
wherein the method comprises:
comparing, by the control unit at a given time, parameter values to be adjusted in the measuring device with parameter values for a basic setting of the measuring device;
registering, by the control unit, parameter value changes between parameter values for the basic setting of the measuring device and parameter values to be adjusted in the measuring device from a given time;
generating control commands, by the control unit, for adjustment of parameters, for which parameter value changes are determined, with the parameter values to be adjusted;
linking control commands for the parameters with registered parameter value changes with control commands for parameters which are dependent from the parameters with registered parameter value changes; and
buffering, by the control unit, the control commands in a chronological order to ensure that an output of the signal generator is activated only when a value for a level of a signal to be output has been set.

9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising the following method steps:
in the case of a parameter change, registering only the last value for every parameter, and generating, by the control unit, the control command for the adjustment of this value.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the following method steps:
buffering of the control commands by the control unit in the at least one memory unit and/or
displaying the control commands by the control unit on a visual-display unit connected to the measuring device and/or
communicating the control commands by the control unit to a computer system connected to the measuring device.

11. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising the following method steps:
buffering of the control commands by the control unit in the at least one memory unit and/or
displaying the control commands by the control unit on a visual-display unit connected to the measuring device and/or
communicating the control commands by the control unit to a computer system connected to the measuring device.

12. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising the following method steps:
loading of the generated control commands and/or a basic setting for the measuring device by the control unit from the at least one memory unit and/or
loading of the generated control commands and/or a basic setting for the measuring device into the control unit from a computer system connected to the measuring device and
implementing the generated control commands by the control unit.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising the following method step:
in the implementation by the control unit of previously generated control commands, omitting a testing of validity of the control commands.

14. The method according to claim 8 ,
wherein the generated control commands are buffered as plain text; and/or
wherein the measuring device is remotely controlled by transmitting the generated control commands to the measuring device via a LAN bus and/or a USB bus and/or a CAN bus as SCPI (standard commands for programmable instruments) and/or VISA (virtual instrument software architecture) commands.

15. A computer program with program-code, embedded in a non-transitory computer readable medium, for implementing all of the steps according to claim 8 when the program is executed on a computer or digital signal processor.

16. A computer software product with program-code, especially stored on a non-transitory machine-readable carrier, for implementing all of the steps according to claim 8 when the program is executed on a computer or digital signal processor.

Assignees

• Braunstorfinger Thomas
• Danz Joachim
• Rohde & Schwarz

Inventors

• Braunstorfinger Thomas
• Danz Joachim

Classifications

• G01R1/025

  concerning dedicated user interfaces, e.g. GUI, or dedicated keyboards (G01R31/31912 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R13/029 Primary

  Software therefor · CPC title