Measuring device with a display memory having memory cells with a reduced number of bits and a corresponding method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9672794-B2
Application number	US-201514661568-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2015
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

A method for reducing a number of bits used for a frequency value of a measuring signal stored in each memory cell of a display memory in a measuring device determines the frequency value in each memory cell by assigning the frequency of sampled values in several measuring portions of a measured signal within an update cycle of the display to a corresponding memory cell. It then displays each pixel of the display with a brightness or a color corresponding to the frequency value in the corresponding memory cell after each update cycle. The determined frequency value is a sum of a first frequency value, which is determined in a number of first measuring portions of the measured signal within the update cycle, and at least one compressed second frequency value, which is determined by compression of a corresponding compressed second frequency value with a compression factor. Each uncompressed second frequency value can be determined in a corresponding part of a number of second measuring portions of the measured signal within the update cycle.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for reducing a number of bits used for a frequency value of a measuring signal stored in each memory cell of a display memory in a measuring device, the method comprising the following steps:
determining the frequency value in each memory cell by assigning the frequency of sampled values in several measuring portions of a measured signal within an update cycle of the display to a corresponding memory cell; and
displaying each pixel of the display with a brightness or a color corresponding to the frequency value in the corresponding memory cell after each update cycle,
wherein the determined frequency value is a sum of a first frequency value, which is determined in a number of first measuring portions of the measured signal within the update cycle, and at least one compressed second frequency value, which is determined by compression of a corresponding uncompressed second frequency value with a compression factor and each frequency value stored in the memory cell for display in a corresponding pixel of the display is treated separately.

2. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein each uncompressed second frequency value is determined in a corresponding part of a number of second measuring portions of the measured signal within the update cycle.

3. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the number of second measuring portions for determining each uncompressed second frequency value corresponds to the compression factor.

4. The method according to claim 2 ,
wherein the determination of the first frequency value in each memory cell is performed in all consecutive first measuring portions of the measured signal, which are disposed cyclically with all consecutive second measuring portions of the measured signal, in which the determination of all the at least one uncompressed second frequency value is performed.

5. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the number of second measuring portions for determining an uncompressed second frequency value for each memory cell corresponds to the compression factor and is cyclically succeeded by a reduced number of consecutive first measuring portions of the measured signal, in which a part of the first frequency value for each memory cell is determined.

6. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein a reduced number of consecutive first measuring portions of the measured signal, in which a part of the first frequency value for each memory cell is determined, is equally distributed between the number of second measuring portions for determining an uncompressed second frequency value for each memory cell within one update cycle, which corresponds to the compression factor.

7. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the number of the first measuring portions and the number of the second measuring portions within an update cycle is determined cyclically after at least one update cycle.

8. The method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the number of the first measuring portions is increased, if the determined maximum first frequency value of the first frequency values in all memory cells is smaller than the number of the first measuring portions in an actual update cycle.

9. The method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the number of the first measuring portions is decreased, if the determined maximum first frequency value of the first frequency values in all memory cells is equal to or larger than a limit value.

10. The method according to claim 9 ,
wherein if the number of compressed second frequency values within an update cycle results in an integer value plus a fractional value, the compression factor and the number of the second measuring portions to be compressed in the latest compression within one update cycle are increased equally for realizing a fractional value of zero.

11. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein if the number of measuring portions within an update cycle increases, the number of first measuring portions remains constant in the actual update cycle and in a next update cycle and the number of second measuring portions increases in the actual update cycle.

12. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein if the number of measuring portions within an update cycle decreases, the number of first measuring portions remains constant in the actual update cycle and in a next update cycles and the number of second measuring portions increases in the actual update cycle.

Assignees

• Rohde & Schwarz

Inventors

• Reinhold Michael

Classifications

• G09G5/06

  using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables · CPC title

• G09G3/2003

  Display of colours (specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607) · CPC title

• G09G5/393 Primary

  Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory · CPC title

• G01R13/029

  Software therefor · CPC title

• G09G5/395

  Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of the bit-mapped memory to the screen (G09G5/399 takes precedence) · CPC title