Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Douglas Fred Robison

Douglas James Beck

John Howard Friedman

Michael Shaun Backsen

A logic analyzer integrates the capabilities of both textual and graphical description into a common environment, so that each can be used as needed, and in conjunction with the other. In an example embodiment a trigger specification can comprise many &ldquo;steps&rdquo;. A step can be conceptualized as an atomic segment of flow charting that involves or investigates a quantity or condition of interest. These steps may involve testing, and a decision concerning whether or not to trigger or whether or not to advance to a next step. A given step can be either textual or graphical. A GUI (Graphical User Interface, as in computer windows, and not to be confused with 'graphical' meaning 'waveform-like') on a CRT screen in conjunction with a pointing device (e.g., mouse) provides the presentation of the integrated textual and graphical (waveform-like) trigger specification steps.

Logic analyzer with mixed textual and graphical trigger specification

A system is disclosed for displaying one or more lists of signal or bus identifiers on a graphical user interface of a logic analyzer. One of the lists is visually associated with one name of a list of signal or bus names. The system enables a user to graphically select one or more desired identifiers of the one or more lists of signal or bus identifiers. The selection of an identifier in a list visually associated with a name assigns a signal or bus identified by that identifier with the name. The lists of signal or bus identifiers may be visually associated with the signal or bus names by horizontal alignment.

System and method for defining and grouping signals and buses of a signal measurement system using selection lists on a graphical user interface

Waveform segment(s) of interest in the displayed logic analyzer trace can create the desire in an operator to re-define the trigger specification to be those segments. Those waveform segments are identified to the logic analyzer by drawing a &ldquo;rubber band&rdquo; box around them even as they are displayed as part of the trace. The analyzer is instructed to automatically create therefrom, by itself, the desired new trigger specification. It does this by inspecting the captured data corresponding to the contents of the box and creating a description of the associated signal(s) in terms of transitions and steady state conditions. These individual descriptions of activity are then assembled into a trigger specification according to certain rules. More than one box may be drawn. Multiple-boxes may be &ldquo;stacked&rdquo; to include waveform segments separated vertically by intervening waveforms for other signals that are to be excluded. Boxed transitions that appear to line up vertically are treated as though they happened at the same time, even if they in actual fact, did not. Multiple boxes may be displaced horizontally, in which case a sequential ordering of separate events is generally implied. Screens having auxiliary menus needed to complete the trigger specification are automatically produced.

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Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Douglas Fred Robison