Tektronix, Inc.

Mehrab Sedeh

Jonathan C Lueker

John A Hengeveld

Burt L Price

Jim Schlegel

Brad Needham

Robert D Twete

Bradford H Needham

Keith D Rule

Tristan A Robinson

James Schlegel

The method of processing waveform data from one or more channels using a test and measurement instrument, such as an oscilloscope, is described in which waveform data is collected from a DUT; defining a context is defined by instructing the instrument to obtain the focus of each waveform datum having a first user-defined attribute; defining a selection criteria by instructing the instrument to obtain the focus of each waveform datum having both a first user-defined attribute and a second user-defined attribute; and defining an action by instructing the instrument to perform an operation responsive to finding at least one waveform datum having both the first user-defined attribute and the second user-defined attribute.

Method of processing waveform data from one or more channels using a test and measurement instrument

The apparatus for a test and measurement instrument consists of multiple integrated circuits with each integrated circuit being connected to its own memory controller. At least one of the integrated circuits is a specialized integrated circuit, which may be a graphics processing unit, a digital signal processor, or a field-programmable gate array. Each memory controller is connected to its own memory. The integrated circuits are connected in a circular arrangement by multiple high-speed interconnects. A bridge is connected to at least the first and last integrated circuits. A system bus connects the bridge to an acquisition module. The acquisition module has a signal bus interface with the system bus being connected to the acquisition module and having its own acquisition hardware. The acquisition hardware is a direct memory access machine that can transfer data to any portion of the memory. There is a signal source connected to the signal bus interface.

Apparatus and method for a test and measurement instrument

Apparatuses for a test and measurement instrument provide an instrument capable of handling acquisition, transfer, analysis, and display of large quantities of waveform data and complex waveforms. The apparatus for a test and measurement instrument consists of multiple processors with each processor being connected to its own memory controller. Each memory controller is connected to its own memory. The processors are connected in a circular arrangement by multiple high-speed interconnects. A bridge is connected to at least the first and last processors. A system bus connects the bridge to an acquisition module. The acquisition module has a signal bus interface with the system bus being connected to the acquisition module and having its own acquisition hardware. The acquisition hardware is a direct memory access machine that can transfer data to any portion of the memory. There is a signal source connected to the signal bus interface.

Instrument architecture with circular processing queue

Apparatuses for a test and measurement instrument provide an instrument capable of handling acquisition, transfer, analysis, and display of large quantities of waveform data and complex waveforms. The apparatus for a test and measurement instrument consists of multiple processors with each processor being connected to its own memory controller. Each memory controller is connected to its own memory. The processors are connected in a circular arrangement by multiple high-speed interconnects. There are multiple bridges with each processor being connected to its own bridge. There are multiple system buses with each bridge been connected to its own system bus. A housing encloses the processors, memory controllers, high-speed interconnects, and bridges.

Instrument ring architecture for use with a multi-core processor

A digital architecture for a pulse generator includes a triggerable voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) with two alternative sources of frequency control voltage, an internal DAC or a phase frequency comparison with an external timebase. In a top octave of operation, the output of the triggerable VCO is used to produce output pulses whose edge locations are then adjusted by small digital increments or 'slivers' and very small analog increments or 'verniers'. In lower octaves of operation, the contents of a pattern RAM serve to frequency divide the triggerable VCO output frequency by powers of two. The RAM contents are converted to a serial bit stream that imposes the coarse pulse width and period as an integral number of top octave periods, or quanta. The edge locations are then adjusted with slivers and verniers, as in the top octave. Automatic calibration facilities are included. This architecture provides controllable tolerances, permits accurate positioning of a trigger out signal relative to any pulse produced, allows the user to specify the trailing edge timing directly, and permits both pulse width and phase to be specified as a percentage of the overall period and automatically kept proportional when the frequency is varied. It also allows synchronized operation of different channels at rates related by powers-of-two, and permits the disabling of a channel at an operator determined voltage level. A means for determining, by the use of an external signal, when bursts of pulses synchronized to an external frequency source will begin, is also provided.

Digital pulse generator

A digital data generation system including a programmable dominance RS flip-flop has a random access memory that stores a user selected sequence of test data. A pattern formatting logic circuit receives the test data and produces, for each data period, a coarsely timed candidate pulse for identifying the leading edge of an output data pulse and a coarsely timed candidate pulse for identifying the trailing edge of the output data pulse. A precision delay circuit finely tunes the timing of the candidate pulses. The finely tuned pulses are applied to an RS flip-flop circuit which can be programmed for set or reset dominance, thereby preventing an indeterminate state when a logic '1' is applied to both the set and the reset input. In the system, the flip-flop is programmed so that the most recent of the lead pulse or the trail pulse prevails.

Digital data generation system including programmable dominance latch

A digital architecture for a pulse generator includes a triggerable voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) with two alternative sources of frequency control voltage, an internal DAC or a phase frequency comparison with an external timebase. In a top octave of operation, the output of the triggerable VCO is used to produce output pulses whose edge locations are then adjusted by small digital increments or 'slivers' and very small analog increments or 'verniers'. In lower octaves of operation, the contents of a pattern RAM serve to frequency divide the triggerable VCO output frequency by powers of two. The RAM contents are converted to a serial bit stream that imposes the coarse pulse width and period as an integral number of top octave periods, or quanta. The edge locations are then adjusted with slivers and verniers, as in the top octave. Automatic calibration facilities are included. This architecture provides controllable tolerances, permits accurate positioning of a trigger out signal relative to any pulse produced, allows the user to specify the trailing edge timing directly, and permits both pulse width and phase to be specified as a percentage of the overall period and automatically kept proportional when the frequency is varied. It allows synchronized operation of different channels at rates related by powers-of-two, and permits disabling of a channel at an operator determined voltage level. A means for determining, by the use of an external signal, when bursts of pulses synchronized to an external frequency source will begin, is also provided.

Digital pulse generator using digital slivers and analog vernier

A digital architecture for a pulse generator provides a method of synchronizing signals of the pulse generator. The pulse generator has a timebase card, a microprocessor and a plurality of pulse cards. The microprocessor controls the parameters of the timebase card and pulse cards, and the timebase card provides a common master clock signal to all of the pulse cards determined by a triggerable voltage controlled oscillator that has two sources of frequency control voltage, an internal DAC for absolute frequency and a frequency comparison circuit for synchronization with an external timebase. The pulse cards produce pulses, either singly or in bursts, with the leading and trailing edges being separately positionable using quantum, sliver and vernier controls. A pattern RAM on each pulse card provides a pulse pattern that provides an approximation of the desired pulses to one quantum, and repeated iterations through the pattern RAM provide bursts of pulses. Pattern RAMs on different pulse cards, where one pattern is related to the other by a power of two, may be synchronized since both channels use the same master clock from the timebase card. Likewise a burst of pulses may be synchronized with the external timebase since the master clock is synchronized with the external timebase, with a frame sync input signal being used to determine the relative phase between the burst of pulses and the external timebase.

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Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Mehrab Sedeh