Tektronix, Inc.

Xerox Corporation

Richard I Lane

Glenn Bateman

Florian Gene Bell

William A Trent

Josef L Mader

Ronald J Bremer

Michael S Overton

Jeffrey H Goll

Mark D Marineau

Ronald J Larrick

Kevin B McDonald

Matthew S Harcourt

A system for efficiently boosting drive capability for high-voltage linear power amplification to supply transducers in a print head is provided. A linear power amplifier to drive the transducers in the print head includes a charge pump capacitor to boost the output voltage of the amplifier above the supply rail voltage. The amplifier can provide both positive and negative output pulses to drive the transducers. A distribution switch is used to distribute the output pulses among multiple transducers and a biasing circuit provides proper sequencing and timing signals to generate smooth output pulses. A method for driving a plurality of transducers in a print head using a charge pump capacitor is also provided.

System and method for efficiently boosting drive capability for high-voltage linear power amplification

An error corrected wide dynamic range amplifier has a transimpedance amplifier where the input signal node is used as a monitoring point for providing an error correction voltage to a combining circuit that also receives the voltage on the output node of the transimpedance amplifier. The combining circuit subtracts the input signal node voltage from the output signal voltage to produce a resultant voltage substantially free of errors produced by non-ideal characteristics of the transimpedance amplifier. The combining circuit may be implemented using analog or digital circuity. The digital combining circuit may also add digital correction values representative of circuit component errors of the wide dynamic range amplifier. Such a wide dynamic range amplifier is usable in high sensitivity, wide dynamic range optical receivers, such as found in optical time domain reflectometers or other optical measurement instruments.

Wide dynamic range amplifier with error correction

An instrument for depicting change in the value of a first variable as a function of a second variable comprises a display device for displaying a set of n measured values distributed along a display axis, and a sampler for acquiring a set of N (greater than n) samples of the first variable and storing values of those N samples in ordered fashion relative to a first storage domain that maps to the second variable. A set of n display samples is selected from the set of N stored samples and the values of that set of n display samples are provided to the display device. When the set of n display samples is a set of samples that are at a predetermined spacing in the first storage domain and/or occupy a selected interval of the first storage domain, a set of N1 (greater than n) samples of the first variable are acquired and their values are stored in ordered fashion relative to a second storage domain that maps to the interval of the first storage domain.

Measurement apparatus having improved sample density using nested data

An input signal is sampled by alternately coupling the input signal and a reference level to a sample storage element, whereby the magnitude of the signal stored by the storage element immediately following application of the input signal to the storage element is a function of the input signal magnitude and the magnitude of the signal stored by the storage element immediately preceding coupling of the input signal to the storage element is a function of the reference level.

Sample and hold with intermediate reset voltage outside of the magnitude

A system for expanding a waveform in a measurement test instrument has a display area containing a waveform representative of data acquired by a measurement test instrument and an active movable cursor intersecting the waveform. The system has first and second viewports with the first viewport displaying the waveform in the display area and the second viewport displaying a portion of the waveform from the first view port in an expanded form when the second viewport is in the display area. The second viewport has a center point and dimensions defined in the first viewport with the center point being defined by the intersection of the active movable cursor with the waveform and the dimensions being defined with respect with the center point. The second viewport is movable within the first viewport as a function of movement of the cursor. Means are provided for varying the dimensions of the second viewport about the cursor/waveform intersection when the first viewport is in the display area and for further expanding the waveform in a continuous manner about the cursor/waveform intersection when the second viewport is in the display area. Means are provided for replacing the first viewport with the second viewport in the display area.

Expansion windowing system for a measurement test instrument

An automatic masking system is used in an optical time domain reflectometer for implementing a method of compensating for relaxation transients in an optical receiver in the OTDR. The masking system drives an optical modulator that masks the optical reciver from high amplitude optical pulses in the return reflected light from a fiber under test. A masking pattern corresponding to the high amplitude optical pulses is generated from a first acquisition of data with the receiver unmasked from the return reflected light. The masking pattern is stored and used for generating a signal from the masking system to the optical modulator for blocking the high amplitude optical pulses in the return reflected light during a subsequent acquisition of data. In a third acquisition of data of the return reflected light, the optical modulator masks the receiver from the return reflected light. Combining the acquired data of the blocked return reflected light with the acquired data with the high amplitude optical pulses blocked, produces an output free of relaxation transients produced by the receiver. Combining the high amplitude optical pulse data from the first acquisition with the output from the subtracted acquisitions produces an output representative of the return reflected light.

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Bend, OR, United States of America

Richard I Lane