Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Keysight Technologies, Inc.

Verigy (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Stanley Ted Jefferson

James Adam Cataldo

Lee Alton Barford

Long Bill Huynh

Ajay Khoche

Jonathan Helfman

Gregory Douglas VanWiggeren

Nicholas Tufillaro

Daniel Lee Pleasant

Randy Allen Coverstone

Thomas R Fay

Steven Greenbaum

Graham S Pollock

Robert Anson Hamilton

A method for operating a data processing system to discover the attributes of instruments in a set of instruments connected thereto is disclosed. The method causes the data processing system to determine all instruments in the set of instruments connected thereto by sending a first query on each communication link connected to the data processing system. The data processing system receives a response that identifies one of the instruments and a model identification code for that instrument. The data processing system retrieves model configuration information from an instrument catalog database attached to the data processing system based on the manufacturer's catalog information. The model configuration information includes an option that is available on the one of the instruments having the manufacturer's catalog information and a query that will cause that instrument to provide information on whether that option is installed on the one of the instruments.

System for discovering the capabilities of instruments connected to a data processing system

A method of operating a data processing system is disclosed. The method causes the data processing system to analyze a database that includes a measurement table characterized by one or more measurement condition columns and one or more measured parameter columns. Each row of the measurement table corresponding to an instance of the measured parameter values and the measurement condition values associated with the measured parameter values. The data processing system defines a target group that includes a plurality of rows in the measurement table and a remainder group that includes a plurality of rows in the measurement table that are different from the target group. The data processing system defines a measurement condition to be explored. A relevance measure is computed for each of the different measurement condition values and displayed.

Method for ranking possible causes for anomalies in large data sets

A method of operating a data processing system to operate a first instrument and a second instrument connected to the data processing system is disclosed. The method includes displaying a measurement table. The data processing system receives user input defining a first parameter that is to be varied during a testing procedure by the first instrument and a first measurement to be made by the second instrument during the test procedure, a plurality of first parameter values to be used in the testing procedure. The data processing system causes the first instrument to provide each of the first parameter values and the second instrument to make the measurement and enter the measurement in a corresponding cell of a second row in the measurement table when the first instrument provides each of the first parameter values.

Method for automating instrument tests

A method of operating a data processing system running a visual programming language program development system to represent an instrument having a plurality of controls disposed in a layout pattern relative to one another in a visual program. The instrument block that corresponds to the instrument includes a GUI control panel display having a plurality of virtual controls and a connection region. Each virtual control causing the instrument to execute a function that alters the physical state of the instrument. The connection region is associated with the GUI control panel display. The connection region has a pin that is associated with one of the virtual controls and provides a programming interface for connections to other pins in the visual program. The association between the one of the virtual controls and the pin is provided in response to user input during a design phase of the program.

Method for adapting GUI-based instrument components in a visual programming language

A method is disclosed for determining, between an initiating device and at least one responding device, a reference time for the execution of at least one task on one of the devices. The method includes the initiating device prompting at least one responding device to provide a respective desired reference time. The method further includes at least one responding device providing a respective desired reference time, in response to the prompting. An actual reference time is determined based on any desired reference times provided. In one embodiment, the actual reference time is the latest of all desired reference times. A system including the initiating device and a responding device is also disclosed.

Method and a system for determining between devices a reference time for execution of a task thereon

A system and method: provide a user interface to a user, the user interface including one or more objects representing a corresponding one or more instruments that are connected to the system; receive from a user a selection of one of the one or more instruments, made via the user interface; obtaining at the computer a file that describes commands to which the selected instrument responds; and present to the user via the user interface an indication of the commands to which the selected instrument responds.

System and method for interactive instrument operation and automation

A computer readable medium stores a program, executable by a computer, for enabling translation of machine-centric commands in an instrument protocol to a programming language for controlling an instrument configured to use the machine-centric commands. The computer readable medium includes an identifying code segment for identifying instrument protocol commands executable by the instrument, and a generating code segment generates methods corresponding to the instrument protocol commands, each method including programming language source code or compiled machine code for executing the corresponding instrument protocol command. A storing code segment stores the methods in a program library associated with the instrument, the program library enabling selection of at least one method by a programming language program that controls the instrument, in order to execute the instrument protocol command corresponding to the selected method.

Programming language translator and enabling translation of machine-centric commands for controlling instrument

An apparatus for performing a distributed algorithm on a distributed system that comprises a plurality of components coupled together by a communication medium, comprises a user interface for permitting a user to enter a distributed algorithm specification that includes a time scale and tasks the components are to perform at specified times in the time scale; and a processor, coupled to receive the user-entered distributed algorithm specification and coupled to the distributed system on which the distributed algorithm is to be performed. The processor includes (i) a task generator for generating tasks for the respective components to perform according to a predetermined time line, and (ii) a distributor for distributing the tasks to the respective distributed system components. The respective distributed system components perform the distributed algorithm according to the distributed algorithm specification by (i) executing the respective tasks and (ii) communicating with each other over the communication medium.

Form-based user interface tool for specifying time-based, distributed algorithms for distributed systems

A surface plasmon measurement instrument measures a change in a property (e.g., refractive index) of a material layer. The method includes providing a prism with a rear surface having a metal layer disposed thereon; providing the material layer on the metal layer on the rear surface of the prism; directing a source beam through the prism toward the rear surface in a vicinity of the material layer; performing at least two sampled measurements to detect light reflected from the rear surface and to produce two corresponding data sets; transforming the data sets to a transform domain; processing the transformed data sets to estimate a sample shift between the two data sets; and determining a change in a property of the material layer using the estimated sample shift.

Method and system for estimating surface plasmon resonance shift

The model-based method tests compliance of production devices with the performance specifications of a device design. The production devices are manufactured in accordance with the device design by a manufacturing process. In the method, a simple model form based on the device design and the performance specifications is developed, a stimulus for testing the production devices is specified and each production device is tested. The model form has a basis function and model form parameters for the basis function. The model form parameters are dependent on the manufacturing process and differ in value among the production devices. A production device is tested by measuring the response of the production device to the stimulus; extracting, using the model form, the values of the model form parameters for the production device from the measured response and the stimulus; and checking compliance of the production device with the performance specifications using the extracted values of the model form parameters.

Model based testing for electronic devices

A system and method utilize data buffers and data access schedules to improve handling of captured image data of an object under inspection for tomosynthetically processing such captured image data to reconstruct desired cross-sectional images therefrom. One embodiment implements a data buffer communicatively coupled to a radiographic imaging system that allows for storage of captured radiographic image data for at least a portion of multiple different projections of an object under inspection, such as image data associated with one or more angles of view of one or more different regions of the object, and then later that stored data may be used for tomosynthetically reconstructing cross-sectional images for the object under inspection.

Image buffers and access schedules for image reconstruction systems

A system and method are provided which enable parallel image reconstruction of multiple depth layers of an object. More specifically, a system and method are provided in which pixels are captured for an object and such pixels are processed to reconstruct voxels for multiple depth layers of the object in parallel. In one embodiment, a reconstruction processor comprises at least one input port for receiving pixels of a radiographic image of an object, and at least one input port for receiving position data associated with a received pixel. It further comprises processing logic operable to determine, based at least in part on the received position data of a received pixel, a first and second voxel of a first and second layer of the object, respectively, to which the received pixel contributes, and further operable to apply the contribution of the received pixel to the first and second voxels in parallel.

System and method for parallel image reconstruction of multiple depth layers of an object under inspection from radiographic images

A development environment includes a graphical design tool and a build agent. The graphical design tool allows a designer to design a primary logic component of a circuit. The graphical design tool generates modules using a hardware description language to represent the primary logic component of the circuit. The modules include abstract references to infrastructure for the circuit. The build agent synthesizes the modules into netlists and merges the netlists with a description of the infrastructure for the circuit. The infrastructure is generated in a development environment separate from the graphical design tool. The build agent includes an adjuster that adjusts the modules. The adjustment to the modules includes replacing the abstract references to the infrastructure with actual references utilized within the infrastructure.

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Stanley Ted Jefferson