Customizable and extendable data processing architecture for a data acquisition instrument

A method performed by an electronic instrument that includes instrument hardware that acquires unprocessed measured data, the method comprising the following steps:

• (a) implementing standard measurement objects and standard algorithms using core software of the electronic instrument, the standard measurement producing analysis results of the unprocessed measured data, the standard algorithms being used by the standard measurement objects to aid in production of analysis results of the unprocessed measured data;
• and,
• (b) implementing custom measurement objects and custom algorithms using a custom library, separate from the core software, the custom measurement objects producing analysis results of the unprocessed measured data, and the custom algorithms being used by the custom measurement objects to aid in production of analysis results of the unprocessed measured data, wherein the custom measurement objects also are capable of using the standard algorithms to aid in production of analysis results of the unprocessed measured data.

Storage media for storing software, the software, when executed on an electronic instrument that includes instrument hardware that acquires unprocessed measured data, performing a method comprising the following steps:

• (a) implementing standard measurement objects and standard algorithms using core software of the electronic instrument, the standard measurement producing analysis results of the unprocessed measured data, the standard algorithms being used by the standard measurement objects to aid in production of analysis results of the unprocessed measured data;
• and,
• (b) implementing custom measurement objects and custom algorithms using a custom library, separate from the core software, the custom measurement objects producing analysis results of the unprocessed measured data, and the custom algorithms being used by the custom measurement objects to aid in production of analysis results of the unprocessed measured data, wherein the custom measurement objects also are capable of using the standard algorithms to aid in production of analysis results of the unprocessed measured data.

A method performed by an electronic instrument that includes instrument hardware that acquires measured data, the method comprising the following steps:

• (a) implementing, in core software of the electronic instrument, standard processing tools that processes the measured data;
• and,
• (b) implementing a custom library interface that interfaces with custom libraries, separate from the core software, each custom library including custom processing tools for processing the measured data, the custom processing tools being able to use the standard processing tools when processing the measured data.