Data display apparatus for displaying patterns using samples of signal data
AssigneePGM Systems, Inc.
InventorFrank O. Gray
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Digital samples of signal data are displayed on a display system in patterns that are selected for display. Stored patterns are designed to allow a rapid visual determination of whether the signal's characteristics match a previously determined signal characteristic, and if not, provide for diagnosis of the signal variation by the observer. Multiple signal channels can be simultaneously displayed in patterns to allow observation and measurement of the relationships between multiple signals. Signal data values are allowed to be displayed as pixels whose color and intensity represent specific data characteristics, and these color and intensity values can vary as a function of time as a part of the specific pattern designed for each signal type.
Claims17
A data display system for displaying a characteristic representation of a signal, said signal represented by a plurality of data samples, said data display system comprising:
- a display;
- a display storage coupled to said display, said display storage for storing data pixel values for said display;
- receiving means for receiving said plurality of data samples;
- pixelization means for converting said plurality of data samples into a plurality of data pixels, with each said data pixel having a pixel shading value and a pixel XY axis displacement value;
- a pattern storage to store a pattern, said pattern representing root pixel addresses for displaying successive data samples on said display;
- an offset generator to generate an offset from said root pixel addresses of said pattern for each pattern cycle;
- a pixel address generator coupled to said pixelization means, said pattern storage and said offset generator, said pixel address generator deriving final data pixel addresses for each of said plurality of data pixels based on said pixel XY axis displacement values, said offset and said root pixel addresses;
- and
- a pixel aging unit coupled to said display storage, said pixel aging unit for modifying said pixel shading values of said data pixels in said display storage based on a predetermined aging criteria.
A display system for displaying a characteristic representation of one or more input data signals, said display system comprising:
- a display;
- means for receiving a plurality of input data signals;
- a pattern display subsystem comprising one or more signal processing units, each of said one or more signal processing units for generating data pixels from an associated input data signal and an associated predetermined pattern, wherein each of said data pixels comprises a shading value and a displacement value and further wherein said predetermined pattern defines root pixel addresses for displaying successive data signals on said display;
- and
- a blending unit for blending said data pixels from said one or more signal processing units to determine final data pixels for said display.
In a data display system, a method for generating a display pattern describing the characteristics of a signal input, said signal input to said data display system as a plurality of signal samples, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) generating a pattern and display values characteristic of how said signal input is to displayed;
- b) loading said pattern and display values into said data display system, said pattern having a plurality of root pixel addresses for display of successive data samples, said display values provided to transform said data samples to pixel shading values and to transform said data samples to pixel XY axis displacement values;
- c) generating an offset for a pattern cycle;
- d) generating a pixel XY axis displacement value for a data sample using said display values.
- e) generating a pixel address for a data sample based on said pattern, said offset, and said pixel XY axis displacement value;
- f) generating a pixel shading value for said data sample;
- g) storing said pixel shading value in a frame buffer at said pixel address;
- h) repeating steps d)-g) for each root pixel address of said pattern;
- and
- i) repeating steps c)-h) for a new incoming set of signal samples.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.