Test and measurement instrument having telecommunications mask testing capability with a mask zoom feature
AssigneeTektronix, Inc.
InventorPeter J. Letts
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A telecom mask testing zoom function draws mask. pixels into a raster memory. In this way, the mask is treated as a waveform. Comparison of the mask pixels and waveform pixels to detect collision between a waveform pixel and a mask pixel (i.e., a mask violation) is performed substantially in real time, as the pixels are being composited into the raster memory by the rasterizer. The mask is scalable and repositionable by the rasterizer under control of a controller, because it is treated as a waveform. The mask is lockable to the waveform because both are stored in pixel form in raster memory by the rasterizer under control of the controller.
Claims8
A test and measurement instrument having mask testing capability, comprising:
- an acquisition system for acquiring samples of a waveform;
- a controller for generating mask pixel data defining a mask;
- a memory for storing said waveform samples and said mask pixel data, said mask pixel data including an identification code;
- a rasterizer for reading data from a memory location of said memory, combining said data with said waveform samples, and writing a result of said combining into said memory location;
- display circuitry coupled to said memory for displaying said mask and said waveform;
- and
- a plurality of input devices, coupled to said controller, said devices being subject to adjustment by a user for affecting waveform position and scale on a display;
- said controller causing said rasterizer to maintain a spatial relationship between a display of said waveform and a display of said mask when one of said plurality of input devices is adjusted to change one of said position and said scale on said display.
A method for changing one of scale and position of a mask and waveform display in a test and measurement instrument having mask testing capability, comprising the steps of:
- acquiring samples of a waveform;
- generating mask pixel data defining a mask;
- storing said waveform samples and said mask pixel data in a memory, said mask pixel data including an identification code;
- reading data from a memory location of said memory, combining said data with said waveform samples, and writing a result of said combining into said memory location;
- displaying a representation of said mask and said waveform;
- and
- reading settings of a plurality of input devices, coupled to a controller, said devices being subject to adjustment by a user for affecting waveform position and scale on a display;
- and
- maintaining a spatial relationship between a display of said waveform and a display of said mask when one of said plurality of input devices is adjusted to change one of said position and said scale on said display.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.