Measuring device and measuring method with multiple display

Abstract

The invention relates to a measuring device and a measurement method for the display of a measurement signal connected to the measuring device. The measuring device comprises a measurement-signal input, a measurement-parameter input, a calculation unit and a display unit for the display of calculated statistical signals. The measuring device is set up to display a plurality of statistical signals in parallel on the display unit in real-time.

Claims

1. A measuring device comprising: a signal input configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) measurement signal; a processor; a data interface; and a display; and wherein the data interface is configured to receive one or more measurement parameters, and to provide the one or more measurement parameters to the processor; wherein the processor is configured to analyze the measurement signal to determine a plurality of statistical signals based on the measurement signal and the measurement parameters, and wherein an overall measurement range of the measurement signal includes one or more regions of non-interest along with regions of interest and the analysis is performed based on the regions of interest and excludes the regions of non-interest; wherein the processor is configured to control the display to display the plurality of statistical signals respectively in a plurality of regions of the display, in parallel, whereby each region of the display is configured to display the statistical signal associated with a respective region of interest of the measurement signal, and to exclude the regions of non-interest from the display; and wherein a number of the regions of the display and/or a size of the regions of the display are variable.

2. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the statistical signal displayed within each region of the display is adjusted via individual parametrization based on a respective one of the one or more measurement parameters.

3. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein each of the statistical signals is displayed within the respective display region based on a respective mask trigger.

4. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the regions of interest of the measurement signal is adjusted based on a respective resolution bandwidth.

5. The measuring device according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the regions of interest of the measurement signal is each adjusted based on a different respective resolution bandwidth.

6. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the regions of interest of the measurement signal is adjusted based on a respective measurement level.

7. The measuring device according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the regions of interest of the measurement signal is each adjusted based on a different respective measurement level.

8. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the regions of interest of the measurement signal is adjusted based on a respective trigger condition.

9. The measuring device according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of the regions of interest of the measurement signal is each adjusted based on a respective trigger condition.

10. A measurement method comprising: receiving, by a measuring device, a radio frequency (RF) measurement signal; receiving, by the measuring device, one or more measurement parameters; analyzing the measurement signal, by a processor of the measuring device, and determining a plurality of statistical signals based on the measurement signal and the measurement parameters, wherein an overall measurement range of the measurement signal includes one or more regions of non-interest along with regions of interest and the analysis is performed based on the regions of interest and excludes the regions of non-interest; and displaying the plurality of statistical signals respectively in a plurality of regions of a display, in parallel, whereby each region of the display displays the statistical signal associated with a respective region of interest of the measurement signal, and wherein the display excludes the regions of non-interest; and wherein a number of the regions of the display and/or a size of the regions of the display are variable.

11. The measurement method according to claim 10, wherein the statistical signal displayed within each region of the display is adjusted via individual parametrization based on a respective one of the one or more measurement parameters.

12. The measurement method according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the regions of interest of the measurement signal is adjusted based on a respective resolution bandwidth.

13. The measurement method according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the regions of interest of the measurement signal is adjusted based on a respective measurement level.

14. The measurement method according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the regions of interest of the measurement signal is adjusted based on a respective trigger condition.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention are explained in greater detail on the basis of the Figures of the drawings, wherein the drawings describe only exemplary embodiments of the invention. Identical components in the drawings are provided with identical reference numbers. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a block-circuit diagram of a measuring device according to example embodiments of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a further block-circuit diagram of the measuring device of FIG. 1 according to example embodiments of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows the display of a calculated statistical signal according to current measuring devices;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a display of a calculated statistical measurement signal according to example embodiments of the invention; and

(6) FIG. 5 shows a parametrization of the display regions according to example embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) Measurement approaches facilitating an analysis of a broadband measurement signal is implemented rapidly and flexibly, wherein statistical evaluation signals of the broadband measurement signal are calculated and analyzed in real-time, are provided. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. It is apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments of the invention.

(8) FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a measuring device 1 according to an example embodiment of the invention. The measuring device 1 comprises a measurement-signal input 2 to which a broadband measurement signal RF.sub.in is connected. The measuring device 1 further provides a measurement-parameter input 3, to which a measurement-parameter signal P.sub.in is connected. Starting from the measurement parameters P.sub.in, a calculation unit 4 calculates a signal to be displayed from the broadband measurement signal RF.sub.in. For example, the calculation unit calculates a statistical signal, especially a histogram, of parts of the frequency spectrum of the connected measurement signal RF.sub.in. The calculated signal is supplied to three display regions 6 of a display unit 5.

(9) In this context, the measurement-parameter input 3 of the measuring device 1 can be an interface to a further terminal device. By way of example, the measurement-parameter input 3 is a user-machine interface, so that the user of the measuring device 1 adjusts corresponding parameters for the analysis of the measurement signal RF.sub.in directly in the measuring device 1. These parameters are provided as P.sub.in to the calculation unit 4.

(10) A first region of interest ROI.sub.1 under investigation of the connected measurement signal RF.sub.in is displayed in the first display region 6 of the display unit 5. In parallel, a second region of interest ROI.sub.2 under investigation of the same measurement signal RF.sub.in is displayed in the second display region 6 of the display unit 5. The first and the second display region 6 of the display unit 5 are accordingly directed towards different regions of interest ROI in an overall measurement range 11 of the measurement signal RF.sub.in.

(11) FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the measuring device 1 of FIG. 1. By way of difference from FIG. 1, FIG. 2 shows a frequency mask trigger 7 provided for every display region 6 of the display unit 5. Each of the frequency mask triggers 7 of the measuring device 1 is individually adjusted via its own parametrization P.sub.1, P.sub.2, P.sub.3. This individual parametrization P.sub.1, P.sub.2, P.sub.3 is provided through a dedicated input 3 to every frequency-mask trigger 7.

(12) The measuring device 1 from FIG. 2 can also provide an interface to a further terminal device, in order to make the parametrization P.sub.1, P.sub.2, P.sub.3 of the respective frequency mask trigger 7 available to the measuring device 1. Alternatively, the measurement-parameter input 3 represents a user interface.

(13) FIG. 3 shows a display unit 5 of a measuring device according to the prior art. The display unit 5 in this context displays a histogram 8 of a measurement signal RF.sub.in connected to the measuring device 1. A histogram 8 of the entire bandwidth B of the measurement signal RF.sub.in is illustrated here so that the overall measurement range 11 is displayed. In this case, the bandwidth B amounts to several gigahertz. The overall measurement range 11 provides a measurement-range beginning 9 and a measurement-range end 10.

(14) In conformity with the measurement tasks, four different regions of interest ROI.sub.1 to ROI.sub.4 under investigation of the measurement signal RF.sub.in are to be analyzed. Accordingly, it is evident from FIG. 3 that the bandwidths of the regions of interest ROI.sub.1 to ROI.sub.4 under investigation only add up, even in total, to a small fraction of the bandwidth of the overall measurement range 11 of the measurement signal RF.sub.in. Regions between the regions of interest ROI.sub.1 to ROI.sub.4 under investigation are displayed as regions of non-interest RONI not under investigation.

(15) Since a measuring device 1 always processes a region of interest 11 under investigation sequentially dependent upon the sampling rate, especially in the case of this broadband measurement signal RF.sub.in, the majority of the analysis time is used to calculate and display statistical signals starting from irrelevant regions RONI of the measurement signal RF.sub.in. As a result, the analysis of the measurement signal RF.sub.in is very calculation-intensive and inefficient.

(16) It is also evident from FIG. 3 that, especially narrowband regions of interest ROI under investigation, here, for example ROI.sub.1 or ROI.sub.3, are only displayed with inadequate accuracy. A targeted analysis of these regions of interest ROI.sub.1 or ROI.sub.3 is therefore not possible.

(17) FIG. 4 shows a display of calculated statistical signals based on a broadband measurement signal RF.sub.in, according to embodiments of the invention. In this context, the display unit 5 is subdivided into four display regions 6. Neither the number of the display regions 6 nor the size of the individual display regions 6 relative to one another is restricted according to the invention. Each display region shown in FIG. 4 is of identical size.

(18) Each display region 6 of the display unit 5 represents a region of interest ROI under investigation, wherein reference is made here to the regions of interest ROI.sub.1 to ROI.sub.4 under investigation as shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the first region of interest ROI.sub.1 under investigation is displayed in the upper left-hand display region 6 of the display unit 5. The other regions of interest ROI.sub.2 to ROI.sub.4 are displayed respectively in the remaining display regions 6 of the display unit 5.

(19) For every display region 6, the invention provides for an analysis of its own region of interest ROI in the connected measurement signal RF.sub.in. This will be explained with reference to FIG. 5.

(20) FIG. 5 shows schematically the parametrization of the display regions 6 illustrated in FIG. 4. The parameters according to FIG. 5 are supplied to the computer unit 4 of the measuring device 1 via the measurement-parameter input 3 of the measuring device 1 either by user entry or via an interface from another terminal device. In this context, FIGS. 4 and 5 should be considered in combination.

(21) FIG. 5 shows parameters individually adjustable for every display region 6, especially the adjustable frequency range of every region of interest ROI. Alternatively, measurement-level values and/or trigger conditions can be used in order to display the regions of interest ROI.sub.1 to ROI.sub.4 under investigation.

(22) According to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in this context, a histogram of the measurement signal RF.sub.in within the frequency range from 2.4 to 2.485 GHz is displayed in the first display region 6 of the display unit 5 as the first region of interest ROI.sub.1 under investigation. This frequency range corresponds in this example to the communications frequency range of the WLAN standard according to IEEE 802.11b/g. The range displayed here corresponds to a bandwidth of only 85 MHz and can be resolved very finely by means of a corresponding resolution bandwidth.

(23) A histogram of a second region of interest ROI.sub.2 of the same measurement signal RF.sub.in is illustrated in the second display region 6 of the display unit 5. In this context, the region of interest ROI.sub.2 is the downlink channel of the UMTS mobile radio network in the frequency range between 2.110 and 2.170 MHz. The second region of interest ROI.sub.2 provides a bandwidth of 60 MHz and, alternatively to the first region of interest ROI.sub.1, can therefore be displayed with an even finer resolution if a second resolution bandwidth is adjusted as a parameter.

(24) The histogram of a third region of interest ROI.sub.3 of the same measurement signal RF.sub.in is shown in the third display region 6 of the display unit 5. In this context, the ROI.sub.3 is the communications frequency range from 5.15 to 5.725 GHz of the WLAN standard in conformity with IEEE 802.11n.

(25) A histogram of a fourth region of interest ROI.sub.4 of the same measurement signal RF.sub.in is presented in the fourth display region 6 of the display unit 5.

(26) The bandwidth of a region of interest ROI according to the invention may be smaller than the analysis bandwidth of the measuring device 1. This analysis bandwidth of the measuring device 1 is, for example, 160 MHz, so that the regions of interest ROI provide a bandwidth equal to or less than 160 MHz. This has the advantage that the region of interest displays statistical signals in real-time.

(27) Alternatively, individual regions of interest ROI can also provide a relatively larger bandwidth than the analysis bandwidth of the measuring device 1. For example, the bandwidth of the fourth region of interest ROI.sub.4 in FIGS. 4 and 5 is six GHz, so that the ROI.sub.4 allows a broadband analysis over a frequency range from 6 to 12 GHz. The ROI.sub.4 can then no longer be displayed in real-time.

(28) Because of the different bandwidths of the individual regions of interest ROI, different analysis bandwidths should be specified for each region of interest ROI.

(29) With such example embodiments of the invention, several histograms of the same measurement signal RF.sub.in can be displayed in different display regions 6 of a display unit 5 of a measuring device 1. In this context, it is not the overall continuous measurement range 11 that is analyzed, but rather, the regions of interest ROI under investigation are consciously selected via a corresponding parametrization, displayed and then investigated. The irrelevant regions of non-interest RONI are thus not analyzed, thereby saving analysis time.

(30) All of the elements described and/or illustrated and/or claimed can be combined arbitrarily with one another within the scope of the invention.

(31) While example embodiments of the present invention may provide for various implementations (e.g., including hardware, firmware and/or software components), and, unless stated otherwise, all functions are performed by a CPU or a processor executing computer executable program code stored in a non-transitory memory or computer-readable storage medium, the various components can be implemented in different configurations of hardware, firmware, software, and/or a combination thereof. Except as otherwise disclosed herein, the various components shown in outline or in block form in the figures are individually well known and their internal construction and operation are not critical either to the making or using of this invention or to a description of the best mode thereof.

(32) In the preceding specification, various embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however, be evident that various modifications may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.