Abstract: A logic analyzer and method of logic analysis: detect via one or more probes a plurality of signals associated with a double data rate (DDR) random access memory (RAM); analyze the detected signals to identify a plurality of Transactions for the DDR RAM pertaining to a plurality of Operations for the DDR RAM; select one of the plurality of Operations for the DDR RAM; identify all of the Transactions for the DDR RAM which pertain to the selected Operation; and display indications of all of the Transactions for the DDR RAM which pertain to the selected Operation together on a display window of a display device.

Abstract: An illumination system and method for operating the same is disclosed. The illumination system includes a spatial light modulator (SLM), first and second optical systems, a controller and a mask. The SLM is positioned to receive an incident light beam. The first optical system images light leaving the SLM onto the mask that blocks part of the light. The second optical system images light leaving the mask onto a sample to be illuminated. The controller causes the SLM to display an SLM pattern that generates an illumination beam and a spurious light beam from the incident light beam, the illumination beam passing through the mask, wherein the mask includes a fixed part having a plurality of openings and a moveable part that moves in relation to the fixed part and that includes an opening.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: An oscilloscope system includes a current probe, a processing unit and a display unit. The current probe includes a high and low gain signal paths for receiving simultaneously a signal of interest from a device under test (DUT), and to output amplified small and large current portions of the signal of interest, respectively. The processing unit receives first and second digitized data corresponding to the amplified small and large current portions output by the high and low gain signal paths, respectively, and processes the first and second digitized data for display as zoomed-in and zoomed-out waveform data, respectively. The display unit displays simultaneously a zoomed-in waveform in a first display window, based on the zoomed-in waveform data, and a zoomed-out waveform in a second display window, based on the zoomed-out waveform data, using the same time scale. The small current portion is less than a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved real-time oscilloscope (“IRTO”) for generating a fast worst-case real-time eye diagram from an input signal. The IRTO may include signal conditioning circuitry, a digitizer, an acquisition memory, a clock and data recovery (“CDR”) module, a worst-case real-time eye diagram rendering (“WRTER”) module, and a display.

Abstract: A method of operating a data processing system to examine a compiled program for violations of a set of rules that do not constitute violations detected by the compiler that generated the program. The method includes obtaining a restricted rule set defined in terms of rules in a decompiled representation of the program. The method also includes decompiling the compiled program to the decompiled representation of the compiled program in which the restricted rule set is defined, examining the decompiled representation of the compiled program for a violation of the restricted rule set to determine if any of the rules are violated, and providing an output indicating that one of the rules was violated.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A system and method for operating a cellular network is disclosed. The system includes a cellular network, a transport plane software defined switch (SDS), and a controller. The transport plane SDS is inserted in the transport plane and forwards user data packets between nodes of the cellular network based on forwarding attributes of the data packets. The controller includes a control plane database that stores a correspondence between the forwarding attributes and the cellular attributes of the plurality of nodes. The controller is configured to receive user input specifying a forwarding change in the transport plane SDS in terms of one of the cellular attributes. The controller uses the control plane database to determine a forwarding attribute corresponding to the one of the cellular attributes and downloads a forwarding rule to the transport plane SDS.

Abstract: A system is provided for monitoring communication in a wireless network. The system comprises a sniffer device comprising a first antenna, and a beamsplitter having a curved shape and configured to reflect a portion of a beam transmitted by a second antenna toward the first antenna while transmitting a remaining portion of the beam toward a target.

Abstract: Multichannel signal generator performance characterization employs orthogonal modulation to characterize a relative performance of channels of a multichannel signal generator. The performance characterization includes generating a first signal in a first channel of the multichannel signal generator and generating a second signal in a second channel of the multichannel signal generator. The first and second signals include an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) digital modulation having a first set of subcarriers assigned to the first signal and a second set of subcarriers assigned to the second signal. Performance characterization further includes combining the first signal and the second signal to produce a combined signal along with receiving and demodulating the combined signal according to the OFDM digital modulation using a digital receiver and determining a performance parameter of the second channel relative to the first channel from the received and demodulated combined signal.

Abstract: A method for operating a data processing system to extract information from a record is disclosed. The method includes defining a plurality of ALTERNATIVE statements. Each ALTERNATIVE statement includes a label that identifies that ALTERNATIVE statement, a Signature that defines a test that is to be performed on a field in the data record defined by a first window, and a NEXT statement that defines a different ALTERNATIVE statement and a second window for testing by that different ALTERNATIVE statement. In one aspect of the invention, the test includes a regular expression that is to match the field. The method defines a SCHEMA statement that defines a plurality of fields within the record. One of the defined fields includes an offset defining a location in the record, a field name, and a field length. The offset and/or the field length are computed by the data processing system.

Abstract: A probe for a measurement instrument comprises an input terminal configured to receive an input signal from a device under test (DUT), an output terminal configured to transmit an output signal to a measurement instrument, and a clamping circuit disposed in a signal path between the input terminal and the output terminal and configured to clamp an internal probe signal between an upper clamping threshold and a lower clamping threshold to produce the output signal, wherein the clamping circuit operates with substantial gain and amplitude linearity throughout a range between the upper clamping threshold and the lower clamping threshold.

Abstract: An apparatus, includes an oscilloscope and a waveform generator. The waveform generator is integrated in a common housing with the oscilloscope, and configured to provide a stimulus signal as an output of the apparatus and to provide a trigger signal that is connected internally to the oscilloscope for triggering the oscilloscope.

Abstract: A semiconductor test system includes test head pins; per-pin resources which are connectable to the test head pins on a one-to-one basis; shared resources, each of which is connectable to one of the test head pins; a tester controller for controlling the per-pin resources and the shared resources; and a tabular-form test plan including: a first column for specifying a measurement function that uses at least one of the per-pin resources and the shared resources; and at least one second column for specifying input and output parameters of the measurement function, the tabular-form test plan further including program rows, the tabular-form test plan being executed by the tester controller, the tabular-form test plan further including a third column for specifying how rows that are executed by asynchronous parallel execution are to be grouped.

Abstract: A system and method: provide a digital input signal to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) which, in response to a DAC clock signal, converts the digital input signal to an analog output signal; generate from the DAC clock signal a sampling clock signal having pulses spaced apart from each other in time by a plurality of DAC clock periods, wherein a timing of at least one of the pulses is offset with respect to the DAC clock signal by a first fraction of a DAC clock period, and a timing of at least an other one of the pulses of the sampling clock signal is offset with respect to the DAC clock signal by a second fraction of the DAC clock period; sample-and-hold the analog output signal in response to the sampling clock signal; and digitize the sampled-and-held analog output signal to output digital values representing the sampled-and-held analog output signal.

Abstract: A filter and method for filtering a signal are disclosed. The filter is equivalent to a plurality of bi-quad filters connected in series, and is implemented on a digital processor that receives a sequence of signal values at a sampling rate characterized by a sampling interval and generates a filtered signal value upon receiving each received signal value. The filter has a latency that is less than the sampling interval. The filtered values can be generated by adding a term to a received signal value and multiplying the sum by a gain constant that depends on the filter constants. The added term does not depend on the current received signal value. The filter can be implemented in fixed-point integer arithmetic.

Abstract: An apparatus that searches for a pattern in a signal is disclosed. The apparatus can be used to implement a real time trigger in an instrument such as a high speed oscilloscope. The apparatus includes a symbol generator and a finite state machine (FSM). The symbol generator receives an ordered sequence of signal values and converts the ordered sequence of signal values into an ordered sequence of symbols, each symbol having a plurality of states. The FSM receives the ordered sequence of symbols and generates a match signal if the ordered sequence of symbols includes a target sequence specified by a regular expression that includes a counting limitation on one of the symbol states. The FSM includes a counting state that includes a counter that counts instances of the one of the symbol states.

Abstract: A tunable laser comprises a first tuner configured to select an emission wavelength of the laser; a second tuner configured to adjust a cavity mode of the laser by modifying the cavity optical path length. The second tuner is constrained by a finite tuning range. The tunable laser also comprises a controller configured to control the first and second tuners to select the emission wavelength and adjust the cavity mode in synchronization to perform phase-continuous tuning across a range larger than supported by the finite tuning range of the second tuner.

Abstract: A method for operating a data processing system to determine the operational parameters of a communication system between an REC and an RE that utilizes a CPRI data link for communication. The data processing system is synchronized with the CPRI frames and determines a plurality of CPRI frame characteristics from the CPRI frames by examining a plurality of predetermined locations in the CPRI frames. The plurality of CPRI frame characteristics for one or more of the CPRI frames, and a first model of the communication system are used to generate a first broadcast frame that would be generated by the one or more CPRI frames if the first model accurately described the communication system. The first broadcast frame is tested to determine if the first broadcast frame is consistent with the first model. If the broadcast frame is inconsistent, a new model is chosen and the process repeated.