Patents Assigned to National Instruments
  • Patent number: 10331361
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to self-addressing memory. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a memory and addressing circuitry coupled to or comprised in the memory. In this embodiment, the addressing circuitry is configured to receive memory access requests corresponding to a specified sequence of memory accesses. In this embodiment, the memory access requests do not include address information. In this embodiment, the addressing circuitry is further configured to assign addresses to the memory access requests for the specified sequence of memory accesses. In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to perform the memory access requests using the assigned addresses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Tai A. Ly, Swapnil D. Mhaske, Hojin Kee, Adam T. Arnesen, David C. Uliana, Newton G. Petersen
  • Patent number: 10312978
    Abstract: In a wireless transceiver station having M antennas, designate an antenna as a target reference antenna (TRA) and for each antenna m other than the TRA: define N distinct paths from antenna m to TRA through zero or more intermediate reference antennas, N is two or more, each distinct paths has a distinct associated set of one or more antenna pairs; for each antenna pair of the sets, estimate an effective forward and backward channel response by sending calibration pilots forth and back between the antenna pair and calculate a reciprocity coefficient for the antenna pair using the estimated channel responses; for each of the N distinct paths, calculate a reciprocity coefficient estimate using the reciprocity coefficients calculated for the set of antenna pairs associated with the path; and combine the N calculated reciprocity coefficient estimates to produce a final reciprocity coefficient estimate for antenna pair (m, target reference antenna).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Jörg Hofrichter, Michael Löhning, Eckhard Ohlmer
  • Patent number: 10277734
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a cellular frequency radio, either coupled to or configured to be coupled to an antenna disposed within a radio frequency (RF) shielded chamber. A cellular device includes an embedded subscriber identification module (eSIM). While the device is in the shielded chamber, a processor controls the radio to use the antenna to transmit a subscriber identification module (SIM) profile to the device and subsequently communicate with the device to test operation of the device while the device uses the SIM profile loaded into the eSIM. A cellular device includes an eSIM without a SIM profile, a cellular frequency radio, and a processor that controls the radio to wirelessly receive a SIM profile while the eSIM is still without a SIM profile, loads the received SIM profile into the eSIM, and controls the radio to wirelessly communicate with a cellular network using the SIM profile loaded into the eSIM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventor: Tim Hentschel
  • Patent number: 10257005
    Abstract: An apparatus includes circuitry that processes a subframe as part of a time-domain signal frame structure used for radio frequency communications. The subframe includes a plurality of block symbols each having an associated time-domain guard period and one or more radio frequency (RF) switching guard periods. Each block symbol of the plurality of block symbols is either a common block symbol or a special block symbol. A common block symbol has a common time-domain guard period with all other common block symbols of the subframe. A special block symbol has a time-domain guard period different from the common time-domain guard period. All the special block symbols in the subframe are placed into the one or more RF switching guard periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Löhning, Achim Nahler, Nikhil Kundargi
  • Patent number: 10257329
    Abstract: A wireless communications apparatus includes first/second data source/sinks that respectively source/sink PDCP SDU and MAC PDU for transfer to/from a memory unit and hardware accelerators controlled by a control processor (CP). In response to sourcing transmit PDCP SDU for transfer to the memory unit, the CP controls the hardware accelerators to generate and write PDCP, RLC, MAC headers to the memory unit and assemble the generated headers and the transmit PDCP SDU from the memory unit into transmit MAC PDU for provision to the second data sink. In response to sourcing receive MAC PDU for transfer to the memory unit, the CP controls the hardware accelerators to decode PDCP, RLC MAC headers of the receive MAC PDU in the memory unit to determine locations of receive PDCP SDU in the memory unit and fetch the receive PDCP SDU from the determined locations for provision to the first data sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Ahsan Aziz, Amal Ekbal, Vincent Kotzsch
  • Patent number: 10243678
    Abstract: Dynamic characterization of complex high-order nonlinearity in transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) signal chains of transceiver systems can be efficiently and accurately performed. A loopback connection may be used to facilitate self-characterization. Appropriate RX and TX configuration settings may be developed to facilitate de-coupling of individual RX and TX nonlinearities from measured cascade nonlinearity. The system's high-order response to a two-tone signal generation may be measured, and complex mathematical analysis may be performed to identify and isolate passband nonlinear components to extract a high-order memory-less model for the system. The extracted system model may be used in the corrective and non-iterative pre-distortion of generated signals and in the post-distortion of received signals to improve linearity performance of the transceiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Mohamad A. Zeidan, Christopher J. Behnke, Syed Jaffar Shah
  • Patent number: 10241764
    Abstract: System and method for compiling a program, including determining one or more program structures containing one or more variables at the entry and exit of each program structure, wherein each variable specifies a value transfer operation of one or more source variables to a destination variable between outside the program structure and inside the program structure. A subset of the destination variables may be determined for which assigning the destination variable to a memory resource of a corresponding source variable does not disrupt the functionality of the program. Implementation of the value transfer operations may be executable to map each of the determined subset of destination variables to a respective memory resource. The mapping may be dynamically changed, thereby transferring the value from the first source variable to the destination variable without copying the value between the memory resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Hojin Kee, David C. Uliana, Tai A. Ly, Adam T. Arnesen
  • Patent number: 10243715
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed for a new unified and flexible frame structure for 5G (5th generation) mobile telecommunications standard and related radio access technology (RAT). The disclosed embodiments use communication frames with multiple partition types and are able to span a wide range of 5G deployment scenarios in a flexible and scalable manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: James Wesley McCoy, Nikhil U. Kundargi, Karl F. Nieman
  • Patent number: 10235265
    Abstract: System and method for validating a program under a specified model of computation. The model of computation may be related to the synchronous statechart model of computation. A program may be received that specifies a plurality of operations using a variable within a logical tick such that the variable has multiple values within the logical tick. The program may be statically analyzed according to a specified model of computation that specifies program execution based on logical ticks, which may include determining that the program has deterministic semantics that specify deterministic results for each logical tick during execution of the program, including specifying deterministic results of the plurality of operations performed within the logical tick. The program may be validated in accordance with the specified model of computation in response to the determining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Reinhard von Hanxleden, Michael Mendler, Stephen R. Mercer, Owen B. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 10235868
    Abstract: System and method for controlling a custom modular measurement system. An editor may receive user input specifying one or more system definitions, each mapping message based commands, parameters, variables and/or metadata (“information”) accordant with a control protocol for standalone instruments to functions and data in a programming language, and generates the definitions accordingly, each being useable by a client application to interface with a custom modular measurement system that includes multiple logical instruments via the message based information. At least one of the definitions may be deployed onto the measurement system. A run-time engine of the measurement system may accept a message based command from the application, and call a corresponding function, which may invoke operation of at least one of the logical instruments. The logical instruments may be operated concurrently, including sharing use of a single physical measurement device by at least two of the logical instruments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Henry Mace Keene, Jan Viborg Moeller
  • Patent number: 10235477
    Abstract: System and method for creating a machine vision application. A machine vision prototype comprising a plurality of machine vision steps specifying a machine vision image processing algorithm and associated parameters may be stored. The steps may be interpretable by an emulator to perform the specified image processing on an image by emulating or simulating execution of the steps on a hardware accelerator, e.g., a programmable hardware element or graphics processing unit. An emulator may emulate or simulate execution of the steps on the hardware accelerator, thereby generating image processing results, which may be displayed for validation of the emulating or simulating by a user. The prototype may be analyzed, and based on the analyzing, an estimate of resource usage or performance of the image processing algorithm for the hardware accelerator may be determined and displayed, and may be usable for target platform selection or modification of the image processing algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Christophe R. J. Caltagirone, Nicolas F. Vazquez, Dinesh Nair, Bradley D. Buchanan, Jared W. Jenson, Kevin L. Schultz
  • Patent number: 10218548
    Abstract: A pre-equalization phase tracking unit, for each signal block of received series: computes autocorrelation between portion of identical-as-transmitted initial and terminal sequences and computes phase of autocorrelation; estimates start phase of block processing window using autocorrelation phase and start phase of previous signal block in series; estimates phase drift within window by interpolating using estimated start phases of at least the signal block and next signal block in series; and computes phase compensation signal using estimated phase drift. A post-equalization phase tracking unit subdivides the block into time sequence of groups of equalized symbols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Löhning, Eckhard Ohlmer
  • Patent number: 10218549
    Abstract: A post-equalization phase tracking unit, for each signal block of a received series: computes beginning absolute phase rotation using equalized preceding pilot symbols; subdivides the block into a time sequence of groups of equalized symbols; initializes accumulated phase associated with the first-in-time group with the absolute phase rotation. For each group, the unit: computes a de-rotated version of each symbol using the previous group's accumulated phase used to blindly estimate a residual group phase; assigns the group's accumulated phase with a sum of the group's residual phase and the previous group's accumulated phase; estimates phase drift within the group by using at least the group's accumulated phase to compute a phase compensation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Löhning, Eckhard Ohlmer
  • Patent number: 10205824
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a wireless power supply that wirelessly provides power to a cellular device having an embedded subscriber identification module (eSIM) while the cellular device is placed adjacent to the wireless power supply, a radio, and a processor programmed to control the radio to wirelessly provide a subscriber identification module (SIM) profile to a cellular device for loading into the eSIM while the wireless power supply wirelessly provides power to the cellular device. A cellular device includes an eSIM, a radio that wirelessly receives a SIM profile, a battery, and a secondary power supply configured to be wirelessly energized when placed adjacent to a wireless power supply. The secondary power supply supplies power to the radio while it receives the SIM profile and to the eSIM while the cellular device loads a SIM profile into the eSIM. The battery subsequently supplies power to the eSIM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventor: Tim Hentschel
  • Patent number: 10201020
    Abstract: A system and method for performing multi-user random access procedures in a mobile telecommunications network between a base station and a user equipment (UE) having a plurality of antennas includes transmitting a random access signal set (RASS) message using one or more antennas of the plurality of UE antennas. In response to receiving the RASS message, the base station transmitting a random access response physical downlink control channel (RAR-PDCCH) message. In response to receiving the RAR-PDCCH message, transmitting a reciprocity reference signal set (RRSS) signal using the plurality of UE antennas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: James Wesley McCoy, Nikhil U. Kundargi, Karl F. Nieman, Jr., Lothar Wenzel, Marcus Monroe
  • Patent number: 10103928
    Abstract: Nyquist filters for pulse shaping and related matched filters in wireless communications are disclosed that provide improved performance. The disclosed embodiments recognize that the second derivative of the raised cosine function is discontinuous in the frequency domain and that the first derivative of the square root raised cosine is discontinuous in the frequency domain. As such, a generalization for the raised cosine filter is applied, and improvements can be made to the raised cosine function time-frequency localization and ultimately to tradeoffs between inter-symbol interference and adjacent channel interference by introducing smoothness to the higher order derivatives of the frequency response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: James Wesley McCoy, Lothar Wenzel
  • Patent number: 9995638
    Abstract: Input terminal of a thermocouple (TC) instrument. The input terminal may include a printed circuit board (PCB), including an input portion configured to receive signals from a thermocouple, and an output portion configured to communicatively connect to the instrument. The input terminal may further include a sensor mounted on the PCB, configured to measure temperature at or near a cold junction of the input terminal. The PCB may include first traces connecting the input portion of the PCB to the output portion of the PCB, and configured to send TC signals to the TC instrument and second traces connecting the sensor to the output portion of the PCB, and configured to send temperature signals to the instrument. The traces may be configured to provide the TC signals and the temperature signals to the TC instrument without using metal pins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel H. Ousley, Shaun M. Stelley, David R. Pasternak
  • Patent number: 9996407
    Abstract: A system may include a processing unit executing program instructions (SW), a data acquisition (DAQ) hardware device for acquiring sample data and/or generating control signals, and host memory configured to store data samples and various data associated with the DAQ and processor operations. The DAQ device may push HW status information to host memory upon being triggered by predetermined events taking place in the DAQ device, e.g. timing events or interrupts, to avoid or reduce SW reads to the DAQ device. The DAQ device may update dedicated buffers in host memory with status data on any of these events. The status information pushed to memory may be read in a manner that allows detection of race conditions. Interrupts generated by the DAQ device may be similarly handled. Upon generating an interrupt, the DAQ device may gather information required to handle the interrupt, and push the information into system memory, along with information identifying the interrupt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Rafael Castro Scorsi, Hector M. Rubio, Gerardo Daniel Domene-Ramirez
  • Patent number: 9983852
    Abstract: Techniques for specifying and implementing programs. A graphical program is created in a graphical specification and constraint language that allows specification of a model of computation and explicit declaration of constraints in response to user input. The graphical program includes a specified model of computation, a plurality of interconnected functional blocks that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program in accordance with the specified model of computation, and specifications or constraints for the graphical program or at least one of the functional blocks in the graphical program. The specified model of computation and specifications or constraints are useable to analyze the graphical program or generate a program or simulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Kaushik Ravindran, Jacob Kornerup, Rhishikesh Limaye, Guang Yang, Guoqiang Wang, Jeffrey N. Correll, Arkadeb Ghosal, Sadia B. Malik, Charles E. Crain, II, Michael J. Trimborn
  • Patent number: 9977563
    Abstract: System and method for editing a graphical diagram. A graphical diagram, such as a graphical program, is displayed on a display device. User input may be received editing the graphical diagram, thereby generating an edited graphical diagram. Placement of one or more elements in the graphical diagram may be adjusted in response to the editing based on determined forces applied to the one or more elements in the edited graphical diagram based on the said editing, resulting in an adjusted edited graphical diagram. The adjusted edited graphical diagram may be displayed on the display device, which may include displaying an animation illustrating the movement of the elements to an equilibrium state in which the forces balance and movement ceases. The editing, adjusting, and displaying may be performed sequentially and/or concurrently, as desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventor: Jeffrey L. Kodosky