Calibration system and method

Abstract

A calibration system is disclosed. The calibration system includes: a waveform generator configured to generate a periodic waveform, and a control circuit in signal communication with the waveform generator. The control circuit includes: an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the periodic waveform into a digital value, and an electronic device in signal communication with the analog-to-digital converter. The electronic device is configured to verify (1) the calibration of the timing of the control circuit and (2) the calibration of the voltage level of the control circuit based on the periodic waveform.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 845,980, filed on May 10, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present application discloses an invention that relates generally and in various aspects to a calibration system and a method of calibrating a device, circuit and / or system. Background Art

[0004] It is now more common for nuclear power plants to utilize one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in at least one of their respective control circuits. In addition to including one or more FPGAs, such control circuits also include other devices / components such as sensors, input / output cards, analog-to-digital converters, and processors to monitor and / or control the operation of the nuclear power plant. Typically, an output signal indicating a sensed or measured parameter generated by a sensor is input to an input / output card connected to an FPGA, which in turn can be connected to a processor. For example, in the case where the output signal generated by the sensor is an analog signal, an analog-to-digital converter is utilized to convert the analog signal into a corresponding digital signal. In various configurations, analog-to-digital conversion can be performed by an input / output card, by an analog-to-digital converter connected to an input / output card, or by an FPGA.

[0005] In some nuclear power plant control circuits, several of these devices / components are packaged together in an electronic device such as, for example, a CompactRIO (cRIO) controller manufactured by National Instruments. In applications where the electronic device provides only monitoring functions, the digital values ​​output by the FPGA of the electronic device may be input to a computer system or other processing device that aggregates the outputs of multiple FPGAs. In applications where the electronic device is used as a controller, the electronic device may perform control functions based on output signals of one or more sensors (based on other conditions).

[0006] In order to ensure that such a control circuit operates properly, the calibration of the control circuit can be checked. Specifically, the calibration of the timing of the control circuit and the calibration of the analog voltage present in the control circuit can be checked. If the calibration of one of the timing or the analog voltage fails the inspection, the calibration can be adjusted so that the control circuit is in the proper calibration being performed. Known processes for inspection and calibration are time-consuming processes. For example, a known process includes: checking the timing of the control circuit and then independently adding multiple different voltage levels to check the analog voltage present in the control circuit. Similar processes are currently used to verify the calibration of devices and / or systems.

[0007] There is room for improvement in calibration systems and methods of calibrating devices, circuits and / or systems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The novel features characteristic of the various aspects described herein are set forth with particularity in the appended claims.However, both organizational and methodological aspects of operation may be better understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0009] Figure 1 A calibration system according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure is shown;

[0010] Figure 2 Shown by Figure 1 An example triangle wave generated by a waveform generator of a calibration system;

[0011] Figure 3 Shown by Figure 1 An example sine wave generated by a waveform generator of a calibration system; and

[0012] Figure 4 A calibration method according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] It should be understood that at least some of the drawings and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements relevant to a clear understanding of the present invention, while excluding other elements for clarity, and those skilled in the art will understand that other elements may also comprise a part of the present invention. However, because such elements are well known in the prior art and because they do not promote a better understanding of the present invention, a description of such elements is not provided herein.

[0014] In the detailed description below, reference is made to the drawings which form a part of the specification. In the drawings, similar symbols and reference numerals generally identify similar components throughout the several views unless the context indicates otherwise. The illustrative aspects described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other aspects may be utilized and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the technology described herein.

[0015] The following description of certain examples of the technology should not be used to limit its scope. Other examples, features, aspects, embodiments and advantages of the technology will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of one of the best modes for performing the technology by way of illustration. As will be realized, the technology described herein can have other different and obvious aspects (all of which do not depart from the technology). Therefore, the drawings and description should be considered to be illustrative in nature and not limiting.

[0016] It is further understood that any one or more of the teachings, expressions, aspects, embodiments, examples, etc. described herein may be combined with any one or more other teachings, expressions, aspects, embodiments, examples, etc. described herein. Therefore, the teachings, expressions, aspects, embodiments, examples, etc. described below should not be considered separately from each other. In view of the teachings herein, various appropriate ways in which the teachings herein may be combined will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

[0017] Before explaining the various aspects of the calibration system in detail, it should be noted that the various aspects disclosed herein do not limit their application or use to the details of the construction and the arrangement of parts shown in the drawings and the specification. More specifically, the disclosed aspects can be placed or incorporated into other aspects, embodiments, variations and modifications thereof, and can be practiced or executed in various ways. Therefore, the aspects of the calibration system disclosed herein are illustrative in nature and are not meant to limit their scope or application. In addition, unless otherwise indicated, the terms and expressions adopted in this article have been selected for the convenience of the reader to describe the purpose of the aspects, and the terms and expressions are not meant to limit their scope. In addition, it should be understood that any one or more disclosed aspects, expressions of aspects and / or examples thereof can be combined with any one or more other disclosed aspects, expressions of aspects and / or examples thereof without limitation.

[0018] Furthermore, in the following description, it should be understood that terms such as inward, outward, upward, downward, above, upper, below, floor, left, right, side, inside, outside are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms. The terms used herein are not meant to be limited to the scope of the devices described herein or portions thereof and may be attached or utilized in other orientations. Various aspects will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 A calibration system 10 is shown in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. The calibration system 10 will be described in the context of its use to calibrate control circuits 12 of a nuclear power plant. However, it will be understood that the calibration system 10 can be utilized to calibrate any number of different devices (FPGAs, computers, programmable logic controllers, input / output circuits, etc.), circuits, and / or systems. The calibration system 10 includes a waveform generator 14 and a controller 16. The controller 16 includes input / output circuits 18, an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter 20, and an FPGA 22. According to various aspects, the calibration system 10 may also include a processor 24 connected to the FPGA 22.

[0020] The waveform generator 14 is configured to generate one or more waveforms. For example, according to various aspects, the waveform generator 14 can be configured to generate one or more waveforms such as triangular waves, sine waves, rectangular waves, sawtooth waves, etc., with different amplitudes within a wide frequency range. Figure 2 An example triangle wave generated by the waveform generator 14 is shown in FIG. 1 , where the triangle wave is a 1 Hz, 0-10 V triangle wave. Figure 3 An example sine wave generated by the waveform generator 14 is shown in FIG. 1 , where the sine wave is a 0.5 Hz, 0-10 V sine wave. Of course, the waveform generator 14 may generate Figure 2 and Figure 3 Different frequencies, amplitudes and / or waveforms than those shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, waveform generator 14 is connected to (in signal communication with) control circuit 12. More specifically, waveform generator 14 is connected to (in signal communication with) input / output circuit 18 of controller 16.

[0021] The input / output circuit 18 is configured to receive an analog signal at its input terminal (not shown for clarity). For example, the input / output circuit 18 may receive an analog signal from the sensor 26. Figure 1Only one sensor 26 is shown in FIG. 1 , but it will be understood that the input / output circuit 18 may receive analog signals from multiple sensors 26, such as, for example, flow sensors, position sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, etc. According to various aspects, the input / output circuit 18 may include any number of input / output cards (analog I / O cards, digital I / O cards, and / or hybrid I / O cards), and may be configured to accommodate both analog and digital input / output. For example, according to various aspects, the input / output circuit 18 is also configured to output control signals to the actuator 28. Although FIG. Figure 1 Only one actuator 28 is shown in FIG. 1 , but it will be understood that the input / output circuit 18 may output control signals to multiple actuators 28 to control valves, motors, pumps, etc.

[0022] A / D converter 20 is connected to (in signal communication with) input / output circuit 18 and is configured to convert an analog signal received from input / output circuit 18 into a corresponding digital signal or digital value representative of the analog signal. Figure 1 1 , it will be appreciated that the controller 16 may include any number of A / D converters 20. For example, according to various aspects, the controller 16 includes a separate A / D converter 20 for each analog input / output card in the input / output circuit 18. According to various aspects, the A / D converter 20 forms part of the input / output circuit 18.

[0023] FPGA 22 is connected to (in signal communication with) A / D converter 20 and is configured to process digital signals and / or digital values ​​received from A / D converter 20. According to various aspects, A / D converter 20 forms part of FPGA 22. In addition to performing signal processing, FPGA 22 may also be utilized to perform control, filtering, timing, and / or other logic functions. Figure 1 As shown, according to various aspects, FPGA 22 also includes a processor 30 in signal communication with FPGA 22. Processor 30 can be used for communication, signal processing and / or execution of algorithms or routines stored in a memory associated with processor 30. Processor 30 is capable of executing one or more such algorithms or routines to implement and control the functions of FPGA 22. According to various aspects, processor 30 interprets the digital signal or digital value output by A / D converter 20 and, in response, causes FPGA 22 to output one or more digital signals. Such signals can be control signals that control one or more components of control circuit 12 and / or information signals that provide information such as characteristics sensed by analog sensor 26. According to various aspects, FPGA 22 or a combination of FPGA 22 and processor 30 can be considered a processing circuit.

[0024] Processor 24 is capable of signal communication with processor 30 and may be used, for example, to format information provided by processor 30 (e.g., information associated with analog sensor 26 connected to input / output circuitry 18) so that the information can be displayed on a monitor (not shown) connected to processor 24.

[0025] In order to ensure that certain control circuits used in nuclear power plants or other applications operate properly, the calibration of the control circuit can be verified by a calibration algorithm or routine executed by the processor 30 of the FPGA 22. Using the calibration algorithm or routine, the processor 30 can verify the timing and voltage level of the control circuit 12 based on the waveform generated by the waveform generator 14. For example, the timing of the control circuit 12 can be verified using the sampling rate of the analog signal received by the input / output circuit 18, and the voltage level of the control circuit 12 can be verified using the voltage level of the analog signal received by the input / output circuit 18. If the calibration of either the timing or the analog voltage fails the inspection, the calibration can be adjusted so that the control circuit 12 is in the proper calibration being performed. For example, for the timing of the control circuit 12, the cycle time used by the FPGA 22 can be adjusted so that the timing is properly calibrated. According to other aspects, the calibration or routine can be performed by a processing circuit other than the FPGA 22 and the processor 30.

[0026] According to various aspects, to calibrate control circuit 12, a periodic waveform generated by waveform generator 14 is input to input / output circuit 18. The waveform may be input to a test terminal block (not shown) of input / output circuit 18. Processor 30 initiates execution of a calibration algorithm or routine. The calibration algorithm or routine may be initiated automatically, such as in response to receiving a periodic waveform at a specific input of input / output circuit 18 (e.g., a test terminal block), or manually in response to input or command from a user or device.

[0027] Information indicating the type of periodic waveform, the frequency of the periodic waveform, and the various voltage test points on the periodic waveform may be stored in a memory accessible by the processor 30. According to various aspects, information indicating the timing and threshold tolerances of each voltage test point may also be stored in a memory accessible by the processor 30. The information may be stored in the memory when the FPGA 22 is programmed (such as at the time of manufacture). However, it will be understood that the FPGA 22 programming may be updated subsequently.

[0028] As part of the calibration algorithm or routine, the processor 30 is configured to verify that the timing of the control circuit 12 is within a predetermined threshold tolerance. According to various aspects, an analog signal of a periodic waveform is sampled and the sampled analog value is converted to a digital signal or digital value by the A / D converter 20. The digital signal or digital value is provided to the FPGA 22 and then provided to the processor 30. The processor 30 uses the digital signal or digital value to determine the frequency of the periodic waveform. The processor 30 can then compare the determined frequency of the periodic waveform with the known frequency of the periodic waveform stored in the memory. If the determined frequency is within a predetermined threshold tolerance of the known frequency, then the time calibration of the control circuit 12 is considered to be verified. For example, if the periodic waveform has a known frequency of 1 Hz and the predetermined threshold tolerance is 1%, then if the determined frequency is within 1% of the known frequency of 1 Hz, then the timing calibration of the control circuit 12 will be considered to be verified.

[0029] However, if the determined frequency is not within a predetermined threshold tolerance, FPGA 22 (or processor 30 of FPGA 22) can be used to adjust the calibration of the timing (e.g., by adjusting the cycle time utilized by FPGA 22) so that the timing is properly calibrated (i.e., within a predetermined threshold tolerance).

[0030] As part of the calibration algorithm or routine, the processor 30 is also configured to verify that the voltage level of each sample along the periodic waveform is within a predetermined threshold tolerance. Once the timing of the control circuit 12 has been verified or properly calibrated, the processor 30 can use the verified timing to verify that the voltage level of each sample along the periodic waveform is within a predetermined threshold tolerance. For example, with a timing such as Figure 2 The voltage levels associated with the 0-10V periodic waveform of the triangle wave include 0V, 2.5V, 5V, 7.5V and 10V. Because the timing of the control circuit 12 and the frequency of the periodic waveform are known, the calibration algorithm or routine knows when these voltage levels should appear in the periodic waveform. Figure 2 A 1Hz, 0-10V triangle wave, such as in Figure 2 As shown in , the amplitude of the periodic waveform should be 5V at 0.25s and at 0.75s after the start of the cycle of the waveform. Because the timing has been verified or properly calibrated as described above, the processor 30 can use a digital signal or digital value corresponding to each sampled voltage level at a specific time to compare the sampled voltage value with the expected voltage value. If the sampled voltage values ​​are each within a predetermined threshold tolerance of the expected voltage value, the voltage value calibration of the control circuit 12 is considered to be verified.

[0031] However, if any sampled voltage value is not within a predetermined threshold tolerance of the expected voltage value, the FPGA 22 (or the processor 30 of the FPGA 22) can be used to adjust the calibration of the voltage value (e.g., by adjusting the amplitude of the analog signal at the input / output circuit 18) so that the voltage value is properly calibrated (i.e., within the predetermined threshold tolerance). It will be understood that any number of voltage levels may be sampled and verified or adjusted, and any predetermined threshold tolerance (e.g., 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, etc.) may be used for the verification or calibration process. Typically, a given predetermined threshold tolerance will be set on a case-by-case basis.

[0032] When the control circuit 12 is properly calibrated, the timing and voltage levels it uses to make control decisions are accurate to the extent that they are within a predetermined threshold tolerance of known / expected timing and voltage levels. If the predetermined threshold tolerance for a given application is 1% and the control circuit 12 interprets an actual 2.5V analog signal as a 2.8V analog signal, the control circuit 12 is not properly calibrated, and control operations based on the interpreted voltage level may be unexpected, inappropriate, and / or unsafe. For these and other reasons, verifying and / or adjusting the calibration for proper calibration makes calibration part of ongoing maintenance in a nuclear power plant or other application. By utilizing a calibration algorithm or routine as described above, the time spent verifying and / or adjusting the calibration is significantly reduced. For example, the control circuit 12 can calibrate itself or verify its own calibration using only one cycle of the periodic waveform received from the waveform generator 14, greatly increasing the speed of the calibration process. Since a facility such as a nuclear power plant may include many control circuits 12 that need to be calibrated, increasing the speed of calibration significantly reduces maintenance time.

[0033] Figure 4 A method 40 of calibrating a control circuit according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated. Although the method 40 is described in the context of calibrating the control circuit 12, it will be appreciated that the method 40 may be utilized to calibrate any number of different devices (FPGAs, computers, programmable logic controllers, input / output circuits, etc.), circuits, and / or systems. The method 40 may be implemented using the calibration system 10 or other similar systems. For simplicity, implementations of the method 40 will be described in the context of the control circuit 12.

[0034] For method 40, a periodic waveform is generated 42, for example, by waveform generator 14. The periodic waveform is input 44 to an analog input of input / output circuit 18. The analog signal of the periodic waveform is sampled 46 by FPGA 22, and the sampled analog value is converted 48 by A / D converter 20 to a digital signal or digital value.

[0035] The digital signal or digital value is used by the processor 30 to determine 50 the frequency of the periodic waveform. The processor 30 compares 52 the determined frequency to the known frequency of the periodic waveform. If the determined frequency is within a predetermined threshold tolerance of the known frequency, then the timing of the control circuit 12 is deemed to be properly calibrated. If the determined frequency is not within the predetermined threshold tolerance of the known frequency, then the timing of the control circuit 12 is adjusted so that the timing is properly calibrated.

[0036] After the calibration of the timing of the control circuit 12 has been verified or adjusted to be properly calibrated, the digital signals or digital values ​​corresponding to the voltage levels of each sample along the periodic waveform and the known frequency of the periodic waveform are used by the processor 30 to compare 54 each of the voltage levels sampled along the periodic waveform to the expected voltage level (the calibration algorithm or routine knows when the expected voltage level should appear in the periodic waveform). If each of the voltage levels of each sample is within a predetermined threshold tolerance of the expected voltage level, the voltage level of the control circuit 12 is considered to be properly calibrated. If each of the voltage levels of each sample is not within a predetermined threshold tolerance of the expected voltage level, the voltage level of the control circuit 12 is adjusted so that the voltage level is properly calibrated. Multiple voltage levels can be compared to the expected voltage level sequentially or in parallel.

[0037] The method 40 described above may be repeated periodically or continuously, and may be repeated any number of times.

[0038] Example

[0039] Example 1 - A calibration system is provided. The calibration system includes: a waveform generator configured to generate a periodic waveform, and a control circuit in signal communication with the waveform generator. The control circuit includes: an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the periodic waveform into a digital value, and an electronic device in signal communication with the analog-to-digital converter. The electronic device is configured to verify (1) the calibration of the timing of the control circuit and (2) the calibration of the voltage level of the control circuit based on the periodic waveform.

[0040] Example 2 - The calibration system of Example 1, wherein the periodic waveform comprises a triangular wave.

[0041] Example 3 - The calibration system of Example 1, wherein the periodic waveform comprises a sine wave.

[0042] Example 4 - The calibration system of Example 1, 2, or 3, wherein the electronic device comprises a field programmable gate array.

[0043] Example 5 - A calibration system according to example 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the analog to digital converter forms part of an electronic device.

[0044] Example 6 - The calibration system of Example 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the control circuit further comprises an input / output circuit connected to the analog-to-digital converter.

[0045] Example 7 - The calibration system of Example 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the input / output circuit forms part of an electronic device.

[0046] Example 8 - The calibration system of Example 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, wherein the control circuit further comprises a processor in signal communication with the electronic device.

[0047] Example 9 - The calibration system of Example 8, wherein the processor forms part of an electronic device.

[0048] Example 10 - The calibration system of Example 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, wherein the calibration system further comprises a processor in signal communication with the control circuit.

[0049] Example 11 - An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert a periodic waveform into a digital value, and a processing circuit in signal communication with the analog-to-digital converter. The processing circuit is configured to verify (1) calibration of timing of the electronic device and (2) calibration of voltage levels of the electronic device based on the periodic waveform.

[0050] Example 12 - The electronic device of Example 11, wherein the processing circuit comprises a field programmable gate array.

[0051] Example 13 - The electronic device of Example 11 or 12, wherein the processing circuit further comprises a processor.

[0052] Example 14 - The electronic device of Example 11, 12, or 13, further comprising an input / output circuit in signal communication with the analog-to-digital converter.

[0053] Example 15 - A calibration method is provided. The calibration method includes: generating a periodic waveform, inputting the generated periodic waveform into an electronic device, calibrating the timing of the electronic device based on the input periodic waveform, and calibrating the voltage level in the electronic device based on the input periodic waveform.

[0054] Example 16 - The calibration method of Example 15, wherein calibrating the timing of the electronic device based on the input periodic waveform comprises determining a frequency of the input periodic waveform.

[0055] Example 17 - The calibration method of Example 16, wherein calibrating the timing of the electronic device based on the input periodic waveform further comprises: comparing the determined frequency of the input periodic waveform with a known frequency.

[0056] Example 18 - The calibration method of Example 17, wherein calibrating the timing of the electronic device based on the input periodic waveform further comprises: determining whether the determined frequency of the input periodic waveform is within a threshold tolerance of the known frequency.

[0057] Example 19 - The calibration method of Example 15, 16, 17 or 18, wherein calibrating the voltage level in the electronic device based on the input periodic waveform comprises: comparing the sampled voltage level of the input periodic waveform with the expected voltage level.

[0058] Example 20 - The calibration method of Example 19, wherein calibrating the voltage level in the electronic device based on the input periodic waveform further comprises: determining whether the voltage level of each sample of the input periodic waveform is within a threshold tolerance of the expected voltage level.

[0059] Although various aspects of the calibration system 10 and the calibration method 40 have been described herein in conjunction with certain disclosed aspects, many modifications and variations of those aspects may be implemented. Moreover, where materials for certain components are disclosed, other materials may be used. Furthermore, according to various aspects, a single component may be replaced by multiple components, and multiple components may be replaced by a single component to perform a given function. The above description and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the disclosed aspects.

[0060] Although the present invention has been described as having an example design, the described invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present application is intended to use its general principles to cover any variation, use or adaptation of the present invention. For example, although the present invention is described in the context of control circuit 12, the general principles of the present invention are equally applicable to any type of device, circuit and / or system that converts analog signals into digital values. Similarly, although the present invention is also described in the context of a nuclear power plant, the general principles of the present invention are equally applicable to applications outside of nuclear power plants.

[0061] Any patent, patent application, publication, or other disclosed material stated to be incorporated herein by reference, in whole or in part, is incorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated material does not conflict with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosed material set forth in the present disclosure. Thus, to the extent necessary, the present disclosure expressly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material or portion thereof stated to be incorporated herein by reference but that conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosed material set forth herein will be incorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated material does not conflict with existing disclosed material.

Claims

1. A calibration system comprising: a waveform generator configured to generate a periodic waveform; as well as A control circuit performs signal communication with the waveform generator, wherein the control circuit comprises: an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the periodic waveform into a digital value; and an electronic device in signal communication with the analog-to-digital converter, wherein the electronic device is configured to utilize the digital value associated with one period of the periodic waveform to automatically verify the following: The timing calibration of the control circuit is within a first predetermined threshold tolerance; and The voltage level calibration of the control circuit is within a second predetermined threshold tolerance.

2. The calibration system according to claim 1, wherein: The periodic waveform includes a triangle wave.

3. The calibration system according to claim 1, wherein: The periodic waveform includes a sine wave.

4. The calibration system according to claim 1, wherein: The electronic device includes a field programmable gate array.

5. The calibration system according to claim 1, wherein: The analog-to-digital converter forms part of the electronic device.

6. The calibration system according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit further includes an input / output circuit connected to the analog-to-digital converter.

7. The calibration system according to claim 6, wherein: The input / output circuit forms a part of the electronic device.

8. The calibration system according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit further includes a processor in signal communication with the electronic device.

9. The calibration system according to claim 8, wherein: The processor forms part of the electronic device.

10. The calibration system of claim 1, wherein: The calibration system further includes a processor in signal communication with the control circuit.

11. An electronic device, comprising: an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the periodic waveform into a digital value; as well as and a processing circuit in signal communication with the analog-to-digital converter, wherein the processing circuit is configured to utilize the digital value associated with one period of the periodic waveform to automatically verify that: a timing calibration of the electronic device being within a first predetermined threshold tolerance; and The voltage level calibration of the electronic device is within a second predetermined threshold tolerance.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein: The processing circuit comprises a field programmable gate array.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein: The processing circuit further includes a processor.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising an input / output circuit in signal communication with the analog-to-digital converter.

15. A calibration inspection method comprising: Generate periodic waveforms; inputting the generated periodic waveform into an electronic device; converting the periodic waveform into a digital value; The digital value associated with one period of the periodic waveform is used to automatically verify: a timing calibration of the electronic device being within a first predetermined threshold tolerance; as well as The voltage level calibration of the electronic device is within a second predetermined threshold tolerance.

16. The calibration verification method according to claim 15, wherein: Automatically verifying the timing calibration of the electronic device includes determining a frequency of the input periodic waveform.

17. The calibration verification method according to claim 16, wherein: Automatically verifying the timing calibration of the electronic device further comprises comparing the determined frequency of the input periodic waveform to a known frequency.

18. The calibration verification method according to claim 17, wherein: Automatically verifying the timing calibration of the electronic device further comprises determining whether the determined frequency of the input periodic waveform is within a threshold tolerance of the known frequency.

19. The calibration verification method according to claim 15, wherein: Automatically verifying voltage level calibration of the electronic device includes comparing a sampled voltage level of an input periodic waveform to an expected voltage level.

20. The calibration verification method according to claim 19, wherein: Automatically verifying the voltage level calibration of the electronic device further includes determining whether the voltage level of each sample of the input periodic waveform is within a threshold tolerance of the expected voltage level.

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