Test and measurement apparatus and method

Abstract

Data from two or more channels is acquired at different times depending on different trigger conditions. [Solution] The test measurement device 10 has two or more channels 30 for acquiring data from a device under test (DUT), each having an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a trigger engine 22 for determining one or more trigger conditions for the channels independently of the other channels, a display 42 for displaying the DUT data, a user interface, and one or more processors 44. The device is configured to execute a program that causes one or more processors 44 to acquire data from one of the two or more channels 30 at a different timing than the other channels 30, depending on one or more trigger conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to test and measurement devices, and particularly to acquisition and trigger technologies in test and measurement devices such as oscilloscopes.

Background Art

[0002] In conventional oscilloscopes, all input channels are sampled at the same speed in a time synchronization manner based on trigger conditions. The trigger conditions may occur on a single channel or span multiple channels, but all channels perform acquisition (waveform data acquisition) simultaneously at the same sample rate in order to obtain a specific, consistent data set (a collection of data). Many existing oscilloscopes have a single trigger engine responsible for determining the time slices for performing acquisition.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Document 2

[0005] Currently, test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes do not have the functionality to allow users to configure the equipment to use more resources for acquiring channels of interest, while sampling other channels at lower sample rates or acquisition rates. Current oscilloscopes use auxiliary input signals as triggers or part of triggers, but they do not display the waveform. Users can view the waveform by manually moving the auxiliary input signal to an analog channel, but this is the only way to do so. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Embodiments described herein include test measurement apparatus and methods for acquiring data from various channels in a manner that is independently configurable from other channels. These channels can acquire data independently by acquiring data (waveform data acquisition) at various times, various sample rates, or combinations thereof, depending on various trigger conditions. The independently acquired data are then synthesized to constitute a single coherent data set across time, velocity, and events.

[0007] For example, a process may acquire (acquire waveform data from) these channels individually or a subset of all channels based on a trigger condition, in which case the trigger condition may include a time reference observed on that channel or a subset of these channels. For example, acquisition of channel 1 may be based on the rising edge of channel 1, and acquisition of channel 2 may be based on the rising edge of channel 2. The same can be done with respect to any trigger format, such as rising edges, falling edges, pulse width, or a specific bit pattern during serial transmission. In this description, the result is referred to as a "coherent acquisition," in which part of this acquisition aligns the measured times across the individual channels that were captured. In this example, in a conventional aligned acquisition, the delta time (time difference) is essentially zero for all channels.

[0008] In this application, data acquisition is referred to as an "asymmetric acquisition" in which multiple acquisitions are performed using some kind of asymmetry, such as different trigger times, different trigger formats, different sample rates, or combinations thereof. In this application, a "disjoint time trigger" means an acquisition in which the trigger conditions occur at different times for each channel. Even if multiple triggers are different triggers on different channels, it is possible that these multiple triggers occur simultaneously, but these channels are triggered independently. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a test and measurement apparatus equipped with asymmetric acquisition. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the channel in the test measurement device. [Figure 3]Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a process for acquiring and verifying waveforms using time-independent triggers. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a rotatable 3D rendering of an asymmetric acquisition. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a test and measurement device 10 having multiple channels. The test and measurement device 10 includes a display and control unit 40 in addition to the part that interacts with the device under test (DUT) (in this case, the input / output unit 20). The input / output unit 20 of the test and measurement device 10 includes multiple channels (30, etc.) from channel 1 to channel n. The test and measurement device may have any number of channels.

[0011] As will be explained in detail below, the test measurement device 10 may also include a universal timing control unit 24, a universal trigger control unit 22, and a universal storage control unit 26. In Figure 1, these components are shown to be located within the input / output section 20 of the test measurement device 10, but physically they can be located anywhere within the test measurement device 10.

[0012] The display and control unit 40 of the test and measurement device 10 includes a set of input operation units 48 that allow the user to control the device. The input operation units 48 may also include a graphical user interface (GUI) 50 or a programmatic interface (PI) 52. The input operation units 48 may further include various conventionally known knobs and switches that are located on the test and measurement device 10 or are operable remotely from the test and measurement device 10.

[0013] One or more main (or central) processors 44 can be configured to execute instructions from memory 46, and can perform any method or associated steps indicated by such instructions, such as receiving and storing signals acquired from the input / output unit 20, or executing the test measurement functions of the test measurement device 10. The test measurement device 10 can store the acquired signals as waveforms in memory 46, one or more acquisition memories associated with the channel, or various other memories present throughout the test measurement device 10.

[0014] One or more processors 44 control the output display 42 to display waveforms, measurements, and other data to the user. The output display 42 may consist of, for example, an LCD or other display monitor. If it consists of a touch screen, the display may also be part of the input control device.

[0015] Figure 1 shows that the components of the test and measurement device 10 are integrated within a single test and measurement device 10. However, those skilled in the art will understand that any of these components may exist outside the test and measurement device 10 and be connected to the test and measurement device 10 by any conventional method, such as wired or wireless communication media or mechanisms. In some embodiments, a remote computer may be connected to the test and measurement device 10 to operate it.

[0016] Furthermore, the universal trigger control unit 22, the universal timing control unit 24, and the universal storage control unit 26 may constitute components shared among channels, but individual channels may also have their own trigger modules and trigger engines. This trigger engine for each channel can provide the ability to trigger and acquire each channel independently of other channels. Figure 2 shows in more detail an embodiment of the multiple channels (30, etc.) of Figure 1.

[0017] Figure 2 shows a four-channel configuration. However, Figure 2 shows an example, and the test measurement device may have more or fewer channels. The test measurement device has one or more channels that can acquire data from the DUT independently of other channels. The data enters the channels from the DUT and may undergo signal conditioning such as amplification by the amplifier / receiver 60. The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 62 samples the signal and converts it into digital data. When the trigger engine 64 detects a trigger event in the data stream from the ADC 62, it instructs the data storage 66 to store the data. Note that it should be noted that multiple channels may share these components such as amplifiers, ADCs, and storage. <> <>

[0018] <> The trigger engine may have some form of processing element such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other processing elements that receive a program or are controlled by one or more central processing units 44 of the test measurement device 10 in Figure 1. One or more processors 44 of the test measurement device 10 may include the processing element where the trigger engine is located. One or more central processors may also control the trigger engine when the trigger engine does not have a processing element. However, in implementation, the trigger engine receives a signal that controls the acquisition independently of the acquisition on other channels. <> <>

[0019] <> In some embodiments, each channel includes a complete copy of the trigger function of each acquisition circuit (i.e., each channel). <> <>

[0020] <> The fact that the test measurement device has a plurality of independent channels means that these channels can independently acquire data in various ways, which causes one or more processors to acquire data in response to the trigger condition of at least one of the two or more channels (which is different from the trigger conditions of the other channels among these two or more channels).

[0021] In one embodiment, the plurality of channels may respond to the same trigger condition that occurs at different timings for each of the two or more channels. In this embodiment, the test measurement device may be triggered using a single trigger, but multiple different trigger engines start acquisitions at different timings. In another embodiment, the plurality of channels may acquire data in response to the trigger condition of at least one of the two or more channels (which is different from the trigger conditions of the other channels among these two or more channels). This corresponds to the above example of the rising edge, causing acquisitions for the rising edge of Channel 1 and acquisitions for the rising edge of Channel 2.

[0022] In one embodiment, this function can also be used for the test measurement device to analyze the influence of signal transmission. The trigger condition can also be RF energy exceeding a threshold in a specific band of each channel. For example, wireless communication signals may be transmitted and received, and the signals of both the transmitter and the receiver are sampled by an oscilloscope. Characteristics of the signal path (path) such as frequency response, signal path delay, and multipath interference can be more easily visualized by overlaying (superimposing) or stacking the transmitter signal and the receiver signal at a reference point such as the burst start point. The wireless environment is essentially dynamic and can sometimes be very dynamic when the transmitter or receiver is moving. If the transmitter data and the receiver data are automatically aligned, the user will be able to focus on the influence of the signal.

[0023] This allows users to analyze the received signal as a function of transmission time, relative to the transmitter's reference time. For example, changes in the characteristics of a radar signal's received waveform can be visualized by rendering the sampled waveform as a function of transmission time. Transmission time generally corresponds to the distance to the target.

[0024] In wired communications, the signal in question is effectively constrained by the waveguide. Similarly, the influence of wire or trace on the circuit board on transmission can be analyzed as a function of time delay corresponding to the length of the wiring or trace.

[0025] In embodiments where each channel has full triggering capabilities, the image of individual processors (such as FPGAs) on software or existing hardware can be modified to independently trigger each channel based on conditions such as edges, and these can then be collected and aligned for display. Figure 3 shows an example of such acquisition (waveform data acquisition).

[0026] In Figure 3, the solid line represents the signal acquired on one channel near the source, and the dashed line represents the signal acquired on another channel near the receiver. These signals are in wired form. The graph above shows how the trigger results appear without a time-uncoordinated trigger. The trigger is set for a specific data pattern. Due to the signal transmission time, the multiple captured waveforms are not aligned on the display, making comparison difficult. The reference points within the signal patterns are identified by the triangular pointer 70 for the source signal and by the triangular pointer 72 for the receiver waveform.

[0027] In the graph below, two channels are triggered separately by the same pattern in the data, eliminating the need to know the transmission time. The two triangular pointers 70 and 72 are aligned as trigger references. This allows the user to examine other points and always clearly compare two or more waveforms. This offset is determined automatically, shifting the focus from the delay of the signal being investigated to the change in the shape of the signal being investigated. This change in signal shape is generally due to transmission line losses.

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention alter the assumption inherent in the user interface of conventional test and measurement devices, namely, the assumption that the displayed waveforms are captured at exactly the same time and in the same way. The key point of the "asymmetric acquisition" or "disjoint time acquisition" mode is that the waveforms are intentionally not captured simultaneously.

[0029] Another advantage of triggering at different times is that the change (delta) between those times can be captured as an axis on a graph. The time difference of time-independent acquisitions itself is a measurable and plottable value. For example, as a wireless receiver approaches a transmitter, the transmission delay and characteristics of the received waveform change. An oscilloscope can also render this into a three-dimensional (3D) image, showing the received waveform as a function of transmission time, or effective distance.

[0030] Figure 4 shows an example of this type of image. The two axes are amplitude on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis. A third axis can be transmission time. In this figure, the third axis perpendicular to the page visualizes the change in the signal as a function of transmission time, given probes for the transmitter and the receiver. This image can be continuously updated as the two DUTs operate and the conditions around the DUTs change.

[0031] This graph may also be rendered on the user interface display of the test measurement device, allowing the user to better understand signal distortion due to transmission distance and time by, for example, manipulating the viewing angle. The test measurement device can also use color or grayscale in two-dimensional or three-dimensional images to distinguish acquisitions of different transmission times, as shown in Figure 4.

[0032] Furthermore, this can also be used to detect distortion along wires (signal lines). The availability of time-independent triggering makes test setup significantly easier. Users can initially set the oscilloscope to trigger for different channels at different timings for both the signal source and signal destination, and then easily switch to different DUTs with different wire lengths without having to readjust the oscilloscope for different transmission times. In this case, transmission time is less critical, providing a user-friendly feature that eliminates the need for users to worry about channel time alignment.

[0033] In some embodiments, useful information can be obtained from the cross-correlation of two signals through numerous acquisitions (waveform data acquisition). Advanced filters, including learning filters, can be used, and the oscilloscope can be triggered on anomalous differences or correlations. Here, "difference" refers to a negative correlation, and "correlation" refers to a positive correlation; these differences or correlations are considered to exceed a certain threshold compared to other differences or correlations. The advantage of independent triggering is that it can eliminate the time difference between sampling points as a factor hindering analysis, which is particularly effective when that time difference changes.

[0034] In some hardware designs, high-performance processing such as Fast Frame and Fast Acq requires intensive resource usage during acquisition. Oscilloscopes and test measurement equipment can be explicitly configured by the user to acquire the channel of interest with maximum resource "intensity," while sampling other channels at lower sampling or acquisition rates. This results in more accurate results, such as displaying a longer "live time" for the channel of interest, while other signals are still monitored, although they are only monitored as reference frames.

[0035] In typical current oscilloscope configurations, an “aux” input signal is used as a trigger or as part of a trigger, but its waveform is not displayed. In some applications, the user manually moves the signal from the aux input terminal to one of the analog input terminals so that the user can see this aux signal. According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the test measurement device may be able to render the state of the “aux trigger” signal. This has only two states and, as another asymmetric acquisition, may not be sampled at the same sample rate as the other channels.

[0036] In summary, embodiments of the present disclosure improve two common areas in the operation of test measurement devices. First, embodiments of the present disclosure maximize the use of limited hardware resources to provide users with the most useful information collected. Second, embodiments of the present disclosure help users understand complex data sets and enable them to understand captured information more quickly by aligning unpredictable and eventually occurring events.

[0037] Embodiments of the disclosed technology can operate on a specially programmed general-purpose computer, including specially created hardware, firmware, digital signal processors, or processors that operate according to programmed instructions. The terms “controller” or “processor” in this application mean microprocessors, microcomputers, ASICs, and dedicated hardware controllers, etc. Embodiments of the disclosed technology can be implemented by one or more computers (including monitoring modules) or other devices, using computer-readable data such as program modules and computer-executable instructions. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., which, when executed by a processor in a computer or other device, perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data type expressions. Computer-executable instructions may be stored on computer-readable storage media such as hard disks, optical disks, removable storage media, solid-state memory, and RAM. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the functions of the program modules may be combined or distributed as needed in various embodiments. Furthermore, these functions can be embodied in whole or in part in firmware or hardware equivalents such as integrated circuits or field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). One or more aspects of the disclosed technology can be more effectively implemented using specific data structures, such data structures are considered to be within the scope of computer-executable instructions and computer-usable data described herein.

[0038] The disclosed embodiments may, in some cases, be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. The disclosed embodiments may also be implemented as instructions carried or stored in one or more computer-readable media that can be read and executed by one or more processors. Such instructions may be referred to as computer program products. The computer-readable media described herein means any medium accessible by a computing device. For example, but not limited to, computer-readable media may include computer storage media and communication media.

[0039] Computer storage media means any medium that can be used to store computer-readable information. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory and other memory technologies, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), DVD (Digital Video Disc) and other optical disc storage devices, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage devices and other magnetic storage devices, and any other volatile or non-volatile removable or non-removable media implemented by any technology. Computer storage media exclude signals themselves and temporary forms of signal transmission.

[0040] A communication medium means any medium that can be used to transmit computer-readable information. Examples of communication mediums, though not limited to them, include coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, air, or any other medium suitable for transmitting electrical, optical, radio frequency (RF), infrared, sound, or other types of signals. Examples

[0041] The following examples are provided that are useful for understanding the technology disclosed herein. These embodiments may include one or more of the examples described below, or any combination thereof.

[0042] Embodiment 1 is a test measurement device comprising one or more trigger engines and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) each determining one or more trigger conditions, two or more channels that allow the test measurement device to be connected to a device under test (DUT) to acquire data from the DUT, a display that allows the test measurement device to display data from the DUT, a user interface, and one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute a program that causes the one or more processors to perform a process of acquiring data from at least one of the two or more channels at a different timing than the other channels, depending on one or more trigger conditions.

[0043] Example 2 is the test measurement apparatus of Example 1, wherein the one or more processors include a central processor and each of the two or more channel processors.

[0044] Example 3 is the test measurement apparatus of Example 2, wherein the one or more trigger engines consist of one trigger engine for each of the channels, and each of the trigger engines has one or more processors.

[0045] Example 4 is a test and measurement apparatus according to any of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the one or more processors are composed of one or more central processors, and the one or more trigger engines are controlled by the one or more central processors.

[0046] Example 5 is a test and measurement apparatus according to any of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the ADC is shared among the two or more channels.

[0047] Example 6 is a test measurement apparatus according to any of Examples 1 to 5, wherein a program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data from at least one of the two or more channels includes a program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data from at least one of the two or more channels in accordance with a trigger condition for at least one of the two or more channels that is different from that of the other channels.

[0048] Example 7 is a test measurement apparatus according to any of Examples 1 to 5, wherein a program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data from at least one of the two or more channels includes a program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data from at least one of the two or more channels at different timings based on the same trigger conditions occurring in each of the two or more channels.

[0049] Example 8 is a test measurement apparatus according to any of Examples 1 to 7, wherein a program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data includes a program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data for each of the two or more channels in accordance with the independent trigger conditions for each of the two or more channels, and the one or more processors are further configured to perform the process of aligning the data for each of the two or more channels to generate alignment data (aligned data), and the process of displaying the alignment data for all of the two or more channels on the display.

[0050] Example 9 is a test measurement apparatus according to any of Examples 1 to 8, wherein one or more processors are configured to execute a program that performs the following: tracking of the time difference between different channels among the two or more channels, and displaying the time difference on the display.

[0051] Example 10 is a test measurement apparatus according to any of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of displaying the time difference uses a rotatable three-dimensional graph to cause one or more processors to perform the process of displaying the time difference.

[0052] Example 11 is a test measurement apparatus according to any of Examples 1 to 10, wherein one or more processors are further configured to execute a program that causes one or more processors to perform the following: a process to detect either a correlation or a difference between two signals of different channels among the two or more channels over a certain period of time, and a process to identify a difference that exceeds a threshold for the difference over the certain period of time.

[0053] Embodiment 12 is a test measurement device comprising one or more trigger engines and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) each determining one or more trigger conditions, one or more channels that allow the test measurement device to be connected to a device under test (DUT), an auxiliary input unit that receives auxiliary signals and has a trigger engine and threshold detection unit that determines one or more trigger conditions, a display that allows the test measurement device to display data from the DUT and the auxiliary signals, a user interface, and one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to execute a program that causes the one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data from the one or more channels and the process of sampling the auxiliary signals independently of the one or more channels.

[0054] Example 13 is a method for a test measurement device, comprising the process of determining one or more trigger conditions, and the process of acquiring data from two or more channels of the test measurement device connected to the device under test (DUT) at a different timing from that of the other two or more channels, in accordance with the one or more trigger conditions.

[0055] Example 14 is the method of Example 13, wherein the data acquisition process includes the process of acquiring data in accordance with a trigger condition that is different for at least one of the two or more channels from that of the other channels.

[0056] Example 15 is a method of either Example 13 or 14, wherein the data acquisition process includes acquiring the data at different timings based on the same trigger conditions occurring in each of the two or more channels.

[0057] Example 16 is a method according to any of Examples 13 to 15, wherein the data acquisition process includes: acquiring data for each of the two or more channels in accordance with the independent trigger conditions for each of the two or more channels; aligning the data for each of the two or more channels based on the independent trigger conditions for each of the two or more channels to align the time difference and generate alignment data that aligns the channels; and displaying the alignment data for all of the two or more channels on the display of the test measurement device.

[0058] Example 17 is the method of Example 16, wherein the process of displaying the aligned time difference includes the process of displaying the aligned time difference using a three-dimensional graph that shows the aligned time difference on a display by either the position of the waveform, the shade of gray, or the color.

[0059] Example 18 is a method of any of Examples 13 to 17, further comprising the process of tracking the time difference between data acquired in different channels among the two or more channels, and the process of plotting the time difference on a display.

[0060] Example 19 is a method of any of Examples 13 to 18, further comprising: a process for detecting the difference between two signals of different channels among the two or more channels over a certain period of time; and a process for identifying a difference that exceeds a difference threshold during the certain period of time.

[0061] Example 20 is the method of Example 16, further comprising the process of generating additional trigger conditions for monitoring differences between aligned channels, and the process of displaying the result when a difference threshold is exceeded.

[0062] The aforementioned versions of the subject matter of this disclosure have many effects that have been described or will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, not all of these effects or features are required in all versions of the disclosed apparatus, system, or method.

[0063] All functions disclosed in the specification, claims, abstract and drawings, and all steps in any method or process disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except where at least some of such functions or steps are mutually exclusive. Each of the functions disclosed in the specification, abstract, claims and drawings may be replaced by an alternative function that serves the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless otherwise specified.

[0064] In addition, the description in this application refers to specific features. The technologies disclosed herein should be understood to include all possible combinations of these specific features. For example, if a particular feature is disclosed in relation to a particular form, that feature may also be available in relation to other forms, as far as possible.

[0065] Furthermore, when this application refers to a method having two or more defined steps or processes, these defined steps or processes may be performed in any order or simultaneously, as long as the circumstances do not rule out such possibilities.

[0066] For the sake of explanation, specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, but it should be understood that various modifications are possible without deviating from the gist and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to anything other than the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 10 Test and measurement device 20 Input / output section 22 Universal Trigger Control Unit 24 Universal Timing Control Unit 26 Universal Storage Control Unit 30 channels 40 Display and Control Unit 42 Output Display 44 Main (or central) processors 46 memory 48 Input Operation Section 50. Graphical User Interface (GUI) 52 Programmatic Interface (PI) 60 Amplifier / Receiver 62 Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) 64 Trigger Engine 66 Data Storage 70 Triangle Pointer 72 Triangle Pointer

Claims

1. A test and measurement device, The test measurement device has one or more trigger engines and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) that each determine one or more trigger conditions, and has two or more channels that allow the test measurement device to be connected to a device under test (DUT) to acquire data from the DUT, The above-mentioned test and measurement device includes a display that enables it to display data from the above-mentioned DUT, User interface and, One or more processors and Equipped with, A test and measurement device configured such that one or more processors execute a program that causes the one or more processors to perform a process of acquiring data from at least one of the two or more channels at a different timing than the other channels, depending on one or more trigger conditions.

2. The test measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data from at least one of the two or more channels includes a program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data from at least one of the two or more channels in accordance with a trigger condition for at least one of the two or more channels that is different from that of the other channels.

3. The test measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data from at least one of the two or more channels includes a program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data from at least one of the two or more channels at different timings based on the same trigger condition occurring in each of the two or more channels.

4. A program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data includes a program that causes one or more processors to perform the process of acquiring data for each of the two or more channels according to the independent trigger conditions of each of the two or more channels, and the one or more processors further The process involves aligning the above data from two or more channels to generate alignment data, The process of displaying the above alignment data on the above display for all of the two or more channels mentioned above. A test and measurement apparatus according to claim 1, configured to perform the following:

5. One or more processors, A process to track the time difference of acquired data between different channels among the two or more channels mentioned above, The process of displaying the above time difference on the above display and The test and measurement apparatus according to claim 1, configured to execute a program that performs the following.

6. The above one or more processors further, A process for detecting either a correlation or a difference between two signals from different channels among the two or more channels mentioned above over a certain period of time, The process of identifying differences that exceed a certain threshold over the above-mentioned period. The test and measurement apparatus according to claim 1, configured to execute a program that causes one or more processors to perform the above-mentioned task.

7. A test and measurement device, The test measurement device has one or more trigger engines and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) that each determine one or more trigger conditions, and one or more channels that allow the test measurement device to be connected to the device under test (DUT), It has a trigger engine and threshold detection unit that determine one or more trigger conditions, and an auxiliary input unit that receives an auxiliary signal, A display that enables the test and measurement device to display the data from the DUT and the auxiliary signals, User interface and, One or more processors and Equipped with, The one or more processors The process of acquiring data from one or more of the above channels, A process for sampling the auxiliary signals independently from one or more of the above channels. A test and measurement device configured to execute a program that causes one or more of the above-mentioned processors to perform the above-mentioned task.

8. A method for a test measurement device, A process to determine one or more trigger conditions, A process to acquire data from at least one of the two or more channels of the test measurement device connected to the device under test (DUT) at a different timing from the other channels in response to one or more trigger conditions. A method for a test and measurement apparatus equipped with the following.

9. A method for a test measurement apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the process of acquiring the data of at least one of the two or more channels includes a process of acquiring the data of at least one of the two or more channels in accordance with a trigger condition that is different for that at least one of the two or more channels from that of the other channels.

10. The process of retrieving data, The process involves acquiring data for each of the two or more channels according to the independent trigger conditions of each of the two or more channels mentioned above. A process to align the data from each of the two or more channels mentioned above based on the independent trigger conditions for each of the two or more channels mentioned above, align the time difference, and generate aligned data with the channels aligned; The process of displaying the alignment data for all of the two or more channels on the display of the above-mentioned test and measurement device, A method for a test and measurement apparatus according to claim 8, having the following:

11. A method for a test measurement apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: a process for generating additional trigger conditions for monitoring differences between aligned channels; and a process for displaying the result when a difference threshold is exceeded.

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