Augmented Reality Overlay for Test Equipment Probe Guidance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical test and measurement environments face challenges in displaying complex signals and device under test (DUT) waveforms intuitively, leading to increased complexity and time consumption in tasks such as signal acquisition and probe placement, with risks of damaging DUTs from incorrect ground connections.
Innovation Solution
An augmented reality system is integrated with test and measurement equipment, allowing virtual and augmented content to be overlaid on the physical environment, providing immersive visualization, guidance for probe placement, and real-time feedback on acceptable ground connections, enabling users to interact with signals and data in three-dimensional space using gestures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional display methods are used for complex signals, then the test and measurement equipment can display waveforms, but the display is not intuitive and task complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent overlays virtual waveform displays and measurement data onto the physical DUT in three-dimensional space, transforming traditional two-dimensional display into a spatial augmented reality interface. This allows users to see waveforms and measurements directly at the location of the physical device, making the display more intuitive and reducing task complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an augmented reality system as an intermediary between the test and measurement equipment and the user. This intermediary overlays virtual information (waveforms, measurements, guidance) onto the physical environment, bridging the gap between complex equipment data and user comprehension.
2Productivity
If users manually locate probing points on complex DUTs, then signal acquisition can be performed, but the process becomes increasingly difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-identifies and marks probing points on the DUT schematic diagram before the user begins physical testing. The augmented reality system overlays these pre-identified locations onto the physical DUT, guiding users directly to the correct probing points and eliminating the need to manually search through complex device layouts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the DUT schematic diagram and overlays it onto the physical device. This virtual replica includes marked probing points and signal paths, allowing users to reference the schematic location directly on the physical device without manual interpretation or translation between documents and hardware.
3Reliability
If users apply probes to DUTs without guidance, then measurements can be taken, but there is risk of damaging the DUT from incorrect connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent provides real-time feedback through the augmented reality display, showing users whether their probe placement is correct or incorrect. The system overlays visual indicators that confirm acceptable contact locations and warn against harmful connections, allowing users to immediately adjust their actions based on system feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-identifies and marks unacceptable locations for probe connections on the DUT before the user makes any connections. The augmented reality system displays warning indicators at these locations, preventing users from making harmful connections in the first place by showing them exactly where not to connect.
Data Source
AI summary
A test and measurement system can include a data store configured to store augmentation settings for dynamically augmenting a physical testing environment and a computing device coupled to the data store. The computing device can be configured to receive an input feed from the physical testing environment, create an augmentation image based on the augmentation settings and the input feed, and output the augmented image to be overlaid on the physical testing environment to augment a user's view of the physical testing environment.