Spectrogram Attribute Determination in Test Instruments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of test and measurement instruments face confusion and frustration due to the complexity of generating and modifying spectrograms, as existing instruments lack intuitive controls for creating specific spectrograms of particular waveform portions, leading to non-intuitive and often impossible coordination with desired waveform acquisitions.
Innovation Solution
The development of a user interface that allows users to control the size and resolution of spectrograms through window manipulation, automatically adjusting the spectrogram to fill the display window and providing tools for creating spectrograms from specific portions of the input waveform acquisition, enabling intuitive generation and modification of spectrograms without requiring knowledge of the underlying generation processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If users manually configure spectrogram parameters to achieve specific waveform portions, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines spectrogram attributes by monitoring user interactions with the waveform display. When users zoom, pan, or select portions of the waveform, the system self-adjusts spectrogram parameters (time window, frequency range, resolution) to match the selected portion without requiring manual configuration, thereby maintaining measurement precision while eliminating operational complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements real-time feedback loops where user actions on the waveform display (zoom level, time window selection) are continuously monitored and fed back to automatically adjust spectrogram generation parameters. This closed-loop approach ensures the spectrogram always corresponds to the currently viewed waveform portion, achieving both precision and ease of use
2Quantity of substance
If the spectrogram displays the entire waveform acquisition, then completeness is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates when users want to focus on specific portions
Solution Approach 1:
The spectrogram display dynamically adapts its time window and frequency range based on the user's current view of the waveform. When users zoom into or pan across specific waveform portions, the spectrogram automatically adjusts to display only the relevant spectral data for that portion, maintaining data completeness for the selected region while eliminating the coordination difficulty of managing entire-acquisition displays
3Measurement precision
If users adjust spectrogram generation parameters, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to time-consuming configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines optimal spectrogram resolution and parameters based on the user's current waveform view and selection. By self-adjusting time window duration, frequency resolution, and analysis bandwidth according to the selected waveform portion, the system achieves high measurement precision without requiring time-consuming manual configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of the selected waveform portion to automatically determine appropriate spectrogram parameters before generation. This pre-calculation of optimal settings based on the selected time window and signal characteristics eliminates the need for iterative manual adjustment, thereby improving productivity while maintaining precision
Data Source
AI summary
A test and measurement instrument includes a spectrogram generator for producing a first spectrogram image from an input signal, a display for showing the spectrogram image, and a user interface operating in conjunction with the display, the user interface including one or more user controllable inputs and the user interface configured to detect a user action, where the spectrogram generator is structured to produce a second spectrogram image, different from the first spectrogram image, based on the detected user action by the user interface. Methods of automatically generating spectrograms based on user actions are also described.