Timing Chart Sketch Reshaping for Flexible Waveform Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional technologies limit the degree of freedom in creating timing charts, allowing only pulse waves or a few waveform patterns, restricting flexibility in visual verification.
Innovation Solution
A timing chart verification aiding apparatus with a rough sketch creation unit for designating points on a screen, a reshaping unit for inputting verification conditions, and a display unit for showing time series data and reshaped charts in a superimposed manner, enabling the creation of arbitrary waveforms and visual verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional timing chart creation methods are used, then the timing chart can be created with limited waveform patterns (pulse wave or a few patterns), but the degree of freedom and flexibility in creating arbitrary waveforms is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically creating a rough sketch of the timing chart based on specification data before the user provides detailed waveform information. This preliminary rough sketch includes basic timing relationships and waveform patterns, which are then refined by the user through simple operations rather than creating from scratch, thereby enabling high degree of freedom without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a rough sketch that copies essential characteristics from the specification data (timing relationships, signal names, basic patterns) and presents it to the user for verification and modification. This copying approach allows the system to handle complex specification data automatically while the user only needs to verify and make simple adjustments, achieving versatility without proportional complexity increase
2Adaptability or versatility
If a rough sketch creation unit is introduced to accept operation to designate positions of points and create arbitrary waveforms, then the degree of freedom in timing chart creation is improved, but the ease of operation may deteriorate due to the need to designate multiple points and reshape based on verification conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The rough sketch creation unit performs preliminary actions by automatically generating a rough sketch based on specification data before the user needs to make detailed adjustments. This preliminary sketch includes basic timing relationships and waveform patterns, reducing the user's workload to verification and simple modifications rather than complete manual creation
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by displaying the rough sketch to the user for verification, allowing the user to check if the automatically created timing chart matches the specification intent. The user can then provide correction information, and the system reshapes the timing chart accordingly, creating an iterative feedback loop that improves ease of operation while maintaining flexibility
3Measurement precision
If a timing chart reshaping unit is added to accept verification conditions and reshape the timing chart, then the measurement precision and verification accuracy are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The timing chart reshaping unit merges multiple functions into a single integrated component: it accepts verification conditions from the user, compares them against the rough sketch, performs reshaping operations, and displays the corrected timing chart. This merging approach improves verification accuracy by handling multiple tasks in one unit while avoiding the complexity increase that would result from separate dedicated components for each function
Solution Approach 2:
The reshaping unit is designed with multi-functionality to handle various verification conditions (timing relationships, waveform patterns, signal levels) and perform different reshaping operations (adjusting timing, modifying patterns, correcting errors) through a unified interface. This universality improves measurement precision across different verification scenarios without proportionally increasing system complexity
4Ease of operation
If the timing chart is displayed in a superimposed manner with time series data, then the ease of visual verification is improved, but the area required on the screen increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display unit merges the timing chart and time series data into a single superimposed visualization, allowing both to be viewed simultaneously in the same screen space. This merging improves ease of visual verification by enabling direct comparison without requiring separate display areas, while the efficient use of screen space minimizes the total area required
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses another dimension (superimposition/layering) to display both the timing chart and time series data together. Instead of allocating separate horizontal or vertical spaces for each, the timing chart is displayed as a background layer and the time series data is overlaid on top, utilizing the depth dimension of the display to improve verification ease without increasing the two-dimensional screen area
Data Source
AI summary
In a timing chart verification aiding apparatus, a rough sketch creation unit accepts operation to designate positions of a plurality of points on a screen, connects the plurality of points with a line, and creates a rough sketch of a timing chart. A verification condition input aiding unit accepts operation to input a condition for verifying pass or fail of a test of at least one of the plurality of points on the screen. A timing chart reshaping unit reshapes, the timing chart created by the rough sketch creation unit based on the condition for verifying accepted by the verification condition input aiding unit. A timing chart display unit obtains time series data to be tested and displays a timing chart that shows variations in values of the time series data obtained and the timing chart after being reshaped by the timing chart reshaping unit in a superimposed manner.