Waveform Emphasis GUI for Oscilloscope Display Crowding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional test systems face challenges in effectively displaying and comparing waveforms from multiple channels due to crowding in a single display window, and manual window switching can be inconvenient for users, especially when handling devices under test.
Innovation Solution
A graphical user interface (GUI) is implemented to selectively emphasize waveforms, allowing them to be displayed in a single window with sequential highlighting or in separate windows with cyclic emphasis, enabling users to view each waveform clearly without manual switching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple waveforms are displayed simultaneously in a single display window, then the viewing area is maximized, but the information in each waveform becomes difficult to see due to crowding
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements sequential emphasis of waveforms where each waveform is highlighted in succession at predetermined time intervals. This periodic action allows multiple waveforms to be displayed simultaneously in a single window while ensuring each waveform's information becomes clearly visible during its emphasis period, resolving the contradiction between maximizing viewing area and maintaining waveform information visibility.
2Loss of information
If waveforms are displayed in separate windows, then each waveform's information is easier to distinguish, but the viewing area for each waveform becomes smaller and manual window switching is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically cycles through emphasizing different waveforms in sequential order without requiring manual window switching. This periodic automatic emphasis eliminates the need for manual operation while maintaining clear visibility of each waveform's information, resolving the contradiction between waveform distinguishability and operational convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs automatic waveform emphasis cycling without user intervention. The waveform emphasis controller autonomously manages the sequential highlighting of waveforms, freeing the user to perform other tasks such as probing devices under test with both hands, thereby resolving the contradiction between information visibility and ease of operation.
3Area of stationary object
If more than two or three channels are observed in a single window, then the viewing area is maximized, but the information in each waveform becomes increasingly difficult to see
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements sequential emphasis where each waveform is highlighted in turn at predetermined time intervals. This allows the display to maintain all channels simultaneously in a single window while ensuring that during each emphasis period, the information for that specific waveform becomes clearly distinguishable, resolving the contradiction between displaying multiple channels and maintaining individual waveform visibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and test system are provided for selectively emphasizing waveforms on a display of the test system. The method includes presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display of the test system; receiving through the GUI a selection of channels to be viewed on the display; receiving through the GUI an indication enabling a waveform emphasis feature; receiving through the GUI an indication of a cycle time; and displaying through the GUI multiple waveforms, respectively produced by the selected channels, by sequentially emphasizing each waveform of the multiple waveforms for the cycle time as a viewable waveform, while de-emphasizing each remaining waveforms of the multiple waveforms in relation to the emphasized waveform for the cycle time.