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US5067130A
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Method for acquiring data in a logic analyzer
Assignee: AMERICAN VIDEO GRAPHICS LP
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Filing: 1989-09-29
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Granted: 1991-11-19
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Expires: 2009-09-29
Abstract
Abstract A logic analyzer stores the activity around the last in a series of triggering events while also storing the activity around several other triggering events immediately preceding the last trigger. The acquisition memory is first positioned into a number, N, of memory sections and the trigger condition of interest is defined. Then repeated acquistions are performed using this same trigger condition. At first, data from each of these acquisitions is stored in each one of the number of memory sections. When all of the memory sections have been filled once, if the trigger condition is still occurring, the acquisition memories are reused in the same order in which they were originally used as many times as necessary until it is ascertained that the trigger condition is no longer occurring or some external conditon has changed, at which time the logic analyzer is stopped. One of the memory sections then contains the data that occurred in the vicinity of the last trigger. Another of the memory sections contains data reflecting the activity that immediately preceded the stopping of the logic analyzer. The remaining N-2 memory sections contain data that occurred in the vicinity of the triggers that immediately preceded the last trigger. Timestamping the acquired data allows the timing relationships involved to be reconstructed.
Inventors
- 👤 Ronald M. Jackson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 14:58
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/22; G06F11/25; G01; G01R; G01R31/00; G01R31/28; G01R31/317; G01R31/3177
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
114 words
A method for acquiring data in a logic analyzer having a plurality of memory sections, the method comprising the steps of: automatically storing data in one of the plurality of memory sections upon in occurrence of a trigger condition; repeating the automatically storing step upon the further occurrence of the trigger condition until all of the memory sections have been used; continuing to repeat the automatically storing step after all of the memory sections have been used once by reusing the memory sections to store new data; automatically ascertaining that the trigger condition is no longer occurring; and automatically stopping the logic analyzer to complete the data acquisition in response to the ascertaining step.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
114 words
A method for acquiring data in a logic analyzer having a plurality of memory sections, the method comprising the steps of: automatically storing data in one of the plurality of memory sections upon in occurrence of a trigger condition; repeating the automatically storing step upon the further occurrence of the trigger condition until all of the memory sections have been used; continuing to repeat the automatically storing step after all of the memory sections have been used once by reusing the memory sections to store new data; automatically ascertaining that the trigger condition is no longer occurring; and automatically stopping the logic analyzer to complete the data acquisition in response to the ascertaining step.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the preliminary step of: defining a trigger condition.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the storing step comprises the steps of: writing current data to the memory section in a circular fashion while waiting for a trigger condition to occur; ceasing to write current data to the memory section upon the occurrence of the trigger condition.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as recited in claim 3 wherein the ceasing step comprises the additional step of: waiting for a delay interval between the occurrence of the trigger condition and the ceasing.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the ceasing step further comprises the step of: noting the location of the trigger condition within the memory section.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method as recited in claim 3 wherein the storing step comprises the additional step of: timestamping one of the locations in the memory section with an indication of the time since the beginning of the overall acquisition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method as recited in claim 6 further comprising, after the stopping step, the steps of: reconstructing the time relationships between all of the trigger events and data; and displaying the acquired data in a timing diagram display.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the stopping step comprises the steps of: counting the time between successive occurrences of the trigger condition; and issuing the stop command when the counted time exceeds a pre-selected value.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the stopping step comprises the steps of: monitoring an external input; and causing the logic analyzer to stop when the external input is received.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising, after the stopping step, the step of: displaying the acquired data.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
133 words
A method for acquiring data in a logic analyzer having a plurality of memory sections, the method comprising the steps of: defining a trigger condition; starting the logic analyzer and a timestamp clock; automatically storing data and the time on the timestamp clock in one of the plurality of memory sections upon an occurrence of the trigger condition; repeating the automatically storing step upon the further occurrence of the trigger condition until all of the memory sections have been used; continuing to repeat the automatically storing step after all of the memory sections have been used once by reusing the memory sections to store new data; automatically ascertaining that the trigger condition is no longer occurring; and automatically stopping the logic analyzer to complete the data acquisition in response to the ascertaining step.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
133 words
A method for acquiring data in a logic analyzer having a plurality of memory sections, the method comprising the steps of: defining a trigger condition; starting the logic analyzer and a timestamp clock; automatically storing data and the time on the timestamp clock in one of the plurality of memory sections upon an occurrence of the trigger condition; repeating the automatically storing step upon the further occurrence of the trigger condition until all of the memory sections have been used; continuing to repeat the automatically storing step after all of the memory sections have been used once by reusing the memory sections to store new data; automatically ascertaining that the trigger condition is no longer occurring; and automatically stopping the logic analyzer to complete the data acquisition in response to the ascertaining step.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method for acquiring data according to claim 1 wherein the storing step comprises the steps of: writing current data to the memory section in a circular fashion while waiting for a trigger condition to occur; ceasing to write current data to the memory sections upon the occurrence of the trigger condition.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method for acquiring data according to claim 12 wherein the ceasing step comprises the steps of: waiting for a delay interval between the occurrence of the trigger condition and the ceasing; and noting the location of the trigger condition within the memory section.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method for acquiring data according to claim 11 wherein the stopping step comprises the steps of: counting the time between successive occurrences of the trigger condition; and issuing a stop command when the counted time exceeds a pre-selected value.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method for acquiring data according to claim 11 wherein the stopping step comprises the steps of: monitoring an external input; and causing the logic analyzer to stop when the external input is received.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method for acquiring data according to claim 11 further comprising the steps of: reconstructing the time relationship between all of the trigger events and data; and displaying the acquired data in a timing diagram display.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-11-18 | 1995-05-20 | 1995-11-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-11-18 | 1999-05-20 | 1999-11-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-11-18 | 2003-05-20 | 2003-11-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |