Swept-frequency measurements with improved speed using synthetic instruments
View Patent ↗A synthetic test system for swept-frequency measurements that has a clock synchronization device to enable test boxes and devices that form the synthetic test system to have a common sense of time when conducting swept-frequency tests.
1. A swept-frequency measurement test system, comprising:
a plurality of test devices each having an associated clock maintaining a sense of time, where the plurality of test devices are capable of being in signal communication with a device under test (“DUT”); and
a clock synchronization device in signal communication with the plurality of test devices, where the clock synchronization device synchronizes each of the clocks in the plurality of test devices to have a common sense of time,
wherein the plurality of test devices collect swept-frequency measurements from the DUT that is in receipt of a signal, and
wherein the swept-frequency measurements are synchronized by the clock synchronization device such that the test devices perform their operations autonomously from each other.
2. The swept-frequency measurement test system of claim 1 , wherein the clock synchronization device synchronizes each of the clocks in the plurality of test devices to the common sense of time by means of a local area network (“LAN”).
3. The swept-frequency measurement test system of claim 2 , wherein the clock synchronization device utilizes IEEE 1588 signaling to provide the common sense of time to each of the plurality of test devices.
4. The test system of claim 1 , wherein the test devices do not include any hardware for communicating any triggering signals between the test devices.
5. The swept-frequency measurement test system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of test devices are in signal communication exclusively over the LAN.
6. The swept-frequency measurement test system of claim 1 , including a computer that is in signal communication with the clock synchronization device.
7. The swept-frequency measurement test system of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of test devices includes a tuner and a digitizer.
8. The swept-frequency measurement test system of claim 6 , wherein the computer further includes a hard disk attached to the computer, and a test script stored on the hard disk, and wherein the test script when executed by the computer initializes the plurality of test devices.
9. The test system of claim 7 , wherein the computer controls the tuner to begin a frequency sweep at exactly the same time as the digitizer begins sampling of a signal from the DUT.
10. A method of performing swept-frequency measurements, the method comprising:
communicating between a plurality of test devices that each have an associated clock maintaining a sense of time, and a device under test (“DUT”); and
synchronizing each of the clocks in the plurality of test devices to have a common sense of time with a clock synchronization device where the plurality of test devices collect swept-frequency measurements from the DUT that is in receipt of a signal.
11. The method of performing swept-frequency measurements of claim 10 , wherein the step of synchronizing each of the clocks further includes signaling over a local area network (“LAN”).
12. The method of performing swept-frequency measurements of claim 11 , further including signaling over the LAN with IEEE 1588 signaling.
13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising each of the test devices autonomously performing operations at an exact same time to perform a swept-frequency measurement of a DUT.
14. The method of performing swept-frequency measurements of claim 11 , further including communicating between the plurality of test devices over the LAN.
15. The method of performing swept-frequency measurements of claim 10 , further including communicating via a computer with the clock synchronization device.
16. The method of performing swept-frequency measurements of claim 15 , further including accessing test scripts stored on a hard disk attached to the computer.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of test devices includes a tuner and a digitizer, and wherein the method comprises the tuner beginning a frequency sweep at exactly the same time as the digitizer begins sampling of a signal from the DUT.
18. The method of performing swept-frequency measurements of claim 16 , further including storing swept-frequency measurements on the hard disk connected to the computer.
19. The method of performing swept-frequency measurements of claim 15 , further including displaying swept-frequency measurements on a display connected to the computer.
20. A swept-frequency measurement test system, comprising:
a plurality of test devices each having an associated clock maintaining a sense of time, where the plurality of test devices are capable of signal communication with a device under test (“DUT”); and
a means for clock synchronization of each of the clocks coupled to the plurality of test devices so that the clocks all have a common sense of time,
wherein the plurality of test devices collect swept-frequency measurements from the DUT that is in receipt of a signal, and
wherein the swept-frequency measurements are synchronized by the means for clock synchronization.