Patent ID: 6223134
Filing Date: 2001-04-24
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
An instrumentation system including an improved instrument driver software architecture, the instrumentation system comprising:a computer system comprising a CPU and memory;at least one instrument coupled to the computer system, wherein the at least one instrument is of a first instrument class;wherein the memory of the computer system stores:a user application which controls the at least one instrument;a class driver which is operable to control a class of instruments, wherein the class driver is operable to control instruments of said first instrument class, wherein said class driver includes generic functions for instruments of said first instrument class;a specific instrument driver which is specific to said at least one instrument, wherein said specific instrument driver includes functions for controlling the instrument;an interchangeable virtual instrument (IVI) engine which maintains a plurality of pointers to functions in said specific instrument driver;wherein said user application includes calls to said generic functions of said class driver;wherein said class driver receives said calls to said generic functions of said class driver, wherein, in response to a received call to a generic function in said class driver, said class driver is operable to obtain a pointer to a function in said specific instrument driver from said IVI engine and invoke said function in said specific instrument driver.