Patent ID: 6728648
Filing Date: 2004-04-27
Classification: G01R,H04L,H04M

Abstract:
A test and measurement instrument having mask testing capability, comprising:an acquisition system for acquiring samples of a waveform; a controller for generating mask pixel data defining a mask; an acquisition memory for storing said waveform samples; a raster memory for storing said mask pixel data, said mask pixel data including an identification code; and comparison circuitry for reading a first memory location of said raster memory to which a particular waveform sample of said acquired waveform is to be written, and determining substantially in real time if said first memory location is currently storing a mask pixel, said first memory location being one of a first group of memory locations; said comparison circuitry generating a violation signal indicative of a mask violation in response to said determination; wherein, said comparison circuitry is a rasterizer; and said comparison is performed by said rasterizer examining pixel data of said raster memory for said identification code as said waveform samples are composited into said raster memory.