Patent ID: 7606297

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of generating an eye diagram that measures the behavior and performance of an applied multi-valued data signal, comprising the steps of: using a binary data bit decision mechanism, specifying a series of column and row elements that define the size of an array used in the eye diagram of an applied data signal; generating an upper and lower voltage threshold wherein an incremental change in voltage is used to move between individual row elements of the array, the incremental change of voltage is derived from subtracting the minimum voltage from the maximum specified voltage and dividing the sum by the number of rows in the array; generating a series of time segments wherein an incremental change in time is used to move between individual column elements of the array; configuring a decision comparator wherein the decision comparator receives and compares voltage values of the applied data signal with the upper and lower voltage threshold values; incrementing an event counter when the voltage level of the applied data signal is between the upper and lower voltage threshold; and accumulating a plurality of event counts to generate an eye diagram depicting the performance and behavior of the applied data signal.