System for three-dimensional rendering of electrical test and measurement signals

Abstract

The system for three-dimensional rendering of signals has a computer system having acquired, streaming, or previously stored data in its memory representing multiple channels of signals in which each channel has a value which varies over a domain, e.g., time or frequency, and a display coupled to the computer. For each channel, the computer system segments the data of the channel into segments, orders the segments, renders on the display each of the segments, in which each of the rendered segments are aligned in such order along as three-dimensional perspective with gaps between adjacently rendered segments, and lines are rendered extending from each line of each one of the rendered segments to form a three-dimensional plane in the gap to the next successive one of the rendered ordered segments to form a three-dimensional continuous or discontinuous surface characterizing the channel. The surfaces of each of the channels are aligned on the display, and may be of different color, shading, and translucency, whereby channels of overlaid surfaces are viewable on the display.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for displaying a three dimensional al visual representation of one or more signals from a user controllable viewing perspective, the system including:
 a data input component for acquiring a first set of signal values that each represent a measurement of at least a first one signal over a period of time; and wherein each of said signal values has an associated time value;   a computing component for computing a first three dimensional representation and a second three dimensional representation of at least said first signal over time by representing each of said signal values with respect to X, Y and Z axes that are located within a virtual three dimensional space and that are each oriented in a direction that is orthogonal relative to other said axes; and   wherein said first three dimensional representation is computed based upon a first virtual viewing perspective, and wherein a said second three dimensional representation is computed based upon a second virtual viewing perspective, and wherein said first and second virtual viewing perspectives are each defined in association with different virtual locations within said three dimensional space, and wherein at least said second virtual perspective is specified by a user of the system while viewing said three dimensional representation from said first viewing perspective.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein no more than one of said first viewing perspective and said second viewing perspective is equivalent to an orthogonal and two dimensional viewing perspective of said signals. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said three dimensional representation transitions from said first viewing perspective to said second viewing perspective while maintaining a fixed size of a point of interest within said three dimensional representation.