Application programming interface for synchronizing multiple instrumentation devices

• Main Authors: BARTZ CHRISTOPHER T, ILIC KOSTA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.08.2005
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COMPUTING; CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; CONTROLLING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MEASURING; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS ORELEMENTS; PHYSICS; REGULATING; TESTING; TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES ORSTRUCTURES; TESTING STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

An application programming interface (API) for synchronizing multiple devices in a system. The API includes a plurality of functions invocable in a program to synchronize multiple devices, where each function is executable to perform a respective functionality related to synchronizing the devices, and at least one of the functions is executable to access a plurality of instrument drivers corresponding respectively to the plurality of devices to synchronize the plurality of devices. In synchronizing the plurality of devices, the functions determine a trigger clock signal for each of the plurality of devices, and synchronize the plurality of devices based on the determined trigger clock signals. The API also includes a plurality of attributes corresponding to respective properties of the system related to synchronization of the devices, including one or more trigger attributes and/or one or more trigger clock attributes for each of the devices. The API representations may be text-based and/or graphical.