FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to a measurement system. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a method of providing statistical information to a user of a measurement system.

BACKGROUND

In the state of the art, measurement systems are known that are used to conduct different measurements on a device under test in order to obtain measurement results with respect to a certain performance parameter that is of interest, for instance a phase difference between antennas of a multi-channel communication system or a radar system. The measurement results are used to evaluate the characteristics of the respective device under test. Generally, all measurement processes are affected by statistical variations. Therefore, no measured output value is constant as an averaging operation is typically applied over a certain period of time in order to reduce the variation of the measurement results obtained in order to provide a (statistically) reliable measured output value. However, a user of the measurement system does not know how good the averaged measured output value is in a statistical sense since the user does not gather any information with respect to the statistical accuracy of the measured output value.

In addition, the user is also not able to automate the process of measuring the device under test by setting the measurement time, namely the period of time used for the averaging operation, based on a desired level of statistical accuracy that shall be achieved or that is sufficient. In other words, users of the measurement systems known so far have to decide, based on their individual experience, whether or not the resulting measured output value obtained looks reliable or not in a statistical sense.

Accordingly, there is a need for a measurement system as well as a method that provide information to the user, particularly less-experienced user, that enables the user to evaluate the reliability of the measured output value.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a measurement system comprising a measurement module, a processing module, and a display. The measurement module is configured to conduct measurements on a device under test in a repetitive manner in order to obtain measurement results assigned to the repeated measurements. The processing module is configured to combine (average) the measurement results obtained. The processing module is further configured to perform a statistical analysis in a live manner in order to calculate at least one of a live statistical significance parameter of the combined measurement results and a time duration required to obtain a certain statistical significance of the measurement results. The display is configured to display at least one of the live statistical significance parameter and the time duration.

Further, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method of providing statistical information to a user of a measurement system, with the following steps:

Conducting measurements on a device under test in a repetitive manner in order to obtain measurement results assigned to the repeated measurements,

Combining the measurement results obtained,

Performing a statistical analysis in a live manner,

Computing at least one of a live statistical significance parameter of the combined measurement results and a time duration required to obtain a certain statistical significance of the measurement results, and

Displaying at least one of the live statistical significance parameter and the time duration.

Accordingly, the user is informed about the live statistical significance parameter and/or the time duration that is required to obtain the respective statistical significance of the measurement results since this information is displayed. In contrast thereto, measurement systems are known that may internally calculate a statistical significance parameter such as a standard deviation which, however, is only used for internal processing, particularly for defining testing conditions. Thus, the user does not retrieve any information with respect to the statistical significance of the measured output value that may relate to a mean value of the measurement results. The mean value may also be called average value of the measurement results.

In general, combing the measurement results obtained corresponds to averaging the measurement results. Averaging the measurement results, however, is not limited to calculating the mean of the measurement results obtained. In fact, combining or rather averaging the measurement results obtained may relate to any way of aggregating an overall measurement result from measurement results obtained from several repetitive measurements. For instance, combining or rather averaging the measurement results obtained may also result in the median of the several repetitive measurement results or any other way of combining the measurement results.

As the time duration required may be displayed, the user is also enabled to check how long the overall measurement, namely the several measurements or rather measurement cycles, will take to achieve the certain statistical significance of the measurement results, for instance a certain level of confidence. The level of confidence may correspond to a 99% confidence interval.

In other words, the measured output value can be evaluated on a statistical basis since the user knows that a certain performance requirement is met with the respective statistical significance, for instance a 99% confidence interval. Thus, a scientific basis is provided that can be used to check whether a certain design of the device under test meets the respective criteria or not.

The certain statistical significance may be pre-defined or rather set by the user manually which may depend on testing procedure(s). Thus, the certain statistical significance may correspond to a desired one. The measurement system may comprise a memory in which the certain statistical significance is stored.

Generally, the measurement system is, inter alia, used to provide measurement results with regard to a respective performance parameter of the device under test, for instance a phase difference between antennas of a radar system or a multi-channel communication system. Hence, the device under test may correspond to a multi-channel communication system or a radar system in the example given above. However, the device under test may correspond to any kind of system which performance or characteristics shall be tested.

Moreover, the minimum measurement time required to achieve the certain statistical significance, namely an acceptable statistical significance, can be determined in an automatic manner as the respective time duration is calculated by the processing module.

The processing module, inter alia, calculates statistical properties of the measurement results that may comprise the at least one live statistical significance parameter which can be displayed. In fact, the statistical properties calculated may be displayed if wanted, namely several live statistical significance parameters simultaneously.

The processing module is configured to calculate the live statistical significance parameter of the combined measurement results and/or the time duration required to obtain the certain statistical significance of the measurement results. Further, the display is configured to display the live statistical significance parameter and/or the time duration.

As mentioned above, the statistical significance parameter may correspond to a confidence interval. Moreover, the statistical significance parameter may be assigned to a standard deviation, a percentile, namely an n-th percentile, and/or a statistical probability distribution of the measurement results.

Generally, the live statistical significance parameters are assigned solely to the measurement results obtained. Put another way, statistical significance parameters, for instance standard deviations, are taken into account for the measurement system itself and the device under test, wherein the respective statistical significance parameters are separated from each other. Thus, the at least one live statistical significance parameter of the combined measurement results may be gathered by separating the statistical significance parameters for the device under test from the statistical significance parameters for the measurement system. Accordingly, the statistical significance parameters for the device under test correspond to the statistical significance parameters of the combined measurement results.

Put another way, knowledge about the measurement system is gathered and used to obtain the at least one statistical significance parameter of the combined measurement results. Thus, the influence of the measurement system itself is removed previously. In other words, the contribution of uncertainty due to the measurement system is removed previously so that the at least one statistical significance parameter of the combined measurement results can be obtained that is only assigned to the measurement results or rather the device under test.

Accordingly, the uncertainty related to the measurement system is known and taken into account appropriately.

The certain statistical significance may correspond to a threshold for the respective statistical significance parameter. Particularly, the statistical significance parameter calculated is compared with the certain statistical significance, for instance the threshold, in real time.

In fact, the certain statistical significance is assigned to the device under test, namely the measurement results obtained from the device under test. Thus, the contribution of uncertainty due to the measurement system itself may be removed previously so that the statistical significance of the measurements is calculated and (optionally) displayed. Accordingly, the measured output value assigned to the device under test is provided with a higher level of confidence on the measured output value.

According to an aspect, the measurement system comprises a user interface via which a user is enabled to make settings of the measurement system. The user may set the certain statistical significance that shall be achieved by the measurements. Hence, the user indirectly sets the measurement time as the measurement module conducts the measurements on the device under test until the certain statistical significance is achieved.

Furthermore, the user may select via the user interface one of several live statistical significance parameters that shall be calculated and/or displayed. For instance, the user might be more interested in the statistical probability distribution instead of the standard deviation. Accordingly, the user may select the statistical probability distribution as being the live statistical significance parameter that shall be calculated and/or displayed.

Therefore, the user interface corresponds to an input interface via which the user is enabled to make inputs.

Particularly, the user interface is configured to enable the user to set at least one of the certain statistical significance and a configurable measurement parameter. Thus, the user may set the certain statistical significance and/or the configurable measurement parameter. As mentioned above, the certain statistical significance may bet set so that the measurement module conducts the measurements for a time period until the certain statistical significance set is reached. For instance, a certain confidence interval may be set by the user. Moreover, the user may set the configurable measurement parameter such as a measurement time or rather an averaging time. By increasing the measurement or rather averaging time, the variance of the measured output value is reduced that is obtained by averaging or rather combining the measurement results.

In general, the configurable measurement parameter may be adjusted automatically or rather by the user. Hence, the automatic adjustment may be based on an input of the user. By adapting the configurable measurement parameter, confidence in the measurement results, particularly the measured output value, can be improved.

According to another aspect, the processing module is configured to calculate at least one of the live statistical significance parameter and the time duration while the measurements are conducted. Hence, the live statistical significance parameter and/or the time duration are/is calculated while the measurements are conducted. Put another way, the live statistical significance parameter and/or the time duration are/is calculated in real time.

Further, the display may be configured to display at least one of the live statistical significance parameter and the time duration while the measurements are conducted. Hence, the live statistical significance parameter and/or the time duration are/is displayed while the measurements are conducted. The information calculated by the processing module is processed by the display in order to inform the user about the statistical significance of the measured output value, namely the mean value. Thus, the user of the measurement system receives a direct feedback during the measurements.

The display may be configured to simultaneously display the live statistical significance parameter and a combined value, for instance an averaged value, of the measurement results. Hence, the live statistical significance parameter and the combined o rather averaged value of the measurement results are displayed simultaneously. Accordingly, the user is directly informed with respect to the statistical accuracy of the resulting measured output value, namely the average value of the measurement results.

In fact, the processing module continuously calculates the live statistical significance parameter and/or the time duration so that the information displayed is updated in a continuous manner. In other words, the user obtains a continuous feedback about the live statistical significance parameter, for instance the current level of statistical confidence in the combined value of the measurement results that is also displayed.

For instance, the confidence interval around the mean gets tighter as the measurement or rather averaging time increases.

According to another aspect, the display is configured to display a measurement value obtained from the current measurement conducted by the measurement module. Further, the measurement value obtained from the current measurement is displayed, in particular in addition to the combined value as well as the live statistical significance parameter assigned thereto. Thus, a current measurement value, namely the measurement value currently measured, may also be displayed for informing the user. The user retrieves more information about the reliability of the measured output value obtained from the combination, namely the averaging, of the measurement results.

Generally, the user gets more information about the device under test as the evaluation of the performance of the device under test comes along with an additional statistical analysis.

Another aspect provides that the processing module is configured to apply a statistical model for calculating at least one of the live statistical significance parameter and the time duration. The statistical model may relate to data obtained from the measurements conducted.

In fact, the statistical model may provide and/or take into account information of the measurement system itself. Put another way, statistical uncertainty of the measurement system itself can be removed due to the statistical model. Hence, only the statistical properties of the combined measurement results can be separated and processed solely. Accordingly, the outputted information is based on a statistical analysis that is assigned to the statistical model applied.

An aspect provides that the processing module comprises an automation logic that is configured to stop the measurements once the live statistical significance parameter achieves a threshold of statistical significance. Hence, the measurements are stopped once the live statistical significance parameter achieves the threshold of statistical significance that was intended for the respective statistical significance parameter. The measurements are stopped once the criterion applied is fulfilled by the measurement results. The criterion may be assigned to a certain threshold value that is requested by the user for obtaining a statistically reliable information of the performance parameter measured. Accordingly, the overall measurement time can be reduced as the measurements are automatically stopped when the certain statistical significance meets the threshold.

The threshold of statistical significance may correspond to a threshold value set by the user, particularly via the user interface. For instance, the measurements are stopped as soon as a certain confidence interval on the combined measurement results, namely the estimated or rather measured output value, is smaller than the threshold of statistical significance that was set by the user.

Thus, the overall measurement time can be reduced as the measurements may be stopped once the certain statistical significance is reached that was desired by the user. Development times required for developing a certain device under test can be reduced as the measurement time is reduced which in turn results in lower costs.

As mentioned earlier, the time duration may be outputted so that the user of the measurement system is enabled to plan the measurement procedure required for achieving the certain statistical significance.

Moreover, the processing module may be configured to calculate statistical properties in a pre-configuration mode, the statistical properties being derived from modelling measurement results obtained from measurements conducted by the measurement module in the pre-configuration mode. Thus, statistical properties are calculated in a pre-configuration mode, the statistical properties being derived from modelling measurement results obtained from measurements conducted by the measurement module in the pre-configuration mode. The statistical properties may be assigned to the statistical model that is applied. It may be assumed that the statistical properties remain unchanged over time.

In fact, the statistical properties may, inter alia, be assigned to the measurement system. Thus, separation of the statistical significance parameters assigned to the device under test and the measurement system can be achieved due to the measurements conducted in the pre-configuration mode.

Particularly, the processing module comprises an automated hypothesis testing logic that is configured to verify whether the statistical properties change with respect to the data obtained in the pre-configuration mode. Hence, it is verified whether the statistical properties change with respect to the data obtained in the pre-configuration mode. Deviations with respect to the data obtained in the pre-configuration mode may relate to the device under test. Thus, a particular failure or rather a particular problem assigned to the device under test may occur that has to be investigated. Alternatively, the measurement configuration or rather the measurement system has to be adapted by the user.

The measurement system may be configured to alert a user provided that the automated hypothesis testing logic detects that the statistical properties have changed. Thus, a user is alerted provided that the automated hypothesis testing logic detects that the statistical properties have changed. The user may be alerted by the measurement system in an appropriate manner, for instance via the display. Thus, the user is enabled to verify the reason(s) for the deviations occurred and the user may probably fix any problem.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

