US20130127904A1

US20130127904A1 - Automatically Displaying Measurement Data Acquired by a Measurement System on a Mobile Device

Info

Publication number: US20130127904A1
Application number: US13/366,763
Authority: US
Inventors: Andrew P. Dove; Jenica A. Welch; J. Adam Kemp; Blake W. Ford
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: National Instruments Corp
Priority date: 2011-11-18
Filing date: 2012-02-06
Publication date: 2013-05-23
Also published as: US20130145312A1; US9134895B2

Abstract

A system and method for displaying measurement data on a mobile device are disclosed. As a user carrying the mobile device moves between different measurement systems, software executing on the mobile device may monitor the proximity of the mobile device to the measurement systems. When the user moves proximal to a particular measurement system the software may automatically configure and display a graphical user interface for viewing the measurement data acquired by the measurement system.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority to the U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/561,646 filed on Nov. 18, 2011, titled “Mobile Device with Graphical Programming and Measurement Data Viewing Features”, whose inventor was Andrew P. Dove, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of measurement systems that acquire measurement data, and more particularly to a system and method for automatically displaying measurement data acquired by a measurement system on a mobile device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Measurement systems use measurement devices to measure electrical or physical properties associated with a physical system or device, such as voltage, current, temperature, pressure, sound, etc. The measured physical properties may be converted into digital data, referred to as measurement data, which represents the measurements. For example, the measurement of an electrical current may be represented in the form of waveform data. The measurement system can include one or more computer systems that receive the measurement data and use it to analyze or control the physical system or device under test.
Measurement systems are used in many kinds of applications, such as computer-based testing, industrial automation, process control, hardware-in-the-loop testing, rapid control prototyping, machine vision, and motion control, just to name a few. In some applications it may be desirable to enable a human user to view the measurement data being acquired by a measurement system. For example, this may enable the user to evaluate whether the measurement system is operating correctly or evaluate the status of the physical system or device from which the measurement data is acquired.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of a system and method for displaying measurement data on a mobile device are disclosed. According to one embodiment of the method, software executing on a mobile device may automatically detect that the mobile device has moved to a first location proximal to a measurement system. In response, the software may display on a display of the mobile device a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the measurement system. The software may receive measurement data from the measurement system via wireless transmission, and may display the received measurement data in the graphical user interface on the display of the mobile device.
In some embodiments the measurement system may be configured to produce a plurality of measurement data sources. The software may receive information from the measurement system specifying each of the measurement data sources. The software may display a plurality of output indicators in the graphical user interface, where each of the output indicators corresponds to a respective one of the measurement data sources. A respective set of measurement data may be received from each of the measurement data sources, and each respective set of measurement data may be displayed in the output indicator corresponding to the measurement data source from which the respective set of measurement data was received.
In some embodiments the software may be executable to automatically determine a first layout for the plurality of output indicators. The first layout may specify a respective position on the display of the mobile device for each of the output indicators. The software may position each respective output indicator on the display of the mobile device at its respective position specified by the first layout.
The software may automatically determine the first layout for the plurality of output indicators without receiving user input specifying the first layout. In some embodiments the software may be further executable to receive user input specifying a change to the first layout. The user input may specify a second layout for the plurality of output indicators. In response to the user input, the software may re-position one or more of the output indicators on the display of the mobile device according to the second layout.
In some embodiments the software may automatically determine a plurality of possible layouts for the plurality of output indicators, and may display information indicating the possible layouts. The software may receive user input selecting a particular layout from the possible layouts, and may position each respective output indicator on the display of the mobile device at a respective position specified by the selected layout.
In some embodiments the software may be executable by the mobile device to automatically select an output indicator type for each of the plurality of output indicators based on the received information specifying the measurement data sources. The output indicator types for the plurality of output indicators may include two or more different output indicator types. Displaying the plurality of output indicators may comprise displaying the selected output indicator type for each of the output indicators.
The plurality of output indicators may include a first output indicator, and the software may be executable by the mobile device to automatically select a first output indicator type for the first output indicator without receiving user input specifying the first output indicator type. The software may be further executable to receive user input requesting to change the first output indicator to a second output indicator type, and in response to the user input, may re-display the first output indicator as an output indicator of the second output indicator type.
In some embodiments the software may be further executable to automatically detect that the mobile device has moved away from the first location to a second location proximal to a second measurement system. In response, the software may automatically replace the first graphical user interface with a second graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the second measurement system.
In some embodiments the software may be further executable to automatically detect that a rotational orientation of the mobile device has moved away from the first measurement system and toward a second measurement system. In response, the software may automatically replace the first graphical user interface with a second graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the second measurement system.
In some embodiments the software may be executable to automatically detect that at the first location the mobile device is also proximal to a second measurement system. The software may prompt for user input selecting a particular measurement system for which to display measurement data, e.g., by displaying information indicating both the first measurement system and the second measurement system in response to determining that at the first location the mobile device is proximal to both the first measurement system and the second measurement system. The software may receive user input selecting the first measurement system from the displayed information, and may display a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the selected measurement system in response to the user input.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the invention can be obtained when the following detailed description is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for displaying measurement data on a mobile device;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a building in which a plurality of different measurement systems are located, where a user moves between the measurement systems while carrying the mobile device;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of various kinds of measurement devices that may produce the measurement data transmitted to the mobile device held by the user;

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate an example of a mobile device according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for configuring the graphical user interface for a particular measurement system in response to user input specifying various options for the graphical user interface;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for automatically re-using the graphical user interface previously configured by the user;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for automatically configuring the graphical user interface for a measurement system without requiring user input for the configuration;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for performing various functions in response to detecting that the mobile device has moved proximal to a particular measurement system; and

FIGS. 10-25 illustrate examples of graphical user interfaces and layouts that may be displayed on the display of the mobile device.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Incorporation by Reference

The following references are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as though fully and completely set forth herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,568 titled “Graphical System for Modeling a Process and Associated Method,” issued on Apr. 3, 1990.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,741 titled “Method and Apparatus for Providing Attribute Nodes in a Graphical Data Flow Environment”.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,438 titled “Embedded Graphical Programming System” filed Aug. 18, 1997.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,628 titled “System and Method for Configuring an Instrument to Perform Measurement Functions Utilizing Conversion of Graphical Programs into Hardware Implementations,” filed Aug. 18, 1997.
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/561,646 titled “Mobile Device with Graphical Programming and Measurement Data Viewing Features,” filed Nov. 18, 2011.

Terms

The following is a glossary of terms used in the present application:
Memory Medium—Any of various types of memory devices or storage devices. The term “memory medium” is intended to include an installation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks 104, or tape device; a computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-volatile memory such as a Flash, magnetic media, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may comprise other types of memory as well or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer in which the programs are executed, or may be located in a second different computer which connects to the first computer over a network, such as the Internet. In the latter instance, the second computer may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term “memory medium” may include two or more memory mediums which may reside in different locations, e.g., in different computers that are connected over a network.
Carrier Medium—a memory medium as described above, as well as a physical transmission medium, such as a bus, network, and/or other physical transmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.
Programmable Hardware Element—includes various hardware devices comprising multiple programmable function blocks connected via a programmable interconnect. Examples include FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmable function blocks may range from fine grained (combinatorial logic or look up tables) to coarse grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). A programmable hardware element may also be referred to as “reconfigurable logic”.
Software Program—the term “software program” is intended to have the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and includes any type of program instructions, code, script and/or data, or combinations thereof, that may be stored in a memory medium and executed by a processor. Exemplary software programs include programs written in text-based programming languages, such as C, C++, PASCAL, FORTRAN, COBOL, JAVA, assembly language, etc.; graphical programs (programs written in graphical programming languages); assembly language programs; programs that have been compiled to machine language; scripts; and other types of executable software. A software program may comprise two or more software programs that interoperate in some manner. Note that various embodiments described herein may be implemented by a computer or software program. A software program may be stored as program instructions on a memory medium.
Hardware Configuration Program—a program, e.g., a netlist or bit file, that can be used to program or configure a programmable hardware element.
Program—the term “program” is intended to have the full breadth of its ordinary meaning. The term “program” includes 1) a software program which may be stored in a memory and is executable by a processor or 2) a hardware configuration program useable for configuring a programmable hardware element.
Graphical Program—A program comprising a plurality of interconnected nodes or icons, wherein the plurality of interconnected nodes or icons visually indicate functionality of the program. The interconnected nodes or icons are graphical source code for the program. Graphical function nodes may also be referred to as blocks.
The following provides examples of various aspects of graphical programs. The following examples and discussion are not intended to limit the above definition of graphical program, but rather provide examples of what the term “graphical program” encompasses:
The nodes in a graphical program may be connected in one or more of a data flow, control flow, and/or execution flow format. The nodes may also be connected in a “signal flow” format, which is a subset of data flow.
Exemplary graphical program development environments which may be used to create graphical programs include LabVIEW®, DasyLab™, DiaDem™ and Matrixx/SystemBuild™ from National Instruments, Simulink® from the MathWorks, VEE™ from Agilent, WiT™ from Coreco, Vision Program Manager™ from PPT Vision, SoftWIRE™ from Measurement Computing, Sanscript™ from Northwoods Software, Khoros™ from Khoral Research, SnapMaster™ from HEM Data, VisSim™ from Visual Solutions, ObjectBench™ by SES (Scientific and Engineering Software), and VisiDAQ™ from Advantech, among others.
The term “graphical program” includes models or block diagrams created in graphical modeling environments, wherein the model or block diagram comprises interconnected blocks (i.e., nodes) or icons that visually indicate operation of the model or block diagram; exemplary graphical modeling environments include Simulink®, SystemBuild™, VisSim™, Hypersignal Block Diagram™, etc.
A graphical program may be represented in the memory of the computer system as data structures and/or program instructions. The graphical program, e.g., these data structures and/or program instructions, may be compiled or interpreted to produce machine language that accomplishes the desired method or process as shown in the graphical program.
Input data to a graphical program may be received from any of various sources, such as from a device, unit under test, a process being measured or controlled, another computer program, a database, or from a file. Also, a user may input data to a graphical program or virtual instrument using a graphical user interface, e.g., a front panel.
A graphical program may optionally have a GUI associated with the graphical program. In this case, the plurality of interconnected blocks or nodes are often referred to as the block diagram portion of the graphical program.
Node—In the context of a graphical program, an element that may be included in a graphical program. The graphical program nodes (or simply nodes) in a graphical program may also be referred to as blocks. A node may have an associated icon that represents the node in the graphical program, as well as underlying code and/or data that implements functionality of the node. Exemplary nodes (or blocks) include function nodes, sub-program nodes, terminal nodes, structure nodes, etc. Nodes may be connected together in a graphical program by connection icons or wires.
Data Flow Program—A Software Program in which the program architecture is that of a directed graph specifying the flow of data through the program, and thus functions execute whenever the necessary input data are available. Data flow programs can be contrasted with procedural programs, which specify an execution flow of computations to be performed. As used herein “data flow” or “data flow programs” refer to “dynamically-scheduled data flow” and/or “statically-defined data flow”.
Graphical Data Flow Program (or Graphical Data Flow Diagram)—A Graphical Program which is also a Data Flow Program. A Graphical Data Flow Program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes (blocks), wherein at least a subset of the connections among the nodes visually indicate that data produced by one node is used by another node. A LabVIEW VI is one example of a graphical data flow program. A Simulink block diagram is another example of a graphical data flow program.
Graphical User Interface—this term is intended to have the full breadth of its ordinary meaning. The term “Graphical User Interface” is often abbreviated to “GUI”. A GUI may comprise only one or more input GUI elements, only one or more output GUI elements, or both input and output GUI elements.
The following provides examples of various aspects of GUIs. The following examples and discussion are not intended to limit the ordinary meaning of GUI, but rather provide examples of what the term “graphical user interface” encompasses:
A GUI may comprise a single window having one or more GUI Elements, or may comprise a plurality of individual GUI Elements (or individual windows each having one or more GUI Elements), wherein the individual GUI Elements or windows may optionally be tiled together.
A GUI may be associated with a graphical program. In this instance, various mechanisms may be used to connect GUI Elements in the GUI with nodes in the graphical program. For example, when Input Controls and Output Indicators are created in the GUI, corresponding nodes (e.g., terminals) may be automatically created in the graphical program or block diagram. Alternatively, the user can place terminal nodes in the block diagram which may cause the display of corresponding GUI Elements front panel objects in the GUI, either at edit time or later at run time. As another example, the GUI may comprise GUI Elements embedded in the block diagram portion of the graphical program.
Front Panel—A Graphical User Interface that includes input controls and output indicators, and which enables a user to interactively control or manipulate the input being provided to a program, and view output of the program, while the program is executing.
A front panel is a type of GUI. A front panel may be associated with a graphical program as described above.
In an instrumentation application, the front panel can be analogized to the front panel of an instrument. In an industrial automation application the front panel can be analogized to the MMI (Man Machine Interface) of a device. The user may adjust the controls on the front panel to affect the input and view the output on the respective indicators.
Graphical User Interface Element—an element of a graphical user interface, such as for providing input or displaying output. Exemplary graphical user interface elements comprise input controls and output indicators.
Input Control—a graphical user interface element for providing user input to a program. An input control displays the value input by the user and is capable of being manipulated at the discretion of the user. Exemplary input controls comprise dials, knobs, sliders, input text boxes, etc.
Output Indicator—a graphical user interface element for displaying output from a program. Exemplary output indicators include charts, graphs, gauges, output text boxes, numeric displays, etc. An output indicator is sometimes referred to as an “output control”.
Computer System—any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system, workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or other device or combinations of devices. In general, the term “computer system” can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.
Mobile Device—any of various types of devices designed to be handheld or carried by a human user. Examples of mobile devices include tablet computers, personal digital assistants, phone devices (e.g., smartphones), etc.
Measurement Device—includes instruments, data acquisition devices, smart sensors, and any of various types of devices that are configured to acquire and/or store data. A measurement device may also optionally be further configured to analyze or process the acquired or stored data. Examples of a measurement device include an instrument, such as a traditional stand-alone “box” instrument, a computer-based instrument (instrument on a card) or external instrument, a data acquisition card, a device external to a computer that operates similarly to a data acquisition card, a smart sensor, one or more DAQ or measurement cards or modules in a chassis, an image acquisition device, such as an image acquisition (or machine vision) card (also called a video capture board) or smart camera, a motion control device, a robot having machine vision, and other similar types of devices. Exemplary “stand-alone” instruments include oscilloscopes, multimeters, signal analyzers, arbitrary waveform generators, spectroscopes, and similar measurement, test, or automation instruments.
A measurement device may be further configured to perform control functions, e.g., in response to analysis of the acquired or stored data. For example, the measurement device may send a control signal to an external system, such as a motion control system or to a sensor, in response to particular data. A measurement device may also be configured to perform automation functions, i.e., may receive and analyze data, and issue automation control signals in response.
Measurement system—a system including one or more measurement devices.
Automatically—refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without user input directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thus the term “automatically” is in contrast to an operation being manually performed or specified by the user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiated by input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that are performed “automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is filling out the form manually, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user actions. The form may be automatically filled out by the computer system where the computer system (e.g., software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, the user may invoke the automatic filling of the form, but is not involved in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields but rather they are being automatically completed). The present specification provides various examples of operations being automatically performed in response to actions the user has taken.

FIG. 1

FIG. 1 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for displaying measurement data on a mobile device. According to some embodiments, the method may be implemented by software executing on the mobile device referred to herein as measurement data communication software. The measurement data communication software may execute to automatically detect that the mobile device has moved to a location proximal to a particular measurement system (block 491). For example, the mobile device may be a portable or handheld device such as a tablet computer, personal digital assistant, or smartphone, which the user carries with him as the user moves from place to place. The measurement data communication software may monitor the current location of the mobile device and/or may monitor for wireless signals from nearby measurement systems in order to automatically detect when the mobile device has moved proximal to a particular measurement system. For example, in some embodiments if the user carries the mobile device to within a particular threshold distance of the particular measurement system then the measurement data communication software may determine that the mobile device has moved to a location proximal to the measurement system.
In response to detecting that the mobile device has moved to a location proximal to the measurement system, the measurement data communication software may execute to display on a display of the mobile device a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the measurement system (block 493). The measurement data communication software may receive measurement data from the measurement system via wireless transmission (block 495), and may display the received measurement data in the graphical user interface on the display of the mobile device (block 497).
In various embodiments the measurement system may acquire the measurement data from any of various kinds of physical systems or devices. Displaying the measurement data on the mobile device may provide a convenient way to enable the user of the mobile device to evaluate whether the measurement system is operating correctly or evaluate the status of the physical system or device from which the measurement data is acquired.
For example, FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a building in which a plurality of different measurement systems 50 are located. For example, the building could be a plant or factory in which different measurement systems operate to test new devices being produced or operate to monitor controllers that control respective mechanical systems. As another example, the building could be a laboratory in which different measurement systems acquire measurement data from devices that control or monitor chemical reactions. As the user 52 walks through the building, the measurement data communication software executing on the user's mobile device 260 may automatically detect that the mobile device has moved near to a particular measurement system 50, and in response may communicate with that measurement system to receive measurement data from it and display the measurement data in a graphical user interface on the mobile device 260.
In the example of FIG. 2, the user is currently standing next to the measurement system 50A. For example, the user may have moved to this location because he wants to check the status of the measurement data being acquired by the measurement system 50A. Displaying the measurement data of the measurement system 50A on the user's mobile device 260 may provide a convenient way for the user to do this.
If the user moves away from the first location next to the measurement system 50A to a second location proximal to a different measurement system, e.g., the measurement system 50B, then the measurement data communication software may automatically detect that the mobile device has moved away from the first location to the second location proximal to the measurement system 50B. In some embodiments, the measurement data communication software may respond by automatically replacing the first graphical user interface with a second graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the measurement system 50B. This may provide a convenient way for the user to move between different measurement systems and check each one.
For simplicity of the drawing, the measurement systems 50 in FIG. 2 are shown to be located close together. In some actual implementations, the various measurement systems may be located further apart. For example, the measurement systems may be spaced relatively far apart on a large factory floor, or may be located in different buildings, or even different parts of a city.
In various embodiments the measurement data communication software may be configured to use any criteria for determining whether a particular location is proximal to a given measurement system, and/or may be configured to use any technique for determining how far away the mobile device is from a given measurement system.
As one example, the measurement data communication software may cause the mobile device to monitor for one or more kinds of wireless signals, such as a wi-fi or wireless Ethernet signal, Bluetooth® signal, infrared signal, etc. In some embodiments, if the measurement data communication software determines that the mobile device is currently receiving a signal from a particular measurement system then the measurement data communication software may determine that the mobile device is currently located proximal to the measurement system.
As another example, the measurement data communication software may be configured to use various location techniques to determine a distance of the mobile device from a given measurement system, and may determine whether the mobile device is located proximal to the measurement system depending on the distance. For example, the measurement data communication software may determine that the mobile device is located proximal to the measurement system if the mobile device is located within a particular threshold distance of the measurement system. In various embodiments the measurement data communication software may be configured to use any desired threshold distance in its determination, e.g., 5 ft., 10 m, etc. The measurement data communication software may also use any kind of technique or information in determining its current location or its distance from a given measurement system, such as global positioning system (GPS) data, triangulation techniques, cell phone signal information, etc.
In some embodiments, the measurement data communication software may use not only location information, but also other types of spatial information to determine whether the mobile device is located proximal to a measurement system. For example, the measurement data communication software may be configured to detect a rotational orientation of the mobile device with respect to the measurement system, and may determine that the mobile device is located proximal to the measurement system in response to determining that the mobile device is both located within a threshold distance of the measurement system and oriented toward the measurement system.
For example, the mobile device may include an accelerometer, gyroscope, or other device that enables the measurement data communication software to determine the mobile device's rotational orientation in space. Since a user may typically hold the mobile device in front of his body, the rotational orientation information may enable the measurement data communication software to make a determination as to whether or not the user is currently facing the measurement system. In some embodiments if the user is facing the measurement system then the measurement data communication software may determine that the mobile device is located proximal to the measurement system, and if not, then the measurement data communication software may determine that the mobile device is not located proximal to the measurement system. If the user is facing toward a first measurement system and facing away from a second measurement system, this may indicate that the user is more likely to be interested at the present moment in viewing measurement data from the first measurement system. Thus, determining that the mobile device is positioned or oriented proximal to the first measurement system but not the second measurement system may cause the measurement data communication software to display a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data from the first measurement system instead of the second measurement system. If the user then turns to face the second measurement system instead then the measurement data communication software may replace the graphical user interface with another graphical user interface for viewing measurement data from the second measurement system.
At some locations, the mobile device may be proximal to more than one measurement system. In some embodiments the measurement data communication software may automatically select one of the measurement systems as the nearest one (e.g., based on signal strength, location information, or other criteria), and may automatically display a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data from the selected measurement system. In other embodiments the measurement data communication software may prompt the user to select which measurement system he wants to view measurement data for. For example, the measurement data communication software may display information indicating all of the measurement systems to which the mobile device is proximally located, and may receive user input selecting one of the measurement systems from the displayed information. In response, a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the measurement system selected by the user may be displayed.
If a graphical user interface for a particular measurement system is displayed at a given time when the mobile device is also located proximal to one or more other measurement systems, the measurement data communication software may enable the user to switch to a different graphical user interface for one of the other proximal measurement systems. For example, in response to a request by the user, the measurement data communication software may display a list of all the proximal measurement systems and enable the user to select the desired measurement system from the list.
In some embodiments the measurement data communication software may automatically replace the graphical user interface for one measurement system with a graphical user interface for another measurement system in response to various conditions. For example, suppose that the user is currently holding the mobile device at a first location that is proximal to a first measurement system and is not proximal to a second measurement system. While at the first location, a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data from the first measurement system may be displayed. If the user then carries the mobile device to a second location that is proximal to the second measurement system and is not proximal to the first measurement system then the graphical user interface displayed on the mobile device may be replaced with a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data from the second measurement system.
In some embodiments the mobile device may continue displaying the graphical user interface for the first measurement system for as long as the mobile device is proximal to the first measurement system. For example, if the user moves from the first location to another location that is still proximal to the first measurement system, the graphical user interface for the first measurement system may remain displayed on the mobile device. If the user moves out of range of the first measurement system so that the first measurement system is no longer proximal then the graphical user interface for the first measurement system may automatically disappear from the display (and may possibly be replaced with a graphical user interface for another measurement system if the new location is proximal to another measurement system).
In other embodiments, the mobile device may not automatically switch between graphical user interfaces for different measurement systems or hide the currently displayed graphical user interface in response to the mobile device being moved. Instead, the mobile device may prompt to ask the user if he wants the graphical user interface to be switched or hidden, or the mobile device may wait until the user initiates a change for the graphical user interface.
In various embodiments the mobile device 260 may be configured to receive and display measurement data from measurement systems that implement any of various kinds of applications, such as computer-based testing, industrial automation, process control, hardware-in-the-loop testing, rapid control prototyping, machine vision, and/or motion control applications, among others. The measurement system(s) may include any kind of measurement devices that acquire any kind of measurement data from any kind of physical system or device under test. For example, the measurement data may represent temperature, pressure, flow, current, voltage, or any of various other kinds of physical or electrical measurements.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of various kinds of measurement devices that may produce the measurement data transmitted to the mobile device 260 held by the user 52. The illustrated measurement devices include a GPIB instrument 112 and associated GPIB interface card 122, a data acquisition board 114 inserted into or otherwise coupled with chassis 124 with associated signal conditioning circuitry 126, a VXI instrument 116, a PXI instrument 118, a video device or camera 132 and associated image acquisition (or machine vision) card 134, a motion control device 136 and associated motion control interface card 138, and/or one or more computer based instrument cards 142, among other types of devices.
The measurement devices may be coupled to the unit under test (UUT) or process 150, or may be coupled to receive field signals, typically generated by transducers. In some embodiments the measurement devices may acquire the measurement data from the UUT 150 and wirelessly transmit the measurement data directly to the mobile device 260. In other embodiments the measurement system may also include a host computer system that couples to the measurement devices. The measurement devices may first transmit the measurement data to the host computer system, and the host computer system may in turn transmit the measurement data to the mobile device 260.
In various embodiments the mobile device 260 may be any kind of mobile or handheld device. Examples of mobile devices include tablet computers (e.g., an IPad™) smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a mobile device 260. In this example, the mobile device includes a touch-sensitive screen 290 configured to receive user input as touch gestures. For example, the user may provide input to the mobile device by tapping the screen 290 or sliding one or more fingers across the screen 290. The mobile device may also include other features such as a camera lens 294, microphone 282, speaker 280, one or more buttons 310, as well as one or more external ports 312 for connecting the mobile device to other devices via a cable. The mobile device may be configured with the measurement data communication software 304.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a mobile device 260 in more detail according to one embodiment. The mobile device may include one or more processors 270 configured to execute software stored in a memory 284. The memory 284 may store the measurement data communication software 304 which is executable by the processor 270 to perform functions described herein, such as receiving measurement data from a measurement system and displaying the measurement data in a graphical user interface on the display of the mobile device 260. The memory 284 may also store operating system software 300 or other software needed for operation of the mobile device.
In addition to a touch-sensitive screen 290, the mobile device may also include other hardware components, such as a lens 294 and image sensor 296 for a camera, one or more external ports 312 for connecting the mobile device to other devices via a cable, RF circuitry 272 and an antenna 292 for sending and receiving data wirelessly, audio circuitry 274 coupled to a speaker 280 and microphone 282, one or more accelerometers 276, and a proximity sensor 278.
As described above, the measurement data communication software may display measurement data received from a measurement system in a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface that is displayed on the mobile device may be configured especially for the particular measurement data being displayed. Thus, when viewing measurement data from different measurement systems, different graphical user interfaces may be displayed, where the graphical user interface that is displayed at a given time is tailored to the measurement data currently being viewed. For example, different types of measurement systems may produce different kinds of measurement data. The graphical user interface for the various measurement systems may have different appearances depending on what kind of measurement data each measurement system produces.
In some embodiments the user may manually set up the graphical user interface for a particular measurement system, e.g., by providing user input to configure the graphical user interface. FIG. 6 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for configuring the graphical user interface for a particular measurement system in response to user input specifying various options for the graphical user interface. The functions shown in the flowchart may be implemented by the measurement data communication software 304 which is stored on and executed by the mobile device 260.
As indicated in block 401, the measurement data communication software 304 may execute to display a plurality of possible graphical layouts for viewing measurement data acquired by the measurement system. Each layout may define how GUI output indicators will be “layed out” or distributed on the screen of the mobile device, such as the number of output indicators which will be displayed, and how the output indicators are arranged on the screen. As discussed below, each of the output indicators may be configured to display measurement data from a respective measurement data source produced by the measurement system. For example, the measurement system may produce two different measurement data sources, and the measurement data from each source may be displayed in a respective output indicator in the graphical user interface.
FIG. 10 illustrates one example of a possible layouts displayed by the measurement data communication software. Each layout includes one or more positions or placeholders in which GUI output indicators can be displayed. In the example of FIG. 10, four possible graphical layouts are displayed. The one at the top left includes a single position or placeholder for displaying a single GUI output indicator. The one at the top right includes two positions for displaying two output indicators. The one at the bottom left includes four positions for displaying four output indicators. The one at the bottom right includes six positions for displaying six output indicators.
The user may select the layout that he wants to use for the graphical user interface, e.g., depending on how many output indicators he needs. As indicated in block 403, the measurement data communication software 304 may configure the graphical user interface for the measurement system with the selected layout in response to the user's selection. FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which the user selects a graphical layout for viewing six GUI output indicators.
The user may then select the particular GUI output indicators that he wants to be displayed within the positions or placeholders in the graphical layout. As indicated in block 405, the measurement data communication software may display a plurality of available GUI output indicators for indicating or displaying measurement data. Each output indicator may have a different graphical appearance for displaying measurement data in different ways. Examples of GUI output indicators include charts, graphs, gauges, numeric indicators, thermometer indicators, etc.
As indicated in block 407, the measurement data communication software may configure the graphical layout with one or more particular GUI output indicators in response to user input selecting the particular output indicators from the displayed plurality of output indicators. The user may select an appropriate output indicator for each of the positions or placeholders in the layout, e.g., depending on the particular measurement data sources that the user wants to be displayed at each position. For example, the measurement system may publish a first measurement data source as waveform data representing an electrical current, and may publish a second measurement data source as temperature data representing a temperature. If the user wants the electrical current data from the first measurement data source to be displayed at the top left position in the graphical layout then the user may select an appropriate output indicator for viewing waveform data at that position in the layout, such as a chart indicator for example. Similarly, if the user wants the temperature data from the second measurement data source to be displayed at the top right position in the graphical layout then the user may select an appropriate output indicator for viewing temperature data at that position in the layout, such as a thermometer indicator for example.
The measurement data communication software may also configure each of the one or more output indicators that was selected by the user with one or more measurement data sources in response to user input, as shown in block 409. For example, if the user selected a thermometer indicator to be displayed in the layout then the user may select a particular measurement data source to associate with the thermometer indicator. Each measurement data source may represent particular measurement data produced by the measurement system. For example, the measurement system may be configured to publish measurement data sources via a wireless communication interface, and the measurement data communication software may be configured to use the interface to receive measurement data from the measurement data sources. In some embodiments each measurement data source produced by the measurement system may have a respective name, and the user may configure an output indicator with a particular measurement data source by specifying the name of the particular measurement data source.
In some embodiments the user may first select the desired GUI output indicators he wants to be displayed, and may then configure each of the output indicators with one or more desired measurement data sources. In other embodiments the user may first select each desired measurement data source, and may then select a desired output indicator to use to display the measurement data from the measurement data source.
FIG. 12 illustrates an example in which the user has selected a graphical layout for viewing six GUI output indicators, and the measurement data communication software has displayed the selected layout. At this point, the particular output indicators and measurement data sources to use have not yet been selected, so the graphical layout has six empty placeholders. The user may touch each of the placeholders via the touch screen of the mobile device to add a particular output indicator bound to a particular measurement data source. For example, suppose that the user touches the placeholder at the upper left. As shown in FIGS. 13-14, the measurement data communication software may then display a dialog box allowing the user to specify the name of a server which publishes measurement data sources in the form of shared variables. FIG. 15 shows the user typing the name of a server to connect to.
Once the user has specified the name of the server, the measurement data communication software may communicate with the server to get a list of all the shared variables published by the server. The measurement data communication software may display the shared variables that are available for selection as measurement data sources, and the user may browse the shared variables to select the one he wants, as illustrated in FIGS. 16-19. Once the user selects the shared variable he wants to use as a measurement data source, the measurement data communication software may then display a plurality of different GUI output indicators that can be used to view the measurement data represented by that shared variable. FIG. 20 illustrates an example of displaying three GUI output indicators (a gauge indicator, a chart indicator, and a numeric indicator). The user may select the one he wants to use. FIG. 21 illustrates the user selecting the gauge indicator. In FIG. 22 the measurement data communication software has displayed the gauge indicator in the top left placeholder of the layout in response the user's selection. The gauge GUI indicator is bound to the measurement data source (shared variable) selected by the user.
The user may then select desired measurement data sources and GUI output indicators to use in the other placeholders of the graphical layout. FIG. 23 shows the graphical layout after the user has configured all the placeholders.
As indicated in block 411 of FIG. 6, the measurement data communication software may begin to receive measurement data from the measurement data sources specified by the user, and may graphically display the measurement data in the one or more output indicators. FIG. 24 illustrates an example of measurement data being received and displayed in the output indicators.
As indicated in block 413, the measurement data communication software may store information specifying the configuration of the graphical user interface for the measurement system. For example, the stored information may specify the selected graphical layout configuration, GUI output indicator(s), and measurement data source(s). In some embodiments this information may be stored locally on the mobile device. In other embodiments the measurement data communication software may transmit the information to the measurement system which produces the selected measurement data sources, and may request the information to be stored on the measurement system.
In some embodiments, once the user has gone through the process of setting up the graphical user interface for a particular measurement system by selecting the graphical layout and configuring it with particular GUI output indicators and measurement data sources, the measurement data communication software may be configured to automatically re-use the graphical user interface again in the future without requiring the user to set up the graphical user interface again, e.g., as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7.
As indicated in block 421, the measurement data communication software may automatically detect that the mobile device has been moved to a location proximal to a measurement system for which the user previously configured a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data produced by the measurement system. For example, the user may be an engineer at a factory that uses various measurement systems that monitor a production process. The user may be able to walk around the factory floor with his mobile device, and the measurement data communication software may detect when the user is physically near a particular measurement system.
In response to detecting that the user is near a particular measurement system, the measurement data communication software may retrieve the information that was previously stored which specifies the graphical user interface that the user previously configured for that measurement system (block 423), e.g., where the information specifies the previously selected layout, GUI output indicator(s), and measurement data source(s).
The measurement data communication software may then use the retrieved information to automatically display the graphical user interface for the measurement system on the mobile device, as shown in block 425. For example, the measurement data communication software may display the previously selected layout, GUI output indicator(s), and measurement data sources(s) without requiring the user to again specify this information.
The measurement data communication software may begin receiving measurement data from the measurement data sources of the measurement system and graphically displaying the measurement data in the GUI output indicator(s), as indicated in block 427.
Thus, the user may only need to set up the graphical user interface for the measurement system once with a particular set of GUI output indicators and associated measurement data sources. The measurement data communication software may thereafter be able to re-use the same information to display measurement data from the same sources.
In some embodiments the user may want to make a change to how the measurement data is displayed. As indicated in block 429, the measurement data communication software may receive user input changing one or more of the graphical layout, GUI output indicator(s), and measurement data source(s). In response, the measurement data communication software may store information specifying the changes to the graphical user interface for the measurement system, as indicated in block 431, or may update the previously stored information to reflect the changes. The updated information may be used the next time the mobile device is used to view the measurement data from the same measurement system.
In other embodiments, the measurement data communication software may execute to automatically configure the graphical user interface for a measurement system without requiring the user to configure the graphical user interface even once. For example, rather than the user selecting the layout, GUI output indicators, and measurement data sources to use in the graphical user interface, the measurement data communication software may automatically configure these features of the graphical user interface. FIG. 8 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method that may be implemented by the measurement data communication software to automatically configure the graphical user interface for a measurement system.
As indicated in block 441, the measurement data communication software may detect that the mobile device is proximal to a measurement system. The measurement system may be one that the mobile device has not been near before, and for which no graphical user interface configuration has previously been specified by the user.
As indicated in block 443, the measurement data communication software may automatically select various options for the graphical user interface. For example, the measurement data communication software may automatically select a graphical layout for the graphical user interface. The selected layout may include one or more positions or placeholders for one or more output indicators, e.g., may specify a respective position on the display of the mobile device for one or more output indicators that will be displayed in the graphical user interface.
The measurement data communication software may also automatically select the one or more output indicators to be displayed in the graphical user interface, as well as the measurement data source(s) whose data will be displayed in the output indicator(s). For example, the measurement data communication software may wirelessly communicate with the measurement system to receive information specifying the measurement data source(s) published by the measurement system. This information may specify the type of measurement data for each of the measurement data sources. The measurement data communication software may automatically select a particular type of output indicator for each measurement data source, e.g., where the output indicator type that is selected depends on the type of measurement data produced by the measurement data source. Thus, for example, if the measurement system publishes multiple measurement data sources that produce different types of measurement data then different types of output indicators may be selected for the graphical user interface.
In some embodiments the measurement data communication software may select only a subset of the measurement data sources published by the measurement system to be displayed in the graphical user interface. For example, the measurement system may publish a particular measurement data source that the measurement data communication software determines should not be displayed by default in the graphical user interface, although the user may be able to override this determination by reconfiguring the graphical user interface. The user may also be able to remove one or more of the measurement data sources that were selected by default from the graphical user interface, as shown in FIG. 25.
In some embodiments the information regarding the measurement data sources that the measurement data communication software receives from the measurement system may include information specifying an importance or priority of the measurement data sources, or information specifying the purpose of the measurement data sources. The measurement data communication software may be able to select which measurement data sources should be displayed by default in the graphical user interface based on their respective priorities or purposes.
As indicated in block 445, the measurement data communication software may automatically configure the graphical user interface for the measurement system with the selected graphical layout, GUI output indicator(s), and measurement data source(s). The measurement data communication software may then begin receiving measurement data from the measurement data sources, and graphically displaying the measurement data in the GUI output indicator(s), as indicated in block 447.
If the user moves away from the measurement system and proximal to a different measurement system then the measurement data communication software may detect the user's movement and may automatically replace the graphical user interface for the first measurement system with a different graphical user interface for the different measurement system, as indicated in blocks 449 and 451. Thus, for example, if the user is an engineer in a factory then the user may be able to walk around the factory floor with his mobile device, and as the user approaches different measurement systems the mobile device may automatically receive and display measurement data from the nearest measurement system. The display of the measurement data may be set up automatically so that the user does not need to specify the graphical layout configuration, the GUI output indicators, or the measurement data sources.
FIG. 8 illustrates a particular embodiment of a method for automatically configuring the graphical user interface for a particular measurement system. In general, the measurement data communication software may use any of various methods that operate to select particular GUI output indicators to include in the graphical user interface, position the GUI output indicators within the graphical user interface, and configure the GUI output indicators to display measurement data received from the measurement system.
In some embodiments the measurement data communication software may be able to automatically determine how to display measurement data from a particular measurement system by communicating with the measurement system to discover which measurement data sources are published by the measurement system. In some embodiments the measurement data communication software may select a graphical layout with a number of placeholders greater than or equal to the number of measurement data sources published by the measurement system. In some embodiments the measurement system may provide information specifying a data type for each measurement data source. In other embodiments the measurement data communication software may connect to the measurement data source to receive data from it, and may then analyze the data to attempt to automatically discover what type of data it is. The measurement data communication software may select a particular GUI output indicator to use to display the data depending on the type of measurement data.
If the user wants to change the GUI output indicators from the default options automatically selected by the measurement data communication software, or wants to change the set of measurement data sources that are displayed, or make other changes then the user may specify the changes through a configuration GUI provided by the measurement data communication software. The measurement data communication software may then store information specifying the changes so that the changes will be used instead of the automatically selected default options the next time the mobile device is used to display measurement data from the same measurement system.
In some embodiments the measurement data communication software may be executable to receive user input specifying a change to the layout automatically determined by the measurement data communication software. The user input may specify a second layout for the output indicators that were selected, e.g., by re-positioning them. In response to the user input, the measurement data communication software may re-position one or more of the output indicators on the display of the mobile device according to the second layout.
In some embodiments the plurality of output indicators automatically selected by the measurement data communication software may include a first output indicator, and the measurement data communication software may be executable to automatically select a first output indicator type for the first output indicator without receiving user input specifying the first output indicator type. The measurement data communication software may be further executable to receive user input requesting to change the first output indicator to a second output indicator type, and in response to the user input, may re-display the first output indicator as an output indicator of the second output indicator type.
As indicated in the flowchart of FIG. 9, in some embodiments the measurement data communication software may be further executable to perform additional functions in response to detecting that the mobile device has moved proximal to a particular measurement system (block 831). For example, in some embodiments the measurement data communication software may wirelessly communicate with the measurement system to cause the measurement system to perform a measurement (block 833). In other embodiments the measurement data communication software may wirelessly communicate with the measurement system to configure the measurement system (block 835). In other embodiments the measurement data communication software may wirelessly communicate with the measurement system to obtain status information indicating a status of the measurement system (block 837). In other embodiments the measurement data communication software may wirelessly communicate with the measurement system to cause the measurement system to change a type of measurement being performed (block 839).
Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

We claim:

1. A non-transitory memory medium storing program instructions executable by a mobile device to:

automatically detect that the mobile device has moved to a first location proximal to a measurement system;

in response to said automatically detecting, display on a display of the mobile device a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the measurement system;

receive measurement data from the measurement system via wireless transmission; and

display the received measurement data in the graphical user interface on the display of the mobile device.

2. The memory medium of claim 1,

wherein said automatically detecting that the mobile device has moved to the first location proximal to the measurement system comprises automatically detecting that the mobile device has moved to a location within a threshold distance of the measurement system.

3. The memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the measurement system is configured to produce a plurality of measurement data sources;

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the mobile device to receive information from the measurement system specifying each of the measurement data sources;

wherein in receiving the measurement data from the measurement system, the program instructions are executable by the mobile device to receive a respective set of measurement data from each of the measurement data sources;

wherein in displaying the graphical user interface, the program instructions are executable by the mobile device to display a plurality of output indicators, wherein each of the output indicators corresponds to a respective one of the measurement data sources; and

wherein in displaying the received measurement data, the program instructions are executable by the mobile device to display each respective set of measurement data in the output indicator corresponding to the measurement data source from which the respective set of measurement data was received.

4. The memory medium of claim 3,

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the mobile device to automatically determine a first layout for the plurality of output indicators, wherein the first layout specifies a respective position on the display of the mobile device for each of the output indicators, wherein said displaying the plurality of output indicators comprises positioning each respective output indicator on the display of the mobile device at its respective position specified by the first layout.

5. The memory medium of claim 4,

wherein the program instructions are executable by the mobile device to automatically determine the first layout for the plurality of output indicators without receiving user input specifying the first layout;

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the mobile device to:

receive user input specifying a change to the first layout, wherein the user input specifies a second layout for the plurality of output indicators; and

in response to the user input, re-position one or more of the output indicators on the display of the mobile device according to the second layout.

6. The memory medium of claim 5,

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the mobile device to store information specifying the second layout for the plurality of output indicators in response to the user input;

wherein said detecting that the mobile device has moved proximal to the measurement system comprises detecting that the mobile device has moved proximal to the measurement system at a first time prior to said storing the information specifying the second layout;

in response to detecting that the mobile device has moved proximal to the measurement system at a second time subsequent to said storing the information specifying the second layout, retrieve the stored information specifying the second layout, and automatically display the plurality of output indicators on the display of the mobile device according to the second layout.

7. The memory medium of claim 3,

automatically determine a plurality of possible layouts for the plurality of output indicators;

display information indicating the possible layouts; and

receive user input selecting a particular layout from the possible layouts;

wherein said displaying the plurality of output indicators comprises positioning each respective output indicator on the display of the mobile device at a respective position specified by the selected layout.

8. The memory medium of claim 3,

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the mobile device to automatically select an output indicator type for each of the plurality of output indicators based on the received information specifying the measurement data sources, wherein the output indicator types for the plurality of output indicators include two or more different output indicator types;

wherein said displaying the plurality of output indicators comprises displaying the selected output indicator type for each of the output indicators.

9. The memory medium of claim 8,

wherein the plurality of output indicators includes a first output indicator;

wherein the program instructions are executable by the mobile device to automatically select one of the following output type indicators for the first output indicator:

a chart indicator type;

a graph indicator type;

a gauge indicator type; or

a thermometer indicator type.

10. The memory medium of claim 8,

wherein the plurality of output indicators includes a first output indicator, wherein the program instructions are executable by the mobile device to automatically select a first output indicator type for the first output indicator without receiving user input specifying the first output indicator type;

receive user input requesting to change the first output indicator to a second output indicator type; and

in response to the user input, re-display the first output indicator as an output indicator of the second output indicator type.

11. The memory medium of claim 10,

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the mobile device to store information specifying the second output indicator type for the first output indicator in response to the user input;

wherein said detecting that the mobile device has moved proximal to the measurement system comprises detecting that the mobile device has moved proximal to the measurement system at a first time prior to said storing the information specifying the second output indicator type for the first output indicator;

in response to detecting that the mobile device has moved proximal to the measurement system at a second time subsequent to said storing the information specifying the second output indicator type for the first output indicator, retrieve the stored information specifying the second output indicator type for the first output indicator, and automatically display the first output indicator on the display of the mobile device as an output indicator of the second output indicator type.

12. The memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the measurement system is a first measurement system;

wherein the graphical user interface is a first graphical user interface;

automatically detect that the mobile device has moved away from the first location to a second location proximal to a second measurement system;

in response to said automatically detecting that the mobile device has moved away from the first location to the second location, automatically replace the first graphical user interface with a second graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the second measurement system.

13. The memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the measurement system is a first measurement system;

wherein the graphical user interface is a first graphical user interface;

in response to automatically detecting that a rotational orientation of the mobile device has moved away from the first measurement system and toward a second measurement system, automatically replace the first graphical user interface with a second graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the second measurement system.

14. The memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the measurement system is a first measurement system;

automatically detect that at the first location the mobile device is also proximal to a second measurement system;

prompt for user input selecting a particular measurement system for which to display measurement data, wherein said prompting includes displaying information indicating both the first measurement system and the second measurement system in response to determining that at the first location the mobile device is proximal to both the first measurement system and the second measurement system; and

receive user input selecting the first measurement system from the displayed information;

wherein the program instructions are executable by the mobile device to display the graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the first measurement system in response to the user input selecting the first measurement system.

15. The memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the mobile device to wirelessly communicate with the measurement system to cause the measurement system to perform a measurement in response to said detecting that the mobile device has moved to the first location proximal to the measurement system.

16. The memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the mobile device to wirelessly communicate with the measurement system to configure the measurement system in response to said detecting that the mobile device has moved to the first location proximal to the measurement system.

17. The memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the mobile device to wirelessly communicate with the measurement system to obtain status information indicating a status of the measurement system in response to said detecting that the mobile device has moved to the first location proximal to the measurement system.

18. The memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the mobile device to wirelessly communicate with the measurement system to cause the measurement system to change a type of measurement being performed in response to said detecting that the mobile device has moved to the first location proximal to the measurement system.

19. A system comprising:

a mobile device, wherein the mobile device includes one or more processors and memory storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to:

20. A method comprising:

a mobile device automatically detecting that the mobile device has moved to a first location proximal to a measurement system;

in response to said automatically detecting, the mobile device displaying on a display of the mobile device a graphical user interface for viewing measurement data acquired by the measurement system;

the mobile device receiving measurement data from the measurement system via wireless transmission; and

the mobile device displaying the received measurement data in the graphical user interface on the display of the mobile device.