FPGA-Based Reconfigurable Measurement Instruments with Functionality Defined by User

Using the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) with embedded software-core processor and/or digital signal processor cores, we are able to construct a hardware kernel for measurement instruments, which can fit common electronic measurement and test requirements. We call this approach the software-defined instrumentation (SDI). By properly configuring, we have used the hardware kernel to implement an n-channel arbitrary waveform generator with various add-on functions, a wideband and precise network analyzer, a high-speed signal digitizer, and a real-time sweep spectrum analyzer. With adaptively reconfiguring the hardware kernel, SDI concept can easily respond to the rapidly changing user-application-specified needs in measurement and test markets.