IVI Technology And Its Implementation

As the unit-under-test and test equipments become more complex and advance, automatic test has been the key technique instead of manual test in the test and measurement world. Virtual instrument is a new model of the instruments and causes a revolution in the field of the instruments. As the third generation computer-assisted digital measurement and testing instrumentation, virtual instrument is the outcome accomplished with the development of electronics technology, measurement and testing technology, and computer technology. IVI model extends the interoperability of the virtual instrument driver to instrument grade and provides a most advanced technology of exploring virtual instrument driver. Through introducing powerful approach of state-catching instrument interchangeability instrument simulating and range checking IVI instrument driver can improve the reuse of the test software and build a test system quickly. Detailed discussions list as follows: 1. The conception and characteristic of virtual instrument and several popular specifications are presented. Then this paper discuss the structure of the IVI system, the characteristic of IVI technology, the IVI driver and the concerned IVI specification. 2. The IVI software model of NI is discussed in detail. And the limitation of it is presented. According to these limitation, a new IVI software model is proposed. The difference of this new IVI software model and the IVI software model of NI is discussed in detail. 3. The class driver of Function Generator and Spectrum Analyzer has been build. And the encapsulation of the specific driver of hp 1445a, Ri3153a and ESA series is completed. It is practically proved that the IVI software model is a good way to accomplish the interchangeability of test instrument and the interoperability of the test program.