Test & Measurement

Test & Measurement Description Topics

• Integrating Acquisition and Analysis
• Interfacing with External Devices
• Analyzing and Visualizing Data
• Developing Algorithms and Models
• Presenting and Reporting Results

Analyzing and Visualizing Data

MATLAB supports the entire data analysis and exploration process. It combines hundreds of advanced analysis functions with practical engineering and scientific graphics. Data collected using MATLAB test and measurement tools can be brought directly into the MATLAB workspace for fast and accurate data analysis, data manipulation, and pre- and post-processing. With these integrated tools, you can:

• Access the advanced math and visualization features of MATLAB
• Analyze and visualize measured data during or after the acquisitions
• Make iterative updates to your test set-up based on analysis results
• Design custom GUI front ends to automate the data collection and analysis process
• Use proven and leading-edge algorithms from other MATLAB toolboxes

The Signal Processing Toolbox provides functions for signal and linear system analysis and time-series data modeling. Shown here, the Signal Browser is used to analyze and display collected data. Click on image to see enlarged view.

Leading-Edge Math and Analysis

MATLAB makes it easy to perform analyses on your collected data. With MATLAB and its companion toolboxes, you can interactively experiment with, view, and analyze your data using any of the hundreds of built-in analysis functions, including:

• Fourier analysis and filtering
• Peak, valley, and zero finding
• Smoothing, interpolating, and extracting sections of data
• Statistical analysis, such as data fitting, trend analysis, and hypothesis testing
• Pattern recognition and data classification
• Advanced image processing

Descriptive Graphics to Explore and Present Your Data

Specialized graphics let you instantly visualize your measured data. The 2-D and 3-D graphics are integrated with the MATLAB analysis capabilities so you can graphically display any raw data set, equation, or function result. You can also use MATLAB graphics to monitor live data as it is being streamed into the workspace. Plot-editing tools in MATLAB make it easy to customize your graphics for presenting your results to colleagues or creating custom displays to monitor your data collection.

The Data Acquisition Toolbox lets you read data directly into MATLAB from selected hardware boards. Here, an input signal, captured by a sound card, is displayed as a PSD image and an instantaneous FFT, using the MATLAB signal processing and visualization capabilities. Click on image to see enlarged view.

Application-Specific Toolboxes

MATLAB toolboxes build on the algorithms provided in MATLAB to provide application-specific functions written by world-class experts. MATLAB toolboxes let you learn, apply, and compare best-of-class techniques, enabling you to evaluate different approaches. You can incorporate these and other MATLAB toolboxes into your test application.

Signal Processing

The Signal Processing Toolbox lets you analyze signals and linear systems, perform time-series data modeling and spectral analysis, and design and implement filters.

Image Processing

The Image Processing Toolbox lets you restore noisy or degraded images; enhance images using a variety of filters; analyze images with statistics, transforms, and blob analysis; and develop complete solutions to challenging image processing problems that involve multidimensional data sets.

Statistics

You can use the Statistics Toolbox to analyze complex data sets, model systems to predict future behavior, and apply statistical methods, such as probability distributions, multivariate analysis, and regression.

Wavelets

The Wavelet Toolbox lets you perform signal analysis, compression, and de-noising, and examine local, multiscale and nonstationary phenomena.

System Identification

Using the System Identification Toolbox, you can build accurate, simplified models of complex systems from noisy time-series data, and create mathematical models of dynamic systems based on input/output data.

Neural Networks

With the Neural Network Toolbox, you can explore, classify, and identify patterns in large data sets, and design and simulate neural networks.

For further information on data analysis and visualization in MATLAB, refer to the Language of Technical Computing.

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