interchangeable virtual instrument (LXI) (IVI)

Test and measurement instruments can be connected to Ethernet according to the LAN Extensions for Instrumentation( LXI) and communicate with personalcomputers via the USB interface. For this purpose, they require corresponding device drivers. The Interchangeable Virtual Instrument ( IVI) is such a measuring instrument driver specified by the IVI Foundation.

In general, drivers must meet various requirements and recommendations. These range from programming style, data formats, error responses and front panel display to the interchangeability of measurement results. Instrument drivers consist of a set of Virtual Instruments( VI) with which the programmable instruments can communicate and be controlled.

With the IVI specifications, the IVI Foundation fulfills further requirements and supports the interchangeability of measurement results between different measuring instruments. These include digital multimeters, oscilloscopes, signal generators and function generators, and several others.