Telephonic communications – Diagnostic testing – malfunction indication – or electrical... – Of centralized switching system
Patent
1996-02-20
1998-03-31
Kuntz, Curtis
Telephonic communications
Diagnostic testing, malfunction indication, or electrical...
Of centralized switching system
379 13, 455 511, H04M 308, H04M 322, H04M 124
Patent
active
057346968
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system for, and a method of, testing telecommunications equipment.
2. Related Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,760, there is described a system for testing telecommunications equipment comprising a local test controller for controlling test instruments and a master test controller for controlling the local test controller. Similar systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,850 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,559. Where a master test controller controls one or more local test controllers, it has been found that some tests require synchronisation between the test controllers. However, this problem is neither identified nor solved in any of these three prior art documents.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to this invention, there is provided a system for testing telecommunications equipment, said system comprising a master test controller, at least one local test controller, a test instrument associated with the or each local test controller and arranged to be controlled thereby, and means for transmitting data between the master test controller and the or each local test controller, said data being test instructions transmitted by the master test controller to the or each local test controller and test results received by the master test controller from the or each local test controller, each test controller being provided with a clock having an antenna for receiving a common radio timing signal.
By providing a clock having an antenna for receiving a common radio timing signal for each test controller, the operation of the test controllers may be accurately synchronised.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
This invention will now he described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first system for testing telecommunications equipment embodying this invention:
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a second system for testing telecommunications equipment embodying this invention;
FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a program used in the master test controller of the system of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a third system for testing telecommunications equipment embodying this invention; and
FIG. 5 is a block diagram is a fourth system for testing telecommunications equipment embodying this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
The drawing of FIG. 1 shows two sites, namely site A and site B, at which telecommunications equipment is located. The equipment located at each site may comprise, for example, a switch, one or more multiplexers, a computer for operating the switch and equipment for providing information which may be used for charging purposes. The two sites are connected by a traffic carrier 10 and the sites are connected to further sites, not shown, by further traffic carriers 11. The traffic carriers 10, 11 may be, for example, optical fibres or microwave links.
Sites A and B are provided, respectively, with a set of test instruments 12, 13. Each test instrument is arranged to make tests at one or more points in the equipment located at its site. Sites A and B are also provided, respectively, with local test controllers 14, 15 each of which is arranged to control the test instruments 12, 13 located at its site. The local test controllers 14, 15 are provided with clocks 16, 17.
The system also includes a master test controller 20 which may be located at one of the sites A or B or at another convenient location. Data may be transmitted between the master test controller 20 and the local test controllers 14, 15 through data links 21, 22. By way of example, the links 21, 22 may be dedicated traffic carriers or may form part of a public telecommunications network. The master test controller 20 is provided with a clock 23.
Each of the clocks 16, 17 and 23 is provided with an antenna 24 for receiving a common timing signal in the form of the International Time Standard. The International Time Standard is transmitted worldwide from the Internal Time Bureau i
REFERENCES:
patent: 4001559 (1977-01-01), Osborne et al.
patent: 4839916 (1989-06-01), Fields et al.
patent: 4910760 (1990-03-01), Reformato
patent: 4937850 (1990-06-01), Borbas et al.
patent: 5276727 (1994-01-01), Kim et al.
patent: 5282062 (1994-01-01), Lo Galbo et al.
patent: 5335357 (1994-08-01), Fennell et al.
patent: 5359646 (1994-10-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5452339 (1995-09-01), Siu et al.
patent: 5495516 (1996-02-01), Lee et al.
patent: 5504753 (1996-04-01), Renger et al.
Nilsen, "Measuring Network Performance with Automatic Test Calls", 1980 IEEE International Conference on Communications, Bostonicc/89, pp. 385-389.
Dietschi et al, "Network Quality Tester", 1225 Electrical Communication, vol. 58, (1993), No. 2, Heidenheim, Deutcshland, pp. 162-168.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 12, No. 13, (E-573), 1988, "Automatic Testing Device For Charge Band",Publication No. JP62171360.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 10, No. 283 (E-440) (2339), Sep. 26, 1986, Publication No. 61-101157.
British Telecommunication public limited company
Kuntz Curtis
Loomis Pal
LandOfFree
Testing telecommunications equipment does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Testing telecommunications equipment, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Testing telecommunications equipment will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-57958