Automated network-based test system for set top box devices

• US 10,462,456 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Contec LLC (Contec LLC /Management/)
• Original Assignee: Contec LLC (Contec LLC /Management/)
• Inventors: Tiwari, Rajeev, Villanueva, Rafael Alberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Gee, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US15/099,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20170302917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/04 for receivers

Abstract

An automated network-based test system for set top box devices is disclosed. According to certain embodiments, the network-based testing system using Simple Network Management Protocol facilitates remote testing of thousands of set-top boxes, where groups of these set top boxes can be located in various locations that are remote from a main controller server that is running the tests remotely.

Claims

1. A network-based testing system for simultaneously testing a plurality of devices under test at a plurality of remote test locations, comprising:

a plurality of remote test systems, each remote test system configured to test a subset of the plurality of devices under test and comprising

a Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) modulator for providing video test patterns to the subset of the plurality of devices under test at the remote test system, and

a plurality of video and audio analyzers, each of the video and audio analyzers associated with one of the subset of the plurality of devices under test at the remote test system and configured to provide infrared signals to the associated device under test and to capture video and audio output from the associated device under test,

a main controller that is operatively connected to the plurality of remote test systems and configured to simultaneously conduct tests on the plurality of devices under test;

a headend controller operatively connected to the main controller and to the plurality of remote test systems and configured to provide video services to the plurality of devices under test and to provision IP addresses to IP-based devices under test of the plurality of devices under test,

wherein

the main controller determines which of the plurality of devices under test are IP-based devices under test and which of the plurality of devices under test are non-IP-based devices under test,

the main controller receives from the headend controller the IP addresses associated with the IP-based devices under test and is configured to employ Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to communicate with and test the IP-based devices under test using the associated IP addresses,

the main controller causes a subset of the plurality of video and audio analyzers to provide infrared signals to the non-IP-based devices under test and to capture video and audio signals that are output by the non-IP-based devices under test in response to the infrared signals, and

the main controller receives and analyzes the video and audio signals that are captured by the video and audio analyzers.

2. The network-based testing system of claim 1, wherein the communication between the main controller and the IP-based devices under test comprise SNMP queries regarding the diagnostic and health status of the IP-based devices under test.

3. The network-based testing system of claim 1, wherein the video signals that are output by the non-IP-based devices under test in response to the infrared signals comprise information regarding the diagnostic and health status of the non-IP-based devices under test.

4. The network-based testing system of claim 1, wherein the video services provided by the headend controller comprise channel lineup information.

5. The network-based testing system of claim 1, wherein the main controller is connected to the headend controller through a jump server.

6. The network-based testing system of claim 1, wherein the main controller is connected to the headend controller through a router.

7. The network-based testing system of claim 1, wherein the main controller is connected to the headend controller through a virtual private network (VPN) gateway.

8. The network-based testing system of claim 1, wherein the devices under test comprise set-top boxes.

9. A testing system for simultaneously testing a plurality of devices under test including IP-based devices under test and non-IP-based devices under test, comprising:

a plurality of devices under test, the plurality of devices under test including IP-based devices under test and non-IP-based devices under test;

a Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) modulator for providing video test patterns to the plurality of devices under test;

a plurality of video/audio analyzers, each of the video/audio analyzers associated with one of the plurality of devices under test and configured to provide infrared signals to the associated device under test and to capture video and audio output from the associated device under test;

a main controller operatively connected to the plurality of video/audio analyzers and configured to simultaneously conduct tests on the plurality of devices under test;

a headend controller operatively connected to the main controller and configured to provide video services to the plurality of devices under test and to provision IP addresses to the IP-based devices under test,

wherein the main controller

determines which of the plurality of devices under test are IP-based devices under test,

receives from the headend controller the IP addresses associated with the IP-based devices under test,

employs Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to communicate with and test the IP-based devices under test using the associated IP addresses,

causes a subset of the plurality of video/audio analyzers to provide infrared signals to the non-IP-based devices under test and to capture video and audio reading values output by the non-IP-based devices under test, and

receives and analyzes the video and audio reading values that are captured by the video/audio analyzers and provided to the main controller.

10. The testing system of claim 9, wherein the communication between the main controller and the IP-based devices under test comprises SNMP queries regarding the diagnostic and health status of the IP-based devices under test.

11. The testing system of claim 9, wherein the video signals that are output in response to the infrared signals comprise information regarding the diagnostic and health status of the non-IP-based devices under test.

12. The testing system of claim 9, wherein the video services provided by the headend controller comprise channel lineup information.

13. The testing system of claim 9, wherein the devices under test comprise set-top boxes.