Local portable test systems and methods

• US 10,548,033 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2016
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advantest America, Inc. (Advantest Corporation)
• Original Assignee: W2BI, Inc. (Advantest Corporation)
• Inventors: Doshi, Dinesh, Elston, Mark, Kucheriya, Amit, Diperna, Derek, Jain, Vipul, Liu, Liqun, Leventhal, Ira
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzales, April G
• Application Number:
  US15/236,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20180049052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 455 6712
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

In one embodiment, a test system comprises: a network access point simulation component configured to simulate network access point operations and to simulate test interactions with user equipment, and a local control component configured to direct the network access point simulation component and to control test interactions with the user equipment. The number of devices under test included in the user equipment and distinct network access points that are coincidentally simulated are variable. In one exemplary implementation, the local control component comprises a test executive operable to direct simulation of communication network operations and the test interactions in accordance with information received from the remote control components. The network access point simulation component and local control component are portable.

Claims

1. A test system comprising:

a network access point simulation component configured to simulate communication network access point operations comprising test interactions with user equipment, wherein a number of devices under test included in the user equipment and distinct network access points that are coincidentally simulated are variable; and

a local control component configured to direct the network access point simulation component and to control the test interactions with the user equipment, wherein the local control component comprises a test executive operable to direct simulation of communication network operations and the test interactions in accordance with information received from remote control components, wherein the network access point simulation component and local control component are portable.

2. A test system of claim 1, wherein the simulated network access point operations are small cell operations.

3. A test system of claim 1 wherein the simulation of communication network operations comprises simulated evolved packet core (EPC) operations and the simulated network access point is a simulated evolved node B (eNodeB) component.

4. The test system of claim 1 wherein the user equipment comprises a single device under test.

5. The test system of claim 1 wherein the user equipment comprises a plurality of devices under test.

6. The test system of claim 1 wherein a single network access point is simulated.

7. The test system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of network access points are simulated.

8. The test system of claim 1 further comprising a test box communicatively coupled to the network access point simulation component, wherein the test box comprises material operable to shield contents of the test box from electromagnetic radiation interference, wherein contents of the test box comprises at least one of the devices under test.

9. A test method comprising:

configuring a test system to perform simulated network communication interactions with user equipment, wherein a number of devices under test in the user equipment and a number of network access points involved in the network communication interactions are variable;

generating test information to test the user equipment, including test instructions; and

testing the user equipment in accordance with the test information, wherein the test information is communicated to the user equipment via the simulated network communication interactions and the test instructions are selectively configurable for different user equipment.

10. The test system of claim 9, wherein the simulated network communication interactions correspond to a complete set of operations that a device under test may participate in when operating in a normal non-test environment.

11. The test system of claim 9, wherein the simulated network communication interactions correspond to a reduced set of operations that are less than a complete set of operations in a normal non-test environment.

12. The test method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of devices under test are tested at least in part in parallel.

13. The test method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of network access points are simulated at least in part in parallel.

14. The test method of claim 9, wherein the network access points are small cell network access points, the simulated network communication interactions correspond to EnodeB operations, and the configuring comprises simulating an EPC and at least a portion of an application server.

15. The test system of claim 9, wherein the generating test information is based on test management control instructions received from a remote network automatically.

16. A test system comprising:

a cellular network access point simulation component configured to simulate cellular communication network access point operations comprising test interactions with user equipment, wherein a number of devices under test included in the user equipment and distinct cellular network access points that are coincidentally simulated are variable; and

a local control component configured to direct the cellular network access point simulation component and to control the test interactions with the user equipment, wherein the local control component comprises a test executive operable to direct simulation of cellular communication network operations and the test interactions in accordance with information received from remote control components.

17. The test system of claim 16, wherein the simulation of cellular communication network operations correspond to a complete set of network communication operations that a device under test may participate in when operating in a normal non-test environment.

18. The test system of claim 16, wherein the simulated network communication interactions correspond to a reduced set of communication network operations that are less than a complete set of operations that a device under test may participate in when operating in a normal non-test environment.

19. The test system of claim 16, wherein the cellular network access point simulation component comprises a small cell network access point, the simulated cellular network communication operations correspond to EnodeB operations, an EPC operations, and application server operations.