Approval test method and an approval test system for a software-defined radio terminal, a software-defined radio terminal being certified by the approval test method, and an approval test apparatus for certifying the software-defined radio terminal

• US 20040048608A1
• Filed: 09/03/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Ryoko, Tomizawa, Takeshi, Wakutsu, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 6,954,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

An approval test apparatus according to the present invention that perform an approval test for a software-defined radio terminal based on approval information for a representative terminal as a database. The radio terminal outputs a request signal of adding the wireless functions and identification information of the radio terminal. The approval test apparatus determines whether or not the approval is given to the radio terminal that has outputted the request signal and the identification signal.

Claims

1. An approval test method for a software-defined radio terminal, comprising:

receiving a request signal from said software-defined radio terminal requesting an addition of a wireless function;

receiving identification information of said software-defined radio terminal;

determining upon the reception of the request signal whether or not to give a type approval certificate to the software-defined radio terminal based on a content of a database including approval information of a representative terminal whose configuration of hardware is same as said software-defined radio terminal; and

transmitting a result of the determination to said software-defined radio terminal.

2. The approval test method according to claim 1, further comprising:

loading a software for said additional wireless function at said software-defined radio terminal in case of receiving the approval;

examining whether or not the loaded software runs normally at said software-defined radio terminal;

determining whether or not the added wireless function works based on the examination result; and

receiving identification information of the added wireless function at said software-defined radio terminal.

3. The approval test method according to claim 1, wherein said identification information of the radio terminal includes an inherent ID which identifies said software-defined radio terminal, a system ID which identifies the wireless function included in said software-defined radio terminal, and a configuration ID which identifies kinds of currently available wireless function at said software-defined radio terminal.

4. The approval test method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information used for getting the approval in case that said software-defined radio terminal has been disapproved before;

performing a process for getting the approval based on the received information at the software-defined radio terminal; and

determining whether or not to give the approval to said software-defined radio terminal based on the result of said performance.

5. The approval test method according to claim 4, wherein said information used for getting the approval is at least one of acquisition of new software and a partial deletion of the wireless function already acquired by said software-defined radio terminal.

6. The approval test method according to claim 2, wherein the software for the wireless function to be added at said software-defined radio terminal is loaded from a wireless radio terminal storing said software.

7. The approval test method according to claim 2, wherein the software for the wireless function to be added at said software-defined radio terminal is loaded from a recording media storing said software.

8. The approval test method according to claim 1, further comprising:

giving the type approval certificate to said software-defined radio terminal in case that a preparation for giving the approval is completed at the software-defined radio terminal which has been disapproved before.

9. An approval test system comprising:

a software-defined radio terminal; and

an type approval test apparatus which executes an approval test for said software-defined radio terminal requesting a addition of a wireless function,

wherein said software-defined radio terminal comprising a signal output unit which outputs both a request signal of the addition of the wireless function and identification information of the software-defined radio terminal;

said test apparatus comprising;

a database which includes approval information for a representative terminal whose configuration of hardware is same as said software-defined radio terminal;

an approval determination unit which determines whether or not the approval is given to said software-defined radio terminal based on a content of the database; and

a determination result transmitter which transmits the determination result of the approval determination to said software-defined radio terminal.

10. An approval test system having a software-defined radio terminal and an type approval test apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a request signal from said software-defined radio terminal requesting an addition of a wireless function at said test apparatus;

means for receiving identification information of said software-defined radio terminal at said test apparatus;

means for determining upon the reception of the request signal whether or not to give an type approval certificate to the software-defined radio terminal based on a content of a database including approval information of a representative terminal whose configuration of hardware is same as said software-defined radio terminal at said test apparatus; and

means for transmitting a result of the determination to said software-defined radio terminal at said test apparatus.

11. The approval test system according to claim 10, further comprising:

means for loading a software for said additional wireless function at said software-defined radio terminal in case of receiving the approval;

means for examining whether or not the loaded software runs normally at said software-defined radio terminal;

means for determining whether or not the added wireless function works based on the examination result at said software-defined radio terminal; and

means for receiving identification information of the added wireless function at said software-defined radio terminal.

12. The approval test system according to claim 11, wherein said software-defined radio terminal outputs information relating to timing when said software-defined radio terminal loads said software for said additional wireless function.

13. The approval test system according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for receiving information used for getting the approval in case said software-defined radio terminal has been disapproved before;

means for performing a process for getting the approval based on the received information at the software-defined radio terminal; and

means for determining whether or not to give the approval to said software-defined radio terminal based on the result of said performance at said test apparatus.

14. The approval test system according to claim 13, wherein said information used for getting the approval is at least one of acquisition of new software and a partial deletion of the wireless function already acquired by said software-defined radio terminal.

15. The approval test system according to claim 11, wherein the software for the wireless function to be added at said software-defined radio terminal is loaded from a wireless radio terminal storing said software.

16. The approval test system according to claim 11, wherein the software for the wireless function to be added at said software-defined radio terminal is loaded from a recording media storing said software.

17. The approval test system according to claim 10, further comprising:

means for giving the type approval certificate to said software-defined radio terminal at the test apparatus in case that a preparation for giving the approval is completed at the software-defined radio terminal which has been disapproved before.

18. A software-defined radio terminal capable of adding and deleting a wireless function, and requesting a type approval certificate to an approval test apparatus comprising:

a transceiver which transmits and receives a wireless signal;

a signal processor which modulates and demodulates the wireless signal; and

a transmitting and receiving controller which controls transmitting and receiving of the wireless signal, having an ID storage which stores an inherent ID which identifies the software-defined radio terminal as it is, a system ID which indicates information relating to the wireless function included in the software-defined radio terminal, and a configuration ID which indicates kinds of currently available wireless function at said software defined radio terminal, and updating a content in said ID storage in case said approval test apparatus has approved the software-defined radio terminal at a state of adding the wireless functions.

19. An approval test apparatus, comprising:

a database which stores approval information for a representative terminal whose configuration of hardware is same a software-defined radio terminal requesting a type approval certificate to the test apparatus;

an approval determination unit which determines whether the approval is given to said software-defined radio terminal based on said database, said software-defined radio terminal outputting both a request signal for adding a wireless functions and identification information of said software-defined radio terminal, and outputs the determination result to said software-defined radio terminal; and

an examination result determination unit which determines whether or not the added wireless function works at said software-defined radio terminal based on a examination result transmitted from said software-defined radio terminal examining whether or not a loaded software for added wireless function runs normally.