CABLING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING AND MANAGING PHYSICALLY CONNECTED DEVICES OVER A DATA NETWORK

• US 20140184238A1
• Filed: 02/06/2014
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HCS Kablolama Sistemleri Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş.
• Original Assignee: HCS Kablolama Sistemleri Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş.
• Inventors: Yossef, Shay
• Granted Patent: US 9,581,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/538
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/68 Testing of releasable connections, e.g. of terminals mounted on a printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/46 Monitoring; Testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/136 having patch field management or physical layer management arrangements

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and system configured to monitor devices that are physically connected over a data network, said system comprising at least one scanner configured to monitor said data network and to determine devices that are physically connected over said data network, said at least one scanner being connected to at least one panel over said data network, wherein at least one terminal of each panel is connected to an electronic circuitry, which comprises one or more electronic components, for enabling said at least one scanner to determine changes in one of voltage or current level over at least one of said one or more electronic components, said changes occurring due to connecting or disconnecting devices over said data network, thereby enabling said at least one scanner to monitor devices that are physically connected over said data network.

Claims

1-93. -93. (canceled)

94. A method, comprising:

in a cable connection, which comprises one or more wire pairs having a first end that is potentially connected to a first endpoint and a second end that is potentially connected to a second endpoint, applying a test signal to a single wire pair selected from among the wire pairs;

sensing the test signal only on the single wire pair; and

based on the sensed test signal, determining a connectivity state of the cable connection.

95. The method according to claim 94, wherein determining the connectivity state comprises determining whether a first part of the cable connection, which is connected to the first end, is connected to a second part of the cable connection connected to the second end.

96. The method according to claim 95, wherein determining the connectivity state comprises determining whether the first part is patched by a patch cord to the second part.

97. The method according to claim 94, wherein determining the connectivity state comprises distinguishing whether none of the endpoints, only one of the endpoints, or both of the endpoints, are connected to the cable connection.

98. The method according to claim 94, wherein applying and sensing the test signal comprise interfacing to the cable connection while retaining Direct-Current (DC) connectivity between the first and second ends of the wire pair.

99. The method according to claim 94, wherein applying and sensing the test signal comprise interfacing to at least one of a patch panel and a cross-connect panel traversed by the cable connection.

100. The method according to claim 94, wherein sensing the test signal comprises measuring, for at least one of the first and second endpoints, one of:

an impedance characteristic;

an inductance characteristic; and

a capacitance characteristic.

101. A method, comprising:

connecting a network scanner to a cable connection, which comprises one or more wire pairs having a first end that is potentially connected to a first endpoint and a second end that is potentially connected to a second endpoint, while retaining Direct-Current (DC) connectivity between the first and second ends of the wire pairs;

using the network scanner, applying a test signal to the cable connection and sensing the test signal on the cable connection; and

based on the sensed test signal, determining a connectivity state of the cable connection.

102. The method according to claim 101, wherein the cable connection comprises multiple wire pairs, wherein applying the test signal comprises injecting the test signal to a first wire pair, and wherein sensing the test signal comprises measuring the test signal on a second wire pair that is different from the first wire pair.

103. The method according to claim 101, wherein the cable connection comprises multiple wire pairs, and wherein applying and sensing the test signal comprise injecting and measuring the test signal on a same wire pair selected from among the multiple wire pairs.

104. The method according to claim 101, wherein determining the connectivity state comprises distinguishing whether none of the endpoints, only one of the endpoints, or both of the endpoints, are connected to the cable connection.

105. Apparatus, comprising:

an interface for connecting to a cable connection, which comprises one or more wire pairs having a first end that is potentially connected to a first endpoint and a second end that is potentially connected to a second endpoint; and

a scanner, which is configured to apply via the interface a test signal to a single wire pair selected from among the wire pairs, to sense the test signal via the interface only on the single wire pair, and, based on the sensed test signal, to determine a connectivity state of the cable connection.

106. The apparatus according to claim 105, wherein the scanner is configured to determine, based on the sensed test signal, whether a first part of the cable connection, which is connected to the first end, is connected to a second part of the cable connection connected to the second end.

107. The apparatus according to claim 106, wherein the scanner is configured to determine whether the first part is patched by a patch cord to the second part.

108. The apparatus according to claim 105, wherein the scanner is configured to distinguish whether none of the endpoints, only one of the endpoints, or both of the endpoints, are connected to the cable connection.

109. The apparatus according to claim 105, wherein the interface is configured to connect to the cable connection while retaining Direct-Current (DC) connectivity between the first and second ends of the wire pair.

110. The apparatus according to claim 105, wherein the interface is configured to connect to at least one of a patch panel and a cross-connect panel traversed by the cable connection.

111. The apparatus according to claim 105, wherein the scanner is configured to sense the test signal by measuring, for at least one of the first and second endpoints, one of:

an impedance characteristic;

an inductance characteristic; and

a capacitance characteristic.

112. Apparatus, comprising:

an interface for connecting to a cable connection, which comprises one or more wire pairs having a first end that is potentially connected to a first endpoint and a second end that is potentially connected to a second endpoint, while retaining Direct-Current (DC) connectivity between the first and second ends of the wire pairs; and

a scanner, which is configured to apply via the interface a test signal to the cable connection, to sense the test signal on the cable connection via the interface, and, based on the sensed test signal, to determine a connectivity state of the cable connection.

113. The apparatus according to claim 112, wherein the cable connection comprises multiple wire pairs, and wherein the interface is configured to apply the test signal to a first wire pair, and to sense the test signal on a second wire pair that is different from the first wire pair.

114. The apparatus according to claim 112, wherein the cable connection comprises multiple wire pairs, and wherein the interface is configured to apply and sense the test signal on a same wire pair selected from among the multiple wire pairs.

115. The apparatus according to claim 112, wherein the scanner is configured to distinguish, based on the sensed test signal, whether none of the endpoints, only one of the endpoints, or both of the endpoints, are connected to the cable connection.