Wireless telephone testing using an echo plug

• US 6,721,541 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Kingsley, Paul Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): EWART, JAMES D
• Application Number:
  US09/550,973
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/424, 455/67.11, 455/67.4, 455/67.5, 455/67.7, 455/226.1, 455/226.4, 455/347, 379/22.01, 379/22.02, 379/27.01, 379/27.02, 379/27.03
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

An echo plug is plugged into a hands-free jack of a wireless telephone for testing purposes. A test signal is transmitted from a test system to the wireless telephone over a test call. In the echo plug, the test signal is looped back from a speaker connection to a microphone connection of the hands-free jack. The test signal is transmitted from the wireless telephone to the test system over the test call. In other embodiments, an echo plug is used to loop a test signal from a speaker connection of a first wireless telephone to a microphone connection of a second wireless telephone.

Claims

1. A method of using a test system and an echo plug to test wireless telephones and a communication system through which telephone calls are made to the wireless telephones wherein a first wireless telephone has a first hands-free jack with a first connection and a first microphone connection, the method comprising:

plugging the echo plug into the first hands-free jack of the first wireless telephone;

generating a first test call between the test system and the first wireless telephone through the communication system;

transmitting a first test signal from the test system to the first wireless telephone over the first test call;

in the echo plug, looping the first test signal from the first speaker connection of the first hands-free jack to the first microphone connection of the first hands-free jack;

transmitting the first test signal from the first wireless telephone to the test system over the first test call; and

generating first test results in the test system in response to the first test signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a second wireless telephone has a second hands-free jack with a second speaker connection and a second microphone connection and further comprising:

unplugging the echo plug from the first hands-free jack of the first wireless telephone and plugging the echo plug into the second hands-free jack of the second wireless telephone;

generating a second test call between the test system and the second wireless telephone through the communication system;

transmitting a second test signal from the test system to the second wireless telephone over the second test call;

in the echo plug, looping the second test signal from the second speaker connection of the second hands-free jack to the second microphone connection of the second hands-free jack;

transmitting the second test signal from the second wireless telephone to the test system over the second test call; and

generating second test results in the test system in response to the second test signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first test call uses a different communication system than the second test call.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising moving the first wireless telephone and the echo plug from a first location to a second location while transmitting the first test signal.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

moving the first wireless telephone and the echo plug from a first location to a second location;

generating a second test call between the test system and the first wireless telephone over the communication system;

transmitting a second test signal from the test system to the first wireless telephone over the second test call;

in the echo plug, looping the second test signal from the first speaker connection of the first hands-free jack to the first microphone connection of the first hands-free jack;

transmitting the second test signal from the first wireless telephone to the test system over the second test call; and

generating second test results in the test system in response to the second test signal.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising attenuating the first test signal in the echo plug.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising delaying the first test signal in the echo plug.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising canceling side-tones from the first test signal in the echo plug.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first test results comprises generating voice quality statistics.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first test results comprises generating round-trip delay statistics.

11. A method of using a test system and an echo plug to test wireless telephones and a communication system through which telephone calls are made to the wireless telephones wherein a first wireless telephone has a first hands-free jack with a first speaker connection and a second wireless telephone has a second hands-free jack with a first microphone connection, the method comprising:

plugging the echo plug into the first hands-free jack of the first wireless telephone and into the second hands-free jack of the second wireless telephone;

generating a first test call between the test system and the first wireless telephone through the communication system and generating a second test call between the test system and the second wireless telephone through the communication system;

transmitting a first test signal from the test system to the first wireless telephone over the first test call;

in the echo plug, looping the first test signal from the first speaker connection of the first hands-free jack to the first microphone connection of the second hands-free jack;

transmitting the first test signal from the second wireless telephone to the test system over the second test call; and

generating first test results in the test system in response to the first test signal.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein a third wireless telephone has a third hands-free jack with a second speaker connection and a fourth wireless telephone has a fourth hands-free jack with a second microphone connection and further comprising:

unplugging the echo plug from the first hands-free jack of the first wireless telephone and from the second hands-free jack of the second wireless telephone and plugging the echo plug into the third hands-free jack of the third wireless telephone and into the fourth hands-free jack of the fourth wireless telephone;

generating a third test call between the test system and the third wireless telephone through the communication system and generating a fourth test call between the test system and the fourth wireless telephone through the communication system;

transmitting a second test signal from the test system to the third wireless telephone over the third test call;

in the echo plug, looping the second test signal from the second speaker connection of the third hands-free jack to the second microphone connection of the fourth hands-free jack;

transmitting the second test signal from the fourth wireless telephone to the test system over the fourth test call; and

generating second test results in the test system in response to the second test signal.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first test call and the third test call use a different communication system than the second test call and the fourth test call.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising moving the first wireless telephone, the second wireless telephone, and the echo plug from a first location to a second location while transmitting the first test signal.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

moving the first wireless telephone, the second wireless telephone, and the echo plug from a first location to a second location;

generating a third test call between the test system to the first wireless telephone through the communication system and generating a fourth test call between the test system and the second wireless telephone through the communication system;

transmitting a second test signal from the test system to the first wireless telephone over the third test call;

in the echo plug, looping the second test signal from the first speaker connection of the first hands-free jack to the first microphone connection of the second hands-free jack;

transmitting the second test signal from the second wireless telephone to the test system over the fourth test call; and

generating second test results in the test system in response to the second test signal.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising attenuating the first test signal in the echo plug.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein generating the first test results comprises generating voice quality statistics.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein generating the first test results comprises generating round-trip delay statistics.

19. A method comprising:

looping back a test signal from an audio output of a wireless telephone to an audio input of the wireless telephone, the test signal having been transmitted to the wireless telephone over a test call between a test system and the wireless telephone through a communication system through which telephone calls are made to the wireless telephone; and

transmitting the looped-back test signal from the wireless telephone to the test system over the test call.

20. A method as in claim 19, further comprising:

generating test results by the test system in accordance with the looped-back test signal transmitted to the test system.

21. A method as in claim 19, further comprising:

during said looping back, attenuating the test signal.

22. A method as in claim 19, further comprising:

during said looping back, delaying the test signal.

23. A method as in claim 19, further comprising:

during said looping back, canceling side-tones in the test signal.

24. A method comprising:

generating a test call between a test system and a wireless telephone through a communication system through which telephone calls are made to the wireless telephone, the wireless telephone having an audio input and an audio output;

transmitting a test signal from the test system to the wireless telephone over the test call;

looping back the test signal from the audio output of the wireless telephone to the audio input of the wireless telephone;

transmitting the looped-back test signal from the wireless telephone to the test system through the communication system over the test call; and

generating test results by the test system in accordance with the looped-back test signal transmitted to the test system.

25. An apparatus comprising:

means for looping back a test signal from an audio output of a wireless telephone to an audio input of the wireless telephone, the test signal having been transmitted to the wireless telephone over a test call between a test system and the wireless telephone through a communication system through which telephone calls are made to the wireless telephone; and

means for transmitting the looped-back test signal from the wireless telephone to the test system over the test call.

26. A method comprising:

looping back a test signal from an audio output of a first wireless telephone to an audio input of a second wireless telephone, the test signal having been transmitted to the first wireless telephone over a test call between a test system and the first wireless telephone through a communication system through which telephone calls are made to wireless telephones; and

transmitting the looped-back test signal from the second wireless telephone to the test system over a test call between the test system and the second wireless telephone through the communication system.

27. A method as in claim 26, further comprising:

generating test results by the test system in accordance with the looped-back test signal transmitted to the test system.

28. An apparatus comprising:

means for looping back a test signal from an audio output of a first wireless telephone to an audio input of a second wireless telephone, the test signal having been transmitted to the first wireless telephone over a test call between a test system and the first wireless telephone through a communication system through which telephone calls are made to wireless telephones; and

means for transmitting the looped-back test signal from the second wireless telephone to the test system over a test call between the test system and the second wireless telephone through the communication system.

29. A method comprising:

generating a first test call between a test system and a first wireless telephone through a communication system through which telephone calls are made to wireless telephones, the first wireless telephone having an audio output;

generating a second test call between the test system and a second wireless telephone through the communication system, the second wireless telephone having an audio input;

transmitting a test signal from the test system to the first wireless telephone over the first test call;

looping back the test signal from the audio output of the first wireless telephone to the audio input of the second wireless telephone;

transmitting the looped-back test signal from the second wireless telephone to the test system through the communication system over the second test call; and

generating test results by the test system in accordance with the looped-back test signal transmitted to the test system.