Frequency domain reflectometry system for baselining and mapping of wires and cables
First Claim
1. A method for creating Baseline FDR measurements to be used for determining integrity of a cable under test utilizing a frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) cable testing system, said method comprising the steps of:
- (1) coupling the FDR cable testing system to a connecting end of the cable under test, wherein it is assumed that the integrity of the cable under test is not compromised;
(2) generating signals from the FDR cable testing system in order to obtain a baseline FDR measurement for the cable under test, comprising the steps of;
(a) transmitting at least one input signal from the FDR cable testing system to the cable under test, and to a mixer;
(b) receiving a reflected input signal from the cable under test;
(c) mixing the at least one input signal and the reflected input signal in the mixer to thereby generate a DC signal; and
(3) storing the baseline FDR measurement for the cable under test.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system that utilizes the principles of frequency domain reflectometry to perform baselining and mapping of single and mutliple wires and cables, the baselining to be used as a comparison when the wires are tested at a later date to determine if the wires or cables have been damaged, wherein a first waveform is generated from a baseline FDR measurement of a cable, a second waveform is generated from a new FDR measurement of the cable, and a comparison of the first and second waveforms is performed to determine if the integrity of the cable has changed, and wherein the mapping is performed in order to determine the present configuration of a network or tree of wires or cables.
27 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method for creating Baseline FDR measurements to be used for determining integrity of a cable under test utilizing a frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) cable testing system, said method comprising the steps of:
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(1) coupling the FDR cable testing system to a connecting end of the cable under test, wherein it is assumed that the integrity of the cable under test is not compromised;
(2) generating signals from the FDR cable testing system in order to obtain a baseline FDR measurement for the cable under test, comprising the steps of;
(a) transmitting at least one input signal from the FDR cable testing system to the cable under test, and to a mixer;
(b) receiving a reflected input signal from the cable under test;
(c) mixing the at least one input signal and the reflected input signal in the mixer to thereby generate a DC signal; and
(3) storing the baseline FDR measurement for the cable under test. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A cable testing system that utilizes principles of frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) to thereby determine characteristics of a cable under test (CUT) that can be used to determine changes in the CUT, said cable testing system comprising:
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a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) for generating an input signal;
a power divider for receiving the input signal from the VCO and dividing the input signal into at least two signals;
a mixer for receiving the divided input signal from the power divider;
wherein the CUT also receives the divided input signal from the power divider, and generates a reflected input signal, and wherein the mixer receives the divided input signal from the power divider and the reflected input signal from the CUT to thereby generate a mixed signal having at least two components;
an analog to digital (A/D) converter for receiving the mixed signal and filtering out high frequency components therefrom, and for generating a digital signal, wherein the digital signal contains a signal that is dependent upon a frequency of the input signal, a length of the CUT, and of a point of termination of the CUT; and
a processor for utilizing the digital signal to thereby generate a baseline FDR measurement if the CUT is being measured a first time, or to generate a new FDR measurement if the CUT is being tested against a previously obtained baseline FDR measurement. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A method for determining characteristics of a cable under test utilizing a cable testing system that uses principles of frequency domain reflectometry (FDR), said method comprising the steps of:
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(1) providing a signal generator for generating a sine wave, a power divider coupled to the signal generator at an input, and to a mixer and the cable under test at two outputs, wherein the mixer is also coupled at another input to the cable under test (CUT) for receiving a reflected sine wave therefrom, and at an output to an input of an analog to digital (A/D) converter, wherein the A/D converter is coupled at an output to a processor;
(2) transmitting a sine wave from the signal generator to the cable under test and to the mixer via the power divider;
(3) receiving a reflected sine wave from the cable under test at the mixer;
(4) mixing the sine wave and the reflected sine wave to generate a DC signal from the mixer;
(5) processing the DC signal to thereby obtain data regarding impedance and length of the cable under test;
(6) changing a frequency of the sine wave;
(7) performing steps (2) through (6) a predetermined number of times to thereby generated a plurality of DC signals; and
(8) generating a baseline FDR measurement if the CUT is being measured a first time, or generating a new FDR measurement if the CUT is being tested against a previously obtained baseline FDR measurement. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification