Cabling system and method for monitoring and managing physically connected devices over a data network

• US 9,581,636 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US14/173,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 340/815.45, 340/514, 709/224, 327/518, 702/1, 439/119, 439/49, 324/527, 324/66, 324/646, 324/76.19, 324/539, 379/25, 379/22.02, 379/22.03
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. A method, comprising:

in a cable connection, which comprises a first section comprising one or more wire pairs and having a first end that is potentially connected to a first endpoint, and which further comprises a second section comprising the one or more wire pairs and having 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 via one or more signal-injection impedance-components that are connected to the single wire pair at a mid-point between the first and second sections;

sensing the test signal on the single wire pair via one or more signal-sensing impedance-components that are connected to the single wire pair at the mid-point between the first and second sections; and

based on the sensed test signal, determining whether or not the first section is connected to the second section at the mid-point.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether or not the first section is connected to the second section comprises determining whether the first section is patched by a patch cord to the second section.

3. The method according to claim 1, 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.

4. The method according to claim 1, 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.

5. The method according to claim 1, 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.

6. A method, comprising:

connecting a network scanner to a cable connection, which comprises a first section comprising one or more wire pairs and having a first end that is potentially connected to a first endpoint, and which further comprises a second section comprising the one or more wire pairs and having a second end that is potentially connected to a second endpoint, wherein the network scanner is connected to the cable connection at a mid-point between the first and second sections by one or more signal-injection impedance-components and one or more signal-sensing impedance-components, 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 via the signal-injection impedance-components at the mid-point between the first and second sections, and sensing the test signal on the cable connection via the signal-sensing impedance-components at the mid-point between the first and second sections; and

based on the sensed test signal, distinguishing whether none of the endpoints, only one of the endpoints, or both of the endpoints, are connected to the cable connection.

7. The method according to claim 6, 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.

8. The method according to claim 6, 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.

9. Apparatus, comprising:

one or more signal-injection impedance-components and one or more signal-sensing impedance-components, configured for connecting to a mid-point between first and second sections of a cable connection, wherein the first section comprises one or more wire pairs and has a first end that is potentially connected to a first endpoint, and wherein the second section comprises the one or more wire pairs and has a second end that is potentially connected to a second endpoint; and

a scanner, which is configured to apply, via the signal-injection impedance-components at the mid-point between the first and second sections, a test signal to a single wire pair selected from among the wire pairs, to sense the test signal on the single wire pair via the signal-sensing impedance-components at the mid-point between the first and second sections, and, based on the sensed test signal, to determine whether or not the first section is connected to the second section at the mid-point.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the scanner is configured to determine whether the first section is patched by a patch cord to the second section.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, 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.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, 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.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, 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.

14. Apparatus, comprising:

one or more signal-injection impedance-components and one or more signal-sensing impedance-components, configured for connecting to a mid-point between first and second sections of a cable connection, wherein the first section comprises one or more wire pairs and has a first end that is potentially connected to a first endpoint, and wherein the second section comprises the one or more wire pairs and has 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 a test signal to the cable connection via the signal-injection impedance-components at the mid-point between the first and second sections, to sense the test signal on the cable connection via the signal-sensing impedance-components at the mid-point between the first and second sections, and, based on the sensed test signal, to distinguish whether none of the endpoints, only one of the endpoints, or both of the endpoints, are connected to the cable connection.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, 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.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, 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.