TEST APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TESTING IP-BASED MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS TERMINALS

• US 20140219123A1
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Diebenbusch, Stefan, Degner, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 9,485,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a test apparatus and method for testing IP-based mobile communications terminals. The test apparatus comprises a first communications interface via which the test apparatus can be connected to the Internet, a second communications interface via which the test apparatus can be connected to an IP-based mobile communications terminal under test, and a test unit, which is designed to test IP-based applications provided in a mobile communications terminal under test that is connected to the Internet via the first and second communications interfaces.

Claims

1. A test apparatus for testing IP-based mobile communications terminals, the test apparatus comprising:

a first communications interface via which the test apparatus can be connected to the Internet;

a second communications interface via which the test apparatus can be connected to an IP-based mobile communications terminal under test; and

a test unit, which is designed to test IP-based applications provided in a mobile communications terminal under test that is connected to the Internet via the first and second communications interfaces.

2. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test unit comprises an RF measurement/evaluation unit which is designed to test the RF properties of the mobile communications terminal under test that is connected to the test apparatus via the second communications interface.

3. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test unit is designed to test the behaviour of an IP-based mobile communications terminal under test under various underlying conditions.

4. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test unit comprises a measurement unit that is designed to measure at least one of following items of information for a mobile communications terminal under test that is connected to the Internet:

a number of IP communications links established by the mobile communications terminal under test;

a power consumption resulting from an active IP application in the mobile communications terminal under test;

a data volume produced by an active IP application in the mobile communications terminal under test over a specified time period.

5. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test unit comprises at least one standalone server unit wherein at least one of these standalone server units is designed to simulate in-device the function of a communications partner assigned to an IP application.

6. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test unit comprises an analysis or an evaluation unit which is designed to evaluate on the basis of specified parameters, signal sequences captured in a data transfer between an IP-based mobile communications terminal under test and the Internet.

7. The test apparatus of claim 6, wherein a signal sequence of a data transfer between an IP-based mobile communications terminal under test and the Internet comprises data packets, and wherein the evaluation unit is designed to extract the data packets from a signal sequence and to evaluate the data packets extracted in this way.

8. The test apparatus of claim 6, wherein an IP-based signal sequence comprises a multiplicity of data packets which each comprise a header and a data field and wherein the evaluation unit is further designed to evaluate the contents of the header and to place said contents in context with the captured signal sequence.

9. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test unit comprises a selection unit which is designed to make a selection of the test parameters used for the test of the mobile communications terminal, and wherein the test unit further comprises a visual output unit which is designed for the visual output or display of the analysis data assigned on the basis of the selected test parameters.

10. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test unit is connected to a third communications interface, to which can be connected a device-external unit and via which the captured test data or analysis data can be routed as required to the connected device-external unit.

11. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test unit comprises a protocol tester which is designed to test the protocols of various active IP applications.

12. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test unit comprises a simulation unit which is designed to simulate various test scenarios such as data packet losses in the signal sequence, interference superimposed on the signal sequence, fading or jitter.

13. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test unit is designed to activate actively an IP-based mobile communications terminal.

14. A method for testing IP-based mobile communications terminals, the method comprising:

providing an IP-based mobile communications terminal under test which contains at least one IP-based application, and providing a test apparatus for testing the mobile communications terminal;

testing the RF properties of the mobile communications terminal and using the test apparatus to evaluate the first test results obtained in said test;

testing the at least one IP-based application provided in the mobile communications terminal and using the test apparatus to evaluate the second test results obtained in said test;

correlating the first evaluated test results with the second evaluated test results.

15. The method of to claim 14, wherein testing the RF properties of the mobile communications terminal and testing the at least one IP-based application provided in the mobile communications terminal are performed simultaneously.