PROTOCOL TEST DEVICE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A PROTOCOL TEST DEVICE

• US 20180295046A1
• Filed: 04/06/2017
• Published: 10/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Tyrrell, Alexander, Rossetto, Francesco, Powell, William
• Granted Patent: US 10,567,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic

Abstract

A protocol test device for testing protocol compliance of a wireless device under test comprises a wireless interface for transmitting an outgoing RF signal to the wireless device under test and/or for receiving an incoming RF signal from the wireless device under test, a processing unit for generating messages for the outgoing RF signal based on a predefined protocol and for processing messages in the incoming RF signal based on the predefined protocol, a message log memory for storing the generated messages and the received messages, and a summary message generation unit that generates a summary log message and stores the summary log message in the message log memory, wherein the summary log message comprises information about at least one of the generated messages and/or the received messages and repetitions of the respective generated message and/or the respective received message.

Claims

1. A protocol test device for testing protocol compliance of a wireless device under test, the protocol test device comprising:

a RF interface for transmitting an outgoing RF signal to the wireless device under test and/or for receiving an incoming RF signal from the wireless device under test,

a processing unit for generating messages for the outgoing RF signal based on a predefined protocol and for processing messages in the incoming RF signal based on the predefined protocol,

a message log memory for storing the generated messages and the received messages, and

a summary message generation unit that generates a summary log message and stores the summary log message in the message log memory, wherein the summary log message comprises information about at least one of the generated messages and/or the received messages, and repetitions of the respective generated message and/or the respective received message.

2. The protocol test device according to claim 1, wherein the summary message generation unit comprises a message buffer for storing the information about predetermined types of messages and their repetitions.

3. The protocol test device according to claim 1, wherein the information that the summary message generation unit includes in the summary log message about at least one of the generated messages and/or the received messages and their repetitions comprises frame numbers and/or sub-frame numbers of the respective message and its repetitions.

4. The protocol test device according to claim 1, wherein the information that the summary message generation unit includes in the summary log message about at least one of the generated messages and/or the received messages and their repetitions comprises the number of repetitions of the respective message.

5. The protocol test device according to claim 1, wherein the information that the summary message generation unit includes in the summary log message about at least one of the generated messages and/or the received messages and their repetitions comprises pointers to the first occurrence and/or the repetitions of the respective message in the message log memory.

6. The protocol test device according to claim 1, comprising a display device that displays the content of the message log memory and comprises a user interface for navigating the message log memory.

7. The protocol test device according to claim 1, comprising a protocol analyzer that analyzes the summary log message and adds respective conformity markers to the summary log message.

8. The protocol test device according to claim 7, wherein the protocol analyzer is coupled to the processing unit and receives from the processing unit configuration parameters for the communication with the wireless device under test, wherein the protocol analyzer analyzes the summary log message according to the received parameters.

9. The protocol test device according to claim 7, wherein the conformity markers comprise a binary flag and/or wherein the conformity markers comprise visual indications.

10. The protocol test device according to claim 1, wherein the summary message generation unit comprises at least one interface to respective layers of a communication stack implemented in the processing unit, the interfaces allowing the summary message generation unit to intercept the generated messages and/or the received messages.

11. A method for operating a protocol test device for testing protocol compliance of a wireless device under test, the method comprising:

transmitting an outgoing RF signal to the wireless device under test,

receiving an incoming RF signal from the wireless device under test,

generating messages for the outgoing RF signal based on a predefined protocol,

processing messages in the incoming RF signal based on the predefined protocol,

storing the generated messages and the received messages in a message log, and

generating and storing a summary log message, wherein the summary log message comprises information about at least one of the generated messages and/or the received messages, and repetitions of the respective generated message and/or the respective received message.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein generating comprises storing the information about predetermined types of messages and their repetitions in a temporary buffer prior to storing the summary log message.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the information included in the summary log message about at least one of the generated messages and/or the received messages and their repetitions comprises frame numbers and/or sub-frame numbers of the respective message and its repetitions.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the information included in the summary log message about at least one of the generated messages and/or the received messages and their repetitions comprises the number of repetitions of the respective message.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the information included in the summary log message about at least one of the generated messages and/or the received messages and their repetitions comprises pointers to the first occurrence and/or the repetitions of the respective message in the message log.

16. The method according to claim 11, comprising displaying the content of the message log and receiving a user input for navigating the message log.

17. The method according to claim 11, comprising analyzing the summary log message and adding respective conformity markers to the summary log message.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein analyzing comprises receiving configuration parameters for the communication with the wireless device under test, and analyzing the summary log message according to the received parameters.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the conformity markers comprise a binary flag and/or wherein the conformity markers comprise visual indications.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein generating the summary log message comprises intercepting the generated messages and/or the received messages from layers of a communication stack implemented in the protocol test device.