Telecommunications transmission test set

• US 6,891,803 B1
• Filed: 12/18/1998
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: VeEX Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sunrise Telecom Incorporated
• Inventors: Chang, Paul, Dang, Tom, Wu, Chi Lin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, CHUONG T
• Application Number:
  US09/215,421
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 379/21, 379/10.01, 379/22.04, 379/26.01, 379/26.02, 379/26.03, 370/245, 370/248, 370/249, 370/503, 370/252, 370/251, 370/250, 370/247, 324/512, 324/520, 324/521, 324/527, 324/528, 324/534, 324/535, 324/532, 348/192, 714/715
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/045 Selection or connection testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13039 Asymmetrical two-way transmission, e.g. ADSL, HDSL
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN

Abstract

A test set includes at least one signal input port, a test circuitry, a processor, a user-input device, and a display. The test circuitry couples to and receives signals from the at least one signal input port. The test circuitry then generates test data corresponding to the received signals. The processor couples to and receives test data from the test circuitry and generates test results. The processor also couples to and receives commands from the user-input device. The processor further operatively couples to the graphical display that receives and displays the test results from the processor. In one embodiment, the test set is capable of performing line qualification and connectivity testing. A modem module can be used to facilitate connectivity testing. The modem module can be a plug-in module with a common interface to the test set. The modem module can also contain a fingerprint value that identifies the module type and the software revision number to the test set.

Claims

1. A test set for testing a digital subscriber line (xDSL) communications network, comprising:

at least one xDSL signal input port that connects the test set to the xDSL communications network;

line qualification test circuitry, coupled to the at least one xDSL signal input port, that performs line qualification testing on the xDSL communications network;

an xDSL modem module that attaches removably to the test set, wherein the xDSL modem module emulates a particular type of xDSL modem, enabling the test set to test the xDSL communications network in accordance with the particular type of xDSL modem;

an internal bus that couples the line qualification test circuitry and the xDSL modem module;

a processor, coupled to the internal bus, that operates with the line qualification test circuitry to selectively generate line qualification test data, and with the xDSL modem module to selectively generate xDSL connectivity test data, and that selectively processes the line qualification test data and the xDSL connectivity test data, in accordance with a user selection; and

a display unit, coupled to the internal bus, that selectively displays one or more of the line qualification test data and the xDSL connectivity test data in accordance with the user selection,

wherein the test set stores a software program and executes selected portions of the software program as determined by the xDSL modem module emulating the particular type of xDSL modem.

2. The test set of claim 1 wherein the line qualification includes transmission line tests, and wherein the transmission line tests includes at least one of digital multimeter tests, transmission impairment measurement set (TIMS) tests, and time domain reflection (TDR) tests.

3. The test set of claim 1 wherein the display unit is a graphical display unit.

4. The test set of claim 3 wherein the graphical display unit shows selected ones of the test data in a graphical form.

5. The test set of claim 1 wherein the xDSL communications network is one of a DSL communications network, a high-speed DSL communications network, and an asymmetric DSL communications network.

6. The test set of claim 1 wherein the xDSL connectivity test data includes bit-error-rate test data and loopback test data.

7. The test set of claim 1 wherein the xDSL modem module determines a maximum transmission rate on the xDSL communications network based on the xDSL connectivity test data.

8. The test set of claim 1, wherein the xDSL modem module is configured as a plug-in card.

9. The test set of claim 1, wherein the xDSL modem module includes a stored identification value, wherein the test set reads the stored identification value when the xDSL modem module is attached to the test set, and wherein the test set performs xDSL tests that relate to the stored identification value.

10. The test set of claim 1, wherein the xDSL modem module emulates a central office xDSL modem, and wherein the test set is configured to test respective ends of an xDSL loop with a second test set that includes a respective xDSL modem module that emulates a remote xDSL modem.

11. The test set of claim 1, wherein the test set is configured to test respective ends of an xDSL loop with one of a central office xDSL modem and a remote xDSL modem that also corresponds to the particular type of xDSL modem.

12. A test set for testing a digital subscriber line (xDSL) communications network, comprising:

at least one xDSL signal input port that connects the test set to the xDSL communications network;

line qualification test circuitry, coupled to the at least one xDSL signal input port, that performs line qualification testing on the xDSL communications network;

an xDSL modem module that attaches removably to the test set, wherein the xDSL modem module emulates a particular type of xDSL modem, enabling the test set to test the xDSL communications network in accordance with the particular type of xDSL modem;

an internal bus that couples the line qualification test circuitry and the xDSL modem module;

a processor, coupled to the internal bus, that operates with the line qualification test circuitry to selectively generate line qualification test data, and with the xDSL modem module to selectively generate xDSL connectivity test data, and that selectively processes the line qualification test data and the xDSL connectivity test data, in accordance with a user selection; and

a display unit, coupled to the internal bus, that selectively displays one or more of the line qualification test data and the xDSL connectivity test data in accordance with the user selection,

wherein the test set is configured as a master test set and a second test set is configured as a slave test set, wherein the xDSL modem module of the master test set and the xDSL modem module of the slave test set both emulate the particular type of xDSL modem, and wherein the master test set and the slave test set each perform respective functions to test the xDSL communications network.

13. The test set of claim 12, wherein the xDSL modem module is configured as a plug-in card.

14. The test set of claim 12, wherein the xDSL modem module includes a stored identification value, wherein the test set reads the stored identification value when the xDSL modem module is attached to the test set, and wherein the test set performs xDSL tests that relate to the stored identification value.

15. The test set of claim 12 wherein the line qualification includes transmission line tests, and wherein the transmission line tests includes at least one of digital multimeter tests, transmission impairment measurement set (TIMS) tests, and time domain reflection (TDR) tests.

16. The test set of claim 12 wherein the display unit is a graphical display unit.

17. The test set of claim 16 wherein the graphical display unit shows selected ones of the test data in a graphical form.

18. The test set of claim 12 wherein the xDSL communications network is one of a DSL communications network, a high-speed DSL communications network, and an asymmetric DSL communications network.

19. The test set of claim 12 wherein the xDSL connectivity test data includes bit-error-rate test data and loopback test data.

20. The test set of claim 12 wherein the xDSL modem module determines a maximum transmission rate on the xDSL communications network based on the xDSL connectivity test data.