System for operating especially for remote controlling and telemonitoring, unmanned radio transmitters

• US 7,617,310 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2001
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Reitmeier, Manfred, Sammer, Hermann
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siddiqi; Mohammad A
• Application Number:
  US10/362,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20030169717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,003 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-225, 370/338, 370/339
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

The invention relates to remote controlling and telemonitoring an unmanned radio transmitter (1), which can be controlled from a center if required. The center is connected to the remote-controlled transmitters via a public or private network and the operational functions of the transmitter are, if required, remote-controlled or interrogated by the center, according to the HTTP protocol, via a connection to a server/browser network linked to the remote-control device; simultaneously, the operational functions are automatically transmitted, without a prompt, from the transmitter to the centre (2) via a checkback network connection according to the SNMP- or HTTP-principle.

Claims

1. A system for remotely controlling and monitoring a radio broadcast transmitter of a radio-transmitting station according to the DIN IEC 864 standard, said system comprising a remote-control device through which operating functions of the broadcast transmitter of the radio-transmitting station according to the DIN IEC 864 standard are continuously monitored and remote-controlled from a center located remote from the broadcast transmitter, the radio broadcast transmitter of the radio-transmitting station according to the DIN IEC 864 standard broadcasts a radio signal as a primary mode of communication, the center including an Internet browser and being connected to the broadcast transmitter through a public or private network different than the primary mode of communication by:

(a) a first connection comprising the Internet browser of the center communicating through the network to an Internet server connected to the remote control device of the broadcast transmitter, such that the operating functions of the broadcast transmitter are interrogated and remote controlled according to HTTP protocol; and

(b) a second checkback connection comprising;

one of (i) an SNMP manager in the center communicating through the network to an SNMP agent connected to the remote-control device of the broadcast transmitter, and (ii) an Internet server in the center communicating through the network by HTTP to an Internet client assigned to the remote-control device of the broadcast transmitter, wherein the operating functions of the broadcast transmitter are transmitted automatically from the broadcast transmitter to the center via the second checkback connection without prompting from the center, the operating functions of the broadcast transmitter are transmitted via the second checkback connection to the center only in the event of interfering deviations in the operating functions, and the Internet server is embedded with the remote-control device of the broadcast transmitter to form a unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operating functions of the broadcast transmitter are stored according to XML standard on a web page in the Internet server of the first connection and can be interrogated and displayed according to the HTTP protocol by the Internet browser.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operating functions of the broadcast transmitter are also remote-controlled via the second checkback connection employing the SNMP protocol.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the SNMP agent of the second checkback connection and/or the Internet client of the second connection are integrated with the remote-control device of the broadcast transmitter to form a unit.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the network is public and transmissions through the network are encoded.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein data is transmitted wirelessly by means of WAP protocol from the Internet server to a user Internet client.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the Internet browser of the first connection is used in a decentralized manner.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast transmitter is configured for broadcasting over a wide area as a primary method of communication, and transmits its operating functions to the center via the second checkback connection separate from and independent of the primary method of communication.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second checkback connection includes the SNMP manager in the center communicating through the network to the SNMP agent connected to the remote-control device of the broadcast transmitter.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second checkback connection includes the Internet server in the center communicating through the network by HTTP to the Internet client assigned to the remote-control device of the broadcast transmitter.