Patent ID: 9429613
Filing Date: 2016-08-30
CPC Classification: G01R

Claim Text:
1. A method of characterizing an electric signal transmission medium as being anomaly free or anomaly containing, comprising the steps of: a) providing a system comprising an electric signal transmission medium, a ramp voltage producing circuit, a stair-stepped voltage producing circuit, a comparator circuit, a triggering circuit, a circuit for producing electric waves that are launched on an electric signal transmission medium, and a wave monitoring and data storage system; said ramp voltage producing circuit comprising an output, said stair-stepped voltage producing circuit comprising an output and said voltage comparator circuit comprising two inputs and an output, said ramp voltage producing circuit being attached to one of said comparator circuit inputs and said stair-stepped voltage producing circuit output being attached to the other of said comparator circuit inputs, said triggering circuit comprising an input and output, the input of which is attached to the output of said comparator circuit, and said circuit for producing electric waves that are launched on an electric signal transmission medium comprising an input and output, said trigger circuit output being attached to said input of said circuit for producing said waves, and said output thereof to said electric signal transmission medium; said wave monitoring and data storage system enabling acquiring and saving data relating to the waves produced and launched onto an electric signal transmission medium by said circuit for producing electric waves; such that in use said ramp voltage producing circuit comprising an output is caused to produce a ramp voltage and feed it into one of the inputs of the voltage comparator circuit, and said stair-stepped voltage producing circuit comprising an output is simultaneously caused to producing a stair-stepped circuit and feed it into another of the inputs of the voltage comparator circuit inputs; such that when the voltages presented at the comparator circuit inputs are equal, a signal is sent by the comparator circuit to said trigger circuit, and the trigger circuit produces a signal at its output which is entered to said input of said circuit for producing said electric waves, such that an electric wave is launched onto an electric signal transmission medium thereby; b) launching a plurality of electric waves onto said signal transmission media; c) causing said wave monitoring and data storage system for acquiring and saving data attached to said output of said circuit for producing electric waves, to monitor and save data pertaining to each electric wave launched onto said electric signal transmission medium, including waves reflected therefrom, tangibly displaying at least some of the monitored and saved data, and assembling a magnitude vs. time matrix of data relating to waves launched onto said electric signal transmission medium, said magnitude vs. time matrix being a characterizing signature of the said electric signal transmission medium that indicates an anomaly free, or anomaly containing status.