Diagnostic device for a communications switching system

A diagnostic device for a port interface equipment (32) of a communications switching system (12), and at least one digital console (34) having a device (10) for selectively monitoring the communications data passing to either the port interface equipment (32) or the digital console (34) without affecting the communications data passing therebetween, and a device (42) for selectively and removably connecting the monitoring device between the port interface equipment (32) and a selected digital console (34) in order to monitor the communications data passing therebetween.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to diagnostic devices for communications 
switching systems. 
In the past, communications switching systems, such as telephone switching 
systems, have been known. The switching systems may provide communications 
data to and from a plurality of remote digital consoles at the location of 
the user. Although such systems have operated satisfactory, under certain 
conditions it is desirable to check the data passing to and from the 
digital console to and from the communications system in order to verify 
that it is in proper operating order, and to also make any repairs which 
may be necessary or desirable in either the communications switching 
system or the digital console. In the past, there has been no satisfactory 
monitor to check the system without affecting the communications data 
which is being verified. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A principal feature of the present invention is the provision of an 
improved diagnostic device for a port interface equipment of a 
communications switching system, and at least one digital console. 
The diagnostic device of the present invention comprises, means for 
selectively monitoring the communications data passing to either the port 
interface equipment or the digital console, and means for selectively and 
removably connecting the monitoring means between the port interface 
equipment and the digital console. 
A feature of the present invention is that the monitoring means does not 
affect the communications data passing between the port interface system 
and the digital console. 
Another feature of the present invention is that the monitoring means may 
be connected between the port interface equipment and a selected digital 
console. 
Yet another feature of the invention is that the monitoring means may be 
utilized to monitor and verify the communications data passing between the 
port interface equipment and the selected digital console. 
A further feature of the invention is that the monitored communications 
data may be displayed for a user of the system. 
Another feature of the invention is that the monitored communications data 
may be supplied to a printer to form a permanent copy of the data. 
Still another feature of the invention is that the communications data may 
be supplied to a computer for storage of the data and later use of the 
data. 
Yet another feature of the invention is that the communications data may be 
formed into an audio signal. 
A further feature of the invention is that the audio information may be 
supplied to a listening device in order to hear the communications data. 
Yet another feature of the invention is that the direction of the 
monitoring means relative to the port interface equipment or digital 
console may be selected by the monitoring means. 
Still another feature of the invention is that the communications system 
may comprise a telephone communications switching system. 
Yet another feature is that the monitoring means may be connected between 
the port interface equipment and digital console in a simplified manner. 
Another feature of the invention is that the monitoring means may be 
utilized in order to verify proper communications between the 
communications switching system and the selected digital console. 
Still another feature of the invention is that the monitoring means may 
have a computer to store and process the communications data. 
Further features will become more fully apparent in the following 
description of the embodiments of this invention, and from the appended 
claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a digital console interface monitor 
or diagnostic device generally designated 10 of the present invention for 
removable connection between a communications switching system generally 
designated 12 and a unit under test (UUT) or digital console generally 
designated 14. The communications switching system 12 may comprise any 
suitable switching system, such as the telephone switching system GALAXY, 
a trademark of Rockwell International Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa. As will 
be seen below, the diagnostic device 10 is utilized to tap into the 
communications link between the switching system 12 and UUT 14 in a 
non-circuit affecting manner in order to monitor the communications for 
trouble shooting of any communications link problems. The diagnostic 
device 10 may monitor the communications link in either direction without 
affecting the communications between the switching system 12 and UUT 14, 
and the resulting communications data may be placed on a suitable display 
for viewing by an operator of the system, or may be printed out in order 
to obtain a permanent copy of the communications data. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the communications switching system 12 forms a part of 
a main switching system 16 which is connected to a 1.544 mc digital 
interface (T1) which may have 24 channels of pulse code modulation (PCM) 
signals or data. In turn, the PCM channels of the digital interface 18 are 
connected to a channel service unit (CSU) 20 which formats the data to U.L. 
standards. 
The main switching system 16 is connected to rented communication lines 22, 
such as wires or fiber optics, having a multiplexing equipment 24 (MUX EQU) 
which combines the data of multiple T1's 18, after which the resulting data 
is sent for some distance over the rented lines 22 to a remote unscramble 
circuit (MUX EQU) 26 for recovering the multiplexed data of the T1 18. 
The data from the rented lines 22 is then connected to a remote site 28 
having another channel service unit (CSU) 30 which formats the data, as 
previously described in connection with the CSU 20. The information in 
turn is connected to a port interface equipment 32 which breaks up the 
data of the T1 18 into separate channels, such as 24 individual channels 
1, 2, 3, ... 22, 23, and 24. A plurality of digital consoles 34 are 
located at the actual user interface 35 of the equipment, and are 
individually connected to the separate channels of the port interface 
equipment 32. The digital consoles 34 may be of the type of consoles 
termed PROVIEW, ISS, GVS, or CALL POWER, trademarks of Rockwell 
International Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa. As shown, each of the consoles 
34 may have suitable listening devices 36, such as headphones, for hearing 
audio information produced by the digital consoles 34. As shown, the 
digital monitors or diagnostic devices 10 may be removably connected to 
any of the channels between the port interface equipment 32 and any of the 
multiple digital consoles 34 in order to monitor the communications between 
the port interface equipment 32 and the selected digital console 34 without 
affecting communications between the port interface equipment 32 and the 
corresponding digital console 34. As will be discussed below, the 
interface monitors 10 have the capability of generating audio signals for 
suitable listening devices 38, such as headphones, in order to monitor 
audio PCM data generated by the interface monitor 10. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the diagnostic device 10 has a receiver/transmitter 42 
removably connected to and from the port interface equipment 32 by a 
suitable device, such as a plug 70 in a port 72, and removably connected 
to and from the selected digital console 34 selected for monitoring by a 
suitable device, such as a plug 74 in a port 76, with the 
receiver/transmitter 42 being bridged across a four wire system. Two of 
the four lines are connected to the port interface equipment 32, and two 
of the four lines are connected to the selected digital console 34. The 
diagnostic device 10 is tapped into the 4 wire system while isolating the 
system, such as by suitable transformers in the diagnostic device 10. 
Also, the diagnostic device 10 has its own power supply, such that 
monitoring of the system does not affect communications between the port 
interface equipment 32 and selected digital console 34. The device 10 may 
have a switch 40 in order to select either the two lines 48a and 48b 
connected to the port interface equipment 32, or the two lines 50a and 50b 
connected to the digital console 34 for monitoring. The 
receiver/transmitter 42 indicates which of the two separate lines have 
been selected by generating an appropriate signal which is passed over a 
line 44 connected to a computer 46 or a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 
having a Read Only Memory (ROM) and a Random Access Memory (RAM). The 
receiver/transmitter 42 also amplifies the signals on both lines 48a and b 
and 50a and b depending upon which of the two line sets is being monitored. 
In this manner, the switch 40 may be utilized in order to select the 
direction in which the system should be monitored. 
As shown, the data from the receiver/transmitter 42 passes in serial form 
to a data decoder 52 which recovers a clock signal and the digital data 
from the proprietary link, with the decoder 52 serving as an input/output 
(I/O) device for the CPU. The decoder 52 includes a phase lock circuit 
which forms a clock signal associated with the data which is supplied to 
the CPU and also internally to the decoder 52. The decoder 52 also 
supplies the data in serial form to the CPU, and indicates to the CPU 
whether the clock has been recovered, and whether the data is 
satisfactory. 
The data decoder 52 is connected to a coder/decoder (CODEC) 66 which 
converts the supplied PCM signals to an audio signal. The audio signals 
are connected to an audio monitor or listening device 38, such as the 
headphones previously discussed, in order to monitor the data through the 
use of the audio information. The CPU is also connected to the CODEC 66 
over a line 68 in order to inhibit the CODEC 66 in the event that the 
audio information is not in synchronism. 
In turn, the CPU converts the recovered data from serial form to parallel 
form, and may supply the data in parallel form to a Liquid Crystal Display 
(LCD) 54 over a bus 56, such that the data may be visually monitored on the 
display 54 by an operator of the system. The parallel data from the CPU is 
also supplied over a bus 62 to a Universal Asynchronous Receiver 
Transmitter (UART) 58 which converts the data in parallel form to serial 
form, and supplies the serial data in a form suitable for a printer 60, 
and, if desired, to another computer 64 to store and process the data for 
later use. 
In this manner, the diagnostic device 10 may be connected between the port 
interface equipment 32 of a communications switching system and a selected 
digital console 34. The data may be processed by the device 10 without 
affecting communications, and may be displayed or printed in hard copy 
form in order to analyze the communications data to determine possible 
communications problems in a simplified and efficient manner. 
The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of 
understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood 
therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.