Abstract:
A probe for a cable tester having a first interface for connection to the cable tester; a second interface, connected to the first interface, for connection to a cable to be tested; and a memory, associated with the probe and accessible by the cable tester, storing configuration data associated with the probe.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for storing data, including error compensation data, locally on probes for use with a cable tester so as to enable accurate identification, maintenance and error correction of data obtained via the probe. 
     The challenge to manufacturers of cables and connectors has been to improve the performance of their products to provide a better transmission environment for ever-higher data transmission rates. At present, the structured cabling industry is transitioning from category 5 products and standards to category 6 products and standards. This transition will continue for some time as product innovation continues and as standards documents continue to evolve. Cable manufacturers employ a wide variety of materials and construction techniques to improve the performance of cable to meet the new standards. Recent emphasis has been on reducing process variations and optimizing cable construction in an effort to reduce crosstalk between pairs and reflections within pairs. 
     To ensure that structured cabling systems provide adequate performance to support the utilized application interfaces, cabling standards committees have developed quality control specifications for the installation of new cabling. Cable testers provide a convenient and reliable means of certifying new installations for compliance with structured cabling standards. Standards for structured twisted pair cabling require that both ends of each cabling run be tested in order to find the worst case performance condition. For this reason, all certification testing requires a two-part test set, consisting of a main unit and a remote unit. One unit tests the cabling run from the telecommunications closet end and the other unit tests the cabling run from the telecommunications outlet end at the user location. 
     Certification testing is highly automated. Typically, an automated function coordinates a series of measurements between the main unit and the remote unit and subsequently analyzes the resulting data to determine if the cabling run passes or fails the required standards. Two key criteria apply in determining the extent of a test for any particular cabling run: 
     1) Whether the user patch cords are included in the cabling run during the test (i.e., “Link” or “Channel” test configuration) 
     2) What standard document and which performance level the user wishes to test the cabling to (i.e., for what “category” is the user seeking certification) 
     FIG. 1 is a diagram of a known testing circuit  100  in a link test configuration. The testing circuit  100  tests a cable  110  which provides a communication path between a telecommunications closet end  112  and a telecommunications outlet end  114 . The configuration of the testing circuit  100  shown in FIG. 1 is a “link configuration” intended for use in facilities still in the construction stage. The link configuration does not include user patch cords at either end of the cabling run as these cords are often not installed until after the facility is occupied. Because the link configuration does not include the two additional connections which would be added when the patch cords are connected, performance standards are more stringent for cabling tested using the link configuration. 
     A main unit  116  and a remote unit  118  attach to the link under test, the cable  110 , via special link test probes  120   a  and  120   b  respectively. The link test probes  120   a  and  120   b  are provided with interfaces  122   a  and  122   b  for connection to the main unit  116  and the remote unit  118  respectively. The link test probes  120   a  and  120   b  are typically terminated at their opposite ends with male modular-8 plugs  124   a  and  124   b , respectively, for connection to the telecommunications closet end  112  and the telecommunications outlet end  114 , respectively. 
     FIG. 2 is a diagram of a known testing circuit  200  in a channel test configuration. The testing circuit  200 , like the testing circuit  100 , tests a cable  110  which provides a communication path between a telecommunications closet end  112  and a telecommunications outlet end  114 . In addition, the test produced by the testing circuit  200  includes the effect of user patch cords  220   a  and  220   b , thereby providing a comprehensive end-to-end cabling performance certification. The patch cords are typically created as the network is going live, and, as such, a channel test is typically performed after the facilities have been constructed, either as a final test prior to going live, or to diagnose subsequent problems. The pass/fail limits applied when testing with the channel configuration will typically be less stringent than for the link configuration 
     A main unit  116  and a remote unit  118  attach to the link under test, the cable  110  and user patch cords  220   a  and  220   b , via special channel probes  222   a  and  222   b  respectively. The channel probes  220   a  and  220   b  are provided with interfaces for connection to the main unit  116  and the remote unit  118 , respectively. On the opposite ends, the channel probes  222   a  and  222   b  are typically terminated with female modular-8 plugs  122   a  and  122   b , respectively, for connection to the user leads  220   a  and  220   b , respectively. 
     One problem encountered when testing cables, and in particular category 6 cables, is correctly matching the test units (the main unit  116  and the remote unit  118 ) to the link under test. This is not as simple as picking between a link and a channel adapter, but rather a broad range of choices faces the user. There exist a multitude of different link probes, along with an equal multitude of channel probes. Not only do users have to select between link and channel probes, but they must also match the probe to the manufacture of the network. This choice is made more difficult by the physical similarities of the probes used, while the difference between a channel probe and a link probe may be self-evident, each of the various probes with the channel probe family or link probe family pretty much look exactly the same. Each probe starts with a tester unit interface and ends in a modular-8 connector. As will be discussed below, the choice of which probe to utilize is critical to obtaining accurate testing results. 
     The modular-8 connector (also known as the RJ-45), was originally designed for telephone and low rate (under 1 Mbps) data applications. Consequently, the mechanical arrangement of signal contacts is not optimized to address the crosstalk and reflection problems that appear at high data rates (over 100 Mbps). Many ingenious designs have been utilized to compensate for the inherently poor performance that results from the modular-8 contact geometry. In the previous generation of connector designs (category 5), most manufacturers used signal compensation in just the jack (female connector), leaving the plug (male connector) uncompensated. To achieve the higher performance levels required for category 6 and maintain backward compatibility with the modular-8 signal contact geometry, most connector manufacturers place compensation into both the plug and jack. It is important that the compensation techniques used in each plug and jack of the network be compatible. The interaction between incompatible plug and jack compensation designs produces worse performance than previous level 5 connectors. This is one reason why certification is so important 
     Unfortunately, no standards currently exit for the physical and logical construction of category 6 connectors and associated compensation techniques. In fact, cables and connectors from different manufactures are often incompatible with each other. Accordingly, to construct a category 6 network, users have to make sure that they match the brand and type of category 6 plugs and jacks in order to achieve optimum system performance. 
     The requirement to match category 6 plugs and jacks also applies to the link probes and channel adapters used for cable certification testing. When testing category 6 or class E cabling runs, it is particularly important to use the test probes which are specifically designed to match the test configuration, performance category and manufacturer corresponding to the cabling to be tested. Failure to use the correctly matched probes will yield inaccurate measurements. For this reason, a cable tester must utilize a range line of vendor-specific category 6 link and channel adapters constructed with plugs and jacks from each of the major connector manufacturers. As noted above, because the cables and terminators all look the same, identification of the correct probe becomes a problem. 
     Another problem related to the use of modular 8 connectors is that after repeated insertion and extraction, they tend to wear out. This problem is more pronounced with the connectors on the probe because they see a tremendous amount of use. Worn out probe connectors affect the cable tester&#39;s ability to obtain an adequate electrical connection, thereby skewing test results producing erroneous certification data. Currently, the only way to check for worn connectors on a probe is to inspect the connectors visually and periodically bench test the probe to determine if the probes associated error factors lie within specification. As with many maintenance procedures, this such checks are rarely performed, resulting in unnecessary frustration and aggravation. 
     Yet another problem with current cable testers and testing methods is that they require constant calibration to provide accurate testing results. FIG. 3 is a diagram of a known cable tester calibration circuit. To ensure completely accurate testing with the main unit  116  and the remote unit  118 , it is necessary to compensate for the effects of a channel probe  312  and/or a link probe (not shown). To perform calibration, a cable, such as a link cable  310 , with known error values (obtained via bench tested) is used to connect the channel probe  312  (connected to the main unit  116 ) to the remote unit  118 . The main unit  116  and the remote unit  118  run a calibration routine to determine the error terms associated with the cable tester. Then, prior to starting a calibration procedure, error terms associated with the probes being used (determined by bench measurement) must be manually entered into the main unit  116 . The calibration procedure should be repeated frequently while the entering of error terms associated with the probes must be performed every time a new probe is use. In practice, this has been a problem, operators tend to be very busy and forget to regularly perform the calibration routine and, more importantly, fail to enter the probe&#39;s error terms creating erroneous certification data. 
     Accordingly, the present inventors have recognized a need for probes for cable testers that can assist the operator with configuration issues and track usage thereof. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides test probes having a memory for storing configuration data, including error correction values, and a counter that logs a number of tests performed by the probe. As a result, a cable tester in accordance with the present invention can warn the user, prior to attempting a test procedure, if an attached test probe is inappropriate for selected test limits, either because it is the wrong probe or because of wear and tear. This helps the operator avoid wasting time testing with the wrong probe/settings configuration. Once the probe had been correctly selected, the stored error correction factors allow the cable tester to compensate therefore reducing the need for repeated calibration procedures. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
     FIG. 1 is a diagram of a known testing circuit in a link test configuration. 
     FIG. 2 is a diagram of a known testing circuit in a channel test configuration. 
     FIG. 3 is a diagram of a cable tester calibration circuit. 
     FIG. 4 a  is a simplified plan view of a probe in accordance with a preferred embodiment the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 b  is a simplified side view of a probe in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a block representation of a testing circuit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the resent invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a block representation of a double testing circuit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a testing procedure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
     The present invention provides a memory associated with a probe for a cable tester. The memory stores configuration data including error correction values so as to simplify the use of such probes in a cable testing procedure. 
     The detailed description which follows includes material presented in terms of routines and symbolic representations of operations of data bits within a memory, associated processors, and possibly networks, and network devices. These descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the art effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. A routine is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps or actions leading to a desired result. Thus, the term “routine” is generally used to refer to a series of operations performed by a processor, be it a central processing unit of an ultrasound system, or a secondary processing unit of such an ultrasound system, and as such, encompasses such terms of art as “program,” “objects,” “functions,” “subroutines,” and “procedures.” 
     In general, the sequence of steps in the routines require physical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared or otherwise manipulated. Those of ordinary skill in the art conveniently refer to these signals as “bits”, “values”, “elements”, “symbols”, “characters”, “images”, “terms”, “numbers”, or the like. It should be recognized that these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. 
     In the present case, the routines and operations are machine operations to be performed in conjunction with human operators. Useful machines for performing the operations of the present invention include the Agilent Technologies WIRESCOPE 350 and other similar devices. In general, the present invention relates to method steps, software, and associated hardware including a computer readable medium, configured to store and/or process electrical or other physical signals to generate other desired physical signals. 
     FIG. 4 a  is a simplified plan view of a probe in accordance with a preferred embodiment the present invention. FIG. 4 b  is a simplified side view of a probe in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As stated above cable testing requires the use of a channel probe (also known as a channel adapter or “CA”) or a link probe (also known as a basic link cable or “BL”) to connect to a testing device (such as the main unit  116  and remote unit  118  shown in FIG. 1) to the cable under test. FIGS. 4 a  and  4   b  show an example suitable for use as a channel probe in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, but could also, with appropriate modification discussed below, be used as a link probe. 
     A printed circuit board (PCB)  410  is configured to support a modular 8 adapter  412  and electrically connect same to a similarly supported adapter  414  for connection to the main unit or remote unit of a cable tester. In the case of a channel probe, the modular  8  adapter would be a female jack. The adapter  414  electrically interfaces conductive pads  416   a  through  416   g  with connections in a reciprocal adapter in the main unit or remote unit of a cable tester. The channel probe  400  includes a memory  418 , for example comprising a ROM, an EEPROM, a bubble memory, or the like. In FIG. 4 a , pads  416   a ,  416   b ,  416   f  and  416   g  are connected to the modular 8 adapter  412 , while pads  416   c ,  416   d , and  416   f  are connected to the memory  418 . The number and configuration of pads  416  has been simplified for purposes of illustration, and not all leads or visible circuitry has been portrayed. For example, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a modular 8 adapter has 8 leads, each of which may or may not require a pad  416 . Further, depending on the configuration of the memory  418 , more or less leads may be required. Additionally, further circuitry may be required to enable access to the memory  418 , such as resistors or capacitors. All such modification are well within the ability of those of ordinary skill in the art once a basic understanding of the present invention has been imparted. 
     Those of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize, that, with a few modifications, the structure shown in FIGS. 4 a  and  4   b  is also applicable to a link probe. The modular 8 adapter  412  would comprise a male modular 8 plug which could, if desired, be separated from the PCB  410  by a cable. 
     A CA or BL can be considered a two port network whose effect on a measurement can be mathematically canceled using known vector measurement techniques with four (4) error terms associated with the two-port network. The error terms are: 
     
       
           e   00 −the equivalent directivity 
       
     
     
       
           e   11 −the port match 
       
     
     
       
           e   10   e   01 −the reflection response 
       
     
     
       
           e   30 −the cross talk 
       
     
     A detailed discussion of the various error terms can be found in:  An analysis of Vector Measurement Accuracy Enhancement Techniques  by Doug Ryting, available from Hewlett Packard, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     The current method for canceling the effects of a probe is to measure error terms associated with the probe and manually enter values for these error terms into the main unit of a cable tester each time the probe is used. The present inventors have recognized that by storing the error terms with, or in conjunction with the probe itself, that the problems associated with such manual entry can be reduced or eliminated. 
     Table 1 shows a highly simplified data structure for data contained in the memory  418  with respect to a certain frequency. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Serial # 
                 Level 
                 Type 
                 Mfg. 
                 Used 
                 e 00   
                 e 11   
                 e 10 e 01   
                 e 30   
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 052631 
                 6 
                 C 
                 LUCENT 
                 35 
                 −35 dB, 15° 
                 −25 dB, 100° 
                 −4 dB, 10° 
                 −60 dB, 240° 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The Serial # field allows a specific probe to be tracked so that overall performance can be analyzed and improvements implemented in future revisions. The Level field provides an indication of the level of certification for which the probe is configured. The Type field indicates the physical configuration of the probe (in this case a channel probe), while the Mfg. field indicates which manufacture&#39;s cables and connectors the probe is designed to interface with (in this case LUCENT). The Used field is a counter storing a number of times that the probe has been inserted into a test unit (either the main unit or the remote unit). The remaining fields store a variety of error terms, with only a single instance of each term (e 00 , e 11 , e 10 e 01 , e 30 ) being shown for purposes of illustration. A more detailed description of the number of error terms that must be stored is given below. 
     FIG. 5 is a block representation of a testing circuit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A main unit  510  is connected to a cable  516  via a probe  512 . The probe  512  has a RAM  514  for storing, among other data, error terms associated with the probe  512 . Those of ordeinary skill in the art will recognize that a variety of other memory structures are applicable, such as ROM, EEPROM, SmartMedia™, DRAM, ect. . . The main unit  510  generally comprises: a processor  518 ; a memory  510 ; a display  522 ; an I/O unit  524 ; and an interface  526 . The processor  518  may be any of a number of general purpose or specific processors operating under the direction of programs stored in the memory  520 . Interaction with the user is provided with the display  522  and the I/O unit  524 . A variety of options exist for the provision of such interaction, including a touch screen, LEDs, LCD panels, a keyboard and dedicated switches. 
     Generally, the I/O subsystem must be suitable to allow a user must be allowed to configure the main unit  510  in preparation for a certification procedure and to display the results of the certification procedure. This typically includes inputting a level of certification (and possibly thresholds for various criteria therein) along with other pertinent data, including a manufacturer of the cable. Accordingly, the features provided by the display  522  and I/O unit  524  will vary based on the cost and functionality of the main unit  510 . 
     The interface  526  provides a connection for the probe  512 . Again, the configuration of the interface  526  can vary widely based on the cost of the tester and the functionality sought to be imparted. The interface must be able to support the transfer of data from the RAM  514  to the memory  520  in addition to providing connection to each of the active leads in the cable  516 . 
     FIG. 5 also indicates the location where the error factors, for two of the two-port networks created by linking the main unit  510  to the cable  516 , are generated. Only two of the four two-port networks are shown for simplicities sake. Table 2 indicates the error terms present in all four of the two-port networks: 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 1e 00   
                 1e 11   
                 1e 10 1e 01   
                 12e 30   
                 13e 30   
                 14e 30   
               
               
                   
                 2e 00   
                 2e 11   
                 2e 10 2e 01   
                 21e 30   
                 23e 30   
                 24e 30   
               
               
                   
                 3e 00   
                 3e 11   
                 3e 10 3e 01   
                 31e 30   
                 32e 30   
                 34e 30   
               
               
                   
                 4e 00   
                 4e 11   
                 4e 10 4e 01   
                 41e 30   
                 42e 30   
                 43e 30   
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Thus, the RAM  514  would hold each of the error terms listed in Table 2 in addition to the configurational data shown in Table 1. 
     FIG. 6 is a block representation of a double testing circuit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A main unit  610  is connected to a cable  620  via a probe A  612  and a probe B  616 . The probe A  612  has a RAM  614  for storing, among other data, error terms associated with the probe A  612 . Similarly, probe B  616  has a RAM  618  for storing, among other data, error terms associated with the probe B  616 . By using both sets of error terms, in a known manner, the entire test channel can be error compensated. 
     FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a testing procedure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The procedure starts in step  700 . In step  702 , the main unit  116  (see FIG. 1) and, if necessary, the remote unit  118  (see FIG. 1) of the cable tester are initialized. Subsequently, in step  704 , a check is made as to whether the attached probe has associated configurational values stored in a memory, such as the RAM  514 . If such values are not stored in a memory, the user is required to perform a calibration procedure as in the prior art, in step  706 , to obtain the necessary error values. 
     If the attached probe does have configuration values stored in a memory, those values are retrieved in step  708 . Next, in step  710 , the type of certification required is determined, typically based on input by the user of the cable tester via the main unit  116 . Such input typically includes a level of certification and a manufacture of the cable/ends. Thereafter, in step  712  the type of certification requested by the user is compared against the configuration values retrieved in step  708 , and a determination is made as to whether the attached probe is the correct probe for the certification process. If an incorrect probe has been attached, the user is so informed in step  714  and the certification procedure is restarted. On the other hand if the correct probe is attached, the procedure proceeds to step  716  and a determination is made as to whether the probe is worn out by, for example, analyzing a used value in the memory  418  (see FIG. 4 a  and Table 1). If the probe is worn out, the user is informed in step  714  and the procedure is restarted. 
     If the probe is the correct probe for the certification procedure and not worn out, the value indicating probe usage (for example, the used value in the memory  418 ) is updated in step  716 . Next, in step  720 , a certification procedure is performed using the error terms retrieved in step  708 . The details of the certification procedure will be omitted so as not to obscure the present invention. The procedure ends in step  724 . 
     If, in step  704 , the probe does not have associated values stored in a memory, subsequent to the manual calibration in step  706 , the procedure goes to step  722  and the type of certification required is determined, typically based on input by the user of the cable tester via the main unit  116 . As in the prior art, the user should also manually enter error terms associated with the probe into the main unit. Thereafter, the certification is performed in step  720 . 
     In accordance with the foregoing, the present inventors have described apparatus and methods for testing cable installations to provide certification therefor. More specifically, the inventors have described a probe, and associated software and data, which simplifies the process of testing cables by storing configurational data in association with the probe. This represents a significant advance over the prior art which assumed some of the configurational data and required some configuration data to be manually entered. 
     Although a preferred embodiments of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. For example, a single probe could store multiple sets of data for a variety of possible connections including equipment from multiple manufacturers. Then, depending on the test configuration, the appropriate set of data could be uploaded and used to provide correction.