Patent Publication Number: US-2007096721-A1

Title: Apparatus for verifying a mobile communication system and method thereof

Description:
PRIORITY  
      This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to an application filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Oct. 18, 2005 and assigned Serial No. 2005-97847, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to a mobile communication system, and in particular, to a testing and verifying apparatus for rapidly analyzing the cause of problems in the system to solve the problems, and a method thereof.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      A mobile communication system is comprised of a plurality of boards that operate their unique functions. For example, the boards included in the base station are comprised of a network synchronization board, a processor board, a link board, a MODEM block board, and an alarm board in accordance with the characteristics of the system. Also, the boards are comprised of various parts in accordance with the functions provided by the boards.  
      When the mobile communication system is comprised of the boards, the test environments suitable for the operation characteristics of the mobile communication system are utilized to check the operation state of the mobile communication system. That is, the operation states (for example, levels) of the boards that constitute the mobile communication system are examined.  
      The operation states of the boards are commonly examined by a boundary scan test (BST) process for examining the electrical characteristics of the main parts mounted on the boards and by a board verifying process for identifying whether the boards correctly operate as designed.  
      In the BST process, the joint test action group (JTAG) pins of all devices constitute one loop using the JTAGs provided to the devices. Then, the signals received from the devices are measured to determine whether the devices are operating normally. Here, the JTAGs mean communication channels of a standard specification for controlling the devices.  
      In the BST process, the only basic functions provided by a device enterprise are checked. Therefore, the board verifying process is performed in order to check detailed functions or operations.  
      Since the board verifying process must be utilized to examine all functions in the devices and boards, the functions of programmable logics such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) are used for testing the boards.  
       FIG. 1  illustrates the structure of a conventional test apparatus for verifying a mobile communication system.  
      As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , in order to test a test board  100 , a test JIG  110  is required. The test JIG  110  is designed to provide clocks or signals required for the boards, so that the test board  100  must be mounted in the corresponding position of the test JIG  110 . At this time, the clocks or signals required for the boards vary. Therefore, the test JIG  110  exists in each of the boards.  
      The test JIG  110  is connected to a JTAG test apparatus  130  through a BST cable in order to BST verification of the test board  100  and is connected to a debugging computer  160  through an FPGA fusing cable  140  in order to receive a test only image for verifying the test board  100 . Also, the test JIG  110  is connected to the debugging computer  160  through a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART)/Ethernet (ETH) debug cable  150  so that a user can check state information on the test board  100 . Here, the test program checks the detailed operations of the board.  
      The debugging computer  160  stores the test only image for verifying the test board  100  to transmit the test only image to the test JIG  110  when the board is verified. Also, the debugging computer  160  collects the state information on the test board  100  that is received from the test JIG  110  so that the user can check the state information.  
      When the above-described mobile communication system is tested and verified, since there are limitations on the spaces in which the boards included in the mobile communication system are mounted, it is difficult to attach cables (such as the BST cable, the FGPA fusing cable, and the UART/ETH debug cable) required for verifying the board. Also, a process of setting the cables to have the same environment must be repeated, the devices in the boards must be set, and the test only image must be downloaded every test step so that it is difficult to establish the environments of verifying the mobile communication system.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An aspect of the present invention is to substantially solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for providing a test slot for simplifying limitation items generated in processes of testing and verifying a mobile communication system and a program memory required therefore and a method thereof.  
      Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for performing verifying without using additional cables by designing boards to be basically latticed in a mobile communication system, by providing a memory for storing information items and test images in accordance with the characteristics of the boards, and by adding a test apparatus for providing environments suitable for the boards, and a method thereof.  
      In order to achieve the above objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for verifying a mobile communication system includes a test slot in which boards that constitute the mobile communication system are positioned to change the boards to a testing and verifying mode in accordance with a test mode request signal received from a testing and verifying apparatus, and a testing and verifying apparatus for transmitting a test mode change request signal to a board to be verified among the boards and for examining the internal characteristic and the operation state of the board changed to the testing and verifying mode.  
      According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of operating a testing and verifying apparatus for verifying a mobile communication system includes transmitting a test mode change request signal to a predetermined board when the board is tested and verified, determining whether the board that received the test mode change request signal is changed to a testing and verifying mode, and examining the internal characteristic and the operation state of the board in accordance with a testing and verifying method when the board is changed to the testing and verifying mode. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  illustrates the structure of a conventional test apparatus for verifying a mobile communication system;  
       FIG. 2  illustrates the structure of a test apparatus for verifying a mobile communication system according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a test apparatus for verifying the mobile communication system according to the present invention; and  
       FIG. 4  illustrates a flowchart for verifying a mobile communication system according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.  
      The present invention provides a technique for verifying boards included in a mobile communication system without using an additional test apparatus in the mobile communication system. That is, the present invention provides a technique for verifying boards mounted in a rack without using an additional test apparatus by storing information items and images required for testing and verifying the boards in the rack designed to be basically latticed in the mobile communication system and by adding a testing and verifying apparatus for controlling the testing and verifying of the boards and for collecting the testing and verifying results. Here, the rack is a latticed structure in which the boards are mounted in the mobile communication system. The boards include a network synchronization board, a processor board, a link board, a MODEM block board, and an alarm board.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates the structure of a test apparatus for verifying a mobile communication system according to the present invention.  
      As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the rack of the mobile communication system includes a test apparatus  210  for testing and verifying the boards  200  mounted in the rack.  
      The rack is connected to a debugging computer  230  by a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART)/Ethernet (ETH) debug cable  220 . That is, the rack outputs the testing and verifying results of the boards  200  collected by the test apparatus  210  through the UART debug cable  220  to the debugging computer  230  so that a user can check the testing and verifying results of the boards  200 .  
      The boards  200  are mounted in the rack, which is designed to be basically latticed as illustrated in  FIG. 2  to perform a normal operation at normal times. Then, when a test mode change request signal is received from the test apparatus  210 , the boards  200  are changed to a test mode. At this time, each of the boards  200  includes a test mode determiner  201  for changing the boards to the test mode when the test mode change request signal is received from the test apparatus  210 . That is, each of the boards  200  is changed to the test mode in accordance with the control of the test mode determiner  201 .  
      The test apparatus  210  receives system information from the alarm board to transmit the test mode change request signal to the test mode determiner  201  when an erroneous operation is generated by the mobile communication system or when a specific board is requested to be tested and verified.  
      Also, the test apparatus  210  includes a boundary scan test (BST) test apparatus  211 , an image storing and controlling apparatus  213 , a system clock input end  215 , and a state light emitting diode (LED)  217  in order to test and evidence the boards mounted in the rack.  
      The BST test apparatus  211  selects the BST signals of boards to be tested and verified among the BST signals connected to the boards  200  to check the internal characteristics of the boards requested to be tested and verified.  
      The image storing and controlling apparatus  213  totally manages information items required for testing the operation states (for example, levels) of the boards  200  and test only images (for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) image). Also, the image storing and controlling apparatus  213  collects the entire board operation states to transmit the collected board operation states to the debugging computer  230  through the UART/ETH debug cable  220 .  
      The state LED  217  represents the test results of the test boards  200 .  
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a test apparatus for verifying the mobile communication system according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the structure of the test apparatus  210  of  FIG. 2  will be described in detail.  
      As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the test apparatus  210  includes a joint test action group (JTAG) converter  311 , a board verifying apparatus  313 , a BST test apparatus  315 , and a board controller  317 .  
      The JTAG converter  311  connects the test apparatus  210  and the boards to be tested and verified among the boards  200  mounted in the rack to each other to transmit a signal for performing testing and verifying from the test apparatus  210  to the boards to be tested and verified. At this time, the JTAG converter  311  connects the test apparatus  210  and the boards to each other using a JTAG chain. For example, when the test mode change request signal is transmitted in order to test and evidence a first board among the boards  200  mounted in the rack, the JTAG converter  311  connects the test apparatus  210  and the first board to each other.  
      Here, when the test mode change request signal is received from the test apparatus  210 , the board is changed to the test mode in accordance with the control of a control block  301  included in each of the boards  200 . That is, the control block  301  monitors the signal input from the test apparatus  210  to change the corresponding board from a common mode to the test mode in accordance with the signal. When the test mode change request signal is received, the control block  301  requests the central processing unit (CPU) of the board to operate a test program. That is, the control block  301  is the same as the test mode determiner  201  of  FIG. 2 .  
      The board verifying apparatus  313  includes a test controller  321  and a test image storage unit  323 .  
      The test image storage unit  323  stores the test only images of the boards  200  that constitute the mobile communication system. Here, the test only images are generated to be suitable for the characteristics of the boards in order to examine the operation states of the boards  200 .  
      The test controller  321  controls the images of the boards to be tested and verified among the test only images of the boards  200  to be selected and transmitted so that the operation states of the boards are checked. At this time, the test controller  321  receives information items on the boards to be tested and verified from the board controller  317 .  
      The BST test apparatus  315  includes a BST controller  331  and a BST test unit  333 .  
      The BST controller  331  controls the BST test unit  333  to be connected to the board to be BST tested. The BST test unit  333  connects the BST tested and verified board and a JTAG channel to each other in accordance with the control of the BST controller  331  to perform BST verifying. That is, the BST test unit  333  checks the internal characteristics of the boards to be BST tested and verified.  
      The board controller  317  collects state information items on the tested and verified boards to transmit the state information items to the debugging computer  230 . Also, the board controller  317  provides the state information items on the boards to the board verifying apparatus  313  and the BST test apparatus  315 . That is, the board controller  317  provides information items on the boards to be tested and verified to the board verifying apparatus  313  and the BST test apparatus  315 .  
       FIG. 4  illustrates a flowchart for verifying a mobile communication system according to the present invention. Hereinafter, it is assumed that an erroneous operation is generated by the mobile communication system and that the mobile communication system is verified.  
      Referring to  FIG. 4 , in step  401 , it is determined whether the mobile communication system is operating normally. When it is determined that the mobile communication system operates normally, the process proceeds to step  403  to determine whether an erroneous operation is generated by the mobile communication system. That is, the mobile communication system receives the state information on the mobile communication system from the alarm board to check the states of the boards that constitute the mobile communication system.  
      When it is determined that the erroneous operation is generated by the mobile communication system, the process proceeds to step  405  to transmit a test mode change request signal from the test apparatus  210  to the board by which the erroneous operation is generated in order to check the state of the board by which the erroneous operation is generated.  
      Then, the process proceeds to step  407  to determine whether the board that received the test mode change request signal is changed to a test mode. Here, when the test mode change request signal is received from the test apparatus  210 , the board is changed to the test mode in accordance with the control of the test mode determiner  201  included in the boards  200 .  
      When the board is changed to the test mode, the process proceeds to step  409  to determine whether a method of testing the board is a BST verifying mode.  
      When it is determined that the method of testing the board is the BST verifying mode, the process proceeds to step  411  in which the BST test unit  333  of  FIG. 3  connects the board to be tested and verified and a JTAG communication channel to each other to examine the internal characteristics of the board. That is, the mobile communication system selects the BST signals of the boards to be BST verified among the boards mounted in the rack to examine the internal characteristics of the boards to be BST verified.  
      Then, the process proceeds to step  413  to output the state information on the board to the debugging computer  230 .  
      On the other hand, when it is determined in step  409  that the method of testing the board is not the BST verifying mode, the process proceeds to step  415  to determine whether the method of testing the board is a board verifying mode. When it is determined that the method of testing the board is not the board verifying mode, the process returns to step  409 .  
      When it is determined that the method of testing the board is the board verifying mode, the process proceeds to step  417  to transmit the test only image suitable for the characteristic of the board to be tested and verified to the board and to test and evidence the board. That is, the mobile communication system transmits the test only image to be applied to the board among the test only images stored in the test image storage unit  323  of  FIG. 3  to the board to check the operation state of the board by the test program suitable for the board characteristic. Here, the test image storage unit  323  can transmit the test only image to the corresponding board without using an additional channel by the information input and output end  203  illustrated in  FIG. 2 .  
      Then, the process proceeds to step  413  to output the state information on the board to the debugging computer  230 .  
      As described above, when an erroneous operation is generated by the mobile communication system, the operations of the boards are verified. Also, when the user requests to test a board, the board is tested and verified by the same method.  
      As described above, the test apparatus including the information items and the test images required for testing the boards is added to the latticed rack of the boards in the mobile communication system so that it is possible to reduce hardware load and software load for realizing the apparatus for verifying the mobile communication system, to immediately cope with problems that occur in the mobile communication system, and to thus effectively use the mobile communication system.  
      While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.