FR2618627A1 - Test device for the maintenance of telephone centres - Google Patents

Abstract

Test device for the maintenance of telephone centres, which is connected in the region of a subscriber line, which despatches test calls to answering equipment situated in these centres or in distant centres in order to monitor correct operation, switching, metering and transmission with level-measuring sets, of the various common units (junctions, circuits, temporal channels and diverse equipment) used for the subscriber traffic. According to the invention, the choice of common units used to link a known requesting subscriber line 4 to a requested equipment is made automatically by an automatic steering management device 3 which controls the existing manual steering device 6 of the telephone centre 9 using a transmission link 8. The automatic steering management 3 can be included within the test device with the system management 2, or decentralised, and connected to the system management 2 by a transmission line 7.

Description

The present invention relates to a test device for the maintenance of call centers, connected at a subscriber line, it launches test calls to response equipment located inside these centers, or in other remote centers, to check the smooth operation
different organs, including links (junctions, circuits, time lanes and various equipment) between the various call centers.

 Calls sent at a subscriber line, within a call center, also use common facilities to reach other centers, which are made available to all traffic calls. subscriber, to link two subscribers, applicant and requested. Now from a subscriber line, it is not possible to choose these organs.

 However, it is possible from a retort subscriber line to designate these organs beforehand by manually intervening in the telephone center by means of a manual orientation device.

 According to the invention, this intervention is automatic, and controlled by an automatic orientation management device (3) which is associated with the testing device, the choice of common organs to be tested can then be performed automatically to connect the subscriber line (4) connected to the control circuit (I) of the test device from which the test calls are launched, successively to all the common members (junctions, circuits and time channels (24), and various equipment) so that they can be tried one after the other or individually.

 According to the invention, the automatic orientation device (3) can be integrated in the testing device, or decentralized, and interact with the system management (2) using a data transmission link (7).

 The automatic orientation management (3) directs the tests and collects the results, however in some cases of use, the system management (2) can take over and direct the tests, with memorization of the results as the management of automatic orientation (3). Peripheral equipment, keyboards (II and 13), and printers (IO and I2) connected to the two management devices, system (2) and automatic orientation (3) make it possible to control the tests and to edit the results with possible computer processing.

 The automatic orientation management device (3), in the context of its decentralization, and according to the invention, can serve several test devices which may be located in different centersX and perform other operations.

 It is understood that the test device can be installed in a different site than the telephone center (9) where is connected the subscriber line (4) that it uses to launch its test calls.

 According to the invention, it is possible to connect to the test device, a measurement hypsometer (5) using one or more frequencies, for controlling the transmission quality of the speech of the equipment tested.

 To carry out a transmission test, it is indispensable to have a hypsometer at both ends of the link, also according to the invention, the hypsometer (5) can operate at the start and also at the finish to respond to test calls. initiated by another test device located in the same center or in a remote center.

 In the case of tests of links where the charging is transmitted by the requested center (videotex circuits minitels for example) and according to the invention, the test device automatically sends a stimulation of a server code to trigger the connectior to it and the emission of tax pulses which are received and controlled by the test device itself.

 An embodiment of the invention in FIG. 2 is described below by way of non-limiting indication with reference to the accompanying drawings. The system management and automatic orientation functions (23) that can be performed by a small computer adapted to this use case, are in the chosen example integrated into the test device, and the organs to be tested are circuits. or time paths connecting two telephone centers.

The control circuit (I) is made with electromagnetic relays, but other components including electronic, can be used to replace certain functions The detector (I7) receives the different tones sent by the telephone center on the son a and b ( invitation 9 send the requested number, call return, occupancy and minitel server). The tax detector (16) receives the charging pulses (in I2 KHz for example) transmitted by the telephone center. The server code generator (I8) simulates, on demand, in the particular case of videotex circuit tests (minitel), the information necessary for the connection of the co = sande (I) circuit to a server. An amplifier (I5 ) allows the loudspeaker scout to track the progress of test calls. A decimal transmitter (I4) generates the numbering pulses, a subscriber multifrequency emitter could be used. An hypsometer (5) makes it possible to perform on demand a test for transmitting the frequencies of speech.

The connection (8) between the management assembly (23) of the test device and the manual orientation device of the telephone center is in the example chosen a bidirectional data transmission link. By the technology of the telephone center (9) the information exchanged on said link (8) may vary slightly. The table below gives an illustrative and non-exhaustive example of the main exchanges.

<Tb>

I
<tb><SEP> ENSENBLE <SEP> of <SEP> MANAGEMENT <SEP> (23) <SEP> ORIENTATION <SEP> NiUnnELLB <SEP> (6)
<tb><SEP> Take
<tb><SEP><SEP> acknowledgment <SEP> of <SEP> receipt
<tb><SEP><SEP> coordinates of the <SEP> circuit
<tb><SEP> to <SEP> try
<tb><SEP> wait <SEP> constant <SEP> of <SEP> time <SEP> operation <SEP> in <SEP> course
<tb><SEP> Start <SEP> of <SEP> The <SEP> Test e ---- <SEP><SEP> Run
<tb><SEP> and <SEP> acknowledged <SEP> of <SEP> receipt <SEP> ^ <SEP> release
<tb><SEP> test <SEP> in <SEP> course
<tb><SEP> test <SEP> completed <SEP> - <SEP> taken
<tb><SEP> acknowledgment <SEP> of <SEP> receipt
<tb><SEP> normalization <SEP> of the <SEP> circuit <SEP> ^ <SEP> operation <SEP> in <SEP> course
<tb><SEP> operation <SEP> executed
<tb><SEP> end <SEP> test <SEP> - <SEP> release
<Tb>
At the end of the time constant the circuit number is stored as untested (no operation received)
On the other hand, the management assembly (23) is also programmed to ensure the operation of the control circuit (I) described below. The variable parameters corresponding to the lesai data are entered into memory using the keyboard (21), namely by way of example:
- The start time of the tests.

 - The coordinates of the first and the last circuit to try.

 - The number to send to reach the equipment request.

 - The type of test, with or without hypsometer.

 - Videotex Minitel test.

ROLE OF RELAYS
AR - transmission test with hypsometer
BC - AB wire loop
EB - good test
I - inversion of the direction of the supply current of the wires a - b
ME - measurement with hypsometry
NR - numbering
P - taken
T - train
TI - receipt of tax pulses OPERATION
At the programmed time, the management unit (23) sends via the link (8) the information to the orientation (6) of the telephone center according to the table above, for the donor access from the line of subscriberswhich the control circuit (I) is connected to the circuit to be tested which has been chosen. After confirmation of execution, the management unit (23) sends the tap signal to the control circuit (I) in the form of a positive potential on the wire P, the relay P operates. By its conctact pI it causes the taking of the subscriber line (4), the ab wires being looped by the relay BC which operates on the power source coming from the telephone center.

 By the working contact p2 the general positive potential 0+ is placed at different points of the control circuit (I) .By the working concLact bcI, the plug confirmation is sent to the management (23) on the wire CP.By the bc2 working contact, the link is established between the tone detector (I7) and the management (23) .After receiving the dial tone tone issued by the telephone center, the detector (I7) sends this information to the management (23) on the wire DT which takes it into account and instructs the transmitter (I4) by the wire em to form the number of the equipment requested To do this, it controls the relay NR which beats the the contact dial of a telephone. By the contact nr2 the relay T operates and loops the wires ab on the resistor R1 in series with the rest nrI, by its contact tI work rest grounded. The pulse trains corresponding to the requested number are transmitted by loop ap openings ab by the nrI contact. The relay T which is delayed to fallout only, by its contact t2 and the resistor assembly R3 and capacitor C5, remains at during pulse transmission, but releases between each pulse train corresponding to a transmitted digit.

 The call return is detected by the detector (I7) which informs the management (23) on the DT wire. If it is the busy signal is detected, the management (23) is informed and triggers the renewal of the call.

 The response of the requested equipment, in the case of an arrival hypsometer, causes the inversion of the supply of the wires a-b and the relay I operates. By its contact i2 it informs the management set (23) by the RD wire.

 The subscriber line (4) connected to the control circuit (I) being in the teletaxial category, one or more charging pulses, in I2 KHz, for example, are emitted by the telephone center on the wires ab and received by the detector ( I6). The TI relay operates, two cases are to be considered, test without or with hypsometer.

- Without the hypsometer, the relay AR is at rest, and by the working contacts txI, iI and rest ahI the relay EB operates, is maintained by its working contact ebî, and sends the information "test good" to the management ( 23) on the wire eb by its conctact eb2, the relay Tt releasing after receiving the tax pulses above.

- With hypsometer, the relay AR is at work maintained by the management (23), it needle the positive potential from the contacts txI and iI to the relay KE which is maintained by its contact me3 on the general positive potential E3 present from the attraction of the relay P, the relay t relocating as above. By the working concitacts meI and me2, the ab line son are returned to the hypsometer (5) (aI-bI). Through contact me4 the hypsometer (5) is energized, it carries out the transmission measurements. If the reception levels are normal, a positive potential is sent on the wire NN, causes the attraction of the relay EB which is maintained. by its conctact ebI, and as in the previous case, the management set (23) is informed by the contact eb2.

 The test of a circuit, or time slot is completed, the management (23) gives the order of the manual orientation device / telephone center through the link (8), normalize the circuit tried, and prepare the connecting the next call from the subscriber line (4), connected to the control circuit (I), to the next circuit to be tested, and the test cycle starts again as above.

 In the event of a fault, the clock of the management unit (23) controls the release if one of the successive information coming from the cocandex circuit (I), according to the different phases of the test, is not present after a determined test. , and transmits the data necessary for the printer (20) to edit the test results, with possible computer processing.

 In the particular case of the videotex link tests (minitel), a server code allowing the connection and triggering the resignation of the tax back by the center of the server, is transmitted automatically by the test device.

To do this, after having sent the number of the center where the selected server is connected (number requested in the previous example), a special tone is sent by it, it is received by the detector (I7), which sends this information on the wire DT to the management assembly (23) which triggers by the ECS wire the issuance of the code for connection to the server by the generator (I8), checks the receipt of the tax pulses received by the TX wire and transmits the result of tests at the printer (20),
To try some trunk groups, trunks, time slots, it is essential to number a code to reach them from a subscriber line, and to send the number of the requested equipment after receiving a second detected tone. also by the detector (17), the management unit (23) must be programmed for this alternative test.

 Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment shown. thus it is possible to add and remove elements, and to use other technologies.

Claims (7)

I- Test device for the maintenance of call centers that initiates test calls at a subscriber line (4), characterized in that it comprises an automatic orientation management equipment (3) , which connected by a data transmission line (8) to the manual orientation device (6) existing in said telephone center (9), controls the orientation of said calls to the chosen common organs (junctions, circuits or time channels ( 24), various equipment) to automatically connect said subscriber line (4) from which the test call is launched to one or more of said selected common organs.  2- test device for maintenance of telephone centers according to claim I, characterized in that are automatic orientation management equipment (3) can be decentralized, and dialogue with the system management (2) using a line data transmission (7). 3 - Test device for the maintenance of telephone centers according to claims I and, characterized in that the tests can be controlled, with editing results and possible computer processing, both by the system management (2) and, or by the automatic orientation management (3) by peripheral members associated with them (II-I3, II2). 4 - Test device for maintenance of telephone centers according to claims I to 3, characterized in that the automatic orientation management equipment (3) can serve several test devices, and perform other operations. 5 - Test device for the maintenance of telephone centers according to claims I to 4, characterized in that the control circuit (I) can between equipped with a measurement hypsometer, using one or more frequencies to automatically control the quality of the transmission of the frequencies of the speech on the established communication. 6 - Test device for maintenance of telephone centers according to claims I to 5, characterized in that it can also perform the automatic test of videotex links (minitel) using a signal generator (I8) which simulates a code sent by the minitel, to make the connection of the server to the control circuit (I) .The said signal code being  sent automatically, said connection having the effect of triggering the transmission of tax pulses transmitted back to the applicant by the videotex center, which are controlled by the testing device. 7 - Test device for the maintenance of telephone centers according to claims I and 5, characterized in that it can also work on arrival to respond to calls launched by another test device and carry out the transmission tests. The control circuit (I) FIG. 1 and the hypsometer (5) in FIG. 1 function in this case at the start and at the end.