JP2017152794A - Test module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small and inexpensive test module capable of evaluating reception capability of a communication device easily.SOLUTION: A test module 1 used for evaluating whether the reception capability in a communication port 11 of a communication device 10 satisfies a predetermined reference consists of a pluggable module having an enclosure 2, and a connector 3 provided integrally with the enclosure 2 and connected with the port 11, and includes a test signal generation unit 6 mounted in the enclosure 2, generating a test signal required to be received with above mentioned reference, by imparting at least one of a preset jitter or noise to a data signal, and outputting the test signal thus generated to the port 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a test module for evaluating the reception capability of each port in a communication device.

  In communication devices such as network switches and routers, the quality of electrical signals transmitted and received at each communication port is defined by various standards.

  For example, in a communication device compliant with SFP (Small Form Factor Pluggable), an electrical signal transmitted and received between an SFP device such as an optical transceiver and a port is defined in detail in an MSA (Multi Source Agreement) called SFF-8431. ing.

  When designing a communication device, quantitatively measuring the communication signal quality of the communication device (communication signal quality with respect to the mounted SFP device or the like) is an evaluation of the reliability of the communication device. Is important.

  As a system for evaluating the reception capability of each port in a communication apparatus, for example, the system described in FIG. 50 of SFF-8431 version 4.1 addendum is generally known. This system is configured to add clock jitter and voltage noise (distortion) to a data signal generated by a pulse generator and output a test signal through various filters to a port. Using such a system, the worst quality signal allowed by the standard is output as a test signal, and the communication device receives the communication device by checking whether the test signal has been received correctly. It is possible to evaluate whether the ability meets the standard.

  In addition, there exists patent document 1 as prior art document information relevant to invention of this application.

Japanese Patent No. 3886941

  However, with the recent increase in signal speed, measurement instruments that can be used in the above-described system are becoming very expensive and large in size, making it difficult to build a test environment.

  Also, in order to evaluate the reception capability of a communication device, it is necessary to accurately reproduce many parameters that determine the signal quality specified in detail in the standard and to superimpose the noise specified in the high-speed signal. As a result, the construction of the system costs enormous costs. In addition, since it is necessary to precisely adjust the measurement equipment, there is a problem that it takes a lot of labor for the test.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a test module that is small in size and low in cost and can easily evaluate the reception capability of a communication device.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a test module used for evaluating whether or not the reception capability of a communication port of a communication device satisfies a predetermined standard, and includes a housing, A pluggable module provided integrally with the housing and having a connector portion for connecting to the port, and is mounted in the housing, and at least one of preset jitter or noise in the data signal Is provided, and a test module including a test signal generation unit that generates a test signal that is required to be received according to the reference and outputs the generated test signal to the port is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a test module that is small in size and low in cost and can easily evaluate the reception capability of a communication device.

1 is a perspective view of a test module and a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic configuration diagram of the test module. It is a schematic block diagram of the module for a test concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the module for a test concerning other embodiments of the present invention.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a test module and a communication device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a schematic configuration diagram of the test module.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the test module 1 is used to evaluate whether the reception capability at the communication port 11 of the communication device 10 satisfies a predetermined standard. This is a pluggable module that includes a housing 2 and a connector portion 3 that is provided integrally with the housing 2 and is connected to the port 11.

  A circuit board 4 is accommodated in the housing 2. An end portion of the circuit board 4 is exposed from the housing 2, and a plurality of electrodes are formed in alignment on the end portion of the circuit board 4 exposed from the housing 2, and a card edge connector (not shown) is formed. Is formed. The connector unit 3 includes a card edge connector formed on the circuit board 4 and a housing 2 that covers the periphery of the card edge connector.

  The communication device 10 is a network switch or a router, for example. Here, a case will be described in which the communication apparatus 10 includes a port 11 compliant with SFP. In this case, each port 11 of the communication device 10 is required to receive a data signal without causing an error even when the worst quality signal defined by SFF-8431 is input.

  Now, the test module 1 according to the present embodiment includes a data receiving unit 5 and a test signal generating unit 6.

  The data receiver 5 and the test signal generator 6 are mounted in the housing 2. The data receiving unit 5 and the test signal generating unit 6 are realized by appropriately combining a CPU, software, interface, memory, and the like mounted on the circuit board 4.

  The data receiving unit 5 is configured to receive a data signal input from the communication device 10 via the port 11 to which the connector unit 3 is connected, and to output the received data signal to the test signal generating unit 6. ing.

  The test signal generation unit 6 adds (superimposes) at least one of preset jitter (clock jitter) or noise (voltage noise) to the data signal input from the data reception unit 5 and becomes an evaluation target. A test signal that is required to be received according to a standard (standard) that the port 11 complies with is generated, and the generated test signal is output to the port 11.

  In the present embodiment, the test signal generator 6 is calibrated in advance so as to add jitter and noise to the data signal and generate the worst quality signal defined by SFF-8431 as the test signal. ing. The worst quality signal here means the signal that is the most difficult to receive with the maximum jitter and maximum noise allowed by the standard (the frequency of the noise is specified by the standard). ing. That is, the test signal generation unit 6 is adjusted so as to intentionally degrade the data signal and output a signal having the worst condition allowed by the standard as the test signal.

  As described above, the test signal generation unit 6 cannot adjust the jitter and noise to be applied, and has only a necessary minimum function of adding preset jitter and noise. By omitting unnecessary functions such as adjusting jitter and noise, the test signal generator 6 can be realized in a small size and at a low cost, and a small and pluggable test module 1 can be realized.

  Further, by configuring the test signal generation unit 6 to apply preset jitter and noise, it is possible to save time and labor for adjusting jitter and noise during the test (time and labor for adjusting the waveform of the test signal). This makes it possible to easily evaluate the reception capability of the communication device 10.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the test module 1 is configured to add jitter and noise to the data signal input from the communication device 10 and return the data signal to the communication device 10 for output, the test module 1 It is possible to omit the function of generating a data signal (the function of a pulse generator) in FIG. 2, and the test module 1 can be realized in a smaller size and at a lower cost.

  In the present embodiment, the power for driving the test module 1 is supplied from the communication device 10 via the port 11. That is, the test module 1 is configured to be driven by the port power supply. As a result, the test can be performed only by inserting the test module 1 into the port 11, and the reception capability of the communication device 10 can be more easily evaluated.

  Although not shown in the figure, the case 2 of the test module 1 is supplied with power, receives a data signal, or outputs a test signal. There may be provided a display unit for displaying this by light emission of a light emitting diode or the like.

  When testing the reception capability of the communication device 10 using the test module 1, first, the test module 1 is inserted into the port 11 of the communication device 11 to be evaluated. As a result, power is supplied to the test module 1 via the port 11, and the test module 1 is driven.

  Thereafter, a data signal is transmitted from the communication device 10 via the port 11. The data signal transmitted from the port 11 is received by the data receiving unit 5 through the connector unit 3 and given a predetermined jitter and noise by the test signal generating unit 6 to become a test signal. The data is received by the communication device 10 via the port 11. The communication device 10 evaluates the reception capability at the port 11 of the communication device 10 by measuring the bit error rate when the test signal is received (in this case, the function as a reception device compliant with the SFP). It is possible to evaluate whether or not it is satisfied.

  In this embodiment, since the test signal is generated using the data signal input from the communication apparatus 10, the transmission function test in the communication apparatus 10 is performed in advance, and the data signal having a normal waveform is transmitted to the port. It can be said that it is more desirable to perform a test of the reception capability using the test module 1 after confirming that the signal is output from 11.

(Operation and effect of the embodiment)
As described above, the test module 1 according to the present embodiment is used for evaluating whether or not the reception capability at the communication port 11 of the communication device 10 satisfies a predetermined standard. 2 and a pluggable module that is provided integrally with the housing 2 and has a connector portion 3 for connecting to the port 11, is mounted in the housing 2, and is preset in a data signal. A test signal generation unit 6 is provided that generates at least one of jitter and noise, generates a test signal that is required to be received based on the reference, and outputs the generated test signal to the port 11.

  By providing the test signal generation unit 6 having only the minimum necessary function of imparting preset jitter and noise, a small and low-cost test module 1 can be realized. Further, since the jitter and noise to be applied are adjusted in advance, it is not necessary to adjust the jitter and noise during the test, and the reception capability of the communication apparatus 10 can be easily evaluated.

(Other embodiments)
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The test module 21 shown in FIG. 2 generates a test signal based on a data signal input from a device separate from the communication device 10 to be evaluated (for example, another communication device or a pulse generator). It is configured.

  In the test module 21, the housing 2 is provided with an input unit 22 to which a data signal is input from a device (not shown) separate from the communication device 10 to which the connector unit 3 is connected. The input unit 22 includes a receptacle for connecting a communication cable, for example.

  In the test module 21, the data reception unit 5 is configured to receive the data signal input from the input unit 22 and output the received data signal to the test signal generation unit 6.

  With this configuration, it is possible to generate a test signal based on the data signal input from the input unit 22 and output it to the communication device 10 to be evaluated, and the test of FIG. It becomes possible to obtain the same effect as the module 1 for use.

  In the test module 21 of FIG. 2, even when the port 11 or the communication device 10 to be evaluated is changed, the test module 21 is always based on the data signal input from the same device (for example, another communication device or a pulse generator). A test signal can be generated, and the reception capability of the communication device 10 can be more stably evaluated.

  However, since the test module 21 in FIG. 2 requires an input unit 22 for inputting data signals from other devices, the test module 21 is slightly larger and costs less than the test module 1 in FIG. Also gets higher. Therefore, from the viewpoint of miniaturization and cost reduction, it is desirable that the data signal input from the port 11 is folded and output as a test signal, as in the test module 1 of FIG. I can say that.

  The test module 31 of FIG. 3 is configured to omit the data receiving unit 5 and generate a data signal in the test module 31.

  The test module 31 includes a data generation unit 32 that generates a data signal and outputs the generated data signal to the test signal generation unit 6. The data generation unit 32 does not have a function for adjusting a data signal to be generated, but has only a minimum necessary function for generating a preset data signal. Thereby, the increase in cost and enlargement by mounting the data generation part 32 can be suppressed.

  Since the test module 31 is equipped with a function for generating a data signal in the test module 31, it is possible to more stably generate the data signal that is the basis of the test signal without being affected by disturbance or the like. This is possible, and the reception capability of the communication device 10 can be more stably evaluated as compared with the test module 1 of FIG. 1B and the test module 21 of FIG. The test module 31 can be suitably used when a more precise evaluation of reception capability is required.

  In addition, when the increase in cost by providing the data generation part 32 or the enlargement of a module becomes a problem, like the test module 1 of FIG.1 (b) and the test module 21 of FIG. It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which a test signal is generated using a data signal input from.

(Summary of embodiment)
Next, the technical idea grasped from the embodiment described above will be described with reference to the reference numerals in the embodiment. However, the reference numerals and the like in the following description are not intended to limit the constituent elements in the claims to the members and the like specifically shown in the embodiments.

[1] A test module (1) used for evaluating whether the reception capability at the communication port (11) of the communication device (10) satisfies a predetermined standard, the housing (2), A pluggable module that is provided integrally with the housing (2) and has a connector portion (3) for connection to the port (11), and is mounted in the housing (2); A test in which at least one of preset jitter or noise is added to the data signal, a test signal required to be received based on the reference is generated, and the generated test signal is output to the port (11). A test module (1) provided with a signal generator (6).

[2] The test module (1) according to [1], configured to be driven by a power source supplied from the communication device (10) via the port (11).

[3] A data signal input from the communication device (10) is received via the port (11) to which the connector unit (3) is connected, and the received data signal is converted into the test signal generator ( The test module (1) according to [1] or [2], further comprising a data receiving unit (5) that outputs to 6).

[4] An input unit (22) to which a data signal is input from a device separate from the communication device (10) to which the connector unit (3) is connected, and data input from the input unit (22) The test module according to [1] or [2], further comprising: a data reception unit (5) that receives a signal and outputs the received data signal to the test signal generation unit (6). 21).

[5] The test signal according to [1] or [2], further including a data generation unit (32) that generates a data signal and outputs the generated data signal to the test signal generation unit (6). Module (31).

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, it should be noted that not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention.

  The present invention can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the test module 1 is configured to be driven by the port power supply. You may comprise so that a power supply may be supplied.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the test module 1 used in order to evaluate the receiving capability of the port 11 based on SFP was demonstrated as an example, the standard which the port 11 used as evaluation object is based on is limited to this. For example, SFP + may be used, and 1000BASE-T (IEEE 802.3ab), which is an Ethernet standard (Ethernet is a registered trademark), may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Test module 2 ... Housing | casing 3 ... Connector part 4 ... Circuit board 5 ... Data receiving part 6 ... Test signal generation part 10 ... Communication apparatus 11 ... Port

Claims (5)

A test module used for evaluating whether the reception capability at a communication port of a communication device satisfies a predetermined standard,
A pluggable module having a housing and a connector portion provided integrally with the housing and connected to the port;
The test signal is mounted in the casing, and at least one of preset jitter or noise is added to the data signal to generate a test signal required to be received based on the reference, and the generated test signal is connected to the port. With a test signal generator that outputs to
Test module. It is configured to be driven by a power source supplied from the communication device via the port.
The test module according to claim 1. A data reception unit that receives a data signal input from the communication device via the port to which the connector unit is connected, and outputs the received data signal to the test signal generation unit;
The test module according to claim 1 or 2. An input unit for inputting a data signal from a device separate from the communication device to which the connector unit is connected;
A data receiving unit that receives the data signal input from the input unit and outputs the received data signal to the test signal generation unit;
The test module according to claim 1 or 2. A data generation unit that generates a data signal and outputs the generated data signal to the test signal generation unit;
The test module according to claim 1 or 2.

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