JPS60254856A - Circuit trouble detecting circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the cost of the level detection of a circuit interface by converting a selected signal to be measured into a multi-bit digital signal and analyzing it by a subprocessor on the basis of a signal which is inputted and outputted through a normal route. CONSTITUTION:A communication controller when predicting that trouble occurs in a circuit system sends an indication signal for selecting a signal of a circuit to the subprocessor. A selective specifying register 318 holds this signal and sends it out to an electronic switch 316 to select one signal. The selected signal is converted by an analog/digital converting circuit 317 into a logical signal consisting of plural bits, which is sent out to the subprocessor through a connection line 320. The subprocessor compares this signal with a signal which is received by a circuit scanner 32 through a register and arithmetic circuit 315 to decide and indicate whether or not trouble occurs at a side closer to a communication device than register converters 311-314.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION +al Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a circuit for detecting a fault in a line system in a communication control device accommodating a large number of lines.

(b) Background of the Technology A communication control device related to the present invention connects a large number of lines through a data communication device (DCE) such as a modem.

The connection form of the above-mentioned lines in recent communication control devices varies depending on the type of modem, such as the use/non-use of signal lines due to the difference in the number and definition of signals, and whether special cables are used to directly connect terminals. or CCIT
V,24/V,35/X,2 defined by T
The current situation is that there is a wide variety of interfaces, such as a mixture of interfaces of different levels, such as a single standard.

Further, the data communication equipment (DCE) and the communication control equipment are not necessarily provided by the same supplier, and cables and the like may also be installed by the user himself in order to change the system/recover from a failure quickly.

For this reason, there are many cases where cables are carelessly connected incorrectly, resulting in malfunction of the line adapter, or even permanent damage to the line adapter. It takes time.

In view of the current situation, the present invention attempts to add the above-mentioned line interface level detection mechanism to a line adapter at minimum cost by using digital processing technology which has recently made remarkable progress.

(C1 Prior Art and Problems Figure 1 shows the relationship between a communication control device and a data communication device (DCE) related to the present invention. 1 is a data communication device (DCE), and normally one A correspondingly large number of devices are connected to the communication control device 3. 2 is a cable connecting the data communication device (DCE) 1 and the communication control device 3, 3 is the communication control device, and a line adapter 319
Line scanner 32. Arithmetic device 33. Memory 34. Channel adapter 35. Auxiliary processor 36. It is composed of a console device 37 and the like.

A host processor 4 performs data processing using a line via the communication control device 3.

First, the role of each functional block in the communication control device 3 will be briefly explained below.

Line adapter 31 is data communication equipment (DCE) 1 to 1
By connecting one or more units, in addition to holding transmission/reception signals with the line and control signals, level conversion is performed between the signal level used between the data communication equipment (DCE) 1 and the signal level inside the communication control equipment 3. It also has a level conversion circuit that performs this. The line scanner 32 scans the plurality of line adapters 31 and assembles the transmitted and received character data. The arithmetic unit 33 executes block processing of transmitted and received data, buffer processing, and communication processing with the host processor 4. The memory 34 stores programs for the arithmetic unit 33 and also buffers the transmitted and received data. The channel adapter 35 performs data transfer processing and control of commands and reports to the host processor 4. The auxiliary processor 36 monitors the operating state of the communication control device 3 and instructs changes in the configuration of the combination mode. The console device 37 is a device for inputting and outputting information for the above-mentioned control and monitoring executed by the auxiliary processor 36.

FIG. 2 shows the data communication equipment (DCE) 1. This figure shows in detail the mutual relationship between the cable 21 and the line adapter 31, in which signals between the data communication equipment (DCE) 1 and the line adapter 31 include a signal 1 whose source is the data communication equipment (OCE) 1, for example, Received data (RD), clear-to-send signal (CS), etc., and signals sourced from the line adapter 31.

For example, transmission data (SD), transmission request signal (R3)
etc.

Furthermore, there is a ground signal (SG) that serves as a reference for both signal levels. Furthermore, depending on the type of data communication equipment (DCE), these signals may be balanced or unbalanced.

The above signal line 2 is connected to a connector 41 of a line adapter 31.

When transmission and reception become impossible on a particular line of the communication control device 3 described above, it is considered that the fault lies in either the communication line, the data communication equipment (DCE) 1 , or the cable 21 line adapter 31 .

In the conventional method, a cable 2 and a data communication equipment (DCE) 1 are used to isolate the fault location.

Alternatively, it was common to insert a measuring device between the line adapter 31 and monitor the signal level, waveform, etc.

However, this conventional method requires the time-consuming work of reconnecting each cable 2 and connecting a measuring device between them, and also supplies a test signal from the line adapter 31 and monitors the results. In order to do this, it is necessary to operate the measuring instrument and the console device 37 separately, which requires 9 hours of manual effort, and there is a problem that there is a risk of secondary failures due to operational errors.

(d) Purpose of the Invention In view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, the present invention provides a method of providing a line adapter with a mechanism for detecting the level of a line interface at minimum cost in order to isolate failures occurring in the line system. The purpose is to

(e) Structure and object of the invention According to the present invention, in a communication control device that connects a plurality of lines, a line adapter of the communication control device, a modem, or a data communication device having an equivalent function. A switch that switches and connects the signal line between each line or multiple lines, a register that holds data for connecting the switch to a specified signal line of a specified line, and an output of the above switch. This is achieved by providing a method comprising: an analog/digital conversion line connected to the line adapter for converting the signal level to a digital signal with less influence on the signal line; Diagnosis is carried out by selectively importing the signal using a switch, converting it into a digital signal, and comparing it with the normal input/output level of the line adapter, which has the advantage of making it easy to isolate the fault in the line system.

ffl Embodiments of the Invention First, to summarize the gist of the present invention, the present invention provides a communication control device that connects a plurality of lines via a line adapter. , focused on the fact that there is a function to input the signal at a logic level to subsequent circuits (line scanner, arithmetic unit, memory),
means for selecting one signal to be measured from among the plurality of signals; and means for selecting one signal to be measured from among the plurality of signals;
'0''.

In addition to two or three levels of ``uncertain'' and ``uncertain'', by converting to a multi-bit digital signal, it is possible to isolate the fault location and trace the cause of the fault.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Generally, the number of signal lines between the data communication equipment (DCE) 1 and the communication control device 3 varies depending on the type of line, but
Here, an example will be explained in which there are two received signals and two transmitted signals.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the improved line adapter according to the present invention based on the above conditions.
, 3L32, and 41 are the same as those explained in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and 31L313 is a data communication device (DCE
) a level converter for converting the signal sourced by 1 into a logic signal used within the line adapter 31;
14 is a level converter that converts the logic signal sourced from the line adapter 31 into a signal at a level that can be received by the data communication equipment (DCE) 1; 315 is a level converter that stores the polarity of the transmitted signal and received signal; These are registers and arithmetic circuits that enable time-division line scanning processing.

Line scanner 32 selects each line via connection line 319 and exchanges transmission and reception information.

316, 317, 318, 320, and 321 are transmission/reception level monitoring circuits added to implement the present invention, and 316 is an electronic switch (S) for switching analog signals.
EL) from a plurality of signals being transmitted between the data communication device (DCE) 1 and the communication control device 31.
Select pieces. 317 is an analog/digital conversion circuit (A/D), which has a sufficiently high input resistance with respect to the transmission impedance between the data communication equipment (DCE) 1 and the communication control device 3 and the connection conductance of the electronic switch 316. The signal level is converted into a digital signal of, for example, 6 to 8 bits. 318 is a register (S) for specifying the signal of interest for the electronic switch 316.
R).

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Now, in this communication control device 3, when a failure in the line system is predicted, the auxiliary processor 36 sends an instruction signal to select the line signal of interest to the connection line 321 via the arithmetic unit 33 and line scanner 32. Send.

The selection designation register (SR) 318 holds this selection signal and sends it to the electronic switch (SEL) 316 to select one signal from among the plurality of signals input to the electronic switch (SEL) 316. .

The selected signal is passed through an analog/digital conversion circuit (A
/D) 317 into a multi-bit logic signal, which is sent to the auxiliary processor 36 via the line scanner 32° arithmetic unit 33 via the connection line 320.

In the auxiliary processor 36, the line scanner 32 inputs the signal to the register and calculation circuit 315. Comparing with the signals transmitted and received via the connection line 319, the failure is caused by the data communication equipment (DCE) rather than the register converters 311 to 314.
It is determined whether it is occurring on the side closer to l. This signal level can also be displayed on the display device of the console device 37 to help operators and maintenance personnel perform maintenance work.

By using the above function, if it is determined that the fault is in the line adapter 31, for example, the cable 2
By switching the connection to a normally operating spare line adapter 3, normal operation can be achieved.

In addition, if it is determined that the level is outside the range of levels 311 to 314 (this can be determined by comparing it with a preset normal level value in the auxiliary processor 36), at that point the data communication device ( 1) GE)
1. Cable 2. Connector 41. By checking the functions of the level controllers 311 to 3140, it is possible to easily isolate the location of the failure.

In this embodiment, the analog/digital conversion circuit (/l/D) 3.17 converts signals from multiple lines (in this example, two transmitting lines and two receiving lines, totaling 4 lines). Although it is handled here, signals from multiple lines may be determined by one analog/digital conversion circuit (A/D) 317. Further, although the connection lines 320 and 321 are constructed independently of each other, it goes without saying that they may be multiplexed with the connection line 319.

(gl) Effects of the Invention As explained in detail above, the line failure detection circuit of the present invention provides a communication control device that connects a plurality of lines via line adapters. signals are input/output, and the signals are processed at logic level to the subsequent circuit (
Focusing on the fact that there is a function for inputting signals into a line scanner, arithmetic unit, memory), we developed a means for selecting one signal to be measured from among the plurality of signals, and a means for selecting one signal to be measured from among the plurality of signals, and a means for selecting one signal to be measured from among the plurality of signals. 1', 'O', and 2 and 3 of 'uncertain'
In addition to the various levels, the system converts the digital signal into a multi-bit digital signal and analyzes the signal level output by a person on a normal route and the auxiliary processor in the communication control device, so the line Interface level detection can be realized with a minimum amount of hardware, and the effect is that it is easy to isolate the fault location in the line system and trace the cause of the fault.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between the communication control device and data communications equipment (DCE), Figure 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the data communications equipment (DCE), cable, and line adapter in detail, and Figure 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the data communications equipment (DCE), cable, and line adapter. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an improved line adapter according to the present invention. In the drawing, 1 is a data communication device (DCE), 2 is a cable, 3 is a communication control device, and 31 is a line adapter. 32 is a line scanner, 33 is an arithmetic unit, and 34 is a memory. 35 is a channel adapter, 36 is an auxiliary processor, 4 is a host processor, 41 is a connector, 311 to 314 are level controllers, and 315 is a register and arithmetic circuit. 316 is an electronic switch (SEL), 317 is an analog/digital conversion circuit (/l/D), 318 is a selection designation register (SR), and 319 to 321 are connection lines.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a communication control device that connects multiple lines, the signal line between the line adapter of the communication control device and a modem or a data communication device having an equivalent function is switched for each line or for multiple lines. a switch to be connected, a resistor that holds data for connecting the switch to a designated signal line of a designated line, and an analog/digital conversion circuit that is connected to the output of the switch and converts the signal level into a digital signal. 1. A line failure detection circuit, comprising: a line fault detection circuit that detects a fault location of the selected line by analyzing the converted digital signal.