| 摘要 |
<p>The testing and maintenance of signal lines, particularly transmission lines in telephone systems, has become necessary and costly task. In telephony, it is common practice to transmit signals between a subscriber station and a central switching office via a two-wire bi-directional communication channel. The length of the transmission lines that carry telephone signals between the central switching office and the subscriber station can be quite large. As faster signals have been added to carry data over telephone lines, the quality of the transmission line has become critical, creating the need for periodic evaluation and adjustments. Transmission lines generally have a natural characteristic impedance determined by cable construction and geometry. To drive a signal on a subscriber line while minimizing signal reflection from the far end of the subscriber line and maximizing the signal power entering the line, it is desirable to match the characteristic impedance of the transmission line with a termination at each end. Telephone line characteristics can vary significantly when certain telecommunication equipment, such as telephones, facsimile machines, and xDSL transceivers, are connected to the line. It is desirable to perform many line tests on the telephone line for properly maintaining transmission lines. However, implementation of these tests can become manual-intensive and increase the costs of transmission line evaluation and maintenance. The industry lacks an efficient and automated method of performing line tests, particularly from a remote location. Furthermore, automated termination of nodes on telephone lines would dramatically improve the efficiency and quality of signal transmission. Another use of the telephone system is the application of high frequency signals, approximately 7.5 MHz, being placed on the transmission lines to facilitate local network connectivity for multiple electronic products within a subscriber station. When employing high-frequency network applications on the transmission lines, an evaluation of the wiring within a subscriber line is desirable. Currently, the industry lacks an efficient method of checking the integrity of the transmission line and configuring the transmission line for the purpose of local networking. The present invention provides for an apparatus and a method for testing, configuring, and evaluating a transmission line. The apparatus of the present invention comprises a Universal Telephone Equipment Terminator (UTET) (110) capable of implementing at least one of a test, configuration, and emulation on the transmission line.</p> |
