Why Not Automate Repetitive Test Procedures?

with

TMIS AUTOMATION SUITE

TMIS Systems

PECA's Transmission Medium Impairment Simulator (TMIS) systems provide the means to route a test signal through different transmission mediums and to introduce calibrated distortions and impairments which are unique and/or typical to particular transmission mediums.  The test environments to access, evaluate and stress performance of complex modulation systems, devices and techniques used to transmit high speed data for information transfer or for digital entertainment systems. Many of the tests that are required to test the robustness of these new digital devices are repetitive in nature and can be automated with PECA's TMIS Automation Suite. 

 PECA's TMIS Control and Automation Suite 

PECA's TMIS systems have two control modes:

Move Mouse Over Image To See Controls Selected/Deselected

Manual control mode is from a set of front panel controls on PECA Units and the front panels of the third party equipment and instrumentation.  In some cases, third party equipment requires a computer running equipment specific software applications which is considered a manual mode.

Computer control mode is from a computer running PECA's TMIS Automation Suite.  The automation suite is comprised of two elements, Virtual Instrument Mode and Automated Testing.

Virtual Instrumentation Mode Standard

Virtual Instrumentation Mode Standard is an emulation of front panel controls on PECA Units and third party equipment and instrumentation which provides the means to set up, configure and perform tests and measurements manually as if the operator was using the physical front panel controls.  Third party equipment and instrumentation VIs are limited to only those function that are TMIS based.

Functional Overview:

Emulation of physical front panel control from User Friendly and Intuitive Computer Interface.

System Display Panel Emulation

PECA Unit Front Emulation Third Party Instrumentation Front Panel Emulation

By using a keyboard and/or mouse, the operator is able to control PECA Units and third party equipment and instrumentation to set up test signal routing, level and introduction of distortion and impairment levels.

**Note: Third party equipment and instrumentation control is limited to function necessary for the defined set of distortions, impairments and measurements.

Virtual Instrumentation Mode Extended

Virtual Instrumentation Mode (Extended) is a set of defined functions which provide a limited level of automated features.  These extended features may be incorporated into a standard Virtual Instrument Mode package or may be options available to system users.

Functional Overview:

Using the functionality of Virtual Mode and certain modules of Automated Testing, the operator is able to define and initiate a series of certain set up and measurement processes.

Automated Testing is the means to perform defined test scenarios which may be specific to particular industry standards necessary for compliance and/or laboratory testing for engineering and design performance parameters.  Automated Testing is generally identified prior to system costing.  Automated testing typically performs a process which varies distortions and/or impairments while monitoring and measuring performance parameters to determine thresholds and performance limits for the system or device under test.

TMIS Automation Suite can be structured to perform tests based on Advanced Television Test Center (ATTC/HDTV) and Cable Modem MCNS Data Over Cable System Integration Specification (DOCSIS) interoperability test plans (ATP).  Customer specific test plans can be provided.

Upon initiating Automated Testing function a menu of Automated tests will be displayed.  The operator selecting, a specific test, is able to set up particular test scenarios as defined by industry standards or other performance specifications from a User Friendly and Intuitive Computer Interface Screen.

Automated Test Process Order

1. Display menu of Automated tests

2. Select Automated test

3. Display a screen which provides the means to set up Automated Test parameters

4. Initiate Automated test process

5. Perform system reference measurements based on Automated Test parameters

6. Report System Ready for testing

7. Perform Automated test process

8. Record defined test results

9. Report Automated test Completed

Typical tests:

TMIS systems can be configured for one or two-way HFC configuration as in the terrestrial medium.  This list of tests are typical and in two-way configuration apply to both Forward (Downstream) and Return (Upstream) paths.