US 5,345,230 A · Method and apparatus for optical transceiver testing

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for providing a self-test feature for an apparatus utilizing an optical communication link, such as commercial laundry appliances having a data acquisition system for storing information on appliance usage for subsequent transmission to a portable data unit. A signal having at least one known characteristic is applied to the transmitting portion of an optical transceiver, and at least a portion of the resulting transmitted optical energy is coupled to the optical detector of the receiving section of the same transceiver. The characteristics of the resulting output of the receiver elements of the transceiver corresponding to the coupled signal are compared to the corresponding characteristic of the known input signal. Correspondence of these characteristics will confirm valid operation of the transmitting elements and the receiving elements, and thus verify operation of the optical transceiver.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus having a communication system which allows the apparatus to communicate with a portable data probe, the communication system comprising:

a programmable controller;
an optical emitter coupled to the programmable controller;
and
an optical detector coupled to the programmable controller,
the programmable controller capable of running a communication mode routine for controlling the optical emitter and detector to communicate with the data probe wherein the detector detects an interrogation signal emitted by the data probe and the emitter transmits an answer signal in response to the interrogation signal received by the detector from the portable probe, the communication mode routine that the controller is capable of running is further characterized as a routine that includes a test mode subroutine capable of controlling the optical emitter end detector to communicate with one another wherein the emitter transmits a test signal having one or more known characteristics and the detector detects at least a portion of the test signal transmitted by the emitter and the test signal transmitted by the optical emitter is compared with the test signal detected by the optical detector.

2 more elements

A method for detecting faults in an optical transceiver, the optical transceiver including a programmable controller, an optical emitter coupled to the programmable controller and an optical detector coupled to the programmable controller, the programmable controller capable of running a communication mode routine for controlling the optical emitter and detector to communicate with the data probe wherein the detector detects an interrogation signal emitted by the data probe and the emitter transmits an answer signal in response to the interrogation signal received by the detector from the portable probe, the communication mode routine that the controller is capable of running is further characterized as a routine that includes a test mode subroutine comprising the steps of:

detecting the absence of an interrogation signal at the optical detector;
generating a test signal having one or more known characteristics;
transmitting the test signal from the optical emitter;
detecting the transmitted test signal by the optical detector;
comparing the test signal detected by the optical detector with the test signal transmitted by the optical emitter.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for optical transceiver testing

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for optical transceiver testing

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20