Data communication device
AssigneeNEC Corporation
InventorJunichi Kumata
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A data communication apparatus and a storage medium storing therein a program enable error connection of cable to be detected in the case where a plurality of low speed SHELVes are connected to a high speed SHELF through cables respectively. A collation code from a low speed SHELF to be a second communication device is received by a high speed SHELF to be a first communication device, before judging whether it is the collation code from an interface unit 102 or it is the collation code from an interface 103. When the collation code is outputted from the interface 103, it is judged of the error connection of the cable. Further a collation code from a high speed SHELF is received by the low speed SHELF, when established SHELF number does not agree with the collation code, it is judged as the error connection of the cable.
Claims6
A data communication apparatus comprising:
- a first communication device including a first interface unit connected to a first end of one of a plurality of cables;
- a plurality of second communication devices, each including a second interface unit respectively connected to a second end of one of the cables;
- the first communication device being operative to transmit a unique one of a plurality of first collation codes respectively to each of the cables;
- each of the second communication devices including a first identification circuit that stores data identifying the one of the first collation codes uniquely associated with the cable to which that second communication device is connected;
- each of the second communication devices being operative to compare a collation code received over the connected cable with the collation code stored in the identification circuit and to provide a first output indicative of the comparison;
- each of the second communication devices being further operative to transmit one of a plurality of second collation codes to the cable connected thereto, each of the second collation codes being uniquely associated with the second communication unit by which it is transmitted;
- the first communication device including a second identification circuit that stores collation data associating each of the second collation codes with the cable to which the respective second communication device is connected,
- the first communication device being further operative to compare a received second collation code and the identity of the cable over which the collation code was received with the data stored in the second identification circuit and to provide a second output indicative of the comparison.
A method of determining cable connection integrity in a data communications apparatus comprising a first communication device including a first interface unit connected to a first end of one of a plurality of cables, and a plurality of second communication devices, each including a second interface unit respectively connected to a second end of one of the cables, comprising:
- transmitting a unique one of a plurality of first collation codes from the first communication device respectively to each of the cables;
- storing, in a first identification circuit at each of the second communication devices, data identifying the one of the first collation codes uniquely associated with the cable to which that second communication device is connected;
- performing a first comparison, at each of the second communication devices, of a collation code received over the connected cable from the first communication device, with the collation identifying data stored in the first identification circuit;
- providing a first output indicative of the first comparison;
- transmitting one of a plurality of second collation codes from each of the second communication devices to the cable connected thereto, each of the second collation codes being uniquely associated with the second communication unit by which it is transmitted;
- storing, in a second identification circuit at the first communication device, collation data that associates each of the second collation codes with the cable to which the respective second communication device is connected,
- performing a second comparison at the first communication device, of a received second collation code and the identification of the cable over which the collation code was received with the data stored in the second identification circuit;
- and
- providing a second output indicative of the second comparison.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.