Patents Assigned to Spirent Communications
  • Patent number: 11960001
    Abstract: The disclosed technology teaches testing an autonomous vehicle: shielding a GNSS receiving antenna of the vehicle from ambient GNSS signals while the vehicle is under test and supplanting the ambient GNSS signals with simulated GNSS signals. Testing includes using a GNSS signal generating system: receiving the ambient GNSS signals using an antenna of the system and determining a location and acceleration of the vehicle from the GNSS signals, accessing a model of an augmented environment that includes multi-pathing and obscuration of the GNSS signals along a test path, based on the determined location—generating the simulated GNSS signals to feed to the vehicle, in real time—simulating at least one constellation of GNSS satellite sources modified according to the augmented environment, based on the determined location, and feeding the simulated signals to a receiver in the vehicle, thereby supplanting ambient GNSS as the autonomous vehicle travels along the test path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, plc
    Inventors: Colin Richard Ford, Mark Geoffrey Holbrow, Steve Hickling, Mark Hunter, Guy Buesnel, Neil Bennett, Daniel Martin
  • Publication number: 20240103181
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of providing DOP forecasts for LEO navigation for routing of vehicles, aircraft, alerting humans in vehicles, or wireless devices, and bandwidth forecasts for LEO communications. The method includes accessing a 3D map of an area including structure solids and generating cuboids in spaces not contained in the structure solids; and iteratively over time increments, calculating LEO satellites visible from the cuboids using the map and, using at least the calculated visibility, determining forecasts for the cuboids at the time increments. Also included is compressing the determined forecast spatially and temporally; and distributing the compressed DOP forecast via a CDN, responsive to queries from requestors. Systems of the requestors can take into account the forecast for routing vehicles or alerting humans in vehicles to a predicted navigation impairment. Risk analysis is applied to improving computation and distribution of forecasts. Forecasts are applied to satellite deployment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Spirent Communications Plc
    Inventors: Jeremy C. BENNINGTON, Paul HANSEN, Esther ANYAEGBU, Samuel NARDONI, Matthew POTTLE
  • Publication number: 20240094402
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of providing DOP forecasts for LEO navigation for routing of vehicles, aircraft, alerting humans in vehicles, or wireless devices, and bandwidth forecasts for LEO communications. The method includes accessing a 3D map of an area including structure solids and generating cuboids in spaces not contained in the structure solids; and iteratively over time increments, calculating LEO satellites visible from the cuboids using the map and, using at least the calculated visibility, determining forecasts for the cuboids at the time increments. Also included is compressing the determined forecast spatially and temporally; and distributing the compressed DOP forecast via a CDN, responsive to queries from requestors. Systems of the requestors can take into account the forecast for routing vehicles or alerting humans in vehicles to a predicted navigation impairment. Risk analysis is applied to improving computation and distribution of forecasts. Forecasts are applied to satellite deployment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Spirent Communications Plc
    Inventors: Jeremy C. BENNINGTON, Paul HANSEN, Esther ANYAEGBU, Samuel NARDONI, Matthew POTTLE
  • Publication number: 20240014909
    Abstract: The technology includes a method, computer medium, and system for remote testing over-the-air (OTA) audio quality using a test platform positioned at core network, the test platform comprising first and second cellular handsets and bridging logic that interconnects, controls, and bridges the first and second cellular handsets. The method includes triggering the bridging logic. The bridging logic initiates a first call over the first cellular handset to a tester, and initiates a second call over the second cellular handset to a destination, wherein the second call is initiated over-the-air. The bridging logic and the first and second cellular handsets are positioned in a location that causes routing by a cellular network of the first call over a segment under test. The bridging logic bridging audio between the first and the second calls, including relaying audio. The tester determines that the second call was established based on the relayed audio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2023
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikhail BEYLIN, Ronald ROYER, Dat PHAN, Ehab BAHJAT, In SEO
  • Publication number: 20240015535
    Abstract: The disclosed technology teaches testing voice connection routing over 911 circuits as if voice calls originated from an E911 device in coverage areas of cell tower locations, without requiring a physical presence of the E911 device in each coverage area. A remote test agent audio bridge and tester originates a first call to a test user with a first phone number, creates a media bridge, emulates an E911-compliant mobile device to originate a second call to a 911 operator, relays audio over the media bridge as a verbal exchange between the first and the second calls, and logs an evaluation of the verbal exchange. The emulation includes spoofing a call origination from an origination location being tested, the spoofed origination location being within coverage of an originating cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2022
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikhail BEYLIN, Ronald ROYER, Dat PHAN, Ehab BAHJAT, In SEO
  • Publication number: 20240015245
    Abstract: The technology includes a method, computer medium, and system for testing transport audio quality irrespective of tester location. The technology involves a virtual test agent (VTA) selecting a Mobility Management Engine (MME) for routing a second call through a Serving Gateway (SGW) assigned by the MME for audio communication with a tester terminus over a transport segment under test, so a tester can evaluate audio quality over the transport segment under test. The VTA makes a first call to a tester appliance, and makes a second call, over the transport segment under test, to the tester terminus by signaling the MME. The VTA bridges the first and second calls by relaying audio during a test of subjective audio quality, whereby the bridging assures that the relayed audio in the second call continues to be relayed over the transport segment under test and not re-routed by core network components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2023
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikhail BEYLIN, Ronald ROYER, Dat PHAN, Ehab BAHJAT, In SEO
  • Publication number: 20240015536
    Abstract: The technology includes a method, computer medium, and system for testing audio quality of a transport segment between two core networks. A first virtual test agent (VTA) selects a Mobility Management Engine (MME) corresponding to an eNodeB served by a first core network for routing a second call, through a Serving Gateway (SGW) assigned by the MME for audio communication with a tester terminus. The second call is made from the first VTA to a second VTA at a second core network over a transport-segment-under-test that connects the first and second core networks, So that a tester can evaluate audio quality over the transport-segment-under-test. The first VTA makes a first call to a tester appliance, makes a second call, over the transport-segment-under-test, to the second VTA implementing audio evaluation, by signaling the MME, and bridges the first and second calls by relaying audio during a test of subjective audio quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2023
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikhail BEYLIN, Ronald ROYER, Dat PHAN, Ehab BAHJAT, In SEO
  • Patent number: 11868360
    Abstract: The technology disclosed relates to a method for storing and time-correlating real-time and queryable test results of a test of a device under test (DUT). The method includes initiating the test applied to the DUT to collect real-time data from a multitude of data streams for multiple aspects of the DUT, the collected data including counters and fact-type values, the collected data having imperfectly synchronized time bases and the collected data being collected from different sources asynchronously at different times, specifying a recording time interval for recording the data collected among multiple databases, recording data according to the specified recording time interval, such that each piece of the recorded data is associated with a particular time interval, and at a conclusion of the test, correlating the recorded data with the test configuration data about a test state in the respective time intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: David Joyner, Rahul Patel
  • Patent number: 11863420
    Abstract: A testing method is provided for diagnosing faults in a multimedia over coax alliance (MoCA) local area network (LAN) including a WiFi segment. The method including, responsive to selection of a test sequence that includes testing of the WiFi segment, causing display of instructional images that depict how an operator couples the test hardware to a wireless component, invoking the test hardware to perform a test by automatically selecting, in dependence upon a problem generically identified by a user, a test and invoking the test, and automatically evaluating results returned by the test, without user interpretation of the results returned, to determine at least one of (i) whether to report a recommendation to replace/repair an identified component, and (ii) whether to (a) repeat the causing display of instructional images, (b) invoke the test hardware to perform an additional test and (c) automatically evaluate results returned by the additional test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Grinkemeyer, David Dailey
  • Publication number: 20230409456
    Abstract: A method of a test controller controlling a test platform to run test applications is provided, wherein an authenticated connection exists between the test platform and a phone home service through which secure tunnel information for the test controller has been obtained. The method including the test controller (i) transmitting an instruction to the test platform over an initiated first secure tunnel between the test platform and the test controller, and (ii) controlling the test platform to perform a requested test using the test application using an established second secure tunnel between (a) the test platform and (b) the test controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: David Dailey, Kevin Myers, Daniel Abarbanel, Douglas Grinkemeyer
  • Patent number: 11843535
    Abstract: The disclosed technology teaches testing a mesh network using new service application level KPIs that extend the TWAMP measurement architecture. A control-client receives and parses a configuration file to populate memory with IP addresses, ports, and test session parameters for disclosed KPIs used to originate two-way test sessions from a first network host; with control-servers and session-reflectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Jyotikumar U. Menon
  • Publication number: 20230388211
    Abstract: The disclosed technology teaches systems and methods for high fidelity emulation of a Wi-Fi environment for testing with three or more transmitters set to differing output signal strengths. The disclosed method includes using a PCAP file of captured packets from multiple stations with respective source addresses, RF bands, and channels within bands. The captured packets record metadata containing, at least, signal strength and time stamps. The method further includes analyzing the PCAP file to determine pairs of source addresses and channels, evaluating the pairs for signal strength, and allocating the pairs to three or more transmitters based on grouping by at least the channels and the evaluated signal strengths, and using the time stamps on the captured packets, replaying with synchronization over the transmitters at the set output signal strengths. The PCAP file can include packets from multiple protocols, and time-varying pairs with varying signal strength overtime.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael HALEY, David Theodore MOZZONI, II, Fanny MLINARSKY
  • Publication number: 20230379551
    Abstract: The technology disclosed teaches a method of testing performance of a device-under-test during cloud gaming over a live cellular network. The method comprises instrumenting the device-under-test with at least one instrument app that interacts with a browser on the device-under-test and captures performance metrics from gaming network traffic. The browser and the instrument app can be invoked using a test controller separated from the device-under-test, causing the browser to connect to a gaming simulation over the live cellular network. A segmented gaming image stream is transmitted to the browser, with segmented playing at varying bit rates and image complexity while the instrument app causes the browser to transmit artificial gameplay events to a gaming simulation test server. Performance metrics from the gaming network traffic are captured, as well as gaming images rendered by the browser during the segmented gaming image stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Mithun ASHWATHAPPA, Michael COLLIGAN
  • Patent number: 11824740
    Abstract: The technology disclosed provides a method of testing handling of HTTPS sessions of a plurality of clients with a plurality of servers by a switching, bridging or routing device (i.e., a DUT), where the testing is conducted by a test system coupled to ports on the DUT. The method includes using client state machines running on at least four processor cores, communicating through the DUT with server state machines running on at least four additional processor cores. The method also includes, for each connection between a client represented by a client state machine and a server represented by a server state machine, setting up an HTTPS session by negotiating an encryption protocol and completing an HTTPS handshake. Further, the method includes following the setup of between 100,000 HTTPS sessions and 10,000,000 HTTPS sessions, conducting a stress test including combining payload data and header information without using the negotiated encryption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Canady, Richard Wank, Xiaohua Wu, Chunsheng Li
  • Publication number: 20230350072
    Abstract: Disclosed is incorporating an IQ stream into a test signal for a receiver in motion, configuring a path for the motion of the receiver during simulation, a period of the simulation, a transmitter constellation to emulate, and a path of at least one IQ stream transmitter. Also generating signals emulating the transmitter constellation and conditioning the stream to be merged with the signals, using distance and relative motion between receiver and transmitter to determine delay and Doppler shift between transmitter and receiver in motion, scheduling sampling of the signal, including interpolation among samples of the stream, based on delay and Doppler shift, and synthesizing a conditioned stream from the interpolation between the samples, taking into account signal level of the stream, in addition to delay and shift, and merging the conditioned signal with the signals emulating the transmitter constellation and supplying the merged signals to the receiver during the test.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2022
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, PLC
    Inventors: Felix Michael KREFFT, Stephen Nigel BEALES, Mark Geoffrey HOLBROW
  • Publication number: 20230350076
    Abstract: The disclosed technology for preparing digital samples for synthesis of RF to simulate channels and GNSS satellites using GPUs includes receiving simulated position and velocity of an antenna, dividing the cycle into points to be converted into the synthesized signal, and computing the points. A first LUT includes pseudo random sequences combinable to produce a code that varies over time for encoding the channel, and a second LUT specifies linear combinations of the pseudo random sequences in the first LUT that produce channel codes to produce the digital sample points. Also included is using GPUs to generate the channel code for a point by mapping the channel code and time position, combining the code with data to be encoded, repeatedly applying the using and combining to produce points, using multiple GPU cores to encode sample points concurrently in the cycle, and sending an ordered sequence of points to a converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2022
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: Spirent Communications PLC
    Inventors: Felix Michael Krefft, Andrew Charles Baker, Rafal Waclaw Zbikowski, Mark Geoffrey Holbrow
  • Patent number: 11802972
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of enhancing RTK position resolution using an RTK-enabled GNSS positioning receiver, including receiving an RTK base station signal for differential position calculation, and receiving a forecast assured navigation signal that includes data identifying line-of-sight availability of satellites generating GNSS signals at a position of the GNSS positioning receiver. Also included is excluding from, or reducing the weighting of, GNSS position calculation satellites not identified as line-of-sight available in the forecast assured navigation signal, and computing the GNSS position calculation combining the knowledge of line of sight, or not line of sight, satellites with the RTK base station signal to perform the differential position calculation and to determine an improved calculated position of the GNSS positioning receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Spirent Communications PLC
    Inventors: Paul Hansen, Esther Anyaegbu, Jeremy Charles Bennington
  • Publication number: 20230344738
    Abstract: A method for determining whether clock skew may exist between a sending node and a remote node during two-way network testing (using protocols such as TWAMP), and a computational method for revising measured latency data to compensate for clock differences. The method for compensating for clock skew comprises monitoring the network latency between two nodes during a defined time interval. When clock skew is detected, a flag is set, and, after the time interval has completed, clock skew S is estimated using the minimum latency values for the interval. The recorded latency values for the interval are then revised using the calculated clock skew S, and one-way latency results reported. The improved accuracy can be achieved with only on a few computations after the data have been collected. This a posteriori approach saves on computational resources, which can be at a premium for network testing equipment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2023
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy John DELLINGER, Joel Padulles Pubill
  • Publication number: 20230333260
    Abstract: The technology disclosed teaches a method of improving accuracy of a GNSS receiver that has a non-directional antenna, with the receiver sending CDN a request for predictive data for an area that includes the receiver. Responsive to the query, the method includes receiving data regarding LOS visibility for the receiver with respect to individual satellites, and the receiver using the data for satellite selection, for choosing some and ignoring other individual satellites. Also disclosed is using the data to exclude from satellite selection at least one individual satellite based on lack of LOS visibility to the individual satellite. Further disclosed is recognizing and rejecting spoofed GNSS signals received by a GNSS receiver that has a non-directional antenna, in response to a CDN response to a request for predictive data for an area that includes the receiver, with the receiver comparing the data with measures of signals received from individual satellites.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicant: Spirent Communications PLC
    Inventors: Jeremy Charles Bennington, Raphael Grech, Dennis Berres, Rafal Zbikowski, Colin Richard Ford, Richard West, Paul Hansen, Arthur Edward Neeves, Esther Anyaegbu, Adam Gleave, Ronald Toh Ming Wong
  • Patent number: 11789161
    Abstract: The technology disclosed teaches a method of improving accuracy of a GNSS receiver that has a non-directional antenna, with the receiver sending CDN a request for predictive data for an area that includes the receiver. Responsive to the query, the method includes receiving data regarding LOS visibility for the receiver with respect to individual satellites, and the receiver using the data for satellite selection, for choosing some and ignoring other individual satellites. Also disclosed is using the data to exclude from satellite selection at least one individual satellite based on lack of LOS visibility to the individual satellite. Further disclosed is recognizing and rejecting spoofed GNSS signals received by a GNSS receiver that has a non-directional antenna, in response to a CDN response to a request for predictive data for an area that includes the receiver, with the receiver comparing the data with measures of signals received from individual satellites.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Spirent Communications PLC
    Inventors: Jeremy Charles Bennington, Raphael Grech, Dennis Berres, Rafal Zbikowski, Colin Richard Ford, Richard West, Paul Hansen, Arthur Edward Neeves, Esther Anyaegbu, Adam Gleave, Ronald Toh Ming Wong