Method and apparatus for detecting a fault in a communication system

• US 10,225,025 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Henry, Paul Shala, Gerszberg, Irwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen T
• Application Number:
  US15/342,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20180123705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/102 Power radiated at antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0695 the faulty arrangement being the maintenance, administration or management system

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a system for transmitting a source test signal directed to a second system of a distributed communication system for a retransmission of the source test signal by the second system and a plurality of other systems of the distributed communication system, receiving a plurality of returned test signals from the second system, wherein the plurality of returned test signals corresponds to a retransmission of the source test signal by at least one of the plurality of other systems, and determining from the plurality of returned test signals whether any one of the plurality of other systems is experiencing an operational fault based on an expected round trip delay for each of the plurality of returned test signals. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a first antenna system of a distributed antenna system, a source wireless test signal directed to a second antenna system of the distributed antenna system for a sequential downstream retransmission of the source wireless test signal by the second antenna system and a plurality of other antenna systems of the distributed antenna system;

receiving, by the first antenna system, a plurality of returned wireless test signals from the second antenna system, wherein the plurality of returned wireless test signals corresponds to a sequential upstream retransmission of the source wireless test signal by the second antenna system and at least one of the plurality of other antenna systems;

based on an expected roundtrip delay of each of the plurality of returned wireless test signals, determining, by the first antenna system, from the plurality of returned wireless test signals whether any one of the plurality of other antenna systems is experiencing an operational fault; and

responsive to the determining, identifying, by the first antenna system, a third antenna system of the plurality of other antenna systems experiencing the operational fault,

wherein the identifying of the third antenna system comprises receiving, by the first antenna system, an alert message from a fourth antenna system of the plurality of other antenna systems that detects the operational fault at the third antenna system,

wherein the fourth antenna system detects the operational fault at the third antenna system by performing an analysis of a returned wireless test signal included in the plurality of returned wireless test signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth antenna system detects the operational fault at the third antenna system based on a communication failure between the third antenna system and the fourth antenna system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein responsive to detecting the communication failure, the fourth antenna system transmits an adjusted wireless signal that bypasses the third antenna system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the adjusted wireless signal includes the alert message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjusted wireless signal is directed to a fifth antenna system of the plurality of other antenna systems.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the adjusted wireless signal has a higher power level than a wireless signal transmitted by the fourth antenna system to the third antenna system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the adjusted wireless signal differs from the wireless signal in terms of at least one of frequency, phase, data rate, or error protection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis of the returned wireless test signal included in the plurality of returned wireless test signals includes a determination that the returned wireless test signal is less than a threshold in terms of at least one of a signal strength, a signal to noise ratio, a signal to noise and interference ratio, a data error rate, a packet loss rate, or a retransmission rate.

9. A first system, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

transmitting a source test signal directed to a second system of a distributed communication system for a sequential downstream retransmission of the source test signal by the second system and a plurality of other systems of the distributed communication system;

receiving a plurality of returned test signals from the second system, wherein the plurality of returned test signals corresponds to a sequential upstream retransmission of the source test signal by the second system and at least one of the plurality of other systems;

based on an expected roundtrip delay of the plurality of returned test signals, determining from the plurality of returned test signals whether any one of the plurality of other systems is experiencing an operational fault; and

responsive to the determining, identifying a third system of the plurality of other systems of the distributed communication system experiencing the operational fault,

wherein the identifying of the third system comprises receiving an alert message from a fourth system of the plurality of other systems of the distributed communication system that detects the operational fault at the third system, and

wherein the fourth system detects the operational fault at the third system by performing an analysis of a returned test signal included in the plurality of returned test signals.

10. The first system of claim 9, wherein the distributed communication system comprises a distributed antenna system, and wherein the first system, the second system, and the other plurality of systems comprise an antenna system for transmitting and receiving wireless signals.

11. The first system of claim 10, wherein the source test signal comprises a source wireless test signal.

12. The first system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of returned test signals comprises a plurality of returned wireless test signals.

13. The first system of claim 10, wherein the distributed communication system comprises a distributed waveguide communication system.

14. The first system of claim 13, wherein the source test signal comprises a source electromagnetic wave test signal that propagates along an outer surface of a transmission medium.

15. The first system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of returned test signals comprises a plurality of returned electromagnetic wave test signals that propagates along an outer surface of a transmission medium.

16. The first system of claim 13, wherein the first system, the second system, and the other plurality of systems comprise a waveguide device for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves that propagate along an outer surface of a transmission medium.

17. The first system of claim 9, wherein the operations comprise:

responsive to the identifying of the third system of the plurality of other systems of the distributed communication system experiencing the operational fault, causing an adjustment to a wireless transmission to bypass the third system.

18. A first system, comprising:

means for transmitting a source test signal directed to a second system of a distributed communication system for a retransmission of the source test signal by the second system and a plurality of other systems of the distributed communication system;

means for receiving a plurality of returned test signals from the distributed communication system, wherein the plurality of returned test signals corresponds to a retransmission of the source test signal by at least one of the second system and the plurality of other systems; and

means for determining from the plurality of returned test signals whether any one of the second system and the plurality of other systems is experiencing an operational fault based on an expected round trip delay for each of the plurality of returned test signals; and

means for identifying a third system of the plurality of other systems of the distributed communication system experiencing the operational fault,

wherein the means for identifying a third system comprises means for receiving an alert message from a fourth system of the plurality of other systems of the distributed communication system that detects the operational fault at the third system, and

wherein the means for identifying a third system includes means for performing an analysis of a returned test signal included in the plurality of returned test signals.

19. The first system of claim 18, wherein the source test signal comprises a wireless source test signal, a source electromagnetic wave test signal that propagates on an outer surface of a transmission medium, or a combination of the wireless source test signal and the source electromagnetic wave test signal.

20. The first system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of returned test signals comprises a plurality of returned wireless test signals, a plurality of returned electromagnetic wave test signals that propagates along the outer surface of the transmission medium, or a combination of the plurality of returned wireless test signals and the plurality of returned electromagnetic wave test signals.