System for detecting a fault in a communication system

• US 10,291,334 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• 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): Nguyen, Khai M
• Application Number:
  US15/342,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20180123706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/10 Radiation diagrams of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/103 Reflected power, e.g. return loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic

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 messages from the second system, where each of the plurality of returned messages includes information associated with a signal test performed by the second system and at least one of the plurality of other systems, where the signal test comprises a comparison of a retransmission of the source test signal and an expected signal profile of the source test signal, and determining from the plurality of returned messages whether any one of the plurality of other systems is experiencing a degradation in transmission signal quality. 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 sequential retransmissions 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 returned message, wherein the returned message includes frequency domain comparison information associated with a signal test, and wherein the signal test comprises a comparison in a frequency domain of a given retransmission of the sequential retransmissions of the source wireless test signal and an expected signal profile of the source wireless test signal; and

determining, by the first antenna system, from the frequency domain comparison information of the returned message whether any one of the plurality of other antenna systems is experiencing an operational fault.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to the determining, identifying a third antenna system of the plurality of other antenna systems experiencing the operational fault.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifying the third antenna system comprises detecting that the given retransmission of the source wireless test signal by the third antenna system does not compare favorably to the expected signal profile.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifying the third antenna system comprises receiving an alert message from a fourth antenna system that performs the signal test while in communication with the third antenna system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the fourth antenna system detects a communication failure at the third antenna system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein responsive to the detecting the communication failure, the fourth antenna system transmits an adjusted wireless signal that bypasses the third antenna system and is directed to the second antenna system, the adjusted wireless signal including the returned message.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating, by the first antenna system, an alert associated with the operational fault identified at the third antenna system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the returned message comprises a wireless returned message obtained from a control channel used by the distributed antenna system.

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, the operations comprising;

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

receiving a returned message, wherein the returned message includes frequency domain comparison information associated with a signal test, and wherein the signal test comprises a comparison in a frequency domain of a given retransmission of the sequential retransmissions of the source test signal and an expected signal profile of the source test signal; and

determining from the frequency domain comparison information of the returned message whether any one of the plurality of other systems is experiencing an operational fault.

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 plurality of other 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 returned message comprises a returned wireless message.

13. The first system of claim 10, wherein the distributed communication system comprises a distributed waveguide communication system, and wherein the first system, the second system, and the plurality of other systems comprise a waveguide device for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves that propagate along a transmission medium.

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

15. The first system of claim 13, wherein the returned message is embedded in an electromagnetic wave that propagates along the transmission medium.

16. The first system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to the determining, identifying a third system of the plurality of other systems experiencing the operational fault.

17. The first system of claim 16, wherein the identifying the third system comprises detecting that the given retransmission of the source test signal by the third system does not compare favorably to the expected signal profile.

18. The first system of claim 16, wherein the identifying the third system comprises receiving an alert message from a fourth system that performs the signal test while in communication with the third system.

19. A first system, comprising:

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

means for receiving a returned message from the distributed communication system, wherein the returned message includes frequency domain comparison information associated with a signal test, and wherein the signal test comprises a comparison in a frequency domain of a given retransmission of the retransmissions of the source test signal and an expected signal profile of the source test signal; and

means for determining from the frequency domain comparison information of the returned message whether any one of the second system and the plurality of other systems is experiencing a degradation in transmission signal quality.

20. The first system of claim 19, wherein the source test signal comprises a wireless source test signal, a source electromagnetic wave test signal that propagates along a transmission medium, or a combination thereof, and wherein the returned message comprises a returned wireless message, an electromagnetic wave that conveys the returned message, or a combination thereof.