Reverse-direction tap (RDT), remote diagnostic management tool (RDMT), and analyses using the RDT and the RDMT

• US 10,367,580 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Holland Electronics LLC (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Moran, III, John L., Fang, Liming, Chen, Jim, Zhang, Li, Zhang, Xiaolong, Moerder, Karl E., Morrissette, Marc L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Michael H
• Application Number:
  US15/042,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20160241334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/0773 Network aspects, e.g. central monitoring of transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/0775 Performance monitoring and measurement of transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12

Abstract

A coaxial cable tap comprises a housing, and a faceplate coupled to the housing. The faceplate comprises a first directional tap port, and a diagnostic reverse (DR) port configured to receive a first upstream signal originating downstream from the coaxial cable tap, and inject a downstream test signal in a downstream direction. A hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network comprises a headend, a first amplifier coupled to the headend, and a tap coupled to the first amplifier, configured to couple to a plurality of cable modems (CMs), and comprising a diagnostic forward (DF) port configured to receive a downstream signal originating from the first amplifier, and inject an upstream test signal in an upstream direction for reception at the headend.

Claims

1. A hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network comprising:

a headend;

a first amplifier coupled to the headend;

a second amplifier; and

a tap coupled to the first amplifier and the second amplifier so that the first amplifier is positioned between the headend and the tap and the tap is positioned between the first amplifier and the second amplifier, the tap is configured to couple to a plurality of cable modems (CMs), and the tap comprises;

a diagnostic forward (DF) port configured to;

receive a downstream signal from the first amplifier, and

inject an upstream test signal in an upstream direction for analysis at the headend of a first fault occurring upstream from the tap; and

a diagnostic reverse (DR) port configured to;

receive an upstream signal from the second amplifier, and

inject a downstream test signal in a downstream direction for analysis at one of the CMs of a second fault occurring downstream from the tap.

2. The HFC network of claim 1, further comprising an input line coupled to the first amplifier and the tap.

3. The HFC network of claim 1, further comprising an output line coupled to the tap and the second amplifier.

4. The HFC network of claim 1, wherein the tap is an immobile fixture of the HFC network.

5. The HFC network of claim 1, wherein the DF port is further configured to further receive the downstream signal without passing the downstream signal to the CMs, and wherein the DR port is further configured to further receive the upstream signal without passing the upstream signal to the headend.

13. The HFC network of claim 2, wherein the tap further comprises:

an input port coupled to the input line;

a first directional coupler (DC) coupled to the input port;

a proactive network management (PNM) interconnect coupled to the first DC;

a second DC coupled to the PNM interconnect; and

a third DC coupled to the second DC.

14. The HFC network of claim 3, wherein the tap further comprises:

a first directional coupler (DC) coupled to the DR port;

a second DC coupled to the first DC; and

an output port coupled to the second DC and the output line.

6. A remote diagnostic management tool (RDMT) comprising:

a Proactive Network Management (PNM) headend module configured to;

couple to a diagnostic reverse (DR) port of a reverse-direction tap (RDT) located remote from a headend,

provide diagnostic and testing functionality,

monitor, capture, and analyze upstream signals originating downstream from the RDT and via the DR port,

inject downstream test signals into the DR port, and

measure local noise at the RDT; and

a PNM cable modem (CM) module coupled to the PNM headend module and configured to;

couple to a diagnostic forward (DF) port of the RDT,

provide diagnostic and testing functionality,

monitor, capture, and analyze downstream signals originating upstream from the RDT and via the DF port,

perform timing and mapping for the headend, and

inject upstream test signals into the DF port.

7. The RDMT of claim 6, wherein the PNM CM module is further configured to:

receive analysis commands from the headend;

forward the analysis commands to the PNM headend module;

receive analyses from the PNM headend module; and

forward the analyses to the headend.

8. The RDMT of claim 6, wherein the headend is a cable modem termination system (CMTS).

9. A method implemented in a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network, the method comprising:

receiving a first signal from a first reverse-direction tap (RDT);

analyzing the first signal with a first remote diagnostic management tool (RDMT) located remote from a headend at a first location, the first signal is a first upstream signal received via a first diagnostic reverse (DR) tap of the first RDT and a first Proactive Network Management (PNM) headend module of the first RDMT;

receiving a second signal from a second RDT located downstream from the first RDT;

analyzing the second signal with a second RDMT located remote from the headend at a second location, the second signal is a second upstream signal received via a second DR tap of the second RDT and a second PNM headend module of the second RDMT;

comparing the first signal to the second signal; and

determining, based on the comparing, a third location of a faulty component in the HFC network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first signal comprises a non-linearity, wherein the second signal does not comprise a non-linearity, and wherein the determining comprises ascertaining that the third location is between the first RDT and the second RDT.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first RDT and the second RDT are remote from the headend.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining further comprises further ascertaining that the third location is associated with an amplifier or a corroded connector that is non-linear.