Method of detecting remote ground condition
First Claim
1. A method for determining at a central office site, whether or not a remote span-powered telecommunication unit is properly grounded comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing, at said remote span-powered telecommunication unit, a controlled conduction path that is operative to selectively couple circuitry of said remote span-powered telecommunication unit to earth ground;
(b) from said central office site, selectively applying said controlled conduction path and monitoring said span for the occurrence of a ground fault;
(c) in response to detecting a ground fault as a result of application of said controlled conduction path, generating an output indicating that said remote span-powered telecommunication unit is properly grounded.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Whether or not protection circuitry for a span-powered remote digital subscriber loop unit is properly connected to earth ground is determined by the deliberate assertion and detection of a ground fault from a central office line card location. The span-powered remote unit is augmented to place a controllable conduction path in circuit with the span-powered loop and an earth ground pin. If the earth ground pin has been properly connected to earth ground, applying the conductive path will place a ground fault on the span, which is detected by a ground fault detector within the central office line card. If the ground fault detector does not detect a ground fault in response to the application of the conductive path, the line card forwards a negative ground fault event message to a test center, so that a service technician may be dispatched to the remote unit to correct the problem.
22 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method for determining at a central office site, whether or not a remote span-powered telecommunication unit is properly grounded comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing, at said remote span-powered telecommunication unit, a controlled conduction path that is operative to selectively couple circuitry of said remote span-powered telecommunication unit to earth ground;
(b) from said central office site, selectively applying said controlled conduction path and monitoring said span for the occurrence of a ground fault;
(c) in response to detecting a ground fault as a result of application of said controlled conduction path, generating an output indicating that said remote span-powered telecommunication unit is properly grounded. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for determining at a central office site, whether or not a span-powered remote telecommunication unit is properly grounded comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting a message from said central office to said remote telecommunication unit, said message causing said remote telecommunication unit to assert a ground fault on said span if said remote telecommunication is properly grounded, but to fail to assert a ground fault on said span if said remote telecommunication is not properly grounded;
(b) in response to detecting a ground fault as a result of transmission of said message to said remote telecommunication unit, generating an output indicating that said remote span-powered telecommunication unit is properly grounded, but in response to failing to detect a ground fault as a result of transmission of said message to said remote telecommunication unit, generating an output indicating that said remote span-powered telecommunication unit is not properly grounded. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. A system for determining whether or not a span-powered remote telecommunication unit is properly grounded comprising:
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at said span-powered remote telecommunication unit, a conduction path which is controllably operative to couple circuitry of said span-powered remote telecommunication unit to a ground termination thereof; and
at a central office site, an embedded control system which is operative to transmit a message via an embedded operations channel to cause said remote telecommunication unit to selectively apply said conduction path, and a ground fault detector which is operative to monitor said span for the occurrence of a ground fault and, in response to detecting a ground fault as a result of applying said conductive path, to generate an output indicating that said span-powered remote telecommunication unit has a ground connection. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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Specification