Nonlinear device detection

• US 20050041753A1
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aware Incorporated (Crowley Holdings Preferred LLC)
• Inventors: Cunningham, Christopher C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,580,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/285
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/74 with means for reducing interference; with means for reducing effects due to line faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/057 distortion monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2209 for lines also used for data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/30 for subscriber's lines , for the local loop

Abstract

Data is collected and interpreted in response to one or more transmitted signals to determine if an interfering device is present. If an interfering device is present, a message is generated and presented to a user indicating, for example, that the installation of a micro-filter is appropriate. The system can then determine if the micro-filter was installed properly and, for example, commence communication or, if the micro-filter(s) did not solve the problem, initiate communication with or contact a technician.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a device that interferes with communication signals comprising:

transmitting a device detection signal at a frequency S;

measuring a received signal at frequencies that are multiples of the transmitted frequency S; and

detecting the presence of one or more devices that interfere with the communication signals.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising informing a user that one or more devices that interfere with communications have been detected.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising instructing the user to install one or more microfilters.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting additional signals concurrently and one or more of measuring received signals at frequencies that are multiples of the transmitted frequencies and at frequencies that are sums and differences of multiples of the transmitted frequencies.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising waiting for a transmitting modem to go quiet.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring background noise on a communications channel; and

comparing the received signal to one or more predetermined thresholds.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the device detection signal is a sinusoid.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more devices are telephones, answering machines, fax machines, home security systems, cable TV set-top boxes, satellite TV set-top boxes and other modems.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting raw data corresponding to the measured received signal to an interpreter.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if background noise is higher than a harmonic.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if harmonic power is higher than one or more predetermined thresholds.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a message to a user with corrective action instructions.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a multicarrier modem.

14. A system configured to detect a device that interferes with communication signals comprising:

a transmitter adapted to transmit a device detection signal at a frequency S;

a signal analysis module adapted to measure a received signal at frequencies that are multiples of the transmitted frequency S; and

an interpretation module adapted to detect the presence of one or more devices that interfere with the communication signals.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a user interface module adapted to inform a user that one or more devices that interfere with communications have been detected.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the user interface module instructs the user to install one or more microfilters.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the transmitter further transmits additional signals concurrently and a receiver in cooperation with the signal analysis module are adapted to one or more of measure received signals at frequencies that are multiples of the transmitted frequencies and measure received signals that are at frequencies that are sums and differences of multiples of the transmitted frequencies.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the transmitter is further adapted to wait for a transmitting modem to go quiet.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising a noise measurement module adapted to measure background noise on a communications channel.

20. The system claim 14, wherein the device detection signal is a sinusoid.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more devices are telephones, answering machines, fax machines, home security systems, cable TV set-top boxes, satellite TV set-top boxes and other modems.

22. The system of claim 14, further comprising a raw data collection module adapted to collect and transmit raw data corresponding to the measured received signal to one or more remote interpretation modules.

23. The system of claim 14, further comprising a noise measurement module adapted to determine if background noise is higher than a harmonic.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the signal analysis module is further adapted to determine if harmonic power is higher than one or more predetermined thresholds.

25. The system of claim 14, further comprising a user interface module adapted to generate a message to a user with corrective action instructions.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the system is associated with a multicarrier modem.

27. A communications device capable of detecting at least one nonlinear device and generating a message in response thereto.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the communications device is a modem.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein the communications device is a multicarrier modem.

30. A means for detecting a device that interferes with communication signals comprising:

means for transmitting a device detection signal at a frequency S;

means for measuring a received signal at frequencies that are multiples of the transmitted frequency S; and

means for detecting the presence of one or more devices that interfere with the communication signals.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising means for informing a user that one or more devices that interfere with communications have been detected.

32. The system method of claim 30, further comprising means for instructing the user to install one or more microfilters.

33. The system of claim 30, further comprising means for transmitting additional signals concurrently and one or more of measuring received signals at frequencies that are multiples of the transmitted frequencies and at frequencies that are sums and differences of multiples of the transmitted frequencies.

34. The system of claim 30, further comprising means for waiting for a transmitting modem to go quiet.

35. The system of claim 30, further comprising means for measuring background noise on a communications channel.

36. The system of claim 30, wherein the device detection signal is a sinusoid.

37. The system of claim 30, wherein the one or more devices are telephones, answering machines, fax machines, home security systems, cable TV set-top boxes, satellite TV set-top boxes and other modems.

38. The system of claim 30, further comprising means for transmitting raw data corresponding to the measured received signal to an interpreter.

39. The system of claim 30, further comprising means for determining if background noise is higher than a harmonic.

40. The system of claim 30, further comprising means for determining if harmonic power is higher than one or more predetermined thresholds.

41. The system of claim 30, further comprising means for generating a message to a user with corrective action instructions.

42. The system of claim 30, wherein the method is performed by a multicarrier modem.

43. In a multicarrier modulation transceiver, a method of detecting an interfering device comprising:

transmitting at least one tone at a first subcarrier index S_IDD;

measuring a received signal of at least one received tone at a second subcarrier index that is multiple of the first subcarrier index S_IDD; and

determining whether an interfering device requires a microfilter.

44. A multicarrier modulation transceiver configured to transmit at least one tone at a first subcarrier index S_IDD and to measure a received signal of at least one received tone at a second subcarrier index that is multiple of the first subcarrier index S_IDD in order to determine that an interfering device requires a microfilter.