System and method for locating faults in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network

• US 20070019557A1
• Filed: 07/21/2005
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: McCaffrey, Ennis, Saunders, Scott, Catter, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,252 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A fault location system (FLS) for a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network. The FLS comprises an interactive map, a datastore, an object generator, and a display server. The datastore receives identifying information and status information of customer premises equipment (CPE) units connected to the HFC cable network. The object generator associates the identifying information and the status of CPE units with an object and further associates graphical attributes with the object. The display server graphically displays the object on the interactive map at location coordinates indicative of the street address, and graphically displays the object according to its graphical attributes. When used with a processor, the FLS applies algorithms to non-responsive CPE units selected from the interactive map to identify possible common sources of a fault.

Claims

26. A fault location system for a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network, wherein the HFC cable network comprises a plurality of CPE units and wherein the system comprises:

an interactive map;

a datastore adapted to;

receive identifying information of a CPE unit, wherein the identifying information comprises a street address of a subscriber associated with the CPE unit; and

receive status information of the CPE unit, wherein the status information comprises a “

responding”

state indicative of a CPE unit for which an upstream signal has been detected and a non-responder state indicative of a CPE unit for which an upstream signal has not been detected;

an object generator, wherein the object generator is adapted to;

associate the identifying information and the status of the CPE unit with an object; and

associate graphical attributes with the object; and

a display server, wherein the display server is adapted to graphically display the object on the interactive map at location coordinates indicative of the street address according to its graphical attributes.

1. A method of locating a fault in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network, wherein the HFC cable network comprises a plurality of addressable customer premises equipment (CPE) units, and the method comprises:

obtaining identifying information of a CPE unit, wherein the identifying information comprises a street address of a subscriber associated with the CPE unit;

associating the identifying information with an object;

associating graphical attributes with the object;

using the identifying information, graphically displaying the object at location coordinates indicative of the street address on an interactive map;

determining that an upstream signal from the CPE unit cannot be detected, whereby the CPE unit is identified as a “

non-responding”

CPE unit;

determining from the location of an object associated with the non-responding CPE unit relative to other objects associated with other CPE units and objects associated with other non-responding CPE units a likely cause of the non-responsiveness of the non-responsive CPE unit; and

taking remedial action to correct the likely cause.

2. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein identifying information further comprises one or more data elements selected from the group consisting of a CPE MAC address, a CPE serial number, an CPE part number, an CPE release number, an CPE manufacturer identifier, and a subscriber number.

3. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein determining that an upstream signal from a CPE unit cannot be detected is performed before a complaint is received from a subscriber associated with the non-responding CPE unit.

4. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein determining that an upstream signal from a CPE unit cannot be detected is performed at a headend of the HFC cable network.

5. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein the interactive map comprises:

means for displaying a geographic area comprising the HFC cable network;

means for selecting a local geographic area comprising a portion of the HFC cable network;

means for displaying locations of subscribers of the HFC cable network;

means for displaying locations of plant components of the HFC cable network;

means for distinguishing non-responding CPE units from other CPE units associated with subscribers;

means for displaying objects associated with CPE units;

means for providing directions to subscriber locations; and

means for providing notes peculiar to the subscriber locations.

6. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein associating graphical attributes to the object comprises associating a non-responder attribute to an object associated with a non-responding CPE unit.

7. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 6, wherein the non-responder attribute is selected from the group consisting of a color, a shape, a blinking graphic, and an audible warning.

8. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises selecting a group of CPE units from the interactive map, wherein a CPE unit within the group is referred to as a group selection member.

9. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 8, wherein selecting CPE units from the interactive map comprises defining a selection area on the interactive map using a shaped selection tool.

10. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 8, wherein selecting CPE units from the interactive map comprises defining a selection area on the interactive map using a freehand selection tool.

11. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises selecting group selection members for exclusion from the group.

12. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 11, wherein selecting group selection members for exclusion from the group comprises selecting selected group members using a shaped selection tool.

13. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 11, wherein selecting group selection members for exclusion from the group comprises selecting selected group members using a freehand selection tool.

14. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises displaying the identifying information of the selected CPE units.

15. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises assigning the selected CPE units to a trouble ticket.

16. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 15, wherein associating graphical attributes to the object comprises associating a trouble ticket attribute to an object associated with a CPE unit assigned to a trouble ticket.

17. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 16, wherein the trouble ticket attribute is selected from the group consisting of a color, a shape, a blinking graphic, and an audible warning.

18. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 8 further comprising:

determining whether a selected CPE unit is assigned to a current trouble ticket; and

if the selected CPE unit is not assigned to a current trouble ticket, then assigning the CPE unit to a new trouble ticket.

19. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying a list of trouble tickets;

selecting a trouble ticket from the list; and

displaying the non-responsive CPE units associated with the selected trouble ticket on the interactive map.

20. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises associating the identifying information of a CPE unit with a trouble history of the CPE unit and wherein determining a likely cause of the non-responsiveness of the non-responsive CPE unit comprises determining from the location of the object relative to other objects associated with other CPE units, from objects associated with other non-responding CPE units, and from the trouble history of the object and other objects a likely cause of the non-responsiveness of the non-responsive CPE unit.

21. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

selectively displaying on the interactive map a design layer;

selectively displaying on the interactive map a strand layer; and

selectively displaying on the interactive map a fiber layer.

22. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 20 further comprising determining a distance between an object and a location on a layer selected from the group consisting of the design layer, the strand layer, and the fiber layer.

23. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein the CPE unit is a video termination device.

24. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 23, wherein the video termination device is selected from the group consisting of a set top box, an OpenCable-compliant standalone device, and a consumer device integrated with an OpenCable-compliant device.

25. The method of locating a fault in a HFC cable network of claim 1, wherein the CPE unit is a cable modem.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein identifying information further comprises one or more data elements selected from the group consisting of a CPE unit MAC address, a CPE unit serial number, a CPE unit part number, a CPE unit release number, a CPE unit manufacturer identifier, and a subscriber number.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the status information of a non-responder CPE unit is received before a complaint is received from a subscriber associated with the non-responder CPE unit.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the HFC cable network further comprises a headend and where in the headend is adapted to determine the status information of the CPE unit.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the interactive map comprises:

means for displaying a geographic area comprising the HFC cable network;

means for selecting a local geographic area comprising a portion of the HFC cable network;

means for displaying locations of subscribers of the HFC cable network;

means for displaying locations of plant components of the HFC cable network;

means for distinguishing non-responding CPE units from other CPE units associated with subscribers;

means for displaying objects associated with CPE units;

means for providing directions to subscriber locations; and

means for providing notes peculiar to the subscriber locations.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the object generator comprises a non-responder attribute indicative of a non-responder status.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the non-responder attribute is selected from the group consisting of a color, a shape, a blinking graphic, and an audible warning.

33. The system of claim 26, wherein the display server is further adapted to respond to user input to select a group of CPE units from the interactive map, wherein a CPE unit within the group is referred to as a group selection member.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the user input comprises a shaped selection tool.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein user input comprises a freehand selection tool.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein display server is further adapted to respond to user input to select group selection members for exclusion from the group.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the user input comprises a shaped selection tool.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the user input comprises a freehand selection tool.

39. The system of claim 33, wherein the display server is further adapted to display the identifying information of the selected CPE unit.

40. The system of claim 33, wherein the display server is further adapted to assign the selected CPE units to a trouble ticket.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the graphical attributes associate with a selected CPE unit comprise a trouble ticket attribute indicative of the assignment of the CPE unit to the trouble ticket.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the trouble ticket attribute is selected from the group consisting of a color, a shape, a blinking graphic, and an audible warning.

43. The system of claim 26, wherein the display server is further adapted to:

display a list of trouble tickets; and

in response to selection of a trouble ticket from the list, display the non-responsive CPE unit associated with the selected trouble ticket on the interactive map.

44. The system of claim 26 further comprising a fault isolation server, wherein the fault isolation server is adapted to:

associate the identifying information of the CPE unit with a trouble history of the CPE unit; and

determine from the location of the object relative to other objects associated with other CPE unit, from objects associated with other non-responding CPE unit, and from the trouble history of the object and other objects a likely cause of the non-responsiveness of the non-responsive CPE unit.

45. The system of claim 26, wherein the display server is further adapted to:

selectively display on the interactive map a design layer;

selectively display on the interactive map a strand layer; and

selectively display on the interactive map a fiber layer.

46. The system of claim 20, wherein the display server is further adapted to determine a distance between an object and a location on a layer selected from the group consisting of the design layer, the strand layer, and the fiber layer.

47. The system of claim 26, wherein the CPE unit is a video termination device.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the video termination device is selected from the group consisting of a set top box, an OpenCable-compliant standalone device, and a CPE unit integrated with an OpenCable-compliant device.

49. The system of claim 26, wherein the CPE unit is a cable modem.

42-1. The system of claim 33, wherein display server is further adapted to:

determine whether a selected CPE unit is assigned to a current trouble ticket; and

if the selected CPE unit is not assigned to a current trouble ticket, then assign the CPE unit to a new trouble ticket.