SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING ANOMALIES ALONG TELECOMMUNICATION LINES

• US 20090067353A1
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fred Chu, Gary Hunt, Lee T. Gusler Jr
• Original Assignee: Fred Chu, Gary Hunt, Lee T. Gusler Jr
• Inventors: Hunt, Gary, Gusler, Lee T. JR., Chu, Fred
• Granted Patent: US 8,242,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/286
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/238 using initial training sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/002 Applications of echo suppressors or cancellers in telephonic connections in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/08, echo suppressors or cancellers per se H04B3/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/085 Fault locating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/28 Automatic routine testing ; Fault testing; Installation testing; Test methods, test equipment or test arrangements therefor

Abstract

An anomaly detection system comprises an echo canceler and anomaly detection logic. The echo canceler has a plurality of taps respectively associated with a plurality of tap coefficients. The anomaly detection logic is configured to determine a difference between a new tap coefficient associated with one of the taps and a previous tap coefficient associated with the one tap. The anomaly detection logic is configured to perform a comparison between the difference and a threshold and to detect an anomaly along a telecommunication line based on the comparison.

Claims

1. An anomaly detection system, comprising:

a telecommunication line having a plurality of wires including at least a first wire joined to a second wire, the telecommunication line having a time varying anomaly at a junction of the first wire and the second wire, the time varying anomaly causing a transmission characteristic of the telecommunication line to fluctuate at the junction;

a transmitter coupled to the telecommunication line; and

anomaly detection logic configured to detect the anomaly based on signals communicated across the telecommunication line, the anomaly detection logic further configured to indicate a location of the detected anomaly along the telecommunication line.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the anomaly detection logic is configured to detect the anomaly based on echoes of signals transmitted by the transmitter.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising logic configured to maintain tap coefficients based on the signals, wherein the anomaly detection logic is configured to detect the anomaly based on the tap coefficients.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an echo canceler configured to cancel, based on a plurality of tap coefficients, echoes of signals transmitted by the transmitter across the telecommunication line, the echo canceler configured to adjust the tap coefficients based on the echoes, wherein the anomaly detection logic is configured to detect the anomaly based on the tap coefficients.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the signals are transmitted by the transmitter across the telecommunication line and are received by a remote receiver from the telecommunication line.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising logic configured to store tap coefficients and to adjust the tap coefficients based on signals communicated across the telecommunication line, wherein the anomaly detection logic is configured to detect the anomaly based on the tap coefficients.

7. An anomaly detection system, comprising:

a telecommunication line having a plurality of wires including at least a first wire joined to a second wire, the telecommunication line having a time varying anomaly at a junction of the first wire and the second wire, the time varying anomaly causing a resistance of the telecommunication line at the junction to fluctuate;

a first transceiver coupled to the telecommunication line and configured to communicate with a second transceiver via the telecommunication line; and

anomaly detection logic configured to detect the anomaly based on signals communicated from the first transceiver to the second transceiver.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising logic configured to maintain tap coefficients based on the signals, wherein the anomaly detection logic is configured to detect the anomaly based on the tap coefficients.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising an echo canceler configured to cancel echoes of the signals based on a plurality of tap coefficients, the echo canceler configured to adjust the tap coefficients based on the echoes, wherein the anomaly detection logic is configured to detect the anomaly based on the tap coefficients.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising logic configured to store tap coefficients and to adjust the tap coefficients based on the signals, wherein the anomaly detection logic is configured to detect the anomaly based on the tap coefficients.

11. An anomaly detection method, comprising the steps of:

communicating signals across a telecommunication line, the telecommunication line having a plurality of wires including at least a first wire joined to a second wire, the telecommunication line further having a time varying anomaly at a junction of the first wire and the second wire, the time varying anomaly causing a resistance of the telecommunication line at the junction to fluctuate;

automatically detecting the anomaly based on the signals; and

indicating a location of the detected anomaly.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the detecting step is based on echoes of the signals.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of maintaining tap coefficients based on the signals, wherein the detecting step is based on the tap coefficients.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

canceling echoes of the signals based on a plurality of tap coefficients; and

adjusting the tap coefficients based on the echoes,

wherein the detecting step is based on the tap coefficients.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

storing tap coefficients; and

updating the tap coefficients based on the signals,

wherein the detecting step is based on the tap coefficients.