Methods and Apparatus to Perform Line Testing at Customer Premises

• US 20090168972A1
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assia Spe LLC
• Original Assignee: Adaptive Spectrum and Signal Alignment, Incorporated, AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cioffi, John M., Hart, Richard Dennis, Lee, Bin, Ginis, George, Silverman, Peter J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,644,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/1.40
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/46 Monitoring; Testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6478 Digital subscriber line, e.g. DSL, ADSL, HDSL, XDSL, VDSL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/323 in the physical layer [OSI layer 1]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/304 and using xDSL modems xDSL line qualification H04M3/306

Abstract

A data analyzer operative to be located at a customer premises, causes the transmission of a probing signal into at least one telephone line. The data analyzer computes a parameter that represents a characteristic of at least one telephone line based upon at least a measured reflected probing signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a data analyzer located at a customer premises and operative to cause transmission of a probing signal into a customer premises end of at least one telephone line, and operative to provide to at least one of;

a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a residential gateway, and a loop tester, located at the customer premises, at least one parameter that represents a characteristic of the at least one telephone line based upon at least a measured reflection of the probing signal, wherein the data analyzer is operative to receive from a download server, instructions to provide the parameter that represents the characteristic of the telephone line based upon the measured reflection of the probing signal.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the data analyzer is disposed in subscriber equipment.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a line prober operative to transmit the probing signal and in response receive the measured reflection of the probing signal, wherein the line prober is disposed in at least one of:

the digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, the residential gateway and the loop tester, and the data analyzer is disposed in at least one of;

a customer'"'"'s personal computer, a DSL modem and a set-top box operatively coupled to the at least one the digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, the residential gateway and the loop tester.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the data analyzer comprises a line prober operative to transmit the probing signal and in response receive the measured reflection of the probing signal.

5. An apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the data analyzer comprises an output device operative to perform at least one of:

display the parameter and send the parameter to a maintenance device via at least one of;

the line prober, an Internet connection and a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

6. An apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the line prober comprises:

a transmit path operative to form the probing signal;

a receive path operative to measure reflection of the probing signal;

a hybrid operative to couple the probing signal to the telephone line and to couple the reflection of the probing signal from the at least one telephone line to the receive path;

a controller operative to control the transmit path and the receive path; and

an interface operative to provide the measured reflection of the probing signal to the data analyzer.

7. An apparatus as in claim 6, wherein the interface receives probing data, from the data analyzer, and the transmit path forms the probing signal based on probing data.

8. An apparatus as in claim 6, wherein the transmit path transmits the probing signal a plurality of times, and the receive path measures a corresponding plurality of reflected probing signals and at least sums the plurality of reflected probing signals.

9. An apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the data analyzer is operative to communicate with a digital subscriber line (DSL) maintenance device, wherein the DSL maintenance device is operative to request from the data analyzer the provided parameter that represents a characteristic of the at least one telephone line, and in response cause at least one of:

instruct the line prober to transmit the probing signal, transmit the probing signal, measure the reflected probing signal, and compute the parameter.

10. An apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the DSL maintenance device is geographically separate from at least one of the data analyzer and the line prober.

11. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a switch to select a termination impedance coupled to the telephone line.

12. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the line prober comprises a first line prober, and further comprising a second line prober located at a second customer premises and operative to transmit a probe signal on a second telephone line while the first line prober receives a signal, wherein the data analyzer is further operative to compute crosstalk from the second telephone line into the first telephone line.

13. An apparatus as in claim 12, wherein the data analyzer is operative to communicate with a digital subscriber line (DSL) maintenance device, wherein the DSL maintenance device is operative to request the provided parameter that represents a characteristic of the at least one telephone line from the data analyzer, and in response cause at least one of:

instruct the first line prober to transmit the probing signal, configure the second line prober to receive the probing signal, transmit the probing signal, receive the reflection of the probing signal, measuring the reflection of the probing signal, compute the crosstalk, and compute the parameter.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data analyzer is further operative to compute the parameter.

15. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the provided parameter is a first provided parameter, the apparatus further comprising:

a line prober located at the customer premises and operatively coupled to the data analyzer,

wherein the data analyzer is operative to instruct the line prober to transmit a probing signal into a second telephone line, and to provide a second parameter that represents a characteristic of the second telephone line based upon a measured reflection of the probing signal from the second telephone line, and

wherein the data analyzer is operative to select between the first and the second telephone line for the line prober to transmit the respective probing signal and to measure the respective reflection of the probing signal.

16. An apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the data analyzer receives instructions from a digital subscriber line (DSL) maintenance device to select between the first and the second telephone line.

17. A method comprising:

instructing a first line prober located at a first customer premises to transmit a probing signal into a customer premises end of a first telephone line;

instructing, at substantially the same time as a transmission of the probing signal, a second line prober located at a second customer premises to at least measure a signal received via a customer premises end of a second telephone line, said measured signal responsive to the probing signal; and

characterizing far-end crosstalk from the first telephone line into the second telephone line based on the measured signal.

18. A method as in claim 17, further comprising:

characterizing far-end crosstalk from the first telephone line into the second telephone line based on the measured signal.

19. A method comprising:

causing a line prober located at a customer premises to transmit a probing signal into a customer premises end of at least one telephone line;

providing to at least one of;

a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a residential gateway, and a loop tester, located at the customer premises, at least one parameter that represents a characteristic of the at least one telephone line based upon at least a measured reflection of the probing signal; and

receiving from a download server, instructions to provide the parameter that represents the characteristic of the telephone line based upon the measured reflection of the probing signal.

21. A method as in claim 19, further comprising:

determining that the telephone line is being used to transmit a digital subscriber line (DSL) signal; and

sending a command to stop transmission of the DSL signal before providing the at least one parameter.

22. A method as in claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a request for the at least one provided parameter from a geographically separate device; and

sending the at least one provided parameter to the geographically separate device.

24. A method as in claim 19, wherein:

the request for the at least one provided parameter is received via a graphical user interface (GUI); and

further comprising displaying the at least one provided parameter via the GUI.

25. A method as in claim 19, wherein a modem in loop diagnostic mode causes the line prober to transmit the probing signal and causes providing the at least one parameter that represents the characteristic of the at least one telephone line.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein providing at least one parameter comprises calculating the at least one parameter.

32. An article of manufacture as in claim 25, wherein the machine accessible instructions, when executed, cause the one or more machines to:

receive a request for the at least one provided parameter from a geographically separate device; and

send the at least one provided parameter to the geographically separate device.

33. An article of manufacture as in claim 25, wherein the machine accessible instructions, when executed, cause the one or more machines to provide at least one parameter, further cause the one or more machines to compute the parameter.

20. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

27. (canceled)

28. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

31. An article of manufacture storing machine accessible instructions that, when executed, cause one or more machines to:

cause a line prober located at a customer premises to transmit a probing signal into a customer premises end of at least one telephone line;

provide at least one parameter that represents a characteristic of the at least one telephone line based upon at least a measured reflection of the probing signal, and

receive from a download server. instructions to provide the parameter that represents the characteristic of the telephone line based upon the measured reflection of the probing signal.

34. (canceled)

35. (canceled)