METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DIAGNOSIS OF FAILURES IN A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20200136896A1
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Pandey, Sujan
• Granted Patent: US 11,206,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/08 Locating faults in cables, transmission lines, or networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3004 Current or voltage test
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/50 Testing of electric apparatus, lines, cables or components for short-circuits, continuity, leakage current or incorrect line connections testing of sparking plugs H01T13/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

Embodiments of a method and a device are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method for operating a communications network is disclosed. The method involves setting, at a first network node in the communications network, a register value that is indicative of a fault status associated with the first network node, the register value being set in a physical layer device of the first network node, receiving fault status information at an element in the communications network, the fault status information corresponding to the register value that is set in the physical layer device of the first network node, and determining, at the element in the communications network, a fault status of the communications network in response to the fault status information received at the element in the communications network.

Claims

1. A method for operating a communications network, the method comprising:

setting, at a first network node in the communications network, a register value that is indicative of a fault status associated with the first network node, the register value being set in a physical layer device of the first network node;

receiving fault status information at an element in the communications network, the fault status information corresponding to the register value that is set in the physical layer device of the first network node; and

determining, at the element in the communications network, a fault status of the communications network in response to the fault status information received at the element in the communications network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, at the first network node:

reading the register value that is set in the physical layer device;

based on the read register value, embedding an indication of the fault status into a bit stream at the physical layer of the first network node; and

transmitting the bit stream from the first network node.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein embedding an indication of the fault status into a bit stream at the physical layer comprises embedding an operations, administration, and management (OAM) word into the bit stream to communicate the indication of the fault status.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the OAM word is embedded into the bit stream at a physical coding sublayer transmitter (PCS-TX) of the first network node.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving the bit stream at a receiver of a second network node;

at the second network node, extracting the indication of the fault status from the bit stream;

providing the indication of the fault status to the element in the communications network; and

determining the fault status of the communications network at the element in the communications network in response to the fault status information received at the second network node from the first network node.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising, at a second network node:

receiving the bit stream at a receiver of the second network node;

extracting the indication of the fault status from the bit stream;

configuring the second network node using the indication of the fault status; and

operating the second network node as configured using the indication of the fault status.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a low voltage condition at the physical layer device of the first network node and setting the register value in response to detecting the low voltage condition.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting an open/short circuit condition at the physical layer device of the first network node and setting the register value in response to detecting the open/short circuit condition.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a loop test at the first network node and setting the register value in response to the loop test.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the register value is indicative of a fault in the physical layer device of the first network node.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the register value is indicative of a fault in a microcontroller of the first network node.

12. A communications network comprising:

multiple network nodes, the multiple network nodes including a physical layer device, the physical layer device comprising;

a transmitter configured to transmit a bit stream from the physical layer device;

a receiver configured to receive a bit stream at the physical layer device; and

fault status logic that includes a register for storing a register value that is indicative of a fault status associated with the network node;

wherein at least one element in the communications network is configured to determine a fault status of the communications network in response to the register value that is stored in the register of the fault status logic.

13. The communications network of claim 12 wherein the fault status logic is configured to;

identify a fault status at a first network node;

set the register with a register value that is indicative of the fault status; and

provide an indication of the identified fault status to the transmitter.

14. The communications network of claim 13, wherein the transmitter is configured to embed an operations, administration, and management (OAM) word into a bit stream before transmission of the bit stream, the OAM word including the indication of the fault status provided by the fault status logic.

15. The communications network of claim 13, further comprising a low voltage detector configured to detect a low voltage condition in a physical layer device and to provide an indication of the low voltage condition to the corresponding fault status logic.

16. The communications network of claim 13, further comprising an open/short circuit detection circuit configured to detect an open/short circuit condition in a physical layer device and to provide an indication of the open/short circuit condition to the corresponding fault status logic.

17. The communications network of claim 13, further comprising a loopback testing circuit and wherein the fault status logic comprises a register for storing a result of a loopback test that is performed using the loopback testing circuit.

18. The communications network of claim 13, wherein the fault status logic comprises a microcontroller evaluation circuit configured to evaluate a fault status of a microcontroller.

19. A communications network comprising:

a first network node including a physical layer device, the physical layer device comprising;

a transmitter configured to transmit a bit stream from the physical layer device;

a receiver configured to receive a bit stream at the physical layer device; and

fault status logic that includes a register for storing a register value that is indicative of a fault status associated with the network node, the fault status logic configured to provide to the transmitter an indication of the fault status that corresponds to the stored register value;

a second network node including a physical layer device, the physical layer device comprising;

a transmitter configured to transmit a bit stream from the physical layer device;

a receiver configured to receive a bit stream at the physical layer device; and

fault status logic that includes a register for storing a register value that is indicative of a fault status associated with the network node, the fault status logic configured to provide to the transmitter an indication of the fault status that corresponds to the stored register value;

wherein at least one element in the communications network is configured to determine a fault status of the communications network in response to a register value that is stored in the register of the fault status logic of at least one of the first network and the second network node.

20. The communications network of claim 19, wherein the transmitters are configured to embed an operations, administration, and management (OAM) word into a bit stream before transmission of the bit stream, the OAM word including the indication of the fault status provided by the fault status logic based on the register value stored in the register.