Ingress/egress management system

• US 5,777,662 A
• Filed: 08/27/1996
• Issued: 07/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ComSonics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ComSonics, Inc.
• Inventors: Zimmerman, Dennis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SRIVASTAVA, VIVEK
• Application Number:
  US08/703,773
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 348/6, 348/4, 348/5, 348/2, 348/1, 348/12, 348/13, 348/180, 348/181, 348/192, 455/5.1, 455/3.1, 455/1
• US Class Current: 725/125
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/12 Arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/78 CATV [Community Antenna Television] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/00 Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details

Abstract

An RF ingress/egress management system is made up of three major components. (1) A headend monitoring receiver, that is frequency tunable from 5 to 50 MHz, is capable of decoding and reading a unique tone that is transmitted and enters a cable flaw and is returned to the headend via the upstream coaxial plant. (2) A mobile transceiver global positioning satellite (GPS) system receives RF egress in the 50 MHz to 1 GHz region and stamps a GPS coordinate and stores that information. Also, a 5 to to MHz transmitter modulated with GPS coordinates transmits sufficient power to enter the cable television system flaw and be received at the headend location via the headend monitor. (3) A computer software system quantifies the cable flaw at egress and ingress frequencies and assigns a coordinate and figure of merit so that a repair technician can expedite repair of the coaxial plant.

Claims

1. An RF (radio frequency) ingress/egress management system for a coaxial cable communications plant comprising:

a headend monitoring receiver that is frequency tunable from 5 to 50 MHZ, capable of decoding and reading a unique tone that is transmitted and enters a cable flaw and is returned upstream to the headend monitoring receiver;

a mobile transceiver and global positioning satellite (GPS) system capable of receiving egress in the 50 MHZ to 1 GHz region and stamping a GPS coordinate and storing that information;

a 5 to 50 MHZ transmitter modulated with GPS coordinates that can transmit sufficient power to enter the cable flaw and be received at the headend monitoring receiver; and

a computer software system that receives information from the mobile transceiver and GPS system and the headend monitoring receiver and quantifies detected cable flaws at egress and ingress frequencies and assigns coordinates and figures of merit so that a repair technician can expedite repair of the coaxial cable communications plant.

2. The RF ingress/egress management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said 5 to 50 MHZ transmitter is further modulated with time information, said headend monitoring receiver decoding received signals to generate signal strength, GPS location and time data.

3. The RF ingress/egress management system as recited in claim 2 wherein said computer software system analyzes said signal strength, GPS location, and time data to generate leak summaries and a map showing locations and types of leaks.

4. A method of managing a coaxial cable communications plant for RF (radio frequency) ingress/egress comprising the steps of:

monitoring at a headend of the coaxial cable communications plant signals in a frequency band from 5 to 50 MHZ;

decoding and reading a unique tone that is transmitted and enters a cable flaw and is returned upstream to the headend;

receiving, in a mobile unit, global positioning satellite (GPS) system signals;

receiving, in said mobile unit, egress from the coaxial cable communications plant signals in the 50 MHZ to 1 GHz region;

stamping a GPS coordinate and storing received signal information;

transmitting from said mobile unit signals in a band from 5 to 50 MHZ modulated with GPS coordinates with sufficient power to enter the cable flaw and be received at the headend;

receiving information from the mobile unit and decoded information received at the headend; and

quantifying detected cable flaws at egress and ingress frequencies and assigning coordinates and figures of merit so that a repair technician can expedite repair of the coaxial cable communications plant.

5. The method of managing a coaxial cable communications plant as recited in claim 4, further comprising the step of modulating the signal in the 5 to 50 MHZ band with time information, wherein the step of decoding at the headend generates signal strength, GPS location and time data.

6. The method of managing a coaxial cable communications plant as recited in claim 5 further comprising the step of analyzing said signal strength, GPS location, and time data to generate leak summaries and a map showing locations and types of leaks.

7. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication system distributed over a geographical area, comprising:

a mobile unit for moving around the geographical area near a coaxial cable path, said mobile unit comprising;

a position location means for determining a current geographical position of said mobile unit;

an egress receiver for receiving RF signals from an egress leak in said coaxial cable;

storage means for storing the current geographical position where said egress leak was detected; and

an ingress transmitter for transmitting a signal encoded with the current geographical position to enter said coaxial cable at an ingress leak; and

a headend unit positioned at a headend of said two-way coaxial cable communication system, comprising;

a ingress receiver for receiving the current geographical position traveling upstream in said coaxial cable from said ingress leak; and

storage means for storing the current geographical position of said ingress leak.

8. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication system as recited in claim 7 further comprising a controller means for mapping stored ingress leaks and egress leaks on a map of the geographical area.

9. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication system as recited in claim 7 wherein said a position location means is a global positioning satellite (GPS) system.

10. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication system as recited in claim 7 wherein said egress receiver receives frequencies in the range of 50 MHZ and 1 GHz, and said ingress receiver receives frequencies in the range of 5 MHZ to 50 MHZ.

11. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication system as recited in claim 7 wherein said mobile unit comprises a vehicle driving around the geographical area.

12. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication system as recited in claim 7 wherein said cable system comprises fiber optic cable and coaxial cable.

13. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication a recited in claim 7 wherein egress leaks detected by said mobile unit are stored on a removable media which is connectable to said controller unit at said headend to be read.

14. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication as recited in claim 12 wherein said removable media is magnetic.

15. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication system as recited in claim 8 wherein said controller means further uses position data for ingress leaks and egress leaks to generate work reports for maintaining said communication system.

16. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication system as recited in claim 8 wherein said controller comprises a graphical user interface.

17. A system for detecting radio frequency (RF) leaks in a two-way coaxial cable communication system as recited in claim 7 further comprising a clock for time stamping ingress leaks and egress leaks when detected.