Autonomous network fault detection and management system

• US 7,360,124 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2005
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 14677293 Canada Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Viasat Geo-Technologie Incorporated
• Inventors: Bouchard, Magella
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNCAN, MARC M
• Application Number:
  US11/053,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20060179355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 714/42, 714/47, 379/22.03, 342/459
• US Class Current: 714/47.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/024 using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

The invention provides an autonomous geo-referenced fault data detection, storage and management system and method for transmission line network such as cable distribution networks, based on an application server architecture, wherein autonomous means automatic and without the need of human intervention. The system comprises a server having a database and a network interface adapted to be linked to a communication network, the network interface for receiving and relaying data to the server, the data comprising at least one of fault data and management data, the fault data comprising at least one of geo-referenced ingress data and geo-referenced egress data and the management data comprising at least one of user data, administrator data and fault status data, the server autonomously updating the database by incorporating the relayed data in the database to provide a stored data.

Claims

1. An autonomous geo-referenced fault data storage and management system for a transmission line network, the system comprising:

a server comprising a data server and a network interface adapted to be linked to a communication network, the data server comprising a database and a filtering module;

said network interface comprising an application server for receiving and relaying management data to the server, and a data exchange server for receiving and relaying fault data to the server, the fault data comprising at least one of geo-referenced ingress data and geo-referenced egress data, and the management data comprising at least one of user data, administrator data and fault status data,

said server for autonomously updating the database by incorporating the relayed data in said database to provide stored data, said filtering module for autonomously avoiding a redundancy between said relayed data and said stored data when updating said stored data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said network interface is also for linking a user to the server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said data exchange server comprises an FTP server for receiving and relaying said fault data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said data server comprises a manager module for managing an access of said database to said user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said data server comprises a software tool module for analyzing said stored data.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said software tool module further comprises management software for managing fault repair works on said transmission line network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said communication network is linked to at least one access point for receiving a wireless fault signal for providing said fault data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said communication network comprises an internet network.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one vehicle equipped with an automatic fault detection device (AFDD), wherein the AFDD is adapted to autonomously detect a fault in said transmission line network while the vehicle is traveling in a territory occupied by said transmission line network and wherein the AFDD is adapted to autonomously transmit said wireless fault signal to said access point, wherein said wireless fault signal corresponds to said detected fault, for providing an autonomous fault detection and management system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said traveling vehicle comprises a vehicle following a trajectory not systematically intended for fault detection.

11. A method, based on an application server architecture, for providing an autonomous geo-referenced fault data storage and management for a transmission line network, the method comprising:

receiving data and autonomously relaying said data to a server, wherein said data comprises at least one of fault data and management data, and wherein the fault data comprises at least one of geo-referenced ingress data and geo-referenced egress data and wherein the management data comprises at least one of user data, administrator data and fault status data; and

autonomously updating a database by incorporating the relayed data in the database to provide stored data;

wherein said autonomously updating comprises autonomously avoiding a redundancy in the database by;

associating to said fault data a geo-referenced fault data range in relationship with an intensity of said fault data;

finding in the database a found geo-referenced stored data located within said geo-referenced fault data range;

selecting between said found geo-referenced stored data and said fault data to provide a selected data, wherein the selected data has the highest intensity; and

if the selected data is the fault data, replacing in the database the found geo-referenced stored data by the fault data; and

if the selected data is the found stored data, not including the fault data in the database.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said receiving and relaying comprises receiving and relaying said data through a communication network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising giving a user access to the database via the communication network.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said updating comprises adjusting accordingly to a present state of the transmission line network, a status of a fault data, wherein said status indicates if the fault data was repaired.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising providing said access to said user to the database via a user interface, wherein said access allows at least one of consulting data, analyzing data, changing the fault data status and associating management data to stored data.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing at least one vehicle equipped with an automatic fault detection device, wherein the automatic fault detection device is adapted to detect and to geo-reference egress data and adapted to relay the geo-referenced egress data as said fault data to said communication network;

with said automatic fault detection device, autonomously detecting and geo-referencing said egress data while said vehicle is traveling in a territory occupied by the transmission line network, and transmitting said fault data to said communication network.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said vehicle traveling on said territory comprises following a trajectory not intended for fault detection to provide said fault data as a non-audit fault data.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing at least one vehicle equipped with an AFDD, wherein the AFDD is adapted to autonomously transmit a geo-referenced RF signal;

receiving at a central station of said transmission line network said geo-referenced RF signal through a fault of the transmission line network; and

transmitting from the central station a geo-referenced ingress data to said communication network, upon receiving said geo-referenced RF.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein said vehicle traveling on said territory comprises following a trajectory not intended for fault detection to provide said fault data as a non-audit fault data.

20. An autonomous geo-referenced fault data storage and management system for a transmission line network, the system comprising:

a server comprising a database and a network interface adapted to be linked to a communication network;

said network interface for receiving and relaying data to the server, the data comprising at least one of fault data and management data, the fault data comprising at least one of geo-referenced ingress data and geo-referenced egress data, and the management data comprising at least one of user data, administrator data and fault status data; and

at least one vehicle equipped with an automatic fault detection device (AFDD), wherein the AFDD is adapted to autonomously detect a fault in said transmission line network while the vehicle is traveling in a territory occupied by said transmission line network, the AFDD being adapted to autonomously relay the detected fault as fault data to said communication network for providing an autonomous fault detection and management system, said at least one vehicle traveling along a trajectory not systematically intended for fault detection,

said server for autonomously updating the database by incorporating the relayed data in said database to provide stored data.

21. An autonomous geo-referenced fault data storage and management system for a transmission line network, the system comprising:

a server comprising a database and a network interface adapted to be linked to a communication network,

said network interface for receiving and relaying data to the server, the data comprising at least one of fault data and management data, the fault data comprising at least one of geo-referenced ingress data and geo-referenced egress data, and the management data comprising at least one of user data, administrator data and fault status data, and

at least one vehicle equipped with an automatic fault detection device (AFDD), wherein the AFDD is adapted to autonomously transmit a geo-referenced RF signal in said transmission line network while the vehicle is traveling in a territory occupied by said network, said at least one vehicle traveling along a trajectory not systematically intended for fault detection,

said server for autonomously updating the database by incorporating the relayed data in said database to provide stored data.