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Methods and system for determining a dominant impairment of an impaired communication channel

  • US 8,081,674 B2
  • Filed: 12/23/2008
  • Issued: 12/20/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for determining whether distortion or noise is the dominant impairment on an impaired communication channel, comprising the steps of:

  • establishing a sample size (N), a test duration, and a query rate for developing a complementary cumulative density function (CCDF) statistical measure of test signal measurements on a test channel;

    selecting and remotely instructing a network element to transmit test signals on the test channel;

    monitoring test signals at a headend of the test channel and recording measurements of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and Receive Power Level (Pr) on the test channel for samples 1 to N at the established query rate for the established duration;

    developing a CCDF for Receive Noise Power Level (Nr) from samples 1 to N, where Nr=Pr−

    SNR for each sample;

    obtaining a theoretically expected CCDF of Receive Noise Power Level for an Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) dominated impairment on the test channel; and

    comparing the CCDF for Receive Noise Power Level developed from samples 1 to N relative to the theoretically expected CCDF of Receive Noise Power Level for an AWGN-dominated impairment and concluding therefrom whether the dominant impairment is distortion or noise.

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