Methods for ingress mitigation in cable communication systems involving repair, replacement and/or adjustment of infrastructure elements
First Claim
1. A method for reducing ingress in at least a first neighborhood node of a cable communication system, the cable communication system comprising a headend coupled to the first neighborhood node, the first neighborhood node comprising a first RF hardline coaxial cable plant to convey to the headend at least first upstream information from a plurality of first subscriber premises over an upstream path bandwidth including a range of frequencies, the method comprising:
- A) transmitting at least one test signal at or proximate to at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress into the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant, the at least one test signal having at least one test signal frequency;
B) receiving, at or proximate to the at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress, at least one test signal amplitude representing a first strength of a received upstream test signal at the headend, based on A) and test signal ingress of the at least one test signal into at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant;
C) based at least in part on the at least one test signal amplitude received in B), identifying, at or proximate to the at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress, the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant; and
D) repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant, based on C), so as to significantly reduce a noise power, as measured at the headend, associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least a portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz,wherein D) comprises;
repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant such that a highest value for an average noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least the portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least a 24 hour period at the headend, is less than 20 decibels (dB) above a noise floor associated with the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least the 24 hour period at the headend.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods for reducing ingress in a neighborhood node of a cable communication system. The node includes an RF hardline coaxial cable plant and multiple subscriber service drops to convey upstream information from multiple subscriber premises over an upstream path bandwidth. A test signal having a frequency falling within the upstream path bandwidth is transmitted proximate to one or more potential points of ingress into the hardline cable plant. Based on signal amplitudes at the test signal frequency representing test signal ingress into the hardline cable plant, one or more faults in the hardline cable plant are specifically identified and remediated so as to significantly reduce a noise power in the node in at least a portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz. In one example, hardline plant-related and/or subscriber-related faults are remediated so as to significantly reduce ingress arising from terrestrial short wave radio signals.
86 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for reducing ingress in at least a first neighborhood node of a cable communication system, the cable communication system comprising a headend coupled to the first neighborhood node, the first neighborhood node comprising a first RF hardline coaxial cable plant to convey to the headend at least first upstream information from a plurality of first subscriber premises over an upstream path bandwidth including a range of frequencies, the method comprising:
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A) transmitting at least one test signal at or proximate to at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress into the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant, the at least one test signal having at least one test signal frequency; B) receiving, at or proximate to the at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress, at least one test signal amplitude representing a first strength of a received upstream test signal at the headend, based on A) and test signal ingress of the at least one test signal into at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant; C) based at least in part on the at least one test signal amplitude received in B), identifying, at or proximate to the at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress, the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant; and D) repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant, based on C), so as to significantly reduce a noise power, as measured at the headend, associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least a portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, wherein D) comprises; repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant such that a highest value for an average noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least the portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least a 24 hour period at the headend, is less than 20 decibels (dB) above a noise floor associated with the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least the 24 hour period at the headend.
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2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
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the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant passes at least 200 premises; the plurality of subscriber premises in the first neighborhood node includes at least 75 subscriber premises; the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes at least 20 amplifiers; a node mileage of the first neighborhood node is at least three miles; and a cascade for the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant is at least five (NODE+5).
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3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes a plurality of faults, and wherein:
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C) comprises identifying, based at least in part on the at least one test signal amplitude received in B), the plurality of faults in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant; and D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the plurality of faults in the hardline coaxial cable plant so as to significantly reduce the noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress, as measured at the headend, in at least the portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz.
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4. The method of claim 1, wherein:
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the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes; at least one fitting; at least one hardline coaxial cable; and at least one electronics component; the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes at least one of; at least one loose and/or defective fitting; at least one hardline coaxial cable flaw; and a compromised ground of at least one electronics component; and D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one of the at least one loose and/or defective fitting, the at least one hardline coaxial cable flaw, and the at least one electronics component so as to significantly reduce the noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress.
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5. The method of claim 1, wherein D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant so as to significantly reduce the noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least a portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 10 MHz.
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6. The method of claim 1, wherein in D), the highest value for the average noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least the portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least the 24 hour period at the headend, is less than 10 decibels (dB) above the noise floor associated with the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least the 24 hour period at the headend.
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7. The method of claim 1, wherein:
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the upstream path bandwidth of the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes at least one first modulated carrier wave having a first carrier frequency of less than or equal to 19.6 MHz, the at least one first modulated carrier wave being modulated with at least some of the first upstream information and defining a first upstream physical communication channel in the upstream path bandwidth, the at least one upstream physical communication channel having a first upstream average channel power; and D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant such that an highest value of an average noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least the portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least a 24 hour period at the headend, is at least 22 decibels (dB) below the first upstream average channel power.
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8. The method of claim 7, wherein in D), the highest value for the average noise power in the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least the 24 hour period at the cable modem system, is at least 38 decibels (dB) below the first upstream average channel power.
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9. The method of claim 1, wherein:
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the upstream path bandwidth of the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes at least one first modulated carrier wave having a first carrier frequency of approximately 19.6 MHz or lower, the at least one first modulated carrier wave being modulated with at least some of the first upstream information and defining a first upstream physical communication channel in the upstream path bandwidth, the at least one upstream physical communication channel having a first upstream average channel power; and D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant so as to achieve a carrier-to-noise-plus-interference (CNIR) ratio of the first upstream physical communication channel of at least 25 dB.
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10. The method of claim 9, wherein in D), the carrier-to-noise-plus-interference (CNIR) ratio of the first upstream physical communication channel is at least 37 dB.
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11. The method of claim 1, wherein:
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the upstream path bandwidth of the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes at least one first modulated carrier wave having a first carrier frequency of approximately 19.6 MHz or lower, the at least one first modulated carrier wave being modulated with at least some of the first upstream information and defining a first upstream physical communication channel in the upstream path bandwidth; and D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant so as to achieve an unequalized modulation error ratio of the first upstream physical communication channel of at least 20 decibels (dB).
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12. The method of claim 11, wherein in D), the unequalized MER of the first upstream physical communication channel is at least 30 dB.
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13. The method of claim 1, wherein A) comprises:
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A1) directing a mobile broadcast apparatus including a transmitter along a first neighborhood node drive path proximate to the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant so as to effectively traverse and ensure substantially full coverage of the first neighborhood node; A2) during A1), broadcasting from the transmitter the at least one test signal at a plurality of locations distributed along at least a substantial portion of the first neighborhood node drive path; and A3) during A1), electronically recording first geographic information corresponding to respective positions of the mobile broadcast apparatus along at least the substantial portion of the first neighborhood node drive path so as to generate a first record of the first geographic information.
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14. The method of claim 13, wherein the received upstream signal at the headend has a plurality of signal amplitudes, and wherein A) further comprises:
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A4) during A1) and throughout traversing at least the substantial portion of the first neighborhood node drive path, recording via an analyzer the plurality of signal amplitudes at the at least one test signal frequency so as to generate a second record, the plurality of signal amplitudes representing respective strengths of the received upstream test signal as a function of time, based on A2) and the test signal ingress of the at least one test signal into at least one of the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant and at least one subscriber-related fault; and A5) based on the first record generated in A3) and the second record generated in A4, electronically generating a first neighborhood node ingress map comprising a first representation of the test signal ingress of the at least one test signal into the at least one of the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant and the at least one subscriber-related fault, wherein the first representation includes a visual code for at least the plurality of signal amplitudes.
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15. The method of claim 13, wherein:
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B) comprises displaying the first neighborhood node ingress map on a display device at or proximate to the at least one potential point of ingress, wherein at least a portion of the visual code represents the at least one test signal amplitude; and C) comprises identifying the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant based at least in part on the displayed first neighborhood node ingress map.
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16. The method of claim 14, wherein B2) comprises:
electronically generating the first neighborhood node ingress map so as to include a second representation of the first neighborhood node drive path.
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17. The method of claim 16, wherein in B2):
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the first neighborhood node ingress map comprises a graph having a first axis and a second axis; the second representation of the first neighborhood node drive path corresponds to the first axis, wherein a first scale of the first axis represents a distance or a time along the first neighborhood node drive path; a second scale of the second axis represents respective signal amplitude values of the plurality of signal amplitudes; and the first representation of the plurality of signal amplitudes comprises a plot on the graph of the plurality of signal amplitudes as a function of the distance or the time along the first neighborhood node drive path.
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18. The method of claim 14, wherein B2) comprises generating the first neighborhood node ingress map as a three-dimensional map having three coordinate axes, and wherein:
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latitude and longitude coordinates for the first geographic information corresponding to the respective positions of the mobile broadcast apparatus are plotted along a first axis and a second axis, respectively, of the three coordinate axes; and the first representation includes a graph of respective values of the plurality of signal amplitudes, wherein the respective values of the plurality of signal amplitudes are plotted along a third axis of the three coordinate axes.
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19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first representation further includes a two-dimensional representation in the first plane of the three-dimensional map, the two-dimensional representation including a visual code for at least the plurality of signal amplitudes rendered.
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20. The method of claim 14, wherein B2) further comprises:
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B2a) merging the first record and the second record so as to generate a third record including at least the first geographic information corresponding to respective positions of the mobile broadcast apparatus and the plurality of signal amplitudes representing the strength of the received upstream test signal as a function of time; and B2b) generating the first neighborhood node ingress map based at least in part on the third record.
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21. The method of claim 20, wherein:
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B2a) comprises; adding to the third record second geographic information relating to additional locations in the first neighborhood node beyond the first neighborhood node drive path so as to generate an expanded third record; and interpolating the plurality of signal amplitudes representing the strength of the received upstream test signal as a function of time so as to include in the expanded third record estimated signal amplitudes corresponding to the additional locations; and B2b) comprises; generating the first neighborhood node ingress map based at least in part on the expanded third record.
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22. The method of claim 21, wherein in B2), the first graphical representation comprises a two-dimensional heat map based at least in part on the expanded third record.
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23. The method of claim 22, wherein in B2):
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the heat map comprises a color code including a plurality of colors; and respective colors of the plurality of colors represent different signal amplitudes of the plurality of signal amplitudes.
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24. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
E) repeating A), B), C), and D) at least once to generate at least a second iteration of the first neighborhood node ingress map.
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25. The method of claim 24, wherein E) further comprises:
generating the first neighborhood node ingress map and the second iteration of the first neighborhood node ingress map as an electronic visual rendering having a plurality of independently selectable and independently viewable layers comprising; a first layer corresponding to the first neighborhood node ingress map; and a second layer corresponding to the second iteration of the first neighborhood node ingress map.
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26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
F) repeating A), B), C), D) and E) at least once to generate at least a third iteration of the first neighborhood node ingress map to provide a time series of at least three first neighborhood node ingress maps.
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27. A method for reducing ingress in at least a first neighborhood node of a cable communication system, the cable communication system comprising a headend coupled to the first neighborhood node, the first neighborhood node comprising a first RF hardline coaxial cable plant to convey to the headend at least first upstream information from a plurality of first subscriber premises over an upstream path bandwidth including a range of frequencies, the method comprising:
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A) transmitting at least one test signal at or proximate to at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress into the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant, the at least one test signal having at least one test signal frequency; B) receiving, at or proximate to the at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress, at least one test signal amplitude representing a first strength of a received upstream test signal at the headend, based on A) and test signal ingress of the at least one test signal into at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant; C) based at least in part on the at least one test signal amplitude received in B), identifying, at or proximate to the at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress, the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant; and D) repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant, based on C), so as to significantly reduce a noise power, as measured at the headend, associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least a portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, wherein; the upstream path bandwidth of the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes at least one first modulated carrier wave having a first carrier frequency of less than or equal to 19.6 MHz, the at least one first modulated carrier wave being modulated with at least some of the first upstream information and defining a first upstream physical communication channel in the upstream path bandwidth, the at least one upstream physical communication channel having a first upstream average channel power; and D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant such that; D1) a highest value of an average noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least the portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least a 24 hour period at the headend, is at least 30 decibels (dB) below the first upstream average channel power; D2) the highest value for the average noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least the portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least the 24 hour period at the headend, is less than 15 decibels (dB) above a noise floor associated with the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least the 24 hour period at the headend; D3) a carrier-to-noise-plus-interference (CNIR) ratio of the first upstream physical communication channel is at least 31 dB; and D4) an unequalized modulation error ratio of the first upstream physical communication channel is at least 24 dB.
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28. A method for reducing ingress in at least a first neighborhood node of a cable communication system, the cable communication system comprising a headend coupled to the first neighborhood node, the first neighborhood node comprising a first RF hardline coaxial cable plant to convey to the headend at least first upstream information from a plurality of first subscriber premises over an upstream path bandwidth including a range of frequencies, the method comprising:
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A) transmitting at least one test signal at or proximate to at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress into the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant, the at least one test signal having at least one test signal frequency; B) receiving, at or proximate to the at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress, at least one test signal amplitude representing a first strength of a received upstream test signal at the headend, based on A) and test signal ingress of the at least one test signal into at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant; C) based at least in part on the at least one test signal amplitude received in B), identifying, at or proximate to the at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress, the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant; and D) repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant, based on C), so as to significantly reduce a noise power, as measured at the headend, associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least a portion of the upstream path bandwidth, wherein; the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes; at least one fitting; at least one hardline coaxial cable; and at least one electronics component; the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes; at least one loose and/or defective fitting; at least one hardline coaxial cable flaw; and a compromised ground of at least one electronics component; and D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one loose and/or defective fitting, the at least one hardline coaxial cable flaw, and the at least one electronics component so as to significantly reduce the noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress, and wherein; the upstream path bandwidth of the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant includes at least one first modulated carrier wave having a first carrier frequency of less than or equal to 19.6 MHz, the at least one first modulated carrier wave being modulated with at least some of the first upstream information and defining a first upstream physical communication channel in the upstream path bandwidth, the at least one upstream physical communication channel having a first upstream average channel power; and D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one loose and/or defective fitting, the at least one hardline coaxial cable flaw, and the at least one electronics component such that an highest value of an average noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least a portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least a 24 hour period at the headend, is at least 22 decibels (dB) below the first upstream average channel power.
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29. The method of claim 1, wherein:
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the first neighborhood node ingress includes at least one narrowband substantially persistent ingress signal having a narrowband noise power; and D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault, based on C), so as to significantly reduce the narrowband noise power, as measured at the headend, associated with the at least one narrowband substantially persistent ingress signal constituting at least part of the first neighborhood node ingress, wherein the at least one narrowband substantially persistent ingress signal includes at least one short wave radio signal having a carrier frequency of less than approximately 16.4 MHz.
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30. The method of claim 27, wherein:
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the first neighborhood node ingress includes at least one narrowband substantially persistent ingress signal having a narrowband noise power; and D) comprises repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault, based on C), so as to significantly reduce the narrowband noise power, as measured at the headend, associated with the at least one narrowband substantially persistent ingress signal constituting at least part of the first neighborhood node ingress, wherein the at least one narrowband substantially persistent ingress signal includes at least one short wave radio signal having a carrier frequency of less than approximately 16.4 MHz.
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Specification