System for fault detection in an internet protocol television communication system

• US 9,191,622 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2007
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rahman, Moshiur
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US11/873,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,953 Days
• Field of Search: 725107-108, 725/118, 725/105, 725/123, 348180-181, 348/192, 348/62
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6473 Monitoring network processes errors for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network element can have a wireless transceiver, a wireline transceiver, and a controller. The controller can be adapted to process multimedia signals received from an upstream IPTV network element, transmit the processed multimedia signals to one or more downstream IPTV network elements, monitor communications on a wireline interface capable of accessing a fault management system (FMS), and cause the wireless access transceiver to wirelessly transmit to the FMS telemetry information collected responsive to detecting one or more faults in the wireline interface. The controller can also cause the wireline transceiver to transmit to the FMS over the wireline interface the telemetry information responsive to detecting no fault in the wireline interface that impedes communication with the FMS over the wireline interface. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. An interactive television network element operating in an interactive television communication system, the interactive television network element corresponding to a headend element of a plurality of connected interactive television network elements, the network element comprising:

a first wireless transceiver;

a wireline interface for accessing a fault management system;

a wireline transceiver;

a memory to store instructions; and

a controller coupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the controller performs operations comprising;

processing multimedia signals received from a media service provider to generate processed multimedia signals;

transmitting the processed multimedia signals to another network element corresponding to a downstream interactive television network element of the plurality of connected interactive television network elements, the downstream element located downstream from the headend element;

monitoring communications on the wireline interface, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring for a first message of a periodic test cycle to the interactive television network element from the fault management system via the wireline interface, wherein the periodic test cycle comprises the first message and a second message, responsive to the first message, from the interactive television network element to the fault management system, wherein the downstream element comprises a second wireless transceiver for accessing the fault management system, wherein the downstream element communicates with the wireline interface only via the headend element, and wherein the fault management system monitors the downstream element via the wireline interface;

monitoring for internal faults in the interactive television network element;

monitoring for faults in the wireline interface;

monitoring for faults in the multimedia signals;

registering a fault condition in accordance with;

failing to detect the first message of the periodic test cycle,

detecting an internal fault in the interactive television network element,

detecting a fault in the wireline interface by testing components of the interactive television network element, or

detecting a fault in the multimedia signals;

causing the first wireless transceiver to wirelessly transmit to the fault management system telemetry information collected responsive to the fault condition; and

causing the wireline transceiver to transmit to the fault management system over the wireline interface the telemetry information responsive to detecting no fault in the wireline interface that impedes communication with the fault management system over the wireline interface,

wherein the downstream element transmits to the fault management system telemetry information associated with an internal fault of the downstream element or a fault in the processed multimedia signal, the telemetry information transmitted via the second wireless transceiver in case of a previous detection of a fault in the wireline interface.

2. The interactive television network element of claim 1, wherein the first wireless transceiver corresponds to a long-range wireless access transceiver, wherein the telemetry information includes packet sequence gaps, wherein the monitoring for the faults in the multimedia signals comprises monitoring for jitter in the multimedia signals, and wherein the operations further comprise monitoring for a service restoration associated with the fault condition.

3. The interactive television network element of claim 2, wherein the long-range wireless access transceiver corresponds to a worldwide interoperability for microwave access transceiver.

4. The interactive television network element of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a test packet from the fault management system over the wireline interface to monitor faults on the wireline interface.

5. The interactive television network element of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting a test signal to the fault management system over the wireline interface; and

receiving a response signal from the fault management system to monitor faults on the wireline interface.

6. The interactive television network element of claim 5, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving the response signal by way of a wireless access transceiver.

7. The interactive television network element of claim 5, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving the response signal by way of the wireline interface.

8. The interactive television network element of claim 1, wherein the interactive television network element corresponds to a super headend office server.

9. A tangible computer-readable storage device having instructions embedded therein, which, responsive to being executed by a processor of a headend network element operating in an interactive television communication system, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

distributing multimedia signals received from a media service provider;

monitoring communications on a wireline interface for accessing a fault management system, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring for a first message of a periodic test cycle to the headend network element from the fault management system via the wireline interface, wherein the periodic test cycle comprises the first message and a second message, responsive to the first message, from the headend network element to the fault management system, wherein the headend network element comprises a first wireless transceiver, wherein the television communication system comprises the headend network element and a downstream network element receiving the distributed multimedia signals, wherein the downstream network element communicates with the wireline interface only via the headend network element, and wherein the downstream network element comprises a second wireless transceiver for accessing the fault management system;

detecting a fault based on an analysis of the multimedia signals;

monitoring for internal faults in the headend network element;

monitoring for faults in the wireline interface;

wirelessly transmitting to the fault management system, by the first wireless transceiver, telemetry information collected by the headend network element responsive to failing to detect the first message of the periodic test cycle from the fault management system; and

transmitting to the fault management system over the wireline interface the telemetry information responsive to detecting no fault in the wireline interface that impedes communication with the fault management system over the wireline interface,

wherein the downstream network element transmits to the fault management system telemetry information associated with an internal fault of the downstream network element or a fault in the distributed multimedia signals, the telemetry information transmitted via the second wireless transceiver in case of a previous detection of a fault in the wireline interface.

10. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise wirelessly transmitting the telemetry information according to a worldwide interoperability for microwave access protocol.

11. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the first message comprises a test packet from the fault management system over the wireline interface to monitor faults on the wireline interface.

12. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting a test signal to the fault management system over the wireline interface; and

receiving a response signal from the fault management system to monitor faults on the wireline interface.

13. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the receiving further comprises wirelessly receiving the response signal.

14. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving the response signal by way of the wireline interface.

15. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the headend network element corresponds to a super headend office server, and the downstream network element comprises a core network router.

16. A fault management system operating in an interactive television communication system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a controller coupled with the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

monitoring communications on a wireline interface for accessing a headend network element operating in the interactive television communication system, wherein the headend network element comprises a first wireless interface and is coupled to a downstream network element operating in the interactive television communication system and comprising a second wireless interface;

monitoring the downstream network element via the wireline interface, wherein the downstream network element communicates with the wireline interface only via the headend network element;

processing telemetry information received from the headend network element over the first wireless interface,

responsive to detecting a fault in the wireline interface that impedes communication with the headend network element over the wireline interface or

responsive to detecting a failure by the controller to detect an expected response message of a periodic test cycle from the wireline interface of the headend network element, wherein the periodic test cycle comprises an initial message from the fault management system to the headend network element and the response message,

wherein the detecting of the fault in the wireline interface is based on testing internal components of the headend network element and testing for faults in multimedia signals received by the headend network element, wherein the multimedia signals are distributed to the downstream network element; and

processing telemetry information received from the headend network element over the wireline interface responsive to detecting no fault in the wireline interface that impedes communication with the fault management system over the wireline interface,

wherein the downstream network element transmits to the fault management system telemetry information associated with an internal fault of the downstream network element or a fault in the distributed multimedia signals, the telemetry information transmitted via the second wireless interface in case of a previous detection of a fault in the wireline interface.

17. The fault management system of claim 16, wherein the controller wirelessly receives telemetry information from the headend network element according to a software defined radio protocol.

18. The fault management system of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a test signal from the headend network element over the wireline interface to monitor faults on the wireline interface.

19. The fault management system of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a test packet to the headend network element over the wireline interface;

and receiving a response packet from the headend network element to monitor faults on the wireline interface.

20. The fault management system of claim 19, wherein the controller wirelessly receives the response packet.

21. The fault management system of claim 19, wherein the controller receives the response packet by way of the wireline interface.

22. The fault management system of claim 16, wherein the downstream network element corresponds to a terminating endpoint device.