Systems and methods for establishing a diagnostic transmission mode and communicating over the same

• US 9,319,512 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TQ Delta LLC (Techquity Capital Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: TQ Delta LLC (Techquity Capital Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Krinsky, David M., Pizzano, Robert Edmund Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khanh C
• Application Number:
  US14/282,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20140254645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 375/222, 375224-225, 375/227, 375/220, 375/284, 370/241, 370/252, 370/282, 379/22.02, 379/22.04, 379/27.01, 379/27.03
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/46 Monitoring; Testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/24 Testing correct operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/245 by using the properties of transmission codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/3461 in order to transmit a subchannel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1438 Negotiation of transmission parameters prior to communication modified according to link quality H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2209 for lines also used for data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2227 Quality of service monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/28 Automatic routine testing ; Fault testing; Installation testing; Test methods, test equipment or test arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/30 for subscriber's lines , for the local loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/304 and using xDSL modems xDSL line qualification H04M3/306

Abstract

Upon detection of a trigger, such as the exceeding of an error threshold or the direction of a user, a diagnostic link system enters a diagnostic information transmission mode. This diagnostic information transmission mode allows for two modems to exchange diagnostic and/or test information that may not otherwise be exchangeable during normal communication. The diagnostic information transmission mode is initiated by transmitting an initiate diagnostic link mode message to a receiving modem accompanied by a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). The receiving modem determines, based on the CRC, if a robust communications channel is present. If a robust communications channel is present, the two modems can initiate exchange of the diagnostic and/or test information. Otherwise, the transmission power of the transmitting modem is increased and the initiate diagnostic link mode message re-transmitted to the receiving modem until the CRC is determined to be correct.

Claims

1. A method in a multicarrier transceiver comprising:

transmitting or receiving a message requesting information associated with a measurement of a received power level on each of a plurality of subchannels;

measuring the received power level on each of the plurality of subchannels during a time in which user data is not being transmitted or received; and

transmitting or receiving a message comprising information associated with the received power level on each of the plurality of subchannels,

wherein the received power level is measured using a signal generated by modulating the plurality of subchannels using a predefined pseudo-random sequence.

2. A multicarrier transceiver operable to:

transmit, by a transmitter, or receive, by a receiver, a message requesting information associated with a measurement of a received power level on each of a plurality of subchannels;

measure the received power level on each of the plurality of subchannels during a time in which user data is not being transmitted or received; and

transmit or receive a message comprising information associated with the received power level on each of the plurality of subchannels,

wherein the received power level is measured using a signal generated by modulating the plurality of subchannels using a predefined pseudo-random sequence.

3. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 2, further comprising a message determination device, a diagnostic device, a diagnostic information storage device, a microprocessor and a digital signal processor.

4. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 2, wherein the messages are transmitted or received over a communications channel.

5. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 2, wherein the transceiver communicates over a multiplicity of subchannels of limited bandwidth.

6. A multicarrier transceiver operable to:

be connected to a communication channel and transmit, using a transmitter, multicarrier test information associated with the communication channel; and

determine an array of received power level measurements,

wherein each received power level measurement is associated with one or more subchannels,

and wherein the array of received power level measurements is determined using a multicarrier signal received over the communication channel,

wherein the multicarrier signal was generated by modulating a plurality of subchannels using a predefined pseudo-random sequence, and

transmit a message comprising the multicarrier test information associated with the communication channel, wherein the multicarrier test information comprises the array of received power level measurements.

7. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 6, wherein the multicarrier signal is a REVERB signal.

8. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 6, wherein the message further comprises transmit power level information in addition to the multicarrier test information.

9. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 8, wherein the transmit power level information are fine gains.

10. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 6, wherein the multicarrier test information comprises a plurality of frequency domain received idle channel noise measurements.

11. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 6, wherein the message is transmitted during a diagnostic mode.

12. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 6, further comprising a message determination device, a diagnostic device, a diagnostic information storage device, a microprocessor and a digital signal processor.

13. A method in multicarrier transceiver connected to a communication channel, the method comprising:

transmitting multicarrier test information associated with the communication channel;

determining an array of received power level measurements,

wherein each received power level measurement is associated with one or more subchannels,

wherein the array of received power level measurements is determined using a multicarrier signal received over the communication channel, and

wherein the multicarrier signal was generated by modulating a plurality of subchannels using a predefined pseudo-random sequence; and

transmitting a message comprising the multicarrier test information associated with the communication channel, wherein the multicarrier test information comprises the array of received power level measurements.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the multicarrier signal is a REVERB signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the message further comprises transmit power level information in addition to the multicarrier test information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the transmit power level information are fine gains.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the multicarrier test information comprises a plurality of frequency domain received idle channel noise measurements.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the message is transmitted during a diagnostic mode.