Identification of a fault

• US 9,479,515 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Wolcott, Lawrence D., Chang, Philip F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Xavier S
• Application Number:
  US13/782,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/0342 QAM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03808 Transmission of equaliser coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/022 of frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03 Shaping networks in transmitter or receiver, e.g. adaptive shaping networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03019 adaptive, i.e. capable of adjustment during data reception
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and system are provided for determining a location of an error source. Equalization coefficients may be retrieved and an average period of time between localized peak amplitudes may be determined. The average period of time may be multiplied by a velocity of propagation associated with a communication channel to determine an approximate location of the error source. The equalization coefficients may correspond to the inverse of the frequency response associated with the communication channel and may be updated over time using replacement or combination (e.g., convolution) techniques.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a computing device and to a user terminal, a first set of equalization coefficients and a parameter indicating that the user terminal is to replace a second set of equalization coefficients with the first set of equalization coefficients;

receiving, by the computing device and from the user terminal, a communication having distortion compensation based, at least in part, on the first set of equalization coefficients;

determining, by the computing device, a third set of equalization coefficients associated with the communication;

determining, by the computing device, a location of an error source relative to a location of the user terminal based, at least in part, on the third set of equalization coefficients; and

in response to determining that the first set of equalization coefficients does not match the third set of equalization coefficients within a threshold amount, determining that the error occurred at one or more of the computing device or the user terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the third set of equalization coefficients comprises at least one of post-equalization coefficients of the user terminal and pre-equalization coefficients of the user terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a message from the user terminal, the message comprising a predefined data field;

determining a frequency response associated with a communication channel associated with the user terminal based on the predefined data field; and

assigning values to the first set of equalization coefficients based on the frequency response.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the values assigned to the first set of equalization coefficients correspond to an inverse of the frequency response.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring one or more values of time between peak equalization coefficient values in the third set of equalization coefficients; and

using the one or more values of time between the peak equalization coefficient values to determine the location of the error source relative to the location of the user terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

calculating an average value of time from the one or more values of time between the peak equalization coefficient values, wherein the determining the location of the error source is based on the average value of time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the location of the error source is further based on a velocity of propagation associated with a communication channel associated with the user terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a status message indicating the location of the error source.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the status message comprises at least one of an audio message, an email, a text message, an image, and a video.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a probable cause of an error at the error source based on values of the third set of equalization coefficients.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to;

transmit, to a user terminal, a first set of equalization coefficients and a parameter indicating that the user terminal is to replace a second set of equalization coefficients with the first set of equalization coefficients;

receive, from the user terminal, a communication having distortion compensation based, at least in part, on the first set of equalization coefficients;

determine a third set of equalization coefficients associated with the communication;

determine a location of an error source relative to a location of the user terminal based, at least in part, on the third set of equalization coefficients; and

in response to determining that the first set of equalization coefficients does not match the third set of equalization coefficients within a threshold amount, determine that the error occurred at one or more of the apparatus or the user terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the third set of equalization coefficients comprises at least one of post-equalization coefficients of the user terminal and pre-equalization coefficients of the user terminal.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

measure one or more values of time between peak equalization coefficient values in the third set of equalization coefficients; and

use the one or more values of time between the peak equalization coefficient values to determine the location of the error source relative to the location of the user terminal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

calculate an average value of time from the one or more values of time between the peak equalization coefficient values; and

determine the location of the error source based on the average value of time.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

determine the location of the error source further based on a velocity of propagation associated with a communication channel associated with the user terminal.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing executable instructions that, when executed by at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to:

transmit, to a user terminal, a first set of equalization coefficients and a parameter indicating that the user terminal is to replace a second set of equalization coefficients with the first set of equalization coefficients;

receive, from the user terminal, a communication having distortion compensation based, at least in part, on the first set of equalization coefficients;

determine a third set of equalization coefficients associated with the communication;

determine a location of an error source relative to a location of the user terminal based, at least in part, on the third set of equalization coefficients; and

in response to determining that the first set of equalization coefficients does not match the third set of equalization coefficients within a threshold amount, determine that the error occurred at one or more of the at least one computer or the user terminal.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the at least one computer, further cause the at least one computer to:

measure one or more values of time between peak equalization coefficient values in the third set of equalization coefficients; and

determine the location of the error source relative to the location of the user terminal based on the one or more values of time between the peak equalization coefficient values.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the at least one computer, further cause the at least one computer to:

determine the location of the error source further based on a velocity of propagation associated with a communication channel associated with the user terminal.