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

• US 9,479,637 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2016
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• 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:
  US14/991,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20160127537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 291 Days
• Field of Search: 375219-220, 375/222, 375224-225, 375227-228, 375/285, 370/252, 370/282, 370/241, 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 multicarrier transceiver comprising:

a transmitter section operable to be connected to a communication channel and to transmit multicarrier test information associated with the communication channel over the communication channel;

a receiver portion operable to measure an array of Signal to Noise Ratios,

wherein each measured Signal to Noise Ratio is associated with one or more subchannels, and

wherein the measuring of the array of Signal to Noise Ratios is performed during Showtime; and

the transmitter section further operable to transmit a message during Showtime comprising the multicarrier test information associated with the communication channel, wherein the multicarrier test information comprises the array of Signal to Noise Ratios that were measured during Showtime.

2. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 1, wherein a plurality of bits in the message are transmitted on a DMT symbol, wherein at least one subchannel in the DMT symbol uses Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) with more than 1 bit per subchannel.

3. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 1, wherein the multicarrier test information comprises a plurality of frequency domain received idle channel noise measurements.

4. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 1, wherein the message is transmitted during a diagnostic mode.

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

transmitting, by a transmitter, multicarrier test information associated with the communication channel over the communication channel;

measuring an array of Signal to Noise Ratios,

wherein each Signal to Noise Ratio measurement is associated with one or more subchannels, and

wherein the measuring of the array of Signal to Noise Ratios is performed during Showtime; and

transmitting a message during Showtime comprising the multicarrier test information associated with the communication channel, wherein the multicarrier test information comprises the array of Signal to Noise Ratios measured during Showtime.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a plurality of bits in the message are transmitted on a DMT symbol, wherein at least one subchannel in the DMT symbol uses Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) with more than 1 bit per subchannel.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the multicarrier test information comprises a plurality of frequency domain received idle channel noise measurements.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the message is transmitted during a diagnostic mode.