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

• US 9,838,531 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TQ Delta LLC (Techquity Capital Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: TQ Delta LLC (Techquity Capital Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Krinsky, David M., Pizzano, Jr., Robert Edmund
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khanh C
• Application Number:
  US15/295,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20170034343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 375219-220, 375222, 375224-225, 375227-228, 375285, 370252, 370282, 370241, 379 2202, 379 2204, 379 2701, 379 2703
• 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 diagnostic link system for communicating data between modems using multicarrier modulation comprising:

an initiate diagnostic mode trigger that instructs a transmitting modem to forward an initiate diagnostic mode message to a receiving modem;

a message determination device that determines a diagnostic link message;

a receiving modem diagnostic device that receives the diagnostic link message and determines the accuracy of the diagnostic link message; and

the transmitting modem further operable to transmit a message over a wired link upon the receiving modem determining that a predetermined error threshold has been exceeded, the message comprising an array comprising a plurality of elements, wherein each element comprises information associated with a received power level of at least one subchannel.

2. A multicarrier transceiver comprising:

a receiver portion operable to receive via a wired link;

a transmitter portion operable to transmit via the same wired link;

the receiver portion further operable to determine whether a predetermined error threshold during normal steady state data transmission over the wired link has been exceeded;

the receiver portion further operable to measure a received power level on each of a plurality of subchannels;

the receiver portion further operable to receive a message requesting information associated with the measurement of the received power level on each of a plurality of subchannels; and

the transmitter portion further operable to transmit a message over the wired link upon the receiver portion determining that the predetermined error threshold has been exceeded, the message comprising an array comprising a plurality of elements, wherein each element comprises information associated with the received power level of at least one subchannel.

3. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 2, wherein the transceiver is DSL modem.

4. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 2, wherein the transceiver is customer premises modem.

5. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 2, wherein the transceiver is located in a central office.

6. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 2, wherein the transceiver is located in a customer premises.

7. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 2, wherein the transceiver is an ATU-R.

8. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 2, wherein the transceiver is ATU-C.

9. The multicarrier transceiver of claim 7, further wherein the transmitter portion is further operable to retransmit the message a plurality of times.