Monitoring and mitigating conditions in a communication network

• US 9,906,269 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2016
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fuchs, Mitchell Harvey, Gerszberg, Irwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aziz, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US15/156,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20160261310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/06 through light guides, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/10 Wire waveguides, i.e. with a single solid longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/087 Transitions to a dielectric waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/103 Hollow-waveguide/coaxial-line transitions
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/46 Electric supply lines or communication lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/345 Interference values signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] H04B17/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5495 having measurements and testing channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/46 Monitoring; Testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/546 Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/30 using a wired architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a system for receiving telemetry information from an apparatus that induces electromagnetic waves on a wire surface of a wire of a power grid for delivery of communication signals to a recipient communication device coupled to the power grid, and detecting a condition from the telemetry information that is adverse to a delivery of the communication signals to the recipient communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving telemetry information from a waveguide system, the waveguide system comprising a dielectric coupler positioned with respect to a transmission medium, the dielectric coupler facilitating transmission of first electromagnetic waves that propagate along the dielectric coupler without requiring an electrical circuit, the first electromagnetic waves coupling to the transmission medium, thereby forming second electromagnetic waves, and the second electromagnetic waves being directed to an antenna to transmit first wireless signals;

detecting from the telemetry information a condition adverse to the propagation of the second electromagnetic waves along the transmission medium,

wherein the condition adversely affects the transmission of the first wireless signals by the antenna.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a location of the condition in a path of the transmission medium according to the telemetry information; and

directing the waveguide system, or other waveguide systems to adjust a route for the transmission of the second electromagnetic waves.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving information indicating the condition has been mitigated; and

directing the waveguide system, or the other waveguide systems to reroute the second electromagnetic waves, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are rerouted to a route used prior to the condition.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises a future condition that is predicted from the telemetry information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dielectric coupler further facilitates reception of third electromagnetic waves that propagate along the transmission medium without requiring the electrical circuit, and wherein the third electromagnetic waves are generated by the antenna responsive to the antenna receiving second wireless signals.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second electromagnetic waves have an electromagnetic field structure that lies at least in part outside of the transmission medium.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna and the transmission medium are components of a distributed antenna system.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving location information from the waveguide system to determine a location of the condition in a path of the transmission medium.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a maintenance schedule; and

determining from the maintenance schedule that the condition is due to a maintenance activity occurring during the maintenance schedule.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise directing the waveguide system, or other waveguide systems to adjust a route for the transmission of the second electromagnetic waves to avoid a location of the maintenance activity during the maintenance schedule.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise directing the waveguide system, or the other waveguide systems to restore an original route of the second electromagnetic waves after the maintenance activity is completed.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium comprises a dielectric transmission medium, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are guided by the dielectric transmission medium, and wherein the apparatus comprises a wireless base station that facilitates network connectivity with a plurality of wireless devices.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor includes a plurality of microprocessors or other multi-processor architectures.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a network element comprising a processor, telemetry data generated by a waveguide system, the waveguide system comprising a dielectric coupler and an antenna, the dielectric coupler positioned with respect to a transmission medium, the dielectric coupler facilitating reception of first electromagnetic waves that propagate along the dielectric coupler without requiring an electrical circuit, the first electromagnetic waves generated from second electromagnetic waves propagating on the transmission medium, and the antenna facilitating generation of the second electromagnetic waves responsive to the antenna receiving first free space wireless signals;

determining, by the network element, from the telemetry data a condition adverse to an operation of the waveguide system; and

transmitting, by the network element, instructions to the waveguide system to adjust a route of the second electromagnetic waves to mitigate the condition.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising instructing the waveguide system to restore the route of the second electromagnetic waves responsive to the condition being mitigated.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the adjusting comprises routing the second electromagnetic waves to an alternate transmission medium coupled to the waveguide system.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the dielectric coupler further facilitates transmission of third electromagnetic waves that propagate along the transmission medium, and the antenna facilitating transmission of second free space wireless signals responsive to the antenna receiving the third electromagnetic waves.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving telemetry information from an apparatus comprising a dielectric coupler that transmits first electromagnetic waves that propagate along the dielectric coupler without requiring an electrical circuit, wherein the first electromagnetic waves couple to a transmission medium, thereby forming second electromagnetic waves that propagate on the transmission medium, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are directed to an antenna to transmit first wireless signals to a recipient device, wherein the first wireless signals are formatted according to a fifth generation (5G) communications protocol, and wherein the second electromagnetic waves convey data directed to the recipient device; and

detecting, according to the telemetry information, a condition that is adverse to the transmission of the second electromagnetic waves.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise directing the apparatus to adjust a route of the second electromagnetic waves to mitigate the condition.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the apparatus further facilitates receiving third electromagnetic waves responsive to the antenna receiving second wireless signals from a source device.