Addressing and locating in-line coaxial cable devices within customer premises in cable-based networks

• US 10,097,901 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stafford, Roger, Osborne, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Marandi, James R
• Application Number:
  US15/469,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20170201804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 563 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem

Abstract

An exemplary apparatus for use in a cable-based network includes passive circuitry coupled with an input of the apparatus and configured to generate an output signal having frequency response characteristics controlled as a function of a value of at least one component in the passive circuitry. The apparatus further includes active circuitry coupled with the input of the apparatus. The active circuitry is configured to generate a message signal indicative of a presence of the apparatus in the cable-based network in response to an interrogation signal supplied to the apparatus.

Claims

1. An in-line coaxial cable apparatus for use in a cable-based network, the apparatus comprising:

passive circuitry coupled in-line with the cable-based network, an input of the apparatus and the passive circuitry being configured to receive an input signal from the cable-based network and to generate an output signal having frequency response characteristics controlled as a function of a value of at least one component in the passive circuitry; and

active circuitry coupled with an input of the apparatus, the active circuitry being configured to generate a message signal conveyed over the cable-based network, the message signal being indicative of a presence of the apparatus in the cable-based network in response to an interrogation signal supplied to the apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the passive circuitry comprises at least one filter configured to generate the output signal of the apparatus, the frequency response characteristics of the output signal being controlled as a function of at least one of a topology of the filter and a value of at least one component in the filter.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the passive circuitry is AC-coupled with the input of the apparatus and the active circuitry is directly coupled with the input of the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the active circuitry comprises a power supply module coupled with the input of the apparatus, the power supply module being configured to receive a control signal and to generate a supply voltage for powering one or more functional modules in the active circuitry.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the power supply module is configured to extract a voltage signal from the interrogation signal supplied to the apparatus and to generate from the voltage signal the supply voltage for powering the one or more functional modules in the active circuitry.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the active circuitry further comprises:

clock circuitry configured to generate a clock signal;

a codeword generator configured to receive the clock signal and to generate a coded bitstream comprising the message signal indicative of the presence of the apparatus in the cable-based network; and

a mixer coupled with an output of the apparatus and configured to combine the message signal with the output signal generated by the passive circuitry to form the output of the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the active circuitry comprises:

a receiver coupled with the input of the apparatus, the receiver being configured to monitor an input signal supplied to the apparatus and to generate a control signal in response to receiving the interrogation signal;

a power supply module configured to receive the control signal and to selectively energize at least a subset of circuits in the active circuitry as a function of the control signal;

clock circuitry configured to generate a clock signal;

a codeword generator configured to receive the clock signal and to generate a coded bitstream comprising the message signal indicative of the presence of the apparatus in the cable-based network; and

a mixer coupled with an output of the apparatus and configured to combine the message signal with the output signal generated by the passive circuitry in forming the output of the apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the power supply module is configured to selectively energize the clock circuitry, the codeword generator and the mixer as a function of the control signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the power supply module comprises a battery and switching circuitry, the switching circuitry being configured to selectively connect the battery with the clock circuitry, the codeword generator and the mixer as a function of the control signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the power supply module is configured to transmit a low-battery warning signal when a voltage level of the battery falls below a prescribed threshold value.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the mixer is configured to combine the message signal with the output signal using modulation.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the modulation used by the mixer to combine the message signal with the output signal comprises at least one of amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, frequency-shift keying modulation and phase-shift keying modulation.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the receiver remains powered on to at least periodically monitor the input signal for a presence of the interrogation signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the active circuitry further comprises a time-delay shift register coupled with the clock circuitry and the codeword generator, the time-delay shift register being adapted to receive the clock signal and to divide the clock signal by a prescribed value to thereby generate a corresponding delay interval used to enable the codeword generator, the delay interval reducing a likelihood of overlap in codeword responses generated by the apparatus when multiple in-line coaxial cable apparatuses are employed in the cable-based network.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message signal generated by the active circuitry comprises at least one of a unique identifier corresponding to the apparatus and a type of the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the active circuitry comprises:

clock circuitry configured to generate a clock signal;

a codeword generator configured to receive the clock signal and to generate a coded bitstream comprising the message signal indicative of the presence of the apparatus in the cable-based network; and

a mixer coupled with an output of the apparatus and configured to combine the message signal with the output signal generated by the passive circuitry to form the output of the apparatus;

wherein the codeword generator comprises a shift register that is pre-loaded with a digital codeword indicative of the unique identifier corresponding to the apparatus.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the active circuitry, in response to receiving the interrogation signal supplied to the apparatus, is configured to repeatedly transmit the message signal in intervals, a timing of the intervals varying within a range according to a prescribed tolerance of the active circuitry.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the active circuitry comprises a programmable register adapted to store a delay value, a time interval between successive transmissions of the message signal by the apparatus being controlled as a function of the delay value.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the passive circuitry comprises a multimedia over coax alliance (MoCA) point-of-entry filter.