Apparatus for controlling operations of a communication device and methods thereof

• US 10,574,349 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2019
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2014
• 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: Gerszberg, Irwin, Barzegar, Farhad, Henry, Paul Shala, Bennett, Robert, Barnickel, Donald J., Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rachedine, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US16/251,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20190173575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/00 Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere measuring superconductive properties G01R33/1238; testing or measuring semiconductors or solid state devices during manufacture H01L22/00; testing line transmission systems H04B3/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/44 Testing lamps
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/46 Electric supply lines or communication lines
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/038 using bypasses
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5425 improving S/N by matching impedance, noise reduction, gain control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5491 using filtering and bypassing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a transmission system having a coupling device, a bypass circuit, a memory and a processor. The coupling device can facilitate transmission or reception of electromagnetic waves that propagate along a surface of a transmission medium. The memory can store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations including restarting a timer to prevent the bypass circuit from disabling the transmission or reception of electromagnetic waves by the coupling device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a processing system of a first device coupled to a transmission medium, first electromagnetic waves that propagate along the transmission medium, wherein the first electromagnetic waves are directed to a second device coupled to the transmission medium, wherein the first device and the second device operate in a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) configuration, and wherein the first electromagnetic waves are transmitted in a first MIMO mode;

responsive to a fault in the second device, identifying, by the processing system, a third device operating in the MIMO configuration that utilizes the transmission medium, wherein the fault results in the second device causing electromagnetic wave interference on the transmission medium; and

responsive to the identifying, transmitting, by the processing system, second electromagnetic waves that propagate along the transmission medium directed to the third device, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are less susceptible to the interference than the first electromagnetic waves, and wherein the second electromagnetic waves are transmitted in a second MIMO mode different from the first MIMO mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the third device is selected from a group of devices coupled to the transmission medium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second electromagnetic waves propagate along the transmission medium and traverse the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fault is detected responsive to a failure to receive a message from the second device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fault comprises a failure to reset a timer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmission of the second electromagnetic waves in the second MIMO mode comprises transmission of redundant data, transmission at a decreased throughput relative to the first MIMO mode, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a distance between the first device and the third device is greater than a distance between the first device and the second device.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the failure to receive the message comprises not receiving the message according to a predefined protocol, not receiving the message during a predetermined time period, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, by the processing system, the second MIMO mode to reduce the interference.

10. A first device, comprising:

a transmitting device;

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processing system that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations comprising;

generating by the transmitting device first electromagnetic waves that propagate along a transmission medium, wherein the first electromagnetic waves are directed to a receiving device coupled to the transmission medium, wherein the transmitting device and the receiving device operate in a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) configuration, and wherein the first electromagnetic waves are transmitted in a first MIMO mode;

responsive to a fault in the receiving device, identifying a second device operating in the MIMO configuration, wherein the fault results in the receiving device causing electromagnetic wave interference on the transmission medium;

selecting a second MIMO mode, different from the first MIMO mode, to reduce the interference; and

responsive to the identifying, transmitting second electromagnetic waves that propagate along the transmission medium directed to the second device, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are transmitted in the second MIMO mode.

11. The first device of claim 10, wherein the fault is detected responsive to a failure to receive a message from the receiving device, a failure to reset a timer, or a combination thereof.

12. The first device of claim 10, wherein the second electromagnetic waves propagate along the transmission medium traversing the receiving device.

13. The first device of claim 10, wherein the fault is detected responsive to a failure to receive a message from the receiving device, the failure to receive the message comprising not receiving the message according to a predetermined protocol, not receiving the message during a predetermined time period, or a combination thereof.

14. The first device of claim 10, wherein transmission of the second electromagnetic waves in the second MIMO mode comprises transmission of redundant data, transmission at a decreased throughput relative to the first MIMO mode, or a combination thereof.

15. The first device of claim 10, wherein a distance between the transmitting device and the second device is greater than a distance between the transmitting device and the receiving device.

16. A machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system of a first device including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

transmitting first electromagnetic waves that propagate along a transmission medium coupled to the first device, wherein the first electromagnetic waves are directed to a second device coupled to the transmission medium, wherein the first device and the second device operate in a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) configuration, and wherein the first electromagnetic waves are transmitted in a first MIMO mode;

responsive to a fault in the second device, identifying a third device, wherein the fault results in the second device causing electromagnetic wave interference on the transmission medium;

selecting a second MIMO mode to reduce the interference; and

responsive to the identifying, transmitting second electromagnetic waves that propagate in the second MIMO mode along the transmission medium directed to the third device.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second MIMO mode is different from the first MIMO mode.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the fault is detected responsive to a failure to receive a message from the second device, the failure comprising not receiving the message according to a predetermined protocol, not receiving the message during a predetermined time period, or a combination thereof.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the fault is detected responsive to a failure to receive a message from the second device, a failure to reset a timer, or a combination thereof.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein transmission of the second electromagnetic waves in the second MIMO mode comprises transmission of redundant data, transmission at a decreased throughput relative to the first MIMO mode, or a combination thereof.