System for detecting a fault in a communication system

• US 10,615,889 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2019
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2016
• 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: Henry, Paul Shala, Gerszberg, Irwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai M
• Application Number:
  US16/384,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20190268079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/10 Radiation diagrams of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/103 Reflected power, e.g. return loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a system for transmitting a source test signal directed to a second system of a distributed communication system for a retransmission of the source test signal by the second system and a plurality of other systems of the distributed communication system, receiving a plurality of returned messages from the second system, where each of the plurality of returned messages includes information associated with a signal test performed by the second system and at least one of the plurality of other systems, where the signal test comprises a comparison of a retransmission of the source test signal and an expected signal profile of the source test signal, and determining from the plurality of returned messages whether any one of the plurality of other systems is experiencing a degradation in transmission signal quality. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a first antenna system of a distributed antenna system including a plurality of other antenna systems, a source wireless test signal directed to a second antenna system of the plurality of other antenna systems for retransmissions of the source wireless test signal by the second antenna system and by a third antenna system of the plurality of other antenna systems; and

determining, by the first antenna system, from frequency domain comparison information of a returned message, whether any one of the plurality of other antenna systems is experiencing an operational fault, wherein the frequency domain comparison information is associated with a signal test, and wherein the signal test comprises a comparison, in a frequency domain, of a given retransmission of the retransmissions of the source wireless test signal and an expected signal profile of the source wireless test signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the retransmissions of the source wireless test signal are sequential retransmissions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the first antenna system, the returned message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the returned message comprises a wireless returned message obtained from a control channel used by the distributed antenna system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to the determining, identifying the third antenna system of the plurality of other antenna systems as experiencing the operational fault.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the identifying the third antenna system comprises detecting that the given retransmission, by the third antenna system, of the retransmissions of the source wireless test signal does not compare favorably to the expected signal profile.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the identifying the third antenna system comprises receiving an alert message from a fourth antenna system that performs the signal test while in communication with the third antenna system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fourth antenna system detects a communication failure at the third antenna system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein responsive to detection of the communication failure, the fourth antenna system transmits an adjusted wireless signal that bypasses the third antenna system and is directed to the second antenna system, and wherein the adjusted wireless signal includes the returned message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, by the first antenna system, an alert associated with the operational fault.

11. A first system, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

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

transmitting a source test signal directed to a second system of a distributed communication system for retransmissions of the source test signal by the second system and a third system of a plurality of other systems of the distributed communication system; and

determining, from frequency domain comparison information of a returned message, whether any one of the plurality of other systems is experiencing an operational fault, wherein the frequency domain comparison information is associated with a signal test, and wherein the signal test comprises a comparison, in a frequency domain, of a given retransmission of the retransmissions of the source test signal and an expected signal profile of the source test signal.

12. The first system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the returned message.

13. The first system of claim 11, wherein the retransmissions of the source test signal are sequential retransmissions.

14. The first system of claim 11, wherein the returned message comprises a wireless returned message obtained from a control channel used by the distributed communication system.

15. The first system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise detecting that the given retransmission of the retransmissions of the source test signal does not compare favorably to the expected signal profile to identify the third system of the plurality of other systems as experiencing the operational fault.

16. The first system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an alert message from a fourth system that performs the signal test while in communication with the third system to identify the third system of the plurality of other systems as experiencing the operational fault.

17. The first system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise generating an alert associated with the operational fault.

18. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a first antenna system of a distributed antenna system including a plurality of other antenna systems, a source wireless test signal directed to a second antenna system of the plurality of other antenna systems for retransmissions of the source wireless test signal by the second antenna system and by a third antenna system of the plurality of other antenna systems; and

determining, by the first antenna system, from frequency domain comparison information of a returned message, whether any one of the plurality of other antenna systems is experiencing an operational fault, wherein the frequency domain comparison information is associated with a signal test.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the signal test comprises a comparison, in a frequency domain, of a given retransmission of the retransmissions of the source wireless test signal and an expected signal profile of the source wireless test signal.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving, by the first antenna system, the returned message.