Fiber Node Discovery Using Ranging Delay Windows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing network outages in hybrid fiber coax (HFC) architectures lack a reliable and efficient way to identify the specific fiber node associated with a customer premise equipment (CPE) device, often relying on outdated billing data, which is costly to update and not always accurate.
Innovation Solution
The use of ranging delay data to identify and combine fiber nodes with overlapping delays, creating non-overlapping ranging delay windows, and storing these values in databases or network devices to associate CPE devices with the correct fiber node, allowing for efficient fiber node discovery and troubleshooting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If billing data is used to identify fiber node information, then fiber node identification can be performed, but the data becomes out-of-date and costly to update regularly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by establishing non-overlapping ranging delay windows for each fiber node in advance. These windows are calculated based on the round-trip time characteristics of each fiber node and are stored for future use. When a CPE device needs to be identified, the pre-established windows are simply queried and compared, eliminating the need for continuous updates or real-time calculations, thus resolving the contradiction between identification accuracy and update time.
2Productivity
If multiple fiber nodes are connected to a single CMTS, then network connectivity is provided, but it becomes difficult to identify which fiber node is associated with a specific CPE device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the overlapping ranging delay ranges of multiple fiber nodes into distinct non-overlapping windows. Each fiber node is assigned a specific time window based on its round-trip time characteristics. This segmentation transforms the indistinguishable overlapping ranges into clearly separated intervals, enabling easy identification of which fiber node a CPE device belongs to by simply comparing the CPE's ranging delay against the pre-established non-overlapping windows.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the non-overlapping ranging delay windows - that mediates between the CPE device and the multiple fiber nodes. These windows act as a reference framework that translates the complex many-to-many relationships between CPEs and fiber nodes into simple one-to-one mappings, making the association detection straightforward and efficient.
3Measurement precision
If fiber node ranging delay windows are established, then accurate CPE device identification is achieved, but data storage and management requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a lightweight data structure approach where the non-overlapping ranging delay windows are stored in a simple database or data structure. Each window contains only the essential parameters (fiber node identifier and time range boundaries), making the storage requirements minimal. The windows are essentially simple numerical ranges that can be stored efficiently and queried rapidly, avoiding complex data structures or large volumes of stored information.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods can provide for fiber node discovery using ranging delay data for broadband communication infrastructure. In some implementations, such systems and methods can provide for determining and storing fiber node ranging delay windows. In other implementations, such systems and methods can also provide for using ranging delay data from CPE devices to ascertain the associated fiber node. Improved diagnosis and discovery of fiber node associated CPE devices can, for example, help operators plan maintenance and thereby reduce truck rolls.