Hierarchical Network Nodes Ad Hoc Fault Location
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current telecommunications network fault detection methods are inefficient, often relying on customer reports and centralized monitoring, which can lead to delayed identification of faults, especially in networks with redundant connections, resulting in increased inconvenience during high demand or secondary failures.
Innovation Solution
A decentralized approach where communication nodes in the network can form ad-hoc connections to detect faults and generate reports to the network control center, autonomously identifying the level of failure by attempting connections through progressively more remote nodes in the branched hierarchy, allowing for proactive fault identification and reporting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If centralized monitoring systems are used to detect faults, then network operators can monitor network status, but fault detection is delayed until customers report issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling network nodes to autonomously detect faults and generate diagnostic information without requiring customer reports. Nodes continuously monitor their own connectivity status and automatically initiate fault detection procedures when anomalies are detected, eliminating the delay inherent in customer-reported systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by having nodes continuously monitor network connectivity and prepare diagnostic data before faults actually occur or become critical. The system proactively tests network paths and maintains updated connectivity maps, so when a fault occurs, the diagnostic information is already available immediately rather than waiting for customer reports.
2Reliability
If redundant duplicate connections are implemented, then service impairment is reduced, but fault location becomes more difficult to identify
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into hierarchical levels (access nodes, aggregation nodes, core nodes) and assigns specific diagnostic responsibilities to each segment. When a fault occurs, the system isolates the problem to a specific hierarchical segment by having nodes at different levels report their connectivity status, making fault location identifiable despite the presence of redundant paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where nodes continuously report their connectivity status and path information back to the network management system. This feedback loop provides real-time information about which redundant paths are functional and which are failed, enabling automatic fault location even in networks with multiple duplicate connections.
3Adaptability or versatility
If nodes attempt communication over ad-hoc network upon detecting failure, then alternative routing is enabled, but determining the common connection point becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a hierarchical dimension to the ad-hoc communication protocol. Instead of nodes simply attempting random connections, they follow a structured hierarchy where access nodes first attempt connections with other access nodes, then aggregation nodes, then core nodes. This hierarchical approach systematically identifies the common connection point by eliminating higher-level nodes that are confirmed functional, reducing the complexity of the diagnostic algorithm.
Data Source
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AI summary
The nodes (200, 201), etc in a hierarchical network are also capable of forming direct wireless connections between each other. Each node checks on a regular basis to determine whether its network connection is intact. If a node (211) discovers that its direct broadband connection (31, 21, 33, 24, 34) to the exchange (2) has failed, it autonomously communicates with other nodes (201, 202, 212, 220) in the physical neighbourhood, using its wireless capability. It first searches for a path through a WIFI connection to its immediate neighbours in the hierarchy to attempt to reach a working node (210, 212) connected to the same Distribution Point (21). (These are not necessarily the nearest neighbours in the wireless network). The nodes collect and store connectivity data on neighbouring nodes, and exchange connectivity data between themselves to identify nodes, and groups of nodes, that are not currently connected to the branched network. Within each group of nodes which have exchanged connectivity information, one of the group is selected to transmit a report on connectivity to the network control centre, the remaining members of the group being suppressed from transmitting such reports. If it is not itself connected to the hierarchical network, the selected node (211) can now use the connection (37) to the closest working node (220) and its broadband connection (22, 25) to the network control centre (2) to inform the network operator of the fault and its likely location. If the nodes have formed two or more separate ad hoc networks, (e.g link 35 being absent) the information from the separate networks is aggregated at the network control centre (2) to identify failure points in the hierachical network.