Network Health Analysis via Downstream-Upstream Status Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for monitoring communications networks lack detailed insights into network health and device status, leading to inefficiencies in identifying and resolving service outages, often resulting in unnecessary resource expenditure and customer dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for analyzing network health by receiving and comparing status information from multiple network devices, identifying Points of Interest (POIs) by comparing downstream and upstream device statuses, and correlating this information with network topology and customer data to pinpoint service issues and prioritize responses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional network monitoring systems are used, then network service coverage is maintained, but detailed network health information and device status insights are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments network monitoring into multiple hierarchical levels: network elements, devices, and components. Each level contributes specific status information, allowing detailed network health data collection without requiring a completely complex centralized system. This segmentation enables progressive information gathering from simple to complex elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces network elements as intermediaries between physical network devices and the monitoring system. These network elements collect and aggregate status information from multiple devices, serving as mediators that simplify the monitoring architecture while providing comprehensive network health insights without direct complex connections to every device.
2Productivity
If multiple technicians and service vehicles are deployed to respond to service outages, then service coverage is improved, but resource expenditure and response time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary analysis of network status information before service technicians are deployed. By pre-identifying affected service areas and prioritizing issues based on network element data, the system prepares targeted response plans in advance, ensuring that when technicians are deployed, they go directly to the correct locations with specific instructions, eliminating unnecessary travel and diagnostic time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous feedback loops where network devices report status information to network elements, which aggregate and analyze the data, then provide actionable insights back to operational centers. This feedback mechanism enables real-time identification of outages and automatic prioritization, allowing rapid response without manual investigation and reducing both resource expenditure and resolution time.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If network devices relay signals without communicating health status, then network simplicity is maintained, but service outage identification becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes network devices multi-functional by enabling them to perform both their primary signal relay function and secondary health status reporting function. Network devices communicate not only service signals but also operational status information through the same infrastructure, eliminating the need for separate monitoring hardware while providing comprehensive outage detection capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables network devices to self-report their operational status automatically without requiring external monitoring equipment. Each network device monitors its own health metrics and communicates this information upstream through network elements, allowing the network to self-diagnose outages and eliminate the need for manual device-by-device checking.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for analyzing the health of networks and identifying Points of Interest in networks are provided. In one embodiment, a method for analyzing the health of a network is provided. The method may include: receiving status information for multiple network devices associated with a network; and analyzing the status information for at least a portion of the network devices by comparing the statuses of one or more network devices that are located downstream on the network relative to the statuses of one or more network devices that are located upstream on the network.