Node Port Ingress Detection Through Upstream Spectrum Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cable television systems face significant interference from ingress noise, particularly from high-power grow lights, which overwhelm upstream signals and cause distortion and saturation in the signal path, affecting multiple homes in an upstream service group.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic approach is implemented to identify and segregate node ports experiencing ingress noise, adjusting upstream and downstream spectrum usage by dynamically reassigning node ports to device ports, using RF matrices, and applying selective attenuation to mitigate interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple homes are connected to a single CATV node sharing the same upstream receiver, then resource utilization is improved, but ingress noise from any one home can interfere with reception from all homes in that upstream service group
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the upstream service group into multiple upstream receivers, creating separate reception paths for different node ports. This segmentation isolates the ingress noise to only the affected receiver while allowing other receivers to continue operating normally, thus resolving the contradiction between resource utilization and noise interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the problematic node port experiencing ingress noise from the shared upstream receiver and assigns it to a dedicated upstream receiver. This extraction removes the harmful factor (ingress noise) from the group, allowing the remaining homes to maintain their resource sharing arrangement without interference.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If dynamic reassignment of node ports to different upstream receivers is implemented, then ingress noise isolation is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic reassignment of node ports to upstream receivers based on real-time detection of ingress noise conditions. The system can adaptively reconfigure the mapping between node ports and upstream receivers, allowing flexible isolation of noisy ports while maintaining optimal resource utilization during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor the quality of upstream signals from each node port. When ingress noise is detected, the feedback loop triggers automatic reassignment of the affected node port to a different upstream receiver, creating a self-regulating system that manages noise isolation without requiring manual intervention.
3Reliability
If upstream signal level is increased to overcome ingress noise, then signal quality is improved, but distortion and saturation are introduced by active components in the signal path
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic signal path containing the ingress noise source and separates it from the clean signal paths. By assigning the noisy node port to a dedicated upstream receiver, the system can process the affected signal independently without allowing it to distort or saturate the amplifiers and other active components that serve the broader service group.
Data Source
AI summary
Identifying a Node Port Experiencing Ingress. An element receives an indication that ingress noise may be present in one or more upstream channels. The one or more upstream channels may be supported by a cable node, such as a Remote PHY node or a Remote MACPHY node. In response, the element may obtain upstream spectrum data that describes an upstream spectrum received power over an interval of time having no transmissions carried by the one or more upstream channels for two or more different states in one or more of RF attenuation and upstream port/node port coupling or receive information about the SNR experienced by a RPD receiver of the upstream channels for different states in one or more of RF attenuation and upstream port/node port coupling for the node. The element processes the upstream spectrum data to deduce from which one or more node ports the ingress noise originates.