Systems, methods, and storage media for testing local loops of telecommunications networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10880430-B2
Application number	US-201916680275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2019
Priority date	Nov 16, 2018
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

Automatic testing/analysis of local loops of telecommunications networks includes obtaining bits-per-tone data for a local loop of a telecommunications network and generating a bit value string from the bits-per-tone data. The bit value string is then analyzed to determine whether it includes a bit pattern indicative of an impairment of the local loop. Further approaches for automatically testing local loops of telecommunications networks include obtaining attenuation data for multiple tones carried by the local loop and determining whether the attenuation data falls below thresholds for providing a service using the local loop.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system configured for automatically analyzing local loops of telecommunications networks, the system comprising:
one or more hardware processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:
obtain bits-per-tone data for a local loop of a telecommunications network, the bits-per-tone data including a plurality of tones and respective bit counts for each of the plurality of tones;
generate a bit value string from the bits-per-tone data, the bit value string including the bit counts of the bits-per-tone data; and
determine whether the bit value string includes a bit pattern indicative of an alien ingress in the local loop, wherein the bit pattern includes a series of bit counts of zero disposed between adjacent bit counts of greater than zero.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the local loop is coupled to a port of a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), and to obtain the bits-per-tone data includes receiving the bits-per-tone data from the DSLAM.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein to obtain the bits-per-tone data includes receiving the bits-per-tone data from a portable testing unit coupled to the local loop.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to transmit a result to the portable testing unit, the result indicating whether the impairment is present in the local loop and configured to cause the portable testing unit to automatically display the result in response to receiving the result.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bit value string comprises hexadecimal values representing the bit counts for each of the plurality of tones arranged in order of tone frequency.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to:
obtain secondary data for the local loop; and
verify whether the impairment is in the local loop using the secondary data.

7. A method of automatically analyzing local loops of telecommunications networks, the method comprising:
obtaining bits-per-tone data for a local loop of a telecommunications network, the bits-per-tone data including a plurality of tones and respective bit counts for each of the plurality of tones;
generating a bit value string from the bits-per-tone data, the bit value string including the bit counts of the bits-per-tone data; and
determining whether the bit value string includes a bit pattern indicative of an alien ingress in the local loop, wherein the bit pattern includes a series of bit counts of zero disposed between adjacent bit counts of greater than zero.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein obtaining the bits-per-tone data comprises receiving the bits-per-tone data from a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), the local loop coupled to a port of the DSLAM.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein obtaining the bits-per-tone data further comprises receiving the bits-per-tone data from a portable testing unit coupled to the local loop and the method further includes transmitting a result to the portable testing unit, the result indicating whether the impairment is present in the local loop.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein generating the bit value string comprises generating a string of hexadecimal values representing the bit counts for each of the plurality of tones arranged in order of tone frequency.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
obtaining secondary data for the local loop; and
verifying whether the impairment is in the local loop using the secondary data.

12. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions encoded thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor, are operable to:
obtain bits-per-tone data for a local loop of a telecommunications network, the bits-per-tone data including a plurality of tones and respective bit values for each of the plurality of tones;
generate a bit value string from the bits-per-tone data, the bit value string including the bit values of the bits-per-tone data; and
determine whether the bit value string includes a bit pattern indicative of an alien ingress in the local loop, wherein the bit pattern includes a series of bit counts of zero disposed between adjacent bit counts of greater than zero.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the instructions are further operable to obtain the bits-per-tone data by receiving the bits-per-tone data from a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) the local loop coupled to a port of the DSLAM.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the instructions are further operable to obtain the bits-per-tone data by receiving the bits-per-tone data from a portable testing unit coupled to the local loop.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the instructions are further operable to transmit a result to the portable testing unit, the result indicating whether the impairment is present in the local loop and configured to cause the portable testing unit to automatically display the result in response to receiving the result.

16. The computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the bit value string comprises a string of hexadecimal values representing the bit counts for each of the plurality of tones arranged in order of tone frequency.

Assignees

• Level 3 Communications Llc

Inventors

• Woldahl Thomas C
• Helfrich Erik V
• Durkin Michael J
• North Larry J
• Khan Abid

Classifications

• H04M3/30 Primary

  for subscriber's lines {, for the local loop} · CPC title

• H04M3/323 Primary

  for the arrangements providing the connection (test connection, test call, call simulation) · CPC title

• H04M3/304

  and using xDSL modems (xDSL line qualification H04M3/306) · CPC title

• H04L67/01

  Protocols · CPC title

• H04M11/062

  using different frequency bands for speech and other data · CPC title