Methods and apparatus for assessing a cable connection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11375562-B2
Application number	US-202016818695-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2020
Priority date	Mar 13, 2020
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for testing a cable connection in order to determine whether the cable connection can adequately support delivery of one or more services delivered from a service provider infrastructure. In one embodiment, the methods and apparatus are adapted to detect RF signals on a coaxial cable connection or outlet within a premises, evaluate the signals, and determine the readiness status thereof based on the evaluation. In one variant, an algorithm is used for the evaluation of the RF signals, and is dependent on at least a geographical location of the cable outlet being tested. The algorithm evaluates a list of prospective RF channels for signal strength so as to correlate or exclude any signals present from one or more types of sources (e.g., OTA broadcasts, satellite service providers, etc.).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device configured to evaluate a cable outlet connection at a premises, the electronic device comprising:
a processing apparatus;
a physical cable interface in communication with the processing apparatus; and
a storage device in data communication with the processing apparatus and having at least one computer program configured to, when executed on the processing apparatus, cause the electronic device to:
receive a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals;
determine respective power levels of at least a portion of the plurality of RF signals, wherein the determination of the respective power levels of the at least portion of the plurality of RF signals comprises:
(i) receipt of a first plurality of power measurements of respective ones of signal within a first targeted frequency range; and
(ii) a computation of an average of the first plurality of power measurements to generate an average power measurement associated with the first targeted frequency range;

determine at least one signal characteristic of the at least portion of the plurality of RF signals; and
based at least on the power levels and the at least one signal characteristic, determine whether the cable outlet connection is suitable for delivery of one or more prescribed digital services provided from a service provider infrastructure to the premises.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one signal characteristic comprises an order of a QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) in-phase and quadrature (I-Q) constellation used for modulating the at least a portion of the plurality of RF signals.

3. An electronic device configured to evaluate a cable outlet connection at a premises, the electronic device comprising:
a processing apparatus;
a physical cable interface in communication with the processing apparatus; and
a storage device in data communication with the processing apparatus and having at least one computer program configured to, when executed on the processing apparatus, cause the electronic device to:
receive a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals;
determine respective power levels of at least a portion of the plurality of RF signals;
determine at least one signal characteristic of the at least portion of the plurality of RF signals; and
based at least on the power levels and the at least one signal characteristic:
determine whether at least one RF signal of at least one prescribed target frequency meets a prescribed criterion, the determination of whether the at least one RF signal of the at least one prescribed target frequency meets the prescribed criterion comprising a determination of whether RF signals of respective ones of prescribed target frequencies each meet at least one of (i) a prescribed power level, or (ii) a prescribed frequency versus power profile; and
determine whether the cable outlet connection is suitable for delivery of one or more prescribed digital services provided from a service provider infrastructure to the premises, the determination of whether the cable outlet connection is suitable comprising:
performance of a count of a number of the RF signals which meet the prescribed at least one of (i) the prescribed power level, or (ii) the prescribed frequency versus power profile; and
performance of a comparison of the counted number to a prescribed acceptance value.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the prescribed acceptance value is based at least on at least one of: (i) a number of RF channels used by over-the-air (OTT) broadcast television within a prescribed geographic region where the premises is located, or (ii) a number of RF channels used by the service provider.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the prescribed acceptance value is selected to be (i) greater than the number of RF channels used by the OTT broadcast television, and (ii) less than the number of RF channels used by the cable network service provider.

6. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the at least one signal characteristic comprises an order of a QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) in-phase and quadrature (I-Q) constellation used for modulating the at least a portion of the plurality of RF signals.

7. An electronic device configured to evaluate a cable outlet connection at a premises, the electronic device comprising:
a processing apparatus;
a physical cable interface in communication with the processing apparatus; and
a storage device in data communication with the processing apparatus and having at least one computer program configured to, when executed on the processing apparatus, cause the electronic device to:
receive a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals;
determine respective power levels of at least a portion of the plurality of RF signals;
determine at least one signal characteristic of the at least portion of the plurality of RF signals; and
based at least on the power levels and the at least one signal characteristic:
(i) determine whether the cable outlet connection is suitable for delivery of one or more prescribed digital services provided from a service provider infrastructure to the premises; and
(ii) determine whether an RF signal of at least one prescribed target frequency meets a prescribed criterion, wherein the determination of whether the RF signal at the at least one target frequency meets the prescribed criterion comprises a comparison of a) a measured average power level of the RF signal within a prescribed frequency band and over a prescribed temporal interval against b) a threshold acceptance criterion.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the determination of whether the RF signal at the at least one target frequency meets the prescribed criterion further comprises: (1) determination of a power level profile of the RF signal as a function of frequency within the prescribed frequency band, and (2) algorithmic analysis of the determined power level profile to generate characterization data relating thereto.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the algorithmic analysis of the determined power level profile to generate the characterization data relating thereto comprises a comparison of at least portions of the characterization data to data associated with a predetermined template or profile.

10. An electronic device configured to evaluate a cable outlet connection at a premises, the electronic device comprising:
a processing apparatus;
a physical cable interface in communication with the processing apparatus; and
a storage device in data communication with the processing apparatus and having at least one computer program configured to, when executed on the processing apparatus, cause the electronic device to:
receive a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals;
determine respective power levels of at least a portion of the plurality of RF signals;
determine at least one signal characteristic of the at least portion of the plurality of RF signals; and
based at least on the power levels and the at least one signal characteristic:
determine whether the cable outlet connection is suitable for delivery of one or more prescribed digital services provided from a service provider infrastructure to the premises; and
determine whether an RF signal of at least one prescribed target frequency meets a prescribed criterion;

wherein the determination of whether the cable outlet connection is suitable for the delivery of the one or more prescribed digital services comprises a determination of whether a threshold number of RF signals within a plurality of contiguous or consecutive RF frequency bands meet the prescribed criterion.

11. The electronic devi

Assignees

• Charter Communications Operating Llc

Inventors

• Greene Gregory
• Bartlett Stephen
• Huang Wen-Yen Picard
• Temlak David L

Classifications

• H04B17/318

  Received signal strength · CPC title

• H04B17/336

  Signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] · CPC title

• H04L27/3494

  using non - square modulating pulses, e.g. using raised cosine pulses; Partial response QAM, i.e. with partial response pulse shaping (QAM over partial response channels H04L25/497) · CPC title

• H04B17/101

  for measurement of specific parameters of the transmitter or components thereof · CPC title

• H04B17/391

  Modelling the propagation channel · CPC title