Core extraction assessment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019222007-A1
Application number	US-201916252233-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 18, 2019
Priority date	Jan 18, 2018
Publication date	Jul 18, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Generating an assessment of the suitability of cables, ducts, tubes, pipes and/or other hollow-type of conduits to extraction of cores, conductors, insulation, etc. included therein while still buried in the ground or otherwise positioned out-of-sight so as to be unavailable for visual and/or physical inspection is contemplated. The assessment may be used to indicate a suitability of a cable buried in the ground of a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) cable plant to extraction of the type whereby a core of the cable may be extracted using hydraulics while still buried.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for assessing suitability of a cable buried in the ground to extraction of the type whereby a core of the cable is extracted using hydraulics while most of the cable remains buried, the method comprising:
electronically measuring signaling characteristics for signaling communicated through the cable while buried; and processing the signaling characteristics to generate an assessment sufficient for representing suitability of the cable to the hydraulic extraction of the core while buried.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising indicating with the assessment the cable being one of suitable and unsuitable for the hydraulic extraction depending on physical characteristics of the cable derived from the signaling characteristics.

3 . The method of claim 2 further comprising indicating the cable as suitable when the physical characteristics indicate an integrity of an outer shield surrounding the core being sufficient to maintain a hydraulic pressure above a threshold and indicating the cable as unsuitable when the integrity is insufficient to maintain the hydraulic pressure above the threshold.

4 . The method of claim 2 further comprising indicating the cable as suitable when the physical characteristics indicate an angularity measured between a first portion and a second portion of an outer shield surrounding the core exceeds a threshold and indicating the cable as unsuitable when the angularity is below the threshold.

5 . The method of claim 2 further comprising indicating the cable as suitable when the physical characteristics indicate a circularity continuously measured between a first portion and a second potion of an outer shield surrounding the core exceeds a threshold and indicating the cable as unsuitable when the circularity is below the threshold.

6 . The method of claim 1 further comprising indicating with the assessment the cable being suitable for the hydraulic extraction when the measured signaling characteristics indicate a radio frequency (RF) leakage is below a threshold and unsuitable for the hydraulic extraction when the RF leakage exceeds the threshold.

7 . The method of claim 1 further comprising indicating with the assessment the cable being suitable for the hydraulic extraction when the measured signaling characteristics indicate microreflections are below a threshold and unsuitable for the hydraulic extraction when the microreflections exceed the threshold.

8 . The method of claim 1 further comprising indicating with the assessment the cable being suitable for the hydraulic extraction when the measured signaling characteristics indicate harmonics are below a threshold and unsuitable for the hydraulic extraction when the harmonics exceed the threshold.

9 . The method of claim 1 further comprising indicating with the assessment the cable being suitable for the hydraulic extraction when the measured signaling characteristics indicate common path distortion (CPD) is below a threshold and unsuitable for the hydraulic extraction when the CPD exceeds the threshold.

10 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon and executable with a processor of a controller to facilitate assessing suitability of a communication line for core extraction, the plurality of instructions being sufficient for:
measuring signaling characteristics of the communication line while signals are being communicated thereover; setting threshold values for the signaling characteristics, the threshold values relating the corresponding signaling characteristics to physical characteristics of the communication line affecting whether core extraction can be performed; and generating an assessment indicating the communication line to be suitable or unsuitable for the core extraction depending on a comparison of the signaling characteristics to the threshold values.

11 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising the plurality of instructions being sufficient for:
determining a hydraulic pressure needed for the core extraction; and
setting the threshold values in proportion to the hydraulic pressure.

12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 further comprising calculating the hydraulic pressure based on a diameter of the core and a length of the communication line.

13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising the plurality of instructions being sufficient for indicating with the assessment the communication line being suitable for the core extraction when the measured signaling characteristics indicate a radio frequency (RF) leakage is below a threshold and unsuitable for the hydraulic extraction when the RF leakage exceeds the threshold.

14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising the plurality of instructions being sufficient for indicating with the assessment the communication line being suitable for the core extraction when the measured signaling characteristics indicate microreflections are below a threshold and unsuitable for the hydraulic extraction when the microreflections exceed the threshold.

15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising the plurality of instructions being sufficient for indicating with the assessment the communication line being suitable for the core extraction when the measured signaling characteristics indicate harmonics are below a threshold and unsuitable for the hydraulic extraction when the harmonics exceed the threshold.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising the plurality of instructions being sufficient for indicating with the assessment the communication line being suitable for the core extraction when the measured signaling characteristics indicate common path distortion (CPD) is below a threshold and unsuitable for the hydraulic extraction when the CPD exceeds the threshold.

17 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon and executable with a processor of a controller to facilitate assessing suitability of a coaxial cable for core extraction, the plurality of instructions being sufficient for:
measuring signaling characteristics of the coaxial cable; determining a hydraulic pressure needed for the core extraction to hydraulically extract a core of the coaxial cable; and generating an assessment indicating the coaxial cable to be suitable or unsuitable for the core extraction depending on the signaling characteristics and the hydraulic pressure.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 further comprising the plurality of instructions being sufficient for indicating with the assessment the coaxial cable being suitable for the core extraction when the signaling characteristics indicate of an outer shield of the coaxial cable being able to maintain a pressure above the hydraulic pressure and unsuitable for the core extraction when the outer shield is unable to maintain the pressure above the hydraulic pressure.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 further comprising measuring the signaling characteristics to include leakage, harmonics, common path distortion (CPD) and microreflections.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 further comprising the plurality of instructions being sufficient for determining the hydraulic pressure based on a material of a dielectric

Assignees

• Cable Television Laboratories Inc

Inventors

• Campos Luis Alberto
• Williams Thomas Holtzman
• Jia Zhensheng

Classifications

• G02B6/4485

  Installing in protective tubing by fluid drag during manufacturing · CPC title

• G02B6/52

  using fluid, e.g. air · CPC title

• H02G1/08 Primary

  through tubing or conduit, e.g. rod or draw wire for pushing or pulling {(inserting electrical cables into tubes using wallbores E21B17/206; for optical cables G02B6/4401)} · CPC title

• H04H60/93

  Wired transmission systems · CPC title

• H01R24/566

  Hollow cables · CPC title