Detection of bridge tap using frequency domain analysis

Abstract

A method for detecting the presence of a bridge tap and other types of fault in a transmission line. Initially, test signals of predetermined frequencies are transmitted into a transmitting end of the transmission line. The test signals are received at a receiving end of the transmission line and the amplitudes of the received signal are measured. A frequency response of the transmission line is computed based on the measured amplitudes. The frequency response is then analyzed for the presence of a frequency-domain signature that corresponds to one of the detectable types of fault. The presence of a bridge tap or another type of fault is identified based on the detected frequency-domain signature. The frequency-domain signature associated with a bridge tap can comprise a set of one or more attenuation dips in the frequency response, with each attenuation dip corresponding to a local minima in the frequency response. The length of the bridge tap can be estimated based on a fundamental frequency of the set of harmonically related attenuation dips. Also, the location of the bridge tap in the transmission line can be estimated by performing a time domain reflectometer (TDR) test.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.