US 8,948,587 B2Granted

Use of dying gasp to locate faults in communications networks

AssigneeCenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC

InventorsMike Fargano, Michael D. Sprenger

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Novel tools and techniques that can be used to detect network impairment, including but not limited to impairment of optical fiber networks. In an aspect, such tools and techniques can be deployed at relatively low cost, allowing pervasive deployment throughout a network. In another aspect, such tools and techniques can take advantage of a “dying gasp,” in which a network element detects a sudden drop in received optical (or electrical) power, resolution, etc. at short time scales and sends a notification across the network before the connection is completely compromised. In yet another aspect, some tools can include a supervisory function to analyze aspects of the dying gasp with the goal to determine network segments associated with an impairment and an estimate of the location of an impairment within the network.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method of estimating a location of fiber impairment in an optical network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computer system, one or more dying gasp communications, the one or more dying gasp communications comprising at least one communication from a network element in the optical network;
and
determining, with the computer system, based at least in part on the one or more dying gasp communications, that a network impairment has occurred, wherein the network impairment comprises an impairment in a fiber segment;
and
identifying, with the computer system, based at least in part on the one or more dying gasp communications, an approximate location of the network impairment, wherein the one or more dying gasp communications comprise at least one dying gasp communication from at least one of a plurality of network elements in the passive optical network, and wherein the approximate location of the network impairment is identified based at least partially on analyzing timings of the one or more dying gasp communications, the approximate location including at least one of an identification of the fiber segment experiencing the impairment or an estimate of the location of the impairment within the fiber segment.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/928,069Filed 26 Jun 2013 · us provisional application
Priority: 27 Jun 2012
Published: US 2014/0003804 A12 Jan 2014
Granted: 3 Feb 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04B 10/071
Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems: using a reflected signal,…
H04B 10/0791
Using measurements of the data signal: fault location on the transmission path
H04B 10/07
Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing…
H04B 10/27
Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing…