Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUTONOMOUS NETWORK FAULT DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to methods and systems to
detect faults in transmission line networks and manage this
information. In particular, the invention relates to
autonomous methods and systems that do not require human
intervention.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
[0002] Most cable distribution networks still use
coaxial cables. In order to avoid any interference
communication between RF signals distributed by a cable
network and other RF signals from other communication
channels, the integrity of the cable network must be
assured. Thus the cable network must be continuously
assessed to find faults and these faults must thereafter be
repaired.
[0003] The integrity of a transmission line can be
verified by measuring the signal leakage from the line. In
the case of coaxial cables used in cable distribution
networks, an RF leakage is measured. Instruments that
measure RF leakage are known in the art. Generally, such
instruments use an antenna for receiving the RF leakage and
have a GPS to determine their latitude and longitude.
[0004] In order to assess the integrity of the whole
cable network, audit patrols are used to systematically map
a cable distribution network. An audit patrol generally
comprises a fleet of dedicated vehicles, all equipped with
a RF leakage detector, the vehicles travel on the cable
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network territory according to a pre-determined itinerary,
searching for RF leaks.
[0005] Results from these audit patrol are then used to
create maps of the cable distribution network on which the
faults are shown. From these maps, work orders can be
established to correct the faults, thus assuring the
integrity of the cable network.
[0006) One drawback of audit patrols is that since they
require a fleet of dedicated vehicles, they are quite
expensive systems to maintain.
[0007] Features of the invention will be apparent from
review of the disclosure, drawings and description of the
invention below.
SUMMARY
[0008] The invention provides an autonomous geo-
referenced fault data storage and management system for a
transmission line network, based on an application server
architecture, wherein autonomous means automatic and
without the need of human intervention. The system
comprises a server comprising a database and a network
interface, wherein the network interfaces receives and
relays data to the server, the data comprising at least one
of fault data and management data, the fault data
comprising at least one of geo-referenced ingress data and
geo-referenced egress data, the management data comprising
at least one of user data, administrator data and fault
status data, and wherein the data server autonomously
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updates the database by incorporating the relayed data in
the database to provide a stored data.
[0009] The invention also provides at least one vehicle
equipped with an automatic fault detection device (AFDD),
wherein the AFDD is adapted to autonomously detect a fault
in the transmission line network while the vehicle is
traveling in a territory occupied by the transmission line
network and wherein the AFDD is adapted to autonomously
relay the detected fault as fault data to the communication
network, for providing an autonomous fault detection and
management system.
[0010] The invention also provide a method, based on an
application server architecture, for providing an
autonomous geo-referenced fault data storage and management
for a transmission line network. The method comprises
receiving data and autonomously relaying the data to a
server, wherein the data comprises at least one of fault
data and management data, and wherein the fault data
comprising at least one of geo-referenced ingress data and
geo-referenced egress data and wherein the management data
comprises at least one of user data, administrator data and
fault status data. The method also comprises autonomously
updating, through the server, the database by incorporating
the relayed data in the database to provide a stored data.
[0011] The invention also provides the above method and
provides at least one vehicle equipped with an automatic
fault detection device, wherein the automatic fault
detection device is adapted to detect egress data, to geo-
referenced it and adapted to transmit the geo-referenced
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egress data as the fault data to the communication network,
with the automatic fault detection device, autonomously
detecting and geo-referencing egress data while the vehicle
is traveling in a territory occupied by the transmission
line network, and transmitting the fault data to the
communication network. The method also comprises providing
a vehicle following a trajectory not intended for fault
detection to provide the fault data as a non-audit fault
data.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] In order that the invention may be readily
understood, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by
way of example in the accompanying drawings.
[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an autonomous
fault data storage and management system (FMS) based on a
application server architecture, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention, the FMS receiving a
wireless fault signal from an automatic fault detection
device (AFDD);
[0014] Figure 2 is a block diagram of the FMS of Figure
1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention, in the case where the communication network is
the Internet and gives more detail on the content of the
AFDD;
[0015] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an autonomous
fault detection and management system (FDMS) , in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
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[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic view of a user interface
provided by the FMS and the FDMS systems, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method, based on
5 application server architecture, for providing an
autonomous geo-referenced fault data storage and management
of a cable network, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0018] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a method for
continuously updating of a database using a roving patrol,
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] Further details of the invention and its
advantages will be apparent from the detailed description
included below.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] In the following description of the embodiments,
references to the accompanying drawings are by way of
illustration of an example by which the invention may be
practiced. It will be understood that other embodiments may
be made without departing from the scope of the invention
disclosed.
[0021] In this disclosure, the term autonomous is used
to qualify a device or a method that works automatically
and without the need of a human intervention.
[0022] Also in this disclosure, the term "transmission
line" comprises coaxial cable and the term "transmission
line network" comprises a cable distribution network.
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[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, an
autonomous fault data storage and management system (FMS)
10, based on application server architecture, is provided
to receive and store, automatically and without human
intervention, a detected fault on a transmission line, the
transmission line being one coaxial cable of a distribution
cable network. Figure 1 illustrates this embodiment.
[0024] According to this embodiment, the FMS 10
comprises a server 11 with a database 15 and a network
interface 16, that may be linked to a communication network
12. Figure 1 also shows an automatic fault detection device
(AFDD) 20 wirelessly transmitting a wireless fault signal
26 to an access point 31, which in turn provides geo-
referenced fault data 51 to communication network 12. Users
17 can access the database 15 through the communication
network 12.
[0025) As illustrated in Figure 2, in one embodiment of
the present invention, server 11 comprises three servers: a
data server 14 which comprises the database 15, a data
exchange server (not shown) (for example a FTP server 32,
as illustrated in Figure 2) and an application server 34.
Data exchange server and application server 34 are the
network interface 16 of the server 11 with the
communication network 12. For communication with users 17,
the application server 34 serves as the network interface,
whereas for relaying geo-referenced fault data 51 to the
server 11, the data exchange server (here a FTP server 32)
serves as the interface. Application server 34 is also
responsible of managing data flow via the data exchange
server.
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[0026] According to Figure 2, an automatic fault
detection device (AFDD) 20 located in the range of a RF
leakage 27 from a transmission line 46 automatically
detects the RF leakage 27, automatically associates it to a
longitude and a latitude in order to provide geo-referenced
fault data 51 and automatically relays the geo-referenced
fault data 51 to the communication network 12 via an access
point 31. All the above steps are furthermore performed
without human intervention. Although in this embodiment the
geo-referenced fault 51 is relayed to the communication
network 12 wirelessly via wireless fault signal 26, it will
be obvious for someone skilled in the art that other
relaying means are possible, such as, for example,
momentarily store detected fault data on a portable storage
device and later on download the content of the portable
storage device in the communication network 12.
[0027] The communication network 12 receives the fault
data 51 and relays it to the data server 14 which
incorporates autonomously the fault data 51 in the database
to provide a stored data .
[0028] Figure 2 illustrates a FMS 10 in the case where
the communication network includes Internet 30. In one
embodiment of the present invention, fault data 51 are
received by a FTP server 32, through Internet 30, which
relays fault data 51 to the data server 14. The data server
14 comprises a data manager module 41 which manages access
to the database 15 and which is responsible for the
autonomous updating of the database 15. Software tools 40
are also provided to analyze stored data and to provide
management tools for the maintenance of the network. An
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application server 34 is provided to manage user access to
the FMS 10 and to provide a user interface 36, which
enables users to consult and analyze stored data via
Internet 30. The present invention thus provides an
autonomous fault data storage and management system 10
based on an application server architecture 38.
[0029] Figure 2 gives also more detail on the content of
the AFDD 20. A RF receiver/ transmitter (RX/TX) module 21
is provided to either detect RF leakage 27 via the
receiver, for egress measurement, or transmit a RF signal
via the transmitter, for ingress RF measurement and
assessment of the cable network. The AFDD 20 contains also
a GPS module 22 to provide a geo-reference to a signal that
is transmitted or received by the RX/TX module 21.
[0030] A controller 23 automatically manages the
operation of the AFDD 20: the controller receives detected
RF leakage 27 (egress measurement) or orders the
transmitter to send a RF signal (ingress measurement) . The
controller 23 also controls the wireless module 25 which
transmits, to the communication network 12, wireless fault
signal 26 corresponding to a geo-referenced detected RF
leakage 27 (Figure 3) . Data storage 24 is also provided, so
that geo-referenced detected RF leakage 27 (Figure 3) can
be momentarily stored and later on transmitted in a batch.
[0031] Turning now to Figure 3, a fault detection and
management system (FDMS) 50 in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention will be described. The
FDMS 50 comprises the FMS 10 described above and at least
one vehicle 49 that roves the cable network territory 47.
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Vehicles 49 are equipped with the AFDD 20 so that they can
either provide ingress measurement or egress measurement.
Figure 3 illustrates the case where the AFDD 20 is
performing egress measurement: a fault 45 on a transmission
line 46 is detected by the AFDD 20 placed in the vehicle 49
and a corresponding wireless fault signal 26 is
automatically, and without any human intervention,
transmitted to the FMS 10 via access point 31 and
communication network 12. FMS 12
[0032] In an embodiment of the present invention, the
user interface 36, as illustrated in Figure 4, enables a
user 17 to consult data from the database 15 and manage
patrols to assure the integrity of the cable network.
[0033] The user interface 36 comprises three main
sections: a menu section 80, a data display section 90 and
a control section 95. Using the menu section 80, user can
select between several buttons: info 81, patrol management
83, consult data 84, help 88 and exit 89. An administrator
button 82 is only active when the user is the administrator
of the application server 34. By selecting the patrol
management button 83, a user 17 can prepare work orders in
view, for example, of sending a repair team to repair a
fault 45 on the cable network or sending a patrol to verify
a detected leak 27. By selecting the consult data button
84, a user 17 can be iriformed of the present leakage state
of the cable network. The control section 95 enables user
17 to control several consultation modes of the data from
the database 15. With display button 96, user 17 can select
between a graphical display of data or a table display of
data. Data are accordingly displayed in the data display
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window 90. User 17 can select what portion of the cable
network territory 47 he/she wants to assess using the zone
selection buttons 97. User 17 can either select the whole
region, a city, or a particular sector of the cable network
territory 47. By doing so, display in the data display
window 90 adjusts automatically accordingly to the user's
choice. Button 98 enables user 17 to select several type of
data to display. For example, recent leakage data or a
time-average of leakage data may be displayed. Also,
management data can be displayed and accessed, so that user
17 may update management data. Also analysis algorithms can
be selected to perform analysis of the data.
[0034] Turning now to Figure 5, an embodiment of a
method, based on an application server architecture, for
providing an autonomous geo-referenced fault data storage
and management of a cable network, will be described.
[0035] The method 60 comprises providing a data server
comprising a database, wherein the data server is linked to
a communication network (step 62) . As previously mentioned,
communication network 12 may be Internet 30 or can be any
other communication network such as, for example, an
intranet network. Then, the method 60 comprises receiving
data through the communication network (step 63) and
relaying the data autonomously to the data server (step
64). Then, the data server autonomously updates the
database (step 65).
[0036] As previously discussed, the data may be geo-
referenced fault data 51, which may include geo-referenced
ingress data or geo-referenced egress data, or it can be
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management data. Geo-referenced egress data, as previously
discussed, might be sent by an AFDD 20. Geo-referenced
ingress data might be sent by a central station of the
network (also called the head end in the case of cable
distribution networks), wireless or directly through the
communication network 12 by conventional or optical wire,
upon receiving a RF signal emitted by the TX of an AFDD 20
located near a fault 45 in the cable network. Management
data can be sent by user 17 through the user interface 36
and the communication network 12. Management data might
also be sent by the system administrator. Thus, management
data can be user or administrator data; it can also be
information concerning a particular ingress/ egress data.
For example, it can be fault status data which is
associated to a particular fault data 51, in order to
indicate if the fault 45 was repaired, ordered to be
repaired, or else.
[0037] When receiving the geo-referenced fault data 51,
the data server 14 via its data manager module 41 updates
the database 15 by incorporating the received data. In
order to avoid any redundancy or misleading information in
the database 15, data server 14 verifies if the received
data should or should not be included in the database 15.
The integrity of the received data is verified and a search
of possible redundancy is performed. In order to do so, a
geo-referenced fault data range is associated to the
received fault data 51, wherein the geo-referenced fault
data range is given according to the intensity of the fault
data. In one embodiment of the present invention, the geo-
referenced fault data range is proportional to the
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intensity of the fault data. That means that higher
intensity fault data have larger geo-referenced fault data
range. The data server 14 searches in the database 15 for
any geo-referenced stored data that would be located within
the geo-referenced fault data range. This provides a found
stored data. Then the data server 14 selects between the
found stored data and the fault data 51 one that has the
highest intensity. If the selected data is the fault data
51, the data server 14 replaces in the database 15 the
found stored data by the fault data 51 and if the selected
data is the found stored data 54, the data server 14 do not
include in the data base 15 the fault data 51. Of course,
as it will be obvious for someone skilled in the art, many
other criteria can be used and /or other steps performed
for comparing data and selecting between the newly acquired
fault data and the stored data in the data base, and all
those possible ways to autonomously updating the data base
avoiding redundancy are part of the present invention.
[0038] As someone skilled in the art will appreciate,
the present invention enables the mapping of a network
territory 47 in search of possible faults 45 independently
of human intervention. Practically, this means that a
vehicle 49 not intended for this mapping, but equipped with
an AFDD 20, can autonomously acquire fault data 51 (egress
data) and transmit the data to the FMS 10, while traveling
on the network territory 47, or transmit data in batch
between two travels. Thus the database 15 can always be
updated by receiving this information continuously or in
batch. Similarly, the vehicle 49 can, while traveling, send
a RF signal such that a central station of the cable
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network (head end) will be able to detect an ingress fault.
Again this information after being autonomously relayed to
the FMS 10, serves to update on a continuous basis the
database 15.
[0039] Thus the content of the database 15 does not rely
only on audit patrols but may be updated between such audit
patrols by roving vehicles 49 traveling on the network
territory 47 for other purposes than to measure faults 45.
[0040] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a method 70 of such
continuous updating of database 15 using a roving patrol,
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
The method 70 comprises providing a FMS 10 (step 60). Also
the method 70 comprises providing a vehicle 49 equipped
with an AFDD 20 (step 71). Then the method 70 comprises
roving the network territory 47 with the vehicle 49 and
transmitting via the AFDD 20 a detected fault 45 to the FMS
10 (step 72). The method 70 also comprises updating the
database 15 of the FMS 10 upon receiving the information
sent by the roving vehicle 49 (step 73).
[0041] Although the present invention has been described
in the context of a cable distribution network, a person
skilled in the art will understand that it may also be
embodied in any other environments comprising transmission
lines. For example the present invention could be embodied
in the context of electric power distribution networks.
[0042] Although the present invention has been described
hereinabove by way of specific embodiments thereof, it can
be modified, without departing from the spirit and nature
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of the subject invention as defined herein. The scope of
the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by
the scope of the appended claims.
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