TW535171B - Composite detection for a drop cable - Google Patents

Abstract

A method or apparatus for detecting a fault condition between the two conductors of a drop cable. The method includes a step of measuring at least first and second scalar values each dependent upon a load between the two conductors of the drop cable. An indication is then provided to indicate whether an arithmetic combination of the scalar values surpasses a predetermined threshold. This indication can alert a technician to an abnormal condition and/or disable a tap port to eliminate a dangerous situation. Another embodiment is an apparatus having two or more tap ports that can each be coupled to a drop cable. It includes a microprocessor that controls a switching network in response to a comparison of a predetermined threshold against an arithmetic combination of at least two scalar values each dependent upon a load across one of the drop cables.

Description

535171

[Invention category] This article carries the exchange [Invention of the back of the coaxial and office TV signal chaos' The number of signals is large. Of course, the cable can still maintain a clear system, the cable-related cable scene for a certain system] The cable has been Was wide room. This electric number. Gradually send signals, and these ‘user ’s sites’ communication equipment is also more robust with telephone services. Line communication security is generally used for the original cable. This kind of simultaneous connection often has power, for example, it is especially used to configure the broadcast company to connect directly to many homes. The purpose is to let users Capable of receiving a large number of cables is also used to receive other types of AC power. Because the installation of coaxial cables is increasingly cost-effective. Other power sources, but via coaxial is more convenient and economical. In addition, therefore, even if the main power of the user is interrupted,

The original purpose of the w = iCAY (cable TV) network was not to carry electricity. It is better to use two CATV hardware. The conventional CATV hardware did not consider some safety equipment. In many cases, the buried depth of many cables is less than 8 inches, which is the minimum depth required by the National Electricity Code (yEC) for the coaxial cable network carrying power. That is, it is easy to be damaged by digging, which increases the risk of a short circuit between the center conductor and the (outer) ground. It also increases the risk of open circuit 'leakage, and the degradation of other electrical characteristics. To date, there is a product in the U.S. market that can detect the error condition of the coaxial cable, called "DropCheck", which is developed by North Carolina

The basic method of DropCheck is the same as that issued to v〇key et al. On August 11, 1998.

A product offered and sold by Cover City Broadband Telecom Company (Broadband Tele commu n i cat ions, website: www.dropcheck · com).

Page 5 535171 __ Case No. 91113975 Year W h. V. Description of the Invention (2) The teaching of the "Coaxial Cable Protection Device" in US Patent No. 5,793,590 is essentially the same. In short, this system is a sensing circuit that uses a tap to indicate whether the resistance between the center and outer conductors is outside acceptable limits. Unfortunately, this approach may require many magic components. In addition, this method also makes it difficult to eliminate the fault. The damaged sagging winding needs to be replaced by the tapper 'in order to isolate the problem. This method also has poor control over timing, duration, and the type of signal sample used to detect abnormal conditions. As a result, it is susceptible to false indications due to conductor noise, current spikes, resonances, or other similar irregularities. All the embodiments described below can deal with one or more of these problems. [Introduction to the Invention] The present invention refers to a method or device for detecting an error condition between two conductors of a drooping view line. It optionally allows shared circuit components to be used between the ports of a tap. An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method including a step of measuring first and first scalar values depending on a load between two conductors of a drooping cable. (The "scalar value" referred to in this article refers to the vector value that can contain any number of measurements, which is a single value. If any change in the assumption of the load will cause the measurement to change, the value of j is determined as Depending on the load). Secondly, an indication is provided as to whether or not a rhinoplasty combination of oral values exceeds a predetermined threshold. This instructs I to warn technicians of abnormal conditions and / or to enable a branch port to eliminate dangerous situations. The embodiment is a vertical cable and can be connected to each other 535171

: t Coaxial breakout device. It includes a controller capable of controlling the switching network, and responds by comparing a scalar value determined by a predetermined threshold value with at least two load depending on the sag sign. The features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following drawings and detailed description. [Simplified description of the diagram] What is shown in Fig. 1 is an error detection device of the present invention, which is provided with an input end, an output end, and a plurality of (n = 2, 4, 8 ...) Each of the configurations is a coaxial sub-port that can receive a part of the input signal; all shown in FIG. 2 are circuit diagrams of a detector suitable for implementing the first figure; and those shown in FIG. 3 are in accordance with the present invention The specific method flowchart can be selectively used in the circuit of FIG. 2. [Detailed description of the preferred embodiment] — Although the following embodiments show sufficient details that are far more than those that are familiar to those skilled in the art, the subject matter of the present invention is more extensive than any of the two embodiments. . However, the scope of the present invention is clearly defined in the claims scope at the end of the text. Many aspects of the cable communication technology that are not part of the invention (or are well known in the art) are omitted here for brevity: in order not to miss the essence of the invention. For example, this article does not give details on configuration details such as component selection or firmware production. ^ The definitions and interpretations of certain terms referred to in the following sections are no different from the general usage of this collection, but some descriptions are more specific. For example, = When the force level is sufficient to sufficiently supply the field devices downstream of the droop line, ’

535171 Case number 91113975 V. Description of invention (4) means "significant". "It can be extracted from the intended information item Γ / down indlcatlon)" is any signal component, regardless of the value of the signal or% / such as / or not), the signal signal. Whether there is any other index in the flight status module is used to indicate that the abnormal operation μ is "Positive (P0SltlVe)". The same: like, for example, when a ground fault occurs, that is, when the relationship indicates that there is an abnormal condition: it compares with (derived) the quantity. For example, the lower limit is-a lower limit is exceeded-a predetermined limit. From a higher number of calculations over a low reading, the upper limit is 1 occurrence: see: Figure 1 'Nothing is the present invention-error detection device = long one input terminal m' one output terminal 152, and a plurality of coaxial branch ports 10, 1, 103, 104 which receive a part of the input signal in the group ^ δ. Radio frequency (RF) face-to-face capacitors 121, 122 and radio frequency lines 1 transmit high-frequency signals and power to the output terminal 152 and the shunt network 128 in a manner well known in the art. The DC blocking capacitors 131, 132, 133, and 134 are used to prevent a significant amount of power from being transmitted to the branch ports 10, 102, 103, and 104 via the branch network 128. The mountain error detector 150 also receives a part of the signal from the input signal 151 via the second radio frequency coil 42. During normal operation, the error detector 5o transmits a significant amount of power to each corresponding tap port through each of the reactors 171, 172, 173, and 174 (inductors). Under fault conditions, the detector 150 may selectively disable more than one tap port 1 0, 1 0 2, 1 0 3, 1 0 4. (If a significant amount of power cannot pass through a tap port, even if the data signal passes, it “disables” the tap port as described herein.) The tap port 101 includes a center conductor 181 and an outer conductor 182. 535171 amendment 91113975

_ Case number V. Description of invention (5)

Then, a load 111 is provided which can be sensed by various sensors 150. If there is a fault condition, for example, when the drooping cable 121 is coupled to the tap cock 101, a leak occurs in the path between its conductors 191 and 192, and the load 101 may become large. Similarly, the tap port 102 also includes a center conductor 8 3 and an outer conductor 1 84, and a load 11 2 capable of being sensed by the detector 5 50 to detect its various electrical characteristics is also provided between the two. It should be noted that when the error detection device 100 is disconnected from the droop lines 121 and 122, the loads 111 and 112 will have approximately infinite impedance. The one shown in FIG. 2 is suitable for performing the detection shown in FIG. 1. Tester 1 & 〇 Circuit 2 $ 〇. The circuit 250 is provided with a detector input terminal 2 5 1 which is configured to receive a signal from the RF coil 142 and a plurality of detector output terminals 2 5 2 respectively for a tap. Detector input signals pass through each of the plurality of calibration loads 261, 262, 263, and 264 and the corresponding switches 281, 282, 283, and 284 through the switching network 280. 270) four ends. Straighten the material to the slightest value to make it 280.

There is a signal path (that is, a special application integrated circuit (AS 丨 c) can be used to control the network based on the six inputs shown below. 28: calibrate the load output level, the detector input, And a ground input (the ASIC component shown can be powered by an alternating current source via the input shown). The multiplexer 272 selects from these inputs and provides the analog / digital converter 274 with the multiplex input 273, The pair samples so that the digital measurement 275 is provided to the microprocessor 276 / and then, the processor 276 combines these measurements, and then uses this combination to compare with a threshold to pass the data 277 of the binary comparison result to / Switching network 'selectively disables taps 101, 02, 103, 04.

For example, if the load 261 is a 10 milliohm resistor, the worker 272 can be made to measure a current through the switch 2 8 1 in order to select 535171. 5. Description of the invention (6) resistors; The voltage difference across the resistor is divided by 10 milliohms. Take the input terminal 2 5 1 of the thunder, the head, the mountain, the mountain, the current transformer, and increase the measured Lti, 263, and 264 for the purpose of explaining voltage and current measurements; and reproducibility. Detailed description will now be given with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3: is a detailed method 300 of the present invention, which includes steps 305 = / 〇; Γ〇0 can be selectively used for the circuits shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. At the connection, the vertical winding wire is connected to a 60 VAC power transmission option. 6. Then, at step 31 5 perform ten consecutive voltage measurements and ten times: the sampling period used should not be greater than the power signal period in step 3 2 〇, let ic ^ h > ΛΑ rap. ,, 'said β _ each long time of the electrical measurement $ multiplied by its corresponding current measurement $. Then in step 325, the power values of successive pairs are averaged, and then each average value is compared with a predetermined limit. If it exceeds this limit, it will display ("fault indication | heart failure, speed failure, and start a fault alarm," Lu "). It can be connected to each of the switches 281, 282, 283, 2 and 2 2 2 The very structure constitutes, for example, a sheep when it dies. / 'A failure alert can be an upstream signal that warns service providers that there is a hardware problem. If it is not exceeded, it is in step 3 = ;: \ 'S: Set a critical value to compare three consecutive measured current values. If " 〇 there is a spoon port to check, select the next available in step 345 = repeat steps 310 to 345. (However, unless The service staff will not automatically re-check the faulty port.) Method 300 is an effective way to repeatedly verify whether the tap port is working normally. If method 300 is based on the example of Leuko, as shown in Figure 2 Microprocessor 535171 ___Case No. 91113975_W Car A month Amendment __ V. Description of the invention (7) 2 7 6 is executed, then step 3 50 can optionally include a sampling matching step. For example, if More than two references to the first scalar value When the operation is abnormal (ie, step 330 or 340 is required), two or more scalar values can be obtained in a phase relationship different from the periodic power signal used for the first measurement. In this way, micro The processor 2 7 6 calculates various power waveforms to obtain measurements at different phase points, depending on whether the waveform displayed by the power signal is square, sawtooth, sine, or other shapes. Another feature is that this The first embodiment of the invention is a

Port (for example, 10 1), and the branch port is provided with an error detection device (for example, 丨 〇 〇) of two output conductors (for example, 181, 182). The configurations of the output conductors are respectively set to be coupled to a center conductor (for example, 1 9 1) and an outer conductor (for example, 9 2) of a first drooping cable (for example, 121). The configuration of the detector circuit (such as AS! C 270) is set to use a predetermined threshold (such as 100VA) and at least one each depending on the load between the first and second conductors (such as 丨 丨 丨). Arithmetic combinations of predetermined scalar values (such as those performed by step 325 of FIG. 3) are compared.

In the second embodiment, another tap (for example, 丨 〇 2) is provided, and the tap port = is provided with two output conductors (for example, 83, 84). The configuration of these round-out conductors is respectively set to be coupled to a central conductor (for example, 193) and an outer conductor (for example, 194) of a second drooping cable (for example, 22). The group complaint of the detector circuit is sighed by using a predetermined critical value (such as 丨 00VA) and at least two scalar values depending on the load between the output conductors of the first bee (such as 11 2). The combination (for example, performed by step 325 of FIG. 3) is compared. The detector circuit is coupled to a switch (e.g., 28), so that the switch is connected to the U column (e.g., 277). Switch configuration is optional

1 side II535535

Invalidate any or all of the tap ports (such as 101, [〇2, 〇〇3) as a response to these results. The second embodiment of the present invention is an error detection method. The bean is provided with a step (for example, step 3 1 0) of providing a periodic power signal between two conductors of a coaxial drooping cable. Measure at least the first and second scalar values at a predetermined sampling time, each of which is determined according to the load between the two conductors of the coaxial drooping cable (steps 315 and 320). An indication is then generated to show whether the arithmetic combination of the target $ value exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., steps 33 and 340). This indicates that you can selectively control whether the output to the droop cable is disabled. In the fourth embodiment, the arithmetic combination is an average value of the power measurement (for example, step 325), which can be expressed as the number of volt-amperes, and the critical value is a power upper limit value of about 10 volts. In a fifth embodiment, the sampling step is started and completed at an interval of 50 milliseconds (e.g., step 330). Sampling is ordered at a sampling frequency greater than 21 °, where F is the nominal (nominal) frequency of the periodic power signal (e.g., steps 31 and 315). 2. Needle shafts for making styli are not invented for use in the gauge. It is used for the calculation. It is known by the coaxial. This embodiment is complete and dedicated. The embodiments are only used to illustrate the scope of the invention. For example, in the art portfolio that promotes CATV security. In addition, although the listed cables perform power transmission, many of the well-known teachings of the invention can also be applied to other tests. Buried or suspended cables may include twisted wires for power transmission. With the scope and spirit of each invention of the present invention, the variety can be easily increased, and several implementation examples can be learned about this technology. For example, the same important feature dedicated to communication can be ^^

Page 12 535171 _Case No. 91113975_7 / Year Month Dagger Amendment V. Description of Invention (9) Integrity. 535171

Whatever is in circle 1 is the rough research knowledge of the present invention, an output terminal, and a plurality of (η = 2, 4 ^ Dan is provided-a coaxial tap that can receive part of the input signal by turns. ··） In terms of configuration "The one shown in Fig. 2 is suitable for implementing the first picture. The one shown in Fig. 3 is constructed according to the present invention and can be selected = circuit diagram. The specific method flowchart of the circuit of FIG. 2. Optionally used in Figure 1 and [Illustration of Symbols of Schematic Components] Error Detection Device lQ〇 Breakout Port Capacitor Capacitor Shunt Network 1101, 102, 103, 104 121, 122 131, 132, 133, 134 128

RF coil 141 RF coil input end output end anti-coil error detector center conductor outer conductor load droop cable conductor 142 151 152 171, 172, 173, 174 150 181, 183 182, 184 111, 112 121, 122 191, 192

535171 Case No. 91113975 Schematic description of the circuit 250 Inputs, 251 Outputs 252 Calibration load 261 Switching network 280 Switch 281 ASIC 270 Multiplexer 272 Multiplex input 273 Analog / digital converter 274 Digital measurement 275 Microprocessor 276 Document 2 7 7 Correction > 262 ^ 263 > 264 ^ 282 > 283 ^ 284

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Claims (1)

535171 --91113975 7 / cars yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyah6. Patent application scope1. An error detection method includes the following steps: (a) Provide a periodic power signal between the two conductors of the lower cable ° ~ Load dependent (b) Measure at least the first and second scalar values depending on the two conductors of the drooping cable; and (c) whether an arithmetic combination that provides these scalar values exceeds a predetermined critical value Instructions. °° 2 · The method as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, further comprising step (d), if the indication is positive (p 0sitive), at least one tap port is invalidated, otherwise the at least one tap is generally not made璋 Failure. 3. The method as described in item 丨 of the patent application scope, wherein the step (c) is provided including step (cl). The arithmetic combination is derived as a power measurement that can be used to represent the number of volt-amperes. 4. The method as described in item 3 of the scope of patent application, further including step (c2): if the power measurement exceeds about 1000 volt-amperes, an error condition is indicated; otherwise, an error condition is generally not indicated. 5. The method as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the measurement step (b) further includes the following steps: (bl) applying a part of the periodic power signal to the load; and (b2) the application section Samples are taken to obtain the first and second scalar values. 6. The method as described in item 5 of the scope of patent application, wherein the sampling step (b2) is to sample at a sampling frequency greater than 2F, and F is the nominal frequency of the periodic power signal. Page 16 535171 Amendment No. 91113975 6. Scope of patent application 7. As in the method of cadaver construction in item 5 of the scope of patent application, the nominal frequency of the periodic power signal in the bean is 60 HZ, and the interval between sampling cattle ^ ΓΛ ^ seconds Start and finish within. The sample step (b2) is in a 50 house. As described in item 5 of the scope of patent application (b), it also includes step (b2): each value is flattened, and the value of the ten is even, in order to obtain arithmetic Combination 0 9. The method as described in item 丨 of the patent application range, wherein the measuring step (b) includes a step (bl): measuring the first scalar value as an indication of the current passing through the load. I 0 · The method described in item g of the declared patent scope, wherein the measuring step (b) further includes the following steps: '(b2) measuring the second scalar value as an indication of the voltage of the entire load; and (b 3 ) Multiply the first value by the second value to obtain an indication of the power dissipated in the load as an arithmetic combination. II. The method as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the measurement step (b) includes a step (b 1): measuring the first scalar value as an indication of the voltage of the entire load. 1 2 · An error detection device comprising: a first tap port provided with first and second output conductors, the conductors being configured to be respectively connected to the center conductor of a first drooping cable And the outer conductor; and a first comparator for comparing a predetermined threshold with an arithmetic combination of at least two scalar values each depending on the load between the first and second conductors. 1 3 · The error detection device described in item 12 of the scope of patent application ’ Page 17 535171 Amendment No. 91113975 VI. The scope of patent application includes: a second tap with a third, fourth and fourth output conductor, these conductors are configured with a second droop cable respectively A central conductor and an outer conductor coupled to each other; a second comparator for comparing a predetermined critical value with at least two arithmetic combinations of scalar values each depending on the load between the third and fourth conductors; and in the configuration The switch is configured to disable the first branch port and / or the second branch port and serve as a switch responding to the first and second comparators. 14. The error detection device as described in item 12 of the scope of patent application, wherein the comparator includes a digital microprocessor capable of selectively disabling the first tap and / or the second tap. 1 5. The error detection device as described in item 12 of the scope of patent application, wherein the comparator includes a signal path including a multiplexer and an analog / digital converter. ❿ Page 18