Trigger synchronized event for channel characterization within communication systems
View Patent ↗A new protocol uses a trigger message to identify one or more symbols transmitted between a first and a second communication device. The first device generates and transmits a trigger message to the second device. This process may be initiated based on the first device receiving a measurement initiation message from another device (e.g., such as the second device or another device within the system). Then, the first device transmits a signal that includes those one or more symbols to the second device. Before or during transmission, the first device generates a first capture of those one or more symbols. After receipt of the transmission from the first device, the second device performs a second capture of those one or more symbols identified within the trigger message. Then, any device having the first and second captures can determine a characterization of the communication pathway between the first and second devices.
1. A communication device comprising:
a communication interface; and
a processor, the processor and the communication interface configured to:
generate a trigger message after a measurement initiation message is received from a first other communication device, wherein the trigger message specifies a location of at least one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) data symbol to be transmitted from the communication device to a second other communication device via a communication pathway;
transmit the trigger message to the second other communication device;
generate a first capture that includes a first plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one OFDM data symbol;
transmit the at least one OFDM data symbol to the second other communication device via the communication pathway; and
transmit the first capture to the first other communication device for use to determine a characterization of the communication pathway based on the first capture and based on a second capture that includes a second plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one OFDM symbol as performed by the second other communication device.
2. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor and the communication interface are further configured to:
generate the trigger message to include a trigger group field that identifies the second other communication device and a third other communication device, wherein the trigger message specifies the location of the at least one OFDM data symbol to be transmitted from the communication device to the second other communication device via the communication pathway and at least one other OFDM data symbol to be transmitted from the communication device to the third other communication device via an other communication pathway;
transmit the trigger message to the second and third other communication devices;
transmit the at least one other OFDM data symbol to the third other communication device via the other communication pathway;
generate a third capture that includes a third plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one other OFDM data symbol; and
transmit the third capture of the at least one other OFDM data symbol to the third other communication device for use to determine an other characterization of the other communication pathway based on the third capture and based on a fourth capture that includes a fourth plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one other OFDM symbol as performed by the third other communication device.
3. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor and the communication interface are further configured to:
generate the trigger message to include a trigger group field that identifies a third other communication device;
receive a response to the trigger message when the third other communication device is trigger-enabled;
transmit the at least one OFDM data symbol to the third other communication device via an other communication pathway when the response to the trigger message is received from the third other communication device; and
determine that the third other communication device is not trigger-enabled when no response to the trigger message is received from the third other communication device and terminate trigger message communication with the third other communication device.
4. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor and the communication interface are further configured to:
receive, from the second other communication device, the second capture that includes the second plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one OFDM symbol as performed by the second other communication device; and
process the first capture and the second capture to determine an other characterization of the communication pathway.
5. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor and the communication interface are further configured to:
generate at least one timestamp value capture that includes at least one timestamp value present in the first plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one OFDM data symbol that are captured; and
transmit the at least one timestamp value capture to the first other communication device.
6. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the second other communication device is the first other communication device.
7. The communication device of claim 1 further comprising:
a cable headend transmitter or a cable modem termination system (CMTS), and wherein the first other communication device is an operational support system (OSS) communication device, and wherein the second other communication device is a cable modem.
8. The communication device of claim 1 further comprising:
the processor and the communication interface configured to support communications within at least one of a satellite communication system, a wireless communication system, a wired communication system, a fiber-optic communication system, or a mobile communication system.
9. A communication device comprising:
a communication interface; and
a processor, the processor and the communication interface configured to:
receive a trigger message from a first other communication device, wherein the trigger message specifies a location of at least one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) data symbol to be received from the first other communication device via a communication pathway;
when the communication device is trigger-enabled and identified within a trigger group field of the trigger message;
receive the at least one OFDM data symbol from the first other communication device via the communication pathway; and
generate a first capture that includes a first plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one OFDM data symbol; and
transmit the first capture to a second other communication device for use to determine a characterization of the communication pathway based on the first capture and based on a second capture that includes a second plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one OFDM symbol as performed by the first other communication device.
10. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the processor and the communication interface are further configured to:
receive, from the first other communication device, the second capture that includes the second plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one OFDM symbol as performed by the first other communication device; and
process the first capture and the second capture to determine an other characterization of the communication pathway.
11. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the second other communication device is the first other communication device.
12. The communication device of claim 9 further comprising:
a cable modem, wherein the first other communication device is a cable headend transmitter or a cable modem termination system (CMTS), and wherein the second other communication device is an operational support system (OSS) communication device.
13. The communication device of claim 9 further comprising:
the processor and the communication interface configured to support communications within at least one of a satellite communication system, a wireless communication system, a wired communication system, a fiber-optic communication system, or a mobile communication system.
14. A method for execution by a communication device, the method comprising:
generating a trigger message after a measurement initiation message is received, via a communication interface of the communication device, from a first other communication device, wherein the trigger message specifies location of at least one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) data symbol to be transmitted from the communication device to a second other communication device via a communication pathway;
transmitting, via the communication interface of the communication device, the trigger message to the second other communication device;
generating a first capture that includes a first plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one OFDM data symbol;
transmitting, via the communication interface, the at least one OFDM data symbol to the second other communication device via the communication pathway; and
transmitting, via the communication interface, the first capture to the first other communication device for use to determine a characterization of the communication pathway based on the first capture and based on a second capture that includes a second plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one OFDM symbol as performed by the second other communication device.
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
generating the trigger message to include a trigger group field that identifies the second other communication device and a third other communication device, wherein the trigger message specifies the location of the at least one OFDM data symbol to be transmitted from the communication device to the second other communication device via the communication pathway and at least one other OFDM data symbol to be transmitted from the communication device to the third other communication device via an other communication pathway;
transmitting the trigger message to the second and third other communication devices;
transmitting the at least one other OFDM data symbol to the third other communication device via the other communication pathway;
generating a third capture that includes a third plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one other OFDM data symbol; and
transmitting the third capture of the at least one other OFDM data symbol to the third other communication device for use to determine an other characterization of the other communication pathway based on the third capture and based on a fourth capture that includes a fourth plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one other OFDM symbol as performed by the third other communication device.
16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
generating the trigger message to include a trigger group field that identifies a third other communication device;
receiving a response to the trigger message when the third other communication device is trigger-enabled;
transmitting the at least one OFDM data symbol to the third other communication device via an other communication pathway when the response to the trigger message is received from the third other communication device; and
determining that the third other communication device is not trigger-enabled when no response to the trigger message is received from the third other communication device and terminating trigger message communication with the third other communication device.
17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
receiving, from the second other communication device, the second capture that includes the second plurality of OFDM symbol samples of the at least one OFDM symbol as performed by the second other communication device; and
processing the first capture and the second capture to determine an other characterization of the communication pathway.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second other communication device is the first other communication device.
19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the communication device is a cable modem, wherein the first other communication device is a cable headend transmitter or a cable modem termination system (CMTS), and wherein the second other communication device is an operational support system (OSS) communication device.
20. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
operating the communication interface of the communication device to support communications within at least one of a satellite communication system, a wireless communication system, a wired communication system, a fiber-optic communication system, or a mobile communication system.