Patent ID: 9641263
Date: 2017-05-02
CPC Classifications: G01R,H04B,H04W

Claim:
1. A method of operating a broadband communication system (BCS) including calculating an estimated figure of merit reflecting the shielding integrity condition of a BCS plant or distribution area, said method of calculating comprising steps of generating and collecting polygons corresponding to locations proximate to respective portions of a broadband communication system plant to which a BCS egress signal detector that is physically moved throughout a service area of said BCS during operation of said BCS whereby said service area is constrained to areas where cables subject to shielding flaws and BCS signal egress can be present, limiting a number of polygons generated and collected in said generating and collecting step to locations of said BCS egress signal detector during a given period of time, dividing a number of locations determined in said limiting step by a number of locations determined in said generating and collecting step to determine a value, if said value fails to satisfy a threshold value, moving said BCS signal detector to locations of polygons other than polygons resulting from said limiting step until said value satisfies said threshold value, measuring egress signal strength detected by said BCS egress signal detector during said given period of time, and dividing a measurement of egress signal strength determined in said measuring step by said value to project detected egress signal strength over an area of polygons generated and collected by said generating and collecting step as an estimate of said figure of merit reflecting said shielding integrity condition of said BCS plant.