Managed HDSL repeater

• US 20020057652A1
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Published: 05/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Schumann-Olsen, Reidar, Lie, Steinar
• Granted Patent: US 7,061,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/36 Repeater circuits H04B3/58 takes precedence

Abstract

A repeater for HDSL transmission is presented. The repeater replaces the regenerator commonly used in HDSL by utilizing the activation/deactivation process in the HDSL specification. The repeater is adjusted to detect an activation/deactivation sequence, whereby a flip-flop in the repeater is alternated. A first state of the flip-flop allows transmission passing through the repeater to the terminating point, e.g. a network terminal, and a second state loops transmission back to the originating point, e.g. a line terminal. The looping may then be utilized for maintenance and error detection and recovery. By use of one of the free bit in the overhead channel in the HDSL transmission as an origin bit, wherein “1” is set in the upstream direction, and “0” is set in the downstream direction, it is possible to detect at the line terminal whether there is a loop in the repeater.

Claims

1. An arrangement in a communication system comprising:

a line terminal;

a network terminal; and

a repeater means, said line terminal connected to said repeater means by a first transmission line, said repeater means further connected to said network terminal by a second transmission line, and transmission between said line terminal and said network terminal is activated and deactivated with a certain activation/deactivation process, and

wherein said repeater means is adapted to detect said activation/deactivation process and to alternate a flip-flop included in said repeater means between a first state and a second state on response to a detected activation/deactivation process, said transmission is passed through said repeater means when said flip-flop is in said first state, and is looped back in said repeater means when said flip-flop is in said second state.

2. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein a free bit in an overhead channel of the transmission is set to a first level when transmitting in the line terminal-network terminal direction, and a second level when transmitting in the network terminal-line terminal direction.

3. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said repeater means is a signal repeater.

4. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said communication system is an HDSL (High speed Digital Subscriber Line) communication system and said activation/deactivation process is an activation/deactivation process used in said HDSL communication system.

5. The arrangement as defined in claim 2, wherein said first level is “

1”

, and said second level is “

0”

.

6. The arrangement as defined in claim 2, wherein the arrangement is used in standardized HDSL error monitoring at the line terminal when said transmission is looped back in said repeating means, indicated by said free bit being set to said first level.