System and method for transmitting data and additional information simultaneously within a wire based communication system

• US 20040114670A1
• Filed: 12/13/2002
• Published: 06/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cranford, Hayden C. Jr., Schmatz, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/132
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation

Abstract

A system and method is provided for transmitting data signals and additional information signals having partially overlapping frequency bands simultaneously within a wire based communication system over the same wired medium using a spread spectrum technique for modulating the additional information signals.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data and additional information within a wire based communication system, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting said data over a first frequency band of a wired medium;

spreading said additional information over a second frequency band of said wired medium so that said second frequency band at least partially overlaps said first frequency band; and

transmitting said spreaded additional information simultaneously with said data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said wired medium carries said data in one direction and carries said additional information in an opposite direction.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said wired medium carries said data in one direction and carries said additional information in the same direction.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said additional information is transmitted at a rate much lower than said data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said additional information relates to the physical layer of said wire based communication system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said additional information relates to channel equalization.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said wired medium carries said additional information in a direction opposite to that of said transmitted data, such that said channel equalization occurs at a transmitter of said transmitted data.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said additional information relates to control information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said control information controls operation of a device within a network.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said control information relates to network router flow control.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said control information relates to network switch flow control.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein said additional information relates to status information.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said additional information relates to link parameter initialization information.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein said additional information relates to network applications with unsymmetrical data rates.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said wired medium is selected from the group consisting of single ended and differential pair.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said additional information is spreaded by at least one of direct sequence spread spectrum, frequency hopping, ultra wideband pulse modulation, ultra wideband frequency modulation and phase modulation.

17. A method for transmitting data and a plurality of additional information signals within a wire based communication system, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting said data over a first frequency band of a wired medium;

spreading said plurality of additional information signals over a second frequency band of said wired medium so that said second frequency band at least partially overlaps said first frequency band; and

transmitting said plurality of spreaded additional information signals simultaneously with said data, said spreaded additional information signals being separated from each other based on at least one of time, frequency and code.

18. A method for transmitting data, a first sequence of additional information, and a second sequence of additional information within a wire based communication system, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting said data over a first frequency band of a wired medium;

spreading said first sequence of additional information over a second frequency band of said wired medium so that said second frequency band at least partially overlaps said first frequency band;

spreading said second sequence of additional information over a third frequency band of said wired medium so that said third frequency band at least partially overlaps said first frequency band and said first spreaded sequence of additional information is separated by at least one of code, time and frequency domain from said second spreaded sequence of additional information;

transmitting said first spreaded additional information over said wired medium in a first direction simultaneously with said data; and

transmitting said second spreaded additional information over said wired medium in a second direction opposite said first direction simultaneously with said data.

19. An apparatus for transmitting data and additional information within a wire based communication system, said apparatus comprising:

a wired medium adapted to carry said data and additional information; and

a transmitter electrically coupled to said wired medium, adapted to transmit said data over a first frequency band of said wired medium, spread said additional information over a second frequency band of said wired medium so that said second frequency band at least partially overlaps said first frequency band, and transmit said spreaded additional information over said wired medium simultaneously with said data.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said transmitter further comprises:

a line driver electrically coupled to said wired medium and adapted to transmit said data and said additional information over said wired medium; and

a spread spectrum transmitter electrically coupled to said line driver and adapted to spread said additional information over said second frequency band of said wired medium so that said second frequency band at least partially overlaps said first frequency band.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said spread spectrum transmitter further comprises an encoder adapted to encode said additional information.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said encoder further comprises 8B/10B encoding circuitry adapted to encode said additional information into 8B/10B format.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said spread spectrum transmitter further comprises a serializer electrically coupled to said encoder and adapted to serialize said encoded additional information.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said spread spectrum transmitter further comprises a pseudo-random bit sequencer generator adapted to generate pseudo-random bit sequences.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said pseudo-random bit sequencer generator further comprises a ten bit pseudo-random bit sequencer generator adapted to generate said pseudo-random bit sequences.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said spread spectrum transmitter further comprises scrambling circuitry electrically coupled to said pseudo-random bit sequencer generator and adapted to spread said additional information with said pseudo-random bit sequence.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said scrambling circuitry further comprises at least one exclusive OR logic gate adapted to modulate said 8B/10B coded additional information with said pseudo-random bit sequences.

28. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said spread spectrum transmitter further comprises common mode circuitry adapted to inject said spreaded additional information into said wired medium.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said common mode circuitry further comprises at least two termination resistors adapted to inject common mode current representing said spreaded additional information into said wired medium.

30. An apparatus for transmitting data and receiving spreaded additional information within a wire based communication system, said apparatus comprising the elements of:

a wired medium adapted to carry said data and additional information;

a transmitter electrically coupled to said wired medium, adapted to transmit said data over a first frequency band of said wired medium; and

a spread spectrum receiver electrically coupled to said transmitter and adapted to receive said spreaded additional information over a second frequency band of said wired medium simultaneously with said transmitted data where said second frequency band at least partially overlaps said first frequency band.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said transmitter further comprises a line driver electrically coupled to said wired medium and adapted to transmit said data.

32. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said spread spectrum receiver further comprises a signal tab adapted to receive said spreaded additional information.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein said signal tab further comprises termination resistors adapted to receive common mode current representing said spreaded additional information from said wired medium.

34. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said spread spectrum receiver further comprises a correlator adapted to despread said spreaded additional information.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein said spread spectrum receiver further comprises a decoder electrically coupled to said correlator and adapted to decode said despreaded additional information.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein said decoder further comprises logic circuits adapted to generate a data signal and control signals.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein said decoder further comprises at least one shift register electrically coupled to said logic circuits and adapted to store said data signal and one of said control signals and to convert said data signal from serial format to parallel format.

38. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein said decoder circuitry further comprises 8B/10B decoding circuitry adapted to decode said parallel data signal using 8B/10B format.

39. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said spread spectrum receiver further comprises local code copy circuitry adapted to generate punctual, early, and late versions of a spread spectrum sequence.

40. The apparatus of claim 34 and claim 39 wherein said correlator further comprises a despreading mixer electrically coupled to said local code copy circuitry and adapted to despread said spreaded additional information.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein said correlator further comprises integrate and dump circuitry adapted to convert said despreaded additional information to phase information and despreaded, encoded additional information.

42. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein said correlator further comprises at least one analog to digital converter adapted to convert said phase information and said despreaded, encoded additional information from analog signals to digital signals.

43. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein said local code copy circuitry further comprises at least one latch and at least one exclusive OR gate, said latch and exclusive OR gate adapted to generate said versions of a spread spectrum sequence.

44. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said spread spectrum receiver further comprises a phase synchronizer adapted to maintain phase synchronization with a spread spectrum transmitter.

45. The apparatus of claim 44 wherein said phase synchronizer further comprises at least one counter adapted to select an output of a multiplexer.

46. The apparatus of claim 44 wherein said phase synchronizer further comprises at least one clock divider circuits adapted to reduce the frequency of a clock signal.

47. The apparatus of claim 46 wherein said phase synchronizer further comprises at least one shift register adapted to phase shift said reduced frequency clock signal.