System and method for controlling line driver power in digital subscriber line modems

• US 20060039457A1
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ware, Malcolm Scott, Oelcer, Sedat, Davis, Gordon Taylor, Eleftheriou, Evangelos Stavros, Derby, Jeffrey Haskell
• Granted Patent: US 7,352,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/028 Arrangements specific to the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2626 Arrangements specific to the transmitter only
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A low power DSL modem transmitter, suitable for incorporation in integrated DSLAM server line cards, transmits full power physical frames which include a control channel and a data field when data is available for transmission and physical frames having only a control channel or a control channel and a low power synchronization field when data is not available for transmission. And a method for controlling the total power dissipated in the integrated DSLAM by selectively restricting the flow of data packets to the DSLs.

Claims

1. A low power DSL modem transmitter, suitable for incorporation in integrated DSL server line cards comprising:

first means for generating full power physical frames including a control channel signal component and a data channel signal component when the transmitter is provided with data to transmit;

a control channel generating circuit responsive to the first means and operable to generate a control signal when the transmitter has no data to transmit;

second means for generating low power physical frames having a control channel signal component and no data; and

;

third means responsive to the control signal for selecting the frames generated by the first and second means wherein selection of the second means is based only on said transmitter having no data to transmit and not on results of negotiations between said transmitter and a remote entity.

2. The low power DSL modem transmitter set forth in claim 1 in which the second means includes a low power synchronization signal in the generated low power physical frames.

3. The low power DSL modem transmitter set forth in claim 2 in which the low power synchronization signal is an idle pattern.

7. The low power DSL modem transmitter set forth in claim 1 wherein change in data rate transmission does not require said transmitter to announce said change in data rate.

4. A method for operating a low power DSL modem transmitter suitable for incorporation in integrated DSL server line cards, comprising:

generating first full power physical frames including a control channel and a data field when data is available for transmission;

generating second low power physical frames having a control channel when no data is available for transmission; and

,

selectively transmitting the first full power physical frame when there is data to transmit and the second low power physical frame when there is no data available for transmission wherein said second low power physical frame is based only on said transmitter not having data to transmit and not on a result of negotiations between the transmitter and another entity.

5. The method set forth in claim 4 in which the generated second low power physical frame includes a low power synchronization field.

6. The method set forth in claim 4 in which the generated second low power physical frame includes a low power idle pattern

8. A low power DSL modem transmitter, suitable for incorporation in integrated DSL server line cards comprising:

first means for generating full power physical frames including a control channel signal component and a data channel signal component when the transmitter is provided with data to transmit;

a control channel generating circuit responsive to the first means and operable to generate a control signal when the transmitter has no data to transmit;

second means for generating low power physical frames having a control channel signal component and no data; and

third means responsive to the control signal for selecting the frames generated by the first and second means wherein a change in data rate transmission does not require announcing said change in data rate transmission by said transmitter.