TRANSMITTER CHANNEL THROUGHPUT IN AN INFORMATION NETWORK

• US 20100284474A1
• Filed: 05/05/2010
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Klein, Philippe, Ohana, Yitshak, Kliger, Avi
• Granted Patent: US 8,730,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/257
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03866 using scrambling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2626 Arrangements specific to the transmitter only
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/431 using padding or de-padding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0042 intra-user or intra-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for transmitting information over a home coax network. The apparatus and methods may involve a physical layer frequency domain signal preprocessor and a physical layer time domain signal transmitter. The transmitter may be configured to receive the signal from the preprocessor and transmit the signal over coax that is in radiofrequency communication with a plurality of network nodes, the transmitter having a first transmission channel and a second transmission channel. The signal may be received by a receiver on the network. The receiver may have a MAC-to-PHY interface that is configured to receive signals from single-transmission-channel transmitters.

Claims

1. Apparatus for transmitting information over a home coax network, the apparatus comprising:

a physical layer frequency domain signal preprocessor; and

a physical layer time domain signal transmitter that is configured to receive the signal from the preprocessor and transmit the signal over coax that is in radiofrequency communication with a plurality of network nodes, the transmitter having a first transmission channel and a second transmission channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, when the signal is a MoCA 2 signal, the transmitter is configured to transmit the MoCA 2 signal over the coax.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the first transmission channel is configured to transmit a first portion of the signal to the coax; and

the second transmission channel is configured to transmit a second portion of the signal to the coax.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a semiconductor chip, wherein:

the first and second channels are integral to the chip; and

the first channel is substantially parallel the second channel.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first channel is on an identified MoCA band and the second channel is on the identified MoCA band.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein:

the first channel is configured to transmit the first portion during an identified time period; and

the second channel is configured to transmit the second portion during the identified time period.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising an oscillator, wherein:

the first channel is in communication with the oscillator;

the second channel is in communication with the oscillator;

the oscillator is configured to generate a timing signal;

the first channel transmits based on the timing signal; and

the second channel transmits based on the timing signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein, when the first portion includes a first preamble and the second portion includes a second preamble:

the first channel is configured to transmit the first preamble in response to a trigger in the timing signal; and

the second channel is configured to transmit the second preamble in response to the trigger.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein:

the first channel is configured to transmit the first portion at a first frequency;

the second channel is configured to transmit the second portion at a second frequency; and

the first frequency is different from the second frequency.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a subcarrier mapper, wherein:

the subcarrier mapper is configured to define the first portion and the second portion based on bit loading.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:

the subcarrier mapper is configured to;

designate the first portion to a first subcarrier; and

designate the second portion to a second subcarrier; and

the first subcarrier corresponds to the first transmission channel; and

the second subcarrier corresponds to the second transmission channel.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the subcarrier mapper is configured to select, for each of the first and second portions, one of the first and second transmission channels.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising N−

2 additional transmission channels, such that the apparatus comprises N total transmission channels;

wherein the subcarrier mapper is configured to select the first and second transmission channels from among the N total transmission channels.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein N=3.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein N=4.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein N=6.

17. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first channel includes a BIN scrambler.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first channel includes an OFDM modulator.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the first channel includes a filter.

20. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the second channel includes a BIN scrambler.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the second channel includes an OFDM modulator.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the second channel includes a filter.

23. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a preprocessor output buffer in communication with the time domain signal preprocessor.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the buffer is configured to store first output from the preprocessor, the first output corresponding to the first signal portion.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising control logic that is configured to transfer the first output from the buffer to the first channel at substantially the same time as the preprocessor transfers second output to the second channel, the second output corresponding to the second signal portion.

26. A method for transmitting information over a home network, the method comprising:

culling from a digital home network information signal a first plurality of information packets and a second plurality of information packets;

transmitting the first plurality of information packets over coax that is in radiofrequency communication with a plurality of network nodes; and

transmitting the second plurality of information packets such that, when a Multimedia over Coax Alliance (“

MoCA”

) 2 media access controller (“

MAC”

) interface is in communication with the home network, the first plurality of information packets and the second plurality of information packets are configured to transit the MoCA 2 MAC interface.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the first plurality of information packets and the second plurality of information packets, when coincident on a portion of the coax, correspond to a portion of a MoCA 2 1024-sub-carrier signal.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

buffering the first information packets; and

performing frequency domain preprocessing on the second information packets during a time period in which the first information packets are being buffered.

29. A home coax network comprising:

a first node and a second node, the first and second nodes in electronic communication with each other via coax;

wherein;

the first node includes a receiver that includes a MAC-to-PHY interface that is configured to receive a signal transmitted over the coax by a single-transmission-channel RF transmitter;

the second node includes a multi-transmission-channel RF transmitter that includes a first transmission channel and a second transmission channel; and

the MAC-to-PHY interface is configured to receive the signal when the signal is sent by the multi-transmission-channel RF transmitter over the first transmission channel and the second transmission channel.