NOISE MANAGEMENT FOR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20130208632A1
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Williams, Thomas H., Campos, Luis Alberto
• Granted Patent: US 9,722,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/279
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/00 Suppression or limitation of noise or interference by means associated with receiver H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex

Abstract

A duplex communication system having gate-implemented noise management is contemplated. The system may include a gate or other device sufficiently operable to facilitate managing upstream and downstream signaling so as to ameliorate noise funneling between communicating endpoints by selectively controlling communication paths through which noise may be propagated. Optionally, the system may be operably configured to facilitate this type of gate-implemented noise management for time domain duplex (TDD) and frequency domain duplex (FDD) communications.

Claims

1. An amplifier comprising:

a first interface operable to exchange signals with a first endpoint;

a second interface operable to exchange signals with a second endpoint;

a first amplifier operable to amplify downstream signaling communicated from the first interface to the second interface;

a second amplifier operable to amplify upstream signaling communicated from the second interface to the first interface;

a gate operably connected between the first interface and the second interface and controllable between at least a first position and a second position, the first position disabling upstream signaling and the second position enabling upstream signaling; and

a detector configured to control the gate between the first position and the second position based on presence of a gate-control signal within at least one of the upstream signaling and the downstream signaling.

2. The amplifier of claim 1 wherein the first position enables downstream signaling and the second position disables downstream signaling.

3. The amplifier claim 2 wherein the gate includes a first connector and a second connector, wherein the first connector operably connects the first interface to the first amplifier and the second connector operably connects the first amplifier to the second interface when the gate is in the first position to enable downstream signaling and disable upstream signaling, wherein the first connector operably connects the first interface to the second amplifier and the second connector operably connects the second amplifier to the second interface when the gate is in the second position to enable upstream signaling and disable downstream signaling.

4. The amplifier claim 1 further comprising a coupler operably connected to the second interface, the coupler configured to transfer a first copy of upstream signaling to the gate and to transfer a second copy of upstream signaling to the detector, the detector detecting for the gate-control signal within the second copy of upstream signaling.

5. The amplifier claim 1 further comprising a bandpass filter operably connected between the second interface and the detector, the bandpass filter filtering the gate-control signal from upstream signaling.

6. The amplifier claim 5 further comprising a third amplifier operably connected between the bandpass filter and the detector, the third amplifier amplifying the gate-control signal prior to receipt by the detector.

7. A method of managing noise funneling by controlling a gate included within a communication system, the communication system being configured to facilitate signaling between a first endpoint and a second endpoint, the gate being operable between a downstream position and an upstream position, the downstream position enabling downstream signaling from the first endpoint to the second endpoint and preventing upstream signaling from the second endpoint to the first endpoint, the upstream position enabling upstream signaling from the second endpoint to the first endpoint and preventing downstream signaling from the first endpoint to the second endpoint, the method comprising:

detecting for a gate-control signal within the signaling;

associating the gate-control signal with the signaling traveling as one of downstream signaling and upstream signaling;

facilitating control of the gate to the downstream position when the gate-control signal is associated with downstream signaling; and

facilitating control of the gate to the upstream position when the gate-control signals associated with upstream signaling.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising amplifying the signaling prior to detecting the gate-control signal, the amplifying increasing a power of the signaling, including increasing a power of the gate-control signal.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the power of the signaling and the power of the gate-control signal are amplified by the same percentage.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the first endpoint is comprised of a string of taps, each tap being configured to receive upstream signaling from devices connected thereto, wherein upstream signaling from any one of the devices connected to a string of taps is amplified prior to detecting the gate-control signal.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising detecting the gate-control signal by bandpass filtering the signaling, the bandpass filtering detecting for the gate-control signal within a specified frequency range.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising removing the gate-control signal from the signaling as part of the bandpass filtering.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the gate-control signal transmitted to a subsequent gate, and controlling the subsequent gate between a downstream position and an upstream position depending on whether the gate-control signal is associated with one of downstream signaling and upstream signaling, the downstream position enabling downstream signaling through the subsequent gate and preventing upstream signaling through the subsequent gate, the upstream position enabling upstream signaling through the subsequent gate and preventing downstream signaling through the subsequent gate.

14. The method of claim 7 further comprising issuing a downstream instruction from a detector to facilitate control of the gate to the downstream position, wherein the gate is normally biased to the upstream position in the absence of the downstream instruction.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising issuing an upstream instruction from a detector to facilitate control of the gate to the upstream position.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein the first endpoint is comprised of a string of taps, each tap being configured to receive upstream signaling from devices connected thereto, wherein the method further comprises controlling the gate to the upstream position whenever any one of the devices connected to the string of taps initiates upstream signaling.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the devices add the gate-control signal within the upstream signaling.

18. A method of managing noise funneling by controlling a gate included within a communication system, the communication system being operable to facilitate upstream and downstream signaling between a first endpoint and a second endpoint, the gate being operable between an opened position and a closed position, the opened position preventing upstream signaling from the second endpoint to the first endpoint, the closed position enabling upstream signaling from the second endpoint to the first endpoint, the method comprising:

amplifying upstream signaling intended for transmission from the second endpoint to the first endpoint, the upstream signaling being amplified after output from a top-split filter;

detecting for a gate-control signal within the amplified upstream signaling;

facilitating control of the gate to the closed position when the gate-control signal is detected; and

facilitating control of the gate to the opened position when the gate-control signal is not detected.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first endpoint is comprised of a string of taps, each tap being configured to receive upstream signaling from devices connected thereto, wherein the method further comprises controlling the gate to the closed position whenever any one of the devices connected to the string of taps embeds the gate-control signal within upstream signaling.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising detecting for the gate-control signal with a detector, the detector communicating a corresponding control signal to control the gate to the closed position and the opened position.