METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING PROCESSING IN TDD FRAMES TO ENABLE POWER DISSIPATION REDUCTION

• US 20150109970A1
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Published: 04/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ikanos Communications Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ikanos Communications Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: SORBARA, Massimo, PONS, Julien
• Granted Patent: US 9,722,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 using time-sharing

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for managing the time slots in time division duplex (TDD) frames in an xDSL system. According to certain aspects, power savings in a TDD system operating with vectoring may be achieved with sending of quiet symbols in time slots that do not have data and through the efficient configuration of time slots with data and/or idle symbols so as to limit the amount of processing by the vectoring engine within the DO portion of each TDD frame. In embodiments, a central controller in a DPU monitors the data buffers at the transmitter input on each line and computes an optimal configuration of the time slots in the DO portion of the TDD frame to achieve an optimal balance between performance and power dissipation.

Claims

1. A method for managing time slots for two or more lines in a time division duplex (TDD) frame, comprising:

configuring a number of time slots for a normal operation portion of the TDD frame for all of the two or more lines;

configuring a first number of time slots for quiet symbols and a second number of time slots for data symbols in the TDD frame after the normal operation portion for a first one of the two or more lines; and

configuring a third number of time slots for quiet symbols and a fourth number of time slots for data symbols in the TDD frame after the normal operation portion for a second one of the two or more lines, wherein one or both of the first and second numbers are different than the third and fourth numbers, respectively.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising performing vectoring of all of the two or more lines during the normal operation portion of the TDD frame.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising performing vectoring of only certain of the two or more lines after the normal operation portion of the TDD frame in accordance with the configuring of the first, second, third and fourth numbers.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein configuring includes sending the number and the first, second, third and fourth numbers to transceivers associated with all of the two or more lines in a distribution point unit (DPU).

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein configuring further includes sending the number and the first, second, third and fourth numbers to downstream transceivers coupled to the two or more lines.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the DPU transceivers and the downstream transceivers implement TDD communications according to G.fast.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein sending the number and the first, second, third and fourth numbers to downstream transceivers includes using a Robust Management Channel (RMC) specified by G.fast.

8. A system for managing time slots for two or more lines in a time division duplex (TDD) frame, comprising:

a central controller comprising one or more processors programmed to perform a method comprising;

configuring a number of time slots for a normal operation portion of the TDD frame for all of the two or more lines;

configuring a first number of time slots for quiet symbols and a second number of time slots for data symbols in the TDD frame after the normal operation portion for a first one of the two or more lines; and

configuring a third number of time slots for quiet symbols and a fourth number of time slots for data symbols in the TDD frame after the normal operation portion for a second one of the two or more lines, wherein one or both of the first and second numbers are different than the third and fourth numbers, respectively.

9. A system according to claim 8, further comprising a vector control entity (VCE) for performing vectoring of all of the two or more lines during the normal operation portion of the TDD frame.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the VCE performs vectoring of only certain of the two or more lines after the normal operation portion of the TDD frame in accordance with the configuring of the first, second, third and fourth numbers.

11. A system according to claim 8, further comprising DPU transceivers associated with the two or more lines, wherein configuring includes the central controller sending the number and the first, second, third and fourth numbers to the DPU.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein configuring further includes sending the number and the first, second, third and fourth numbers to downstream transceivers coupled to the two or more lines.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein the DPU transceivers and the downstream transceivers implement TDD communications according to G.fast.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein sending the number and the first, second, third and fourth numbers to downstream transceivers includes using a Robust Management Channel (RMC) specified by G.fast.