Upstream Transmission Burst Configuration

• US 20150288498A1
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kliger, Avi, Shindler, Anatoli, Ohana, Yitshak, Shusterman, Eliahu
• Application Number:
  US14/678,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20150288498A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/20 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method for processing data for upstream transmission. The apparatus and method can be implemented within a cable modem to specifically process data for upstream transmission over a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network to a cable modem termination system in accordance with parameters in an upstream profile. The upstream profile can be specified by the cable modem termination system.

Claims

1. An upstream transmitter configured to process data for upstream transmission to a cable modem termination system over a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network, comprising:

a symbol mapper configured to map bits of the data to complex data symbols in accordance with a bit-loading parameter that specifies a number of bits per complex data symbol in a minislot of an upstream transmission burst; and

an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) framer configured to place the complex data symbols in sub-carriers of the minislot and place pilots in the sub-carriers of the minislot in accordance with a pilot pattern parameter that specifies a pilot pattern,

wherein the bit-loading parameter and the pilot pattern parameter are associated with an upstream profile specified by the cable modem termination system for the minislot.

2. The upstream transmitter of claim 1, wherein the upstream profile is specified by the cable modem termination system in a grant message.

3. The upstream transmitter of claim 1, wherein the pilot pattern specified by the pilot pattern parameter is one pilot pattern among a plurality of pilot patterns defined within a communication specification in which the upstream transmitter is configured to operate in accordance with.

4. The upstream transmitter of claim 1, wherein the pilot pattern specified by the pilot pattern parameter is selected for the minislot based on a position of the minislot within the upstream transmission burst.

5. The upstream transmitter of claim 1, wherein the pilot pattern specified by the pilot pattern parameter is selected based on channel conditions associated with the minislot or based on whether pre-equalization is performed by the upstream transmitter to pre-equalize the sub-carriers of the minislot.

6. The upstream transmitter of claim 1, wherein the pilot pattern specified by the pilot pattern parameter is selected from among a plurality of pilot patterns that each use a different binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) pilot sub-carrier spacing configuration.

7. The upstream transmitter of claim 6, wherein the different BPSK pilot sub-carrier spacing configurations include placing a BPSK pilot on every:

eighth sub-carrier, fourth sub-carrier, second sub-carrier, and every sub-carrier of an OFDM symbol.

8. The upstream transmitter of claim 1, wherein the bit-loading parameter specifies the number of bits per complex data symbol to be in the range of 6-10 bits per complex data symbol.

9. The upstream transmitter of claim 1, wherein the OFDMA framer is configured to place the complex data symbols in the sub-carriers of the minislot in accordance with a minislot dimension parameter that specifies a site of the minislot.

10. The upstream transmitter of claim 1, wherein the pilot pattern is a subslot pilot pattern.

11. A method for processing data for upstream transmission to a cable modem termination system over a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network, comprising:

mapping bits of the data to complex data symbols in accordance with a bit-loading parameter that specifies a number of bits per complex data symbol in a minislot of an upstream transmission burst;

placing the complex data symbols in sub-carriers of the minislot; and

placing pilots in the sub-carriers of the minislot in accordance with a pilot pattern parameter that specifies a pilot pattern,

wherein the bit-loading parameter and the pilot pattern parameter are associated with an upstream profile specified by the cable modem termination system for the minislot.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the pilot pattern specified by the pilot pattern parameter is one pilot pattern among a plurality of pilot patterns defined within a communication specification.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the pilot pattern specified by the pilot pattern parameter is selected for the minislot based on a position of the minislot within the upstream transmission burst.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the pilot pattern specified by the pilot pattern parameter is selected based on channel conditions associated with the minislot or based on whether pre-equalization is performed to pre-equalize the sub-carriers of the minislot.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the pilot pattern specified by the pilot pattern parameter is selected from among a plurality of pilot patterns that each use a different binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) pilot sub-carrier spacing configuration.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the different BPSK pilot sub-carrier spacing configurations include placing a BPSK pilot on every:

eighth sub-carrier, fourth sub-carrier, second sub-carrier, and every sub-carrier of an OFDM symbol.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the bit-loading parameter specifies the number of bits per complex data symbol to be in the range of 6-10 bits per complex data symbol.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein placing the complex data symbols in the sub-carriers of the minislot further comprises:

placing the complex data symbols in the sub-carriers of the minislot in accordance with a minislot dimension parameter that specifies a size of the minislot.

19. A method for processing data for upstream transmission to a cable modem termination system over a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network, comprising;

mapping bits of the data to complex data symbols in accordance with a bit-loading parameter that specifies a number of bits per complex data symbol in a mini slot of an upstream transmission burst;

placing the complex data symbols in sub-carriers of the minislot; and

placing pilots in the sub-carriers of the minislot in accordance with a pilot pattern parameter that specifies a pilot pattern,

wherein the bit-loading parameter and the pilot pattern parameter are associated with an upstream profile specified by a cable modem termination system for the minislot, and

wherein the pilot pattern specified by the pilot pattern parameter is selected from among a plurality of pilot patterns that use a binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) pilot sub-carrier spacing of either eight, four, two, or one.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the pilot pattern specified by the pilot pattern parameter is selected for the minislot based on a position of the minislot within the upstream transmission burst.