Process for communicating multiple channels of digital data in distributed systems using synchronous code division multiple access

• US 5,805,583 A
• Filed: 08/25/1995
• Issued: 09/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Terayon Communications Systems Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rakib, Selim Shlomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carman, Melissa Kay
• Application Number:
  US08/519,509
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 370/335, 370/342, 370/206, 370/347, 370/470, 370/350, 370/441, 370/503, 370/330, 370/337, 370/479, 375/354, 375/356, 375/200, 375/202, 375/358, 375/516, 375/292, 375/261, 375/298, 375/324
• US Class Current: 370/342
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/256 with trellis coding, e.g. with convolutional codes and TCM
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/41 using the Viterbi algorithm or Viterbi processors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/709709 Methods of preventing interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2668 Arrangements for Wireless Code-Division Multiple Access [CDMA] System Synchronisation, for code acquisition H04B1/7075, for code tracking H04B1/7085
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/97 using uplink of the CATV systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/004 Orthogonal
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/16 Code allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03414 Multicarrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03343 Arrangements at the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/362 Modulation using more than one carrier, e.g. with quadrature carriers, separately amplitude modulated H04L27/366 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/023 Multiplexing of multicarrier modulation signals multicarrier modulation H04L27/2601
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/026 using code division
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/06 the signals being represented by different frequencies combined with time-division multiplexing H04L5/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/042 Detectors therefor, e.g. correlators, state machines digital correlators in general G06F17/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 : Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0866 : using a dedicated channel for access

Abstract

A method and apparatus for carrying out synchronous code division multiple access (SCDMA) communication of multiple channels of digital data over a shared transmission media. The system includes modems at remote units and a central unit to receive time division multiplexed digital data arranged into timeslots or channels and uses orthogonal codes to encode each channel of multiple data and spread the energy of each channel data over a frame of data transmitted in the code domain. Spreading the data this way makes the system less susceptible to impulse noise. Frames are synchronized as between remote and central units using a ranging scheme which is also useful in any other system transmitting data by frames in a distributed system where synchronizing the frames as between all units regardless of differences in propagation delays is necessary. Each frame in the SCDMA modulation scheme includes a gap or guardband containing no other data. The ranging process involves training each remote unit to impose enough delay prior to re-transmission of a barker code received from the CU such that a barker code sent by the RU arrives at the CU during the gap. The process of setting the delay in each RU is a trial and error process, and each RU starts the ranging process asynchronously. Contention resolution protocols such that only one RU is aligning to the gap at any particular time are taught.

Claims

1. A process for transmitting multiple channels of digital data in distributed systems having multiple units coupled by a shared transmission media by using synchronous code division multiple access, comprising:

receiving a time division multiplexed digital data stream comprised of N time slots or channels, each of which contains one or more bits of digital data;

reorganizing the digital data from said N time slots into a frame containing M consecutive symbols, each said symbol containing an element from each time slot, each element having at least one bit;

spreading the spectrum of each said symbol by doing matrix multiplication to multiply an information vector having as elements said elements of said symbol by a code matrix embodying N orthogonal spreading codes to generate a resulting chips out array;

using the chips of the resulting chips out array to modulate at least one radio frequency carrier in successive intervals according to the amplitude represented by successive corresponding chips of the chips out array;

transmitting said at least one modulated radio frequency carrier on said shared transmission media.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said spreading of the spectrum of each said information vector comprises multiplication of said information vector by a code matrix embodying N orthogonal, cyclic spreading codes.

3. A process for receiving modulated signals created in a transmitter by using multiple channels of digital data from a time division multiplexed input data stream which are reorganized into a frame of data containing a plurality of symbols, each said symbol organized as an information vector having a plurality of elements and having its spectrum spread using orthogonal codes embodied in a spreading code matrix to generate an array of chips for each said information vector, the resulting spread spectrum chip data being transmitted over a shared transmission media by modulating at least one radio frequency carrier using the resulting spread spectrum data to generate modulated signals, and reconstructing therefrom a time division multiple access data stream which is a replica of the time division multiplexed input data stream which was used to create said modulated signals in said transmitter, comprising:

demodulating the modulated signals received from said shared transmission media to generate signals which are organized into a plurality of received information vectors, each said received information vector representing the spread spectrum received version of the chips of the information vector representing a symbol in a frame of digital data transmitted by said transmitter;

performing a matrix multiplication to multiply each received information vector by the transpose of said orthogonal spreading code matrix used to spread the spectrum of each said information vector for transmission over said shared transmission media so as to generate a result matrix for each said received information vector, each said result matrix comprising a plurality of elements;

electronically comparing each element in each said result matrix against a constellation of legitimate possible data points that could have been transmitted and making a judgment as to which of said points in said constellation of legitimate possible data points that each said element probably was before it was corrupted by noise and losses during transmission; and

reorganizing the probable data points from the constellation of legitimate possible data points assigned to the elements of all said result matrices into a time division multiplexed data stream which is a replica of said time division multiplexed data stream which was used to create said received modulated signals.

4. A process for transmitting multiple digital data streams in a distributed system having multiple remote units located at different locations in said distributed system coupled by a shared transmission media to a central unit using synchronous code division multiple access multiplexing, comprising:

receiving N digital data streams throughout said distributed system using said plurality of remote units, each of said digital data streams containing one or more bits of digital data, each said remote unit receiving only a portion of said N digital data streams;

in each remote unit, reorganizing the digital data from the digital data streams received thereby into multiple frames, each frame containing M consecutive symbols followed by a guardband, each said symbol containing at least N elements corresponding to said N digital data streams with only those elements corresponding to the particular digital data streams received by this particular remote unit containing any data from the corresponding digital data stream(s) received by this particular remote unit;

in each said remote unit, spreading the spectrum of each said symbol by doing matrix multiplying the elements of an information vector representing the elements of said symbol by a code matrix embodying N orthogonal codes, each orthogonal code having N elements to generate a result vector for each symbol, each said result vector having N elements;

using each of the N elements of the result vector to modulate a radio frequency carrier in one of N successive intervals according to the amplitude represented by the particular one of said N elements corresponding to said interval to generate RF signals representing N constellation points, said RF signals transmitted in said frames;

in each remote unit, performing a ranging process whereby each remote unit cooperates with said central unit to find the propagation time of signals from it to said central unit and thereafter, in each remote unit, setting a transmit frame timing delay so as to cause a frame of RF signals transmitted by each remote unit to arrive with its frame boundaries aligned in time with the frame boundaries of frames transmitted by each other remote unit so as to achieve frame synchronization despite differences in propagation delay between each said remote unit and said central unit; and

transmitting on said shared transmission media from each said remote unit said frames of RF signals using the transmit frame timing delay determined by that remote unit to cause frame synchronization at said central unit of that remote unit'"'"'s frames with frames transmitted by all said other remote units.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein said ranging process step comprises the steps of adjusting by trial and error said transmit frame timing delay and then transmitting a unique code which can be detected by said central unit, said trial and error adjustment of said transmit frame timing delay continuing at various values of delay until said unique code arrives at said central unit during said guardband, and, when this occurs, holding said transmit frame timing delay steady at the value which caused said unique code to arrive during said guardband thereby achieving frame synchronization with all the other remote units which have performed the ranging process.

6. The process of claim 5 further comprising the steps of fine tuning said transmit frame timing delay at each remote unit by communications between each said remote unit and said central unit so as to exactly center said unique code in said guardband so as to minimize crosstalk at said central unit between symbols transmitted from different remote units.

7. The process of claim 4 wherein said step of receiving N digital data streams comprises the step in each remote unit of receiving a time division multiplexed digital data stream having N timeslots, and wherein said central unit assigns particular ones of said timeslots to each remote unit by messages to said remote units, and wherein said step of reorganizing said digital data in each remote unit comprises the steps of taking at least a portion of the data bits from each timeslot in said time division multiplexed data stream assigned to the remote unit by the central unit and encoding said data bits in an error correcting code encoder to add one or more redundant bits useful for error detection and correction by a Viterbi decoder, and using the resulting collection of data bits plus redundant bits corresponding to one or more timeslots assigned to said remote unit as one or more elements in a symbol corresponding to the timeslot from which the data bits encoded by the error correcting code encoder came.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein the step of spreading the spectrum of each said symbol by performing matrix multiplication comprises the steps of dividing the data bits plus the redundant bits of each symbol element into two portions so as to generate two information vectors for each symbol, one information vector designated the inphase or I information vector and the other designated the quadrature or Q information vector, and thereafter separately matrix multiplying each of the I and Q information vectors by said code matrix so as to generate I and Q result vectors having N elements, and wherein the step of using the result vectors to modulate a radio frequency carrier comprises the steps of using the elements of the I result vector to modulate a first radio frequency carrier and using the elements of said Q result vector to modulate a second radio frequency carrier and thereafter summing the resulting radio frequency signals for transmission on said shared transmission media, and wherein said first and second radio frequency carriers have the same frequency but are 90 degrees out of phase with each other.

9. An apparatus for transmitting multiple channels of digital data from a plurality of remote units to a central unit over a transmission media using synchronous code division multiple access multiplexing, comprising:

a framer in each remote unit coupled to receive incoming data of a time division multiple access stream comprised of N timeslots, hereafter referred to as channels, only selected ones of said channels being currently assigned to each said remote unit, each said channel containing one or more bits of digital data, said framer also for interleaving the data of said N channels over a frame comprised of M contiguous symbols and a guardband during which no data from said time division multiple access stream is transmitted, said interleaving being carried out by reorganizing said data from said N channels into M information vector arrays, each comprised of a plurality of elements, each element comprising a subgroup of bits from one channel of said time division multiple access stream;

an error correcting code encoder in each remote unit for receiving said M information vector arrays of each frame and encoding each element with one or more redundant bits for use in error detection and correction so as to generate M encoded information vector arrays for each frame;

a memory in each remote unit for storing said M encoded information vector arrays for each frame;

a code division multiplexer in each remote unit for receiving said M encoded information vector arrays of each frame and performing code division multiple access spreading by matrix multiplying each of said M information vector arrays by a code matrix comprising N orthogonal, cyclic codes, each code having N elements, said code division multiplexer generating M encoded result vectors, each having N elements;

a modulator in each remote unit coupled to said transmission media and coupled to receive said M encoded result vectors said modulator functioning to use said result vectors to modulate one or more radio frequency carrier signals to generate modulated RF signals representing each frame, and for transmitting said modulated RF signals over said transmission media;

a transmit frame timing delay adjustment circuit included within said framer circuit in each said remote unit for adjusting a transmit frame timing delay which alters timing of transmission to said central unit from each said remote unit of said modulated RF signals representing said M encoded symbols of each frame generated in said remote unit such that said modulated RF signals representing each transmitted frame from each remote unit arrive at said central unit simultaneously regardless of differences in propagation time between each different remote unit and said central unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a bit parsing circuit coupled to receive each of said M encoded result vectors of each frame and divide the bits of each element of each result vector into an inphase component and a quadrature component, and wherein said modulator receives the inphase and quadrature components and uses the inphase component to modulate a first radio frequency carrier and uses the quadrature component to modulate a second radio frequency carrier and sums the resulting modulated RF signals for transmission over said transmission media, wherein said first and second radio frequency carriers have the same frequency but are separated in phase by 90 degrees.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said transmission media is a cable television hybrid fiber coaxial cable network, and further comprising filters coupled to filter said inphase and quadrature components so as to limit the bandwidth of the Fourier spectrum of said inphase and quadrature components to a 6 mHz band centered on a frequency selected so as to not interfere with any cable television programs being simultaneously broadcast over said cable television network.

12. A receiver for receiving multiple channels of digital data transmitted from a plurality of remote units to a central unit over a transmission media, comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter coupled to receive modulated RF signals from said transmission media representing data from said multiple channels of digital data which have been encoded with redundant error detection and correction data and code division multiplexed onto a single frequency carrier, said analog-to-digital converter functioning to convert said modulated RF signals into a plurality of digital samples;

a demodulator coupled to receive said plurality of digital samples and multiply them by digital representations of first and second local oscillator signals that are matched in frequency and phase with first and second radio frequency carrier signals which comprise said RF signals received from said transmission media so as to generate a plurality of inphase and quadrature arrays which represent code division multiplexed versions of said multiple channels of digital data;

a demultiplexer for receiving said inphase and quadrature arrays from said demodulator and multiplying said arrays by the transpose of a spreading code matrix used to code division multiplex the multiple channels of data so as to generate inphase and quadrature arrays of demultiplexed received data which define the phase and amplitude of a plurality of received data points in a two dimensional constellation of possible legitimate data points that could have been transmitted;

a memory for storing said inphase and quadrature arrays of demultiplexed received data;

a slicer detector for receiving said inphase and quadrature arrays of demultiplexed received data and comparing the received data points represented thereby to one or more of the data points in the constellation of possible legitimate data points that could have been transmitted, said slicer detector for generating preliminary determination data representing rough estimates as to which of the possible legitimate data points that could have been transmitted each received data point most likely corresponds;

a Viterbi decoder for receiving said preliminary determination data and using said redundant error detection and correction data encoded into said received data points and using received data point data stored in said memory to detect and correct errors between the phase and amplitude of each actual received data point and the phase and amplitude of the legitimate data points to which said received data point corresponds, said Viterbi decoder for outputting the legitimate data points which were transmitted and which represent said multiple channels of digital data.

13. A communication system comprised of a central unit coupled by a transmission medium to a plurality of distributed remote units wherein each remote unit sends data to said central unit via code division multiple access multiplexing to establish one or more virtual channels through said transmission medium, each virtual channel appearing to the remote unit to be an unshared transmission medium coupling that remote unit to said central unit, each said virtual channel establishing by encoding data from that remote unit using a spreading code assigned to that remote unit by said central unit, each remote unit being assigned to one or more virtual channels on an ongoing, dynamic as-needed basis by said central unit based upon the amount of data that said remote unit has to send as communicated to said central unit by a message from said remote unit, said central unit receiving requests from said remote units for bandwidth and assigning virtual channels to said remote units on the basis of the contents of said request messages.

14. A communication system comprised of a central unit coupled by a transmission medium to a plurality of distributed remote units wherein each remote unit sends data to said central unit via code division multiple access multiplexing so as to establish one or more virtual channels through said transmission medium, each virtual channel appearing to the remote unit to be an unshared transmission medium coupling that remote unit to said central unit, each said virtual channel establishing by encoding data from that remote unit using a spreading code, and wherein said remote units establish frame synchronization such that each remote unit aligns frame boundaries of the frames of data each remote unit sends to the central unit such that all remote unit frame boundaries are aligned in time at the location of said central unit with the frame boundaries of each other remote unit, and wherein each remote unit is structured to achieve this frame synchronization by adjusting the time delay of transmission of a marker signal which indicates when in time the frame boundaries of frames from that remote unit will arrive by trial and error and monitoring transmissions from said central unit which indicate when frame synchronization has been achieved by that remote unit.

15. A process for creating interleaved symbols for use in transmitting multiple channels of digital data over a shared transmission media of a distributed system by multiplexing, comprising:

receiving a time division multiplexed digital data stream comprised of N time slots or channels, each of which contains one or more bits of digital data;

reorganizing the digital data from said N time slots into a frame containing M consecutive symbols, each said symbol containing an element from each time slot, each element having at least one bit.

16. The process of claim 15 wherein the multiple symbols are multiplexed over said shared transmission media using code division multiple access multiplexing, and wherein each time slot contains a plurality of bits of data, and wherein said reorganizing step comprises generating said interleaved symbols by storing the plurality of bits of data from each time slot in an address until a frame of addresses has been stored said frame comprising as many timeslots as there are codes in use in said code division multiple access multiplexing, and generating said interleaved symbols by subdividing each timeslot of data into as many segments as there are symbols to generate and generating the first interleaved symbol by reading the first segments from each timeslot and using them as said elements of said first symbol, and generating the second symbol by reading the second segments of each timeslot and using them as the elements of said second symbol and continuing this process until all the symbols have been generated.

17. The process of claim 15 wherein the multiple symbols are multiplexed over said shared transmission media using code division multiple access multiplexing, and wherein each time slot contains a eight bits of data to which a 9th bit is added for use in adding management and control information, and wherein said reorganizing step comprises generating said interleaved symbols by storing the nine bits of data from each time slot in an address until a frame of addresses has been stored, said frame comprising as many timeslots as there are codes in use in said code division multiple access multiplexing, and generating said interleaved symbols by subdividing each timeslot of data into three segments of three bits each and generating the first interleaved symbol by reading the first segments from each timeslot and calculating a redundant bit for each segment useful in Viterbi decoding based upon the states of the other three bits to generate a four bit element, an using all four bit elements so generated as said elements of said first symbol, and generating the second symbol by reading the second segments of each timeslot and calculating a redundant bit for each segment useful in Viterbi decoding based upon the states of the other three bits to generate a four bit element, an using all four bit elements so generated as said elements of said second symbol and continuing this process until three symbols have been generated.

18. The process of claim 17 further comprising the step of dividing each four bit element of each symbol into a real part comprising a first pair of bits and an imaginary part comprising a second pair of bits which are different than the first pair of bits to as to generate a real information vector and an imaginary information vector from each symbol, said real information vector of each symbol comprising said first pair of bits from each element of said symbol, and said imaginary information vector of each symbol comprising said second pair of bits from each element of said symbol, and further comprising the steps of spreading the spectrum of each of said real and imaginary information vectors separately by matrix multiplying each information vector by a spreading code matrix comprised of orthogonal spreading codes.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein said matrix multiplications result in real and imaginary result vectors, and further comprising the steps of QAM modulating two RF carriers of the same frequency but separated in phase by 90 degrees using said real result vector to amplitude modulate one carrier and said imaginary result vector to amplitude modulate the other carrier.

20. The process of claim 19 wherein the shared transmission media is a cable TV hybrid fiber coax network, and wherein the frequency of said first and second carriers is selected to be a frequency which will not interfere with cable TV programming carried on said media, and further comprising the step of passing a signal representing each of said real and imaginary result vectors through a bandwidth limited passband filter to limit the bandwidth of each signal to a bandwidth of 6 mHz.

21. A process for achieving frame synchronization at a central transceiver of any communication system having a plurality of distributed remote transceivers that transmit frames of data to said central transceiver, comprising:

(1) transmitting a barker code trigger signal from said central transceiver to all remote transceivers marking a time reference relative to the frame boundaries of frames transmitted by said central transceiver for each central transceiver frame, each frame having one or more symbols of payload data and a gap interval during which no payload data is transmitted;

(2) receiving said barker code trigger signal at a remote transceiver attempting to achieve frame synchronization and waiting a programmable interval before transmitting the same barker code back to said central transceiver;

(3) performing a correlation calculation between any signal received during said gap and said barker code trigger signal and sending a message to said remote transceiver if no barker code is found in the gap;

(4) if no barker code is found in the gap, changing said programmable interval at the location of said remote transceiver, and, upon receipt of another barker code trigger signal from said central transceiver, waiting said new programmable interval before transmitting said barker code back to said central transceiver;

(5) performing steps (3) and (4) until a barker code is found in said gap, and then determining how far away and in which direction said barker code received from said remote transceiver is away from the center of said gap, and sending a message to said remote transceiver telling it how much to change said programmable delay and in which direction to exactly center its barker code transmissions in the gap at said central transceiver to generate a transmit frame timing delay value to achieve frame synchronization, and, thereafter, transmitting each frame of data from said remote transceiver to said central transceiver an interval equal to said transmit frame timing delay value after receipt of a barker code trigger signal from said central transceiver, and repeating this process for each remote transceiver thereby achieving frame synchronization such that the frame boundaries of all correspondingly numbered frames transmitted by all said remote transceiver arrive at said central transceiver with their frame boundaries aligned in time.

22. The process of claim 21 wherein said barker code transmissions are relatively short and have amplitudes which are low enough so as to not cause substantial interference with payload data if they happen to arrive during the payload data portion of a frame transmitted by another remote transceiver.

23. The process of claim 21 wherein multiple remote transceivers can simultaneously, autonomously decide to attempt to achieve frame synchronization and further comprising the steps carried out by said central transceiver and remote transceivers to determine if more than one barker code has arrived during the gap, and, if so, sending messages to said remote units telling them to execute collision resolution protocols that will cause some of them to stop attempting to achieve frame synchronization, and continuing the process of monitoring the gap and sending messages until only one remote transceiver'"'"'s barker code is found in the gap, and then sending a message requesting the remote transceiver to identify itself, and, after its identification is known, sending a message instructing that remote transceiver how to change it programmable delay to exactly center its barker code in said gap.

24. The process of claim 23 wherein the step of determining if more than one remote transceiver'"'"'s barker code is in the gap comprises broadcasting a message indicating that activity has been found in the gap, and each remote transceiver responding by transmitting an authentication code unique to it to said central transceiver, each unique authentication code comprising the transmission of barker codes in a unique "on-off" pattern wherein barker codes are transmitted during exactly half the frames of a multiframe authentication interval, and determining if there are more than half the gaps of the authentication interval during which barker codes are received thereby indicating more than one remote transceiver is attempting to achieve frame synchronization and has successfully timed its transmission such that its barker code arrives during the gap.

25. A process of generating a time division multiple access data stream comprising putting a plurality of payload data bits in each timeslot and putting one or more additional bits in each timeslot which may be encoded with sidechannel information such as management and control information.

26. Circuitry for use in a code division multiplexed distributed communication system having a plurality of distributed remote transmitters transmitting digital data over a shared transmission media to a central unit transceiver, comprising:

first means in said central unit transceiver for assigning timeslots to said transmitter on the basis of the traffic volume it has to send and communicating the assigned timeslot(s) to said transmitter via messages on a command and control channel;

second means in each remote transmitter for placing digital data from one or more peripheral devices or processes into the timeslots assigned by said first means;

third means in each remote transmitter for receiving digital data organized as a time division multiplexed data stream having a plurality of timeslots with only those timeslots assigned to said remote transmitter having data therein;

fourth means in each remote transmitter for distributing data from each timeslot to a code division multiplexing encoder;

fifth means in each remote transmitter for code division multiplexing the data from each timeslot assigned to said remote transmitter using a different orthogonal code from a code set having as many different codes as there are timeslots in said time division multiplexed data stream; and

sixth means for summing the output signals from the encoders of said fifth means.

27. A distributed communication system, comprising:

a shared transmission media;

a central unit transceiver coupled to said shared transmission media;

a plurality of remote unit transceivers coupled to said central unit transceiver via said shared transmission media, each said remote unit transceiver comprising circuitry functioning to receive digital data from one or more sources and transmitting said data to said central unit transceiver using code division multiplexing to separate data from different sources on said shared transmission media using a plurality of different orthogonal codes each of which establishes its own virtual channel to said central unit transceiver which appears to be not shared, and wherein a plurality of said virtual channels are dedicated to messages from said remote unit transceivers to said central unit transceiver requesting the award of a number of channels related to the amount of data that needs to be sent by each remote unit transceiver;

and wherein said central unit transceiver includes means for awarding channels to various remote unit transceivers via messages sent to said remote unit transceivers via one or more channels dedicated to management and control traffic, said means for awarding channels awarding said channels using a selectable one of a plurality of different methods.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said plurality of different methods of awarding channels include:

fixed allocation;

awards on the basis of need;

reservation of one or more channels to specific remote unit transceivers with all other channels available for dynamic award to remote unit transceivers on any basis;

first-come-first-served or any other method that suits the needs of the environment in which the distributed communication system is operating.

29. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said plurality of different methods of awarding channels include:

(1) a reservation scheme where the remote unit transceivers bid for channels via messages to said central unit transceiver and said means for awarding channels reserves certain channels to each of the remote unit transceivers;

(2) a contention process wherein the central unit transceiver sends messages to said remote unit transceivers indicating which channels are available to all remote unit transceivers and the remote unit transceivers transmit on those channels at will with contentions detected by the central unit transceiver with contention notification messages to the remote unit transceivers in contention requesting that they enter a contention resolution protocol;

(3) polling where the central unit polls each remote unit transceiver sequentially to determine how much bandwidth it needs and awards of bandwidth as needed and arbitration when the number of channels needed exceeds the number of channels available; and

(4) fixed allocation of the available channels to specific remote unit transceiver, and wherein said means for awarding channels can awards channels at any particular time on the basis of any one or a combination of said plurality of different methods.

30. A digital data transmitter, comprising:

a framer circuit coupled to receive data and including circuitry to reorganize said data into symbols;

an error correction encoder functioning to add redundant data to said data of said symbols, said redundant data being calculated based upon said data of said symbols;

a code division multiplexer circuit for encoding data in said symbols from different sources using different orthogonal spreading codes to generate result vectors;

a modulator for using said result vectors to modulate a radio frequency carrier to generate frames of modulated RF signals; and

frame synchronization circuitry for delaying the transmission of said frames of modulated RF signals for a predetermined interval so as to achieve frame synchronization at a predetermined location with frames of RF signals transmitted from other transmitters.

31. A digital data receiver comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter coupled to receive analog RF carrier signals from the hybrid-fiber-coax transmission media of a cable television system, said carrier signals modulated with digital data and convert RF carrier signals to digital samples;

a demodulator coupled to receive said digital samples and convert them to digital signals which define sidebands which contain the received digital data without the RF carrier information;

a code division demultiplexer coupled to receive said received digital data and structured to demultiplex it using the transpose of a code matrix used to code division multiplex the data at the point from which it was transmitted to generate at least one array of demultiplexed received data points; and

a slicer circuit structured and coupled to receive said demultiplexed received data points and compare each received data point to the legitimate possible input data points in the constellation of data points that could have been transmitted and generate signals representing a preliminary determination as to which legitimate input data point each received data point probably represents.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein each data point of said digital data has been encoded with redundant data bits useful to a Viterbi decoder and is transmitted in frames each data point representing data from a timeslot, and further comprising a Viterbi decoder for receiving said signals representing the preliminary determinations of said slicer circuit and using said redundant bits and said preliminary determinations and information stored in a memory as to the state of the data point from the same timeslot in previous frames to generate signals representing a final determination as to which of the legitimate input data points each received data point represents.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein said digital data used to modulate said RF carrier is taken from a time division multiplexed stream received at a transmitter, and further comprising a deframer circuit structured to receive the output signals from said Viterbi decoder and reassemble a replica of said time division multiplexed stream originally received at said transmitter.