Method and apparatus for receiving control signals in a data communication system having a fully digital communication channel

• US 6,480,533 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Conexant Systems Incorporated (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Conexant Systems Incorporated (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chu, Keith, Olafsson, Sverrir
• Primary Examiner(s): CORRIELUS, JEAN B
• Application Number:
  US09/976,883
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 375/222, 375/220, 375/354, 375/356, 375/371, 370/522, 370/523, 370/506, 370/525
• US Class Current: 375/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/125 One of the channel pulses or the synchronisation pulse is also used for transmitting monitoring or supervisory signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4906 using binary codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors

Abstract

A modem system having two modem devices digitally connected to a digital telephone network includes an inband control signal channel. The inband control signal channel is formed by using the most significant bit position of every sixth transmitted codeword for the transmission of control data. The control signal includes a predetermined header section that is monitored by the receiving modem to maintain frame synchronization and to correct for digital frame slippage. The control signal also includes a number of control data packets that contain information related to the initiation of control procedures such as rate renegotiations and retraining requests. The disclosed inband transmission techniques may additionally (or alternatively) be utilized to define a secondary data channel.

Claims

1. A receive modem device configured to receive control signals from a transmit modem device over a fully digital communication channel established therebetween, said receive modem device comprising:

a receiver configured to establish a communication session with said transmit modem device and to receive digital data transmitted over said digital communication channel;

a control data extractor configured to extract an inband control signal from said digital data, said inband control signal including control data;

means for conducting a control procedure during said communication session, said control procedure being responsive to said control data included in said inband control signal, wherein encoded data is transmitted from said transmit modem device to said receive modem device in the form of a plurality of digital codewords during said communication session, said control signal comprises a plurality of control bits;

said plurality of control bits are transmitted in a plurality of periodic codewords of said plurality of digital PCM codewords, wherein each of said plurality of digital codewords is formed from a number of bits, and said control bits are transmitted in a consistent bit position associated with said plurality of periodic codewords;

wherein said plurality of control bits are retrieved to recover a sequence, and wherein a digital frame slippage is detected by comparing said sequence against a predetermined pattern.

2. A method of detecting a digital frame slippage for use during a digital communication session, said method comprising:

establishing said digital communication session;

decoding data in the form of a plurality of digital codewords;

selecting a plurality of periodic digital codewords of said plurality of digital codewords;

retrieving a number of bits from said plurality of periodic digital codewords to recover a sequence; and

detecting said digital frame slippage by comparing said sequence against a predetermined pattern.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said predetermined pattern is a header preceding control data.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

retrieving a number of bits from said plurality of periodic digital codewords to recover control data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said control data indicates a retrain.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said control data indicates a cleardown.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein each said digital codeword includes a plurality of bits, and wherein said retrieving retrieves the most significant bit of each said periodic digital codeword.

8. A communication device for exchanging digital frames with a remote device through a digital communication channel, said device comprising:

a receiver capable of receiving data in the form of a plurality of digital codewords; and

a processor capable of decoding said plurality of digital codewords, said plurality of digital codewords including a plurality of periodic digital codewords;

wherein said processor retrieves a number of bits from said plurality of periodic digital codewords to recover a sequence, and wherein said processor compares said sequence against a predetermined pattern to detect a digital frame slippage.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said predetermined pattern is a header preceding control data.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said processor further retrieves a number of bits from said plurality of periodic digital codewords to recover said control data.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said control data indicates a retrain.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein said control data indicates a cleardown.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein each said digital codeword includes a plurality of bits, and wherein said processor retrieves the most significant bit of each said periodic digital codeword.

14. A computer program product for detecting a digital frame slippage for use during a digital communication session, said method comprising:

code for establishing said digital communication session;

code for decoding data in the form of a plurality of digital codewords;

code for selecting a plurality of periodic digital codewords of said plurality of digital codewords;

code for retrieving a number of bits from said plurality of periodic digital codewords to recover a sequence; and

code for detecting said digital frame slippage by comparing said sequence against a predetermined pattern.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said predetermined pattern is a header preceding control data.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising:

code for retrieving a number of bits from said plurality of periodic digital codewords to recover control data.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said control data indicates a retrain.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said control data indicates a cleardown.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein each said digital codeword includes a plurality of bits, and wherein said code for retrieving retrieves the most significant bit of each said periodic digital codeword.