Adaptive energy detector gain control in physical layer transceiver for home telephone wire network

• US 6,819,760 B1
• Filed: 06/21/1999
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Nayler, Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/336,711
• Time in Patent Office: 1,975 Days
• Field of Search: 379/394, 379/395, 379/395.01, 379/390.01, 379/390.03, 379/398, 379/399.01, 379/400, 379/403-404
• US Class Current: 379/390.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/44 Star or tree networks

Abstract

A novel physical layer transceiver is provided for receiving data transmitted via residential wiring. The transceiver includes an input circuit for receiving an incoming pulse signal, and an energy detector responsive to the incoming pulse signal for producing a pulse energy value representing energy of the incoming pulse signal. An adaptive energy detector gain control circuit is responsive to the pulse energy value for adaptively controlling gain of the energy detector so as to maintain the pulse energy value at a predetermined level. The gain of the energy detector is controlled in response to at least one of access identification pulses preceding data pulses to identify the transmitting station. The adaptive energy detector gain control circuit includes a comparator for comparing a pulse energy value produced by the energy detector with a preset threshold level, and a controller for supplying the energy detector with a gain control value. The controller reduces the gain of the energy detector if the pulse energy value exceeds the threshold level, and raises the gain of the energy detector if the pulse energy value is less than the threshold level.

Claims

1. A network station for receiving data via residential wiring, comprising:

an input circuit for receiving an incoming pulse signal,

an energy detector responsive to the incoming pulse signal for producing a pulse energy value representing energy of the incoming pulse signal, and

an adaptive energy detector gain control circuit responsive to the pulse energy value for adaptively controlling gain of the energy detector so as to maintain the pulse energy value at a predetermined level.

2. The network station of claim 1, wherein the adaptive energy detector control circuit is configured to control the gain of the energy detector during an access identification time interval preceding an incoming data packet.

3. The network station of claim 1, wherein each packet received by the input circuit comprises a plurality of access identification pulses preceding data pulses to identify a transmitting network station.

4. The network station of claim 3, wherein the adaptive energy detector gain control circuit is configured to control the gain of the energy detector in response to at least one of the access identification pulses.

5. The network station of claim 4, wherein the adaptive energy detector gain control circuit comprises a comparator for comparing a pulse energy value produced by the energy detector in response to the at least one of the access identification pulses, with a preset threshold level.

6. The network station of claim 5, wherein the adaptive energy detector gain control circuit further comprises a controller for supplying the energy detector with a gain control value for controlling the gain of the energy detector.

7. The network station of claim 6, wherein the controller is responsive to the output of the comparator for reducing the gain of the energy detector if the pulse energy value exceeds the threshold level, and for raising the gain of the energy detector if the pulse energy value is less than the threshold level.

8. The network station of claim 1, wherein the energy detector comprises an integrator for performing integration over time.

9. The network station of claim 8, wherein the energy detector gain control circuit is configured to adjust a value of an integrated signal produced by the integrator.

10. The network station of claim 1, wherein the input circuit comprises an envelope detector for producing an envelope pulse signal representing an envelope of the incoming pulse signal.

11. The network station of claim 10, wherein the energy detector is configured for performing integration of the envelope pulse signal to produce the pulse energy value.

12. A method of receiving data via residential wiring, comprising the steps of:

producing by an energy detector a pulse energy value representing energy of an incoming pulse signal, and

adaptively controlling gain of the energy detector in response to the produced pulse energy value so as to maintain the pulse energy value at a predetermined level.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of adaptively controlling the gain of the energy detector is performed during an access identification time interval preceding an incoming data packet.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein an incoming packet comprises a plurality of access identification pulses preceding data pulses to identify a transmitting network station.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the gain of the energy detector is adaptively controlled in response to at least one of the access identification pulses.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of adaptively controlling the gain of the energy detector comprises comparing a pulse energy value produced by the energy detector in response to the at least one of the access identification pulses, with a preset threshold level.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the gain of the energy detector is reduced if the pulse energy value exceeds the threshold level, and the gain of the energy detector is raised if the pulse energy value is less than the threshold level.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of adaptively controlling the gain comprises adjusting a value of an integrated signal produced in the energy detector.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of supplying the energy detector with an envelope pulse signal representing an envelope of the incoming pulse signal.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of performing integration of the envelope pulse signal to produce the pulse energy value.