Modular-type home gateway system including ADSL controller and homePNA controller

• US 6,941,364 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Jong-Won, Yang, Jae-Woo, Park, Kwang-Ro
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Hady, Nabil
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, KENNY S
• Application Number:
  US09/872,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/225, 709/228, 709/233, 709/200, 709/206, 709/245, 370/254, 370/257, 370/352, 370/401, 370/430, 370/503, 710/310, 379/90.01, 379/93.28
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0038 System on Chip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

A modular-type home gateway system that includes a HomePNA controller connectable to an existing home telephone line, for providing a home network interface; an ADSL controller connected to a prior outdoor telephone line for providing an access network interface; and a system controller for controlling the HomePNA controller and the ADSL controller, the HomePNA controller and the ADSL controller formed as a modular type that are detachably connected to the system controller through a predetermined interface, and that provides a bridge function between a home network and an access network. The modular-type home gateway system provides a plurality of informational terminals connected to the home network with various data sharing functions (e.g., Internet service sharing function, a peripheral device sharing function, file/and application program sharing function, and an entertainment service sharing function like a network game) for not only narrow-band service data but also wide-band service data.

Claims

1. A modular-type home gateway system comprising:

a HomePNA(Home Phoneline Network Alliance) controller connected to a prior home telephone line, for providing a home network interface;

an ADSL(Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) controller connected to an existing outdoor telephone line, for providing an access network interface; and

a system controller for controlling the HomePNA controller and the ADSL controller,

wherein the HomePNA controller and the ADSL controller are formed as a modular type that are detachably connected to the system controller through a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) interface unit, and that provides a bridge function between a home network and an access network,

wherein the PCMCIA interface unit includes;

a PCMCIA slot A interface unit for an interface function between the ADSL controller and the system controller; and

a PCMCIA slot B interface unit for an interface function between the HomePNA controller and the system controller;

wherein each of the PCMCIA slot A interface unit and the PCMCIA slot B interface unit includes;

an address latch part for controlling an address signal between the system controller and a PCMCIA slot;

a data buffer for converting PCMCIA slot data to CPU data according to a state of a PCMCIA slot card enabling signal received from the system controller, and for transmitting the PCMCIA slot data to the system controller;

a control signal buffer for converting a CPU control signal to a PCMCIA slot control signal according to a state of the PCMCIA slot card enabling signal received from the system controller; and

a state signal buffer for converting a PCMCIA slot state signal to a CPU state signal according to a state of the PCMCIA slot card enabling signal generated from the system controller, and transmitting it to the system controller,

wherein the ADSL controller includes;

an ADSL modulation/demodulation controller for processing a data switching between the PCMCIA slot A interface unit and an ADSL AFE(Analog Front End) controller, and for transmitting a resultant signal to the PCMCIA slot A interface unit; and

the ADSL AFE controller for interchanging an ADSL transmitting/receiving signal with the access network through an outdoor telephone line after completing the data switching with the ADSL modulation/demodulation controller, and for transmitting the resultant signal to the ADSL modulation/demodulation controller.

2. The modular-type home gateway system according to claim 1, wherein the system controller includes:

a CPU controlling the ADSL controller, the HomePNA controller and a PCMCIA interface unit, and performing a bridge function for achieving a wide-band service data transmission between the ADSL controller and the HomePNA controller;

a flash ROM for storing a program therein;

a synchronous DRAM for storing a plurality of data related to a program execution of the CPU;

a non-volatile SDRAM for storing a profile information of informational terminals connected to the home network;

a clock generator for generating a system clock, and transmitting the system clock to the CPU; and

a system reset part for generating an associated reset signal for operating the CPU, and transmitting it the CPU.

3. The modular-type home gateway system according to claim 2, wherein the CPU receives a program from the flash ROM by using a flash ROM control signal and a CPU data, or stores the program in the flash ROM;

receives an access network wide-band service data from a PCMCIA slot A interface unit of the PCMCIA interface unit, stores the access network wide-band service data in the synchronous DRAM by using a synchronous DRAM control signal and the CPU data, reads either a signal or data related to a driving of the system controller from the synchronous DRAM, and transmits the related signal or data to a PCMCIA slot B interface unit of the PCMCIA interface unit.

4. The modular-type home gateway system according to claim 3, wherein the CPU receives a home network wide-band service data from the PCMCIA slot B interface unit, stores the home network wide-band service data in the synchronous DRAM by using the synchronous DRAM control signal and the CPU data, reads either the signal or data related to the driving of the system controller from the synchronous DRAM, and transmits the related signal or data to the PCMCIA slot A interface unit.

5. The modular-type home gateway system according to claim 4, wherein the CPU receives a profile information of informational terminals connected to a home network from the non-volatile by using a non-volatile SRAM control signal and the CPU data, and stores the profile information of the informational terminals in the non-volatile SRAM.

6. The modular-type home gateway system according to claim 3, wherein the HomePNA controller includes:

a MAC (Medium Access Control) controller processing a PCMCIA-associated signal or data received from the PCMCIA slot B interface unit according to a predetermined rule, transmitting a resultant signal to a HomePNA modulation demodulation controller, performing a signal processing according to a predetermined control signal received from the HomePNA modulation/demodulation controller, and thereby transmitting the PCMCIA-associated signal or data to either the PCMCIA slot B interface unit or the HomePNA modulation/demodulation controller;

the HomePNA modulation/demodulation controller performing a predetermined data modulation/demodulation function, and transmitting each resultant signal to either a HomePNA AFE(Analog Front End) controller or the MAC controller; and

a HomePNA AFE controller converting a digital signal received from the HomePNA modulation/demodulation controller to an analog signal and then transmitting a HomePNA transmission signal to a home network, and converting a HomePNA signal received from the home network to a digital signal and then transmitting the digital signal to the HomePNA modulation/demodulation controller.