Method for estimating and synchronizing frame boundaries of mis-aligned cross-talk signals in a DMT system

• US 6,993,068 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2000
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics NV, STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics NV, STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Isaksson, Mikael, Olsson, Lennart, Mestdagh, Denis Julien Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): Tse, Young T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, EDITH M
• Application Number:
  US09/686,031
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 375/222, 375/260, 375/298, 375/354, 370/207, 370/503, 379/399.01, 708/426, 708/422, 329/399.01
• US Class Current: 375/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/32 Reducing cross-talk, e.g. by compensating
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2656 Frame synchronisation, e.g. packet synchronisation, time division duplex [TDD] switching point detection or subframe synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2678 using cyclostationarities, e.g. cyclic prefix or postfix
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/023 Multiplexing of multicarrier modulation signals multicarrier modulation H04L27/2601

Abstract

In a telecommunications transmission system using a DTM system as a multicarrier system and having at least two VDSL systems, each including a pair of modems, the at least two VDSL systems belonging to a single binder group common to both VDSL systems, a method in the DMT system for keeping DMT frames aligned to the same frame timing includes estimating the time mis-alignment and power of cross-talk DMT signals added to a received DMT signal when the estimate is used by the modem to synchronize its own frame timing to a main cross-talkers frame timing, using auto-correlation on the received signal and a delayed copy of the received signal, and detecting correlation maxima that determine the frame boundaries of different DMT components of the received signal.

Claims

1. A method for keeping Discrete Multi Tone (DMT) frames aligned to a same frame timing, for use in a telecommunications transmission system using a DMT system as a multicarrier system and having at least two Very high rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) systems, each comprising a pair of modems, said at least two VDSL systems belonging to a single binder group common to both VDSL systems, comprising the steps of:

a) effecting a correlation between a received DMT signal comprising DMT symbols, each DMT symbol having cyclic extensions, and a delayed copy of the received DMT signal;

b) detecting correlation maxima which determine the frame boundaries of different DMT cross-talk components of the received DMT signal;

c) estimating the time misalignment from the correlation maxima; and

d) using the estimate by the modem of the pair of modems to synchronize its own frame timing to a main cross-talkers frame timing.

2. A method, as claimed in claim 1 further comprising using an inherent property of the received DMT signal, wherein part of the signal is correlated, in the time domain, in terms of cyclic extensions.

3. A method, as claimed in claim 1 further comprising estimating the time misalignment of cross-talk components of cross-talkers from the distance between the correlation maximum corresponding to a desired signal and other correlation maxima.

4. A method, as claimed in claim 3 further comprising the step of estimating the relative power of a corresponding cross-talker from the amplitude of a correlation maximum.

5. A method, as claimed in claim 3 further comprising the step of, when a time offset of cross-talk components of a cross-talker is estimated at a VDSL Transceiver Unit-Optical Network Unit (VTU-O), using the time offset is used to adjust its clock and frame boundaries to align with the cross-talker so that orthogonality is achieved and distortion is minimized.

6. A method, as claimed in claim 3 further comprising the step of, when if an auto-correlation peak amplitude of a cross-talk component of a cross-talker is low, a VDSL Transceiver Unit-Optical Network Unit (VTU-O) choosing to not align its clock and frame boundaries since the cross-talker then does not significantly contribute to distortion and hence a threshold level is used.

7. A method, as claimed in claim 1 wherein the method is used for applications including Near End Cross-Talk (NEXT) cancellation algorithms and multi-user detection algorithms.

8. A method, as claimed in claim 1 wherein, when the method is used in every starting-up modem in the telecommunications transmission system, modems that cause interference in each other'"'"'s receivers become aligned to the same frame timing.

9. In a communication system having a transmission channel, a method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a carrier signal on the transmission channel, wherein the carrier signal is part of a Discrete Multi Tone (DMT) modulated carrier signal, wherein the DMT modulated carrier signal includes cyclic extensions, and wherein the cyclic extensions include a cyclic prefix appended to the beginning of the DMT modulated carrier signal and a cyclic suffix appended to the end of the DMT modulated carrier signal;

b) applying an autocorrelation function to the carrier signal to generate a correlation signal, further comprising applying an autocorrelation function to the DMT modulated carrier signal using a delayed copy of the DMT modulated carrier signal in order to correlate the cyclic extensions of the DMT modulated carrier signal;

c) detecting correlation maxima of the carrier signal and correlation maxima of a crosstalk signal in the correlation signal;

d) determining a time misalignment between the carrier signal and the crosstalk signal based on a time shift of the correlation maxima of the carrier signal and the crosstalk signal; and

e) adjusting a frame timing of the carrier signal based on the time misalignment.

10. In a Very high bit rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) communications system comprising a plurality of modem pairs, each modem pair including a first VDSL modem and a second VDSL modem, a method comprising:

a) using the first VDSL modem of a first modem pair of the plurality of modem pairs to send a first discrete multitone (DMT) signal over a first transmission channel in a cable;

b) using the first VDSL modem of a second modem pair of the plurality of modem pairs to send a second DMT signal over a second transmission channel in the cable, wherein each DMT signal includes a DMT modulated carrier signal, wherein the DMT modulated carrier signal includes cyclic extensions, and wherein the cyclic extensions include a cyclic prefix appended to the beginning of the DMT modulated carrier signal and a cyclic suffix appended to the end of the DMT modulated carrier signal;

c) using the second VDSL modem of the first modem pair of the plurality of modern pairs to receive the first DMT signal on the first transmission channel, the first DMT signal including a crosstalk from the second DMT signal;

d) applying an autocorrelation function to the first DMT signal to generate a correlation signal, further comprising applying the autocorrelation function to the DMT modulated carrier signal using a delayed copy of the DMT modulated carrier signal in order to correlate the cyclic extensions of the DMT modulated carrier signal;

e) detecting, in the correlation signal, correlation maxima of the first DMT signal and correlation maxima of the crosstalk from the second DMT signal;

f) determining a time misalignment between the first DMT signal and the crosstalk from the second DMT signal based on a time shift of the correlation maxima of the first DMT signal and the correlation maxima of the crosstalk from the second DMT signal; and

g) adjusting a frame timing of the first modem of the first modem pair of the plurality of modern pairs based on the time misalignment.

11. In a communication system having a transmission channel, an apparatus comprising:

a) means for receiving a carrier signal on the transmission channel, wherein the carrier signal is part of a Discrete Multi Tone (DMT) modulated carrier signal, wherein the DMT modulated carrier signal includes cyclic extensions, and wherein the cyclic extensions include a cyclic prefix appended to the beginning of the DMT modulated carrier signal and a cyclic suffix appended to the end of the DMT modulated carrier signal;

b) means for applying an autocorrelation function to the carrier signal to generate a correlation signal, further comprising means for applying the autocorrelation function to the DMT modulated carrier signal using a delayed copy of the DMT modulated carrier signal in order to correlate the cyclic extensions of the DMT modulated carrier signal;

c) means for detecting correlation maxima of the carrier signal and correlation maxima of a crosstalk signal in the correlation signal;

d) means for determining a time misalignment between the carrier signal and the crosstalk signal based on a time shift of the correlation maxima of the carrier signal and the crosstalk signal; and

e) means for adjusting a frame timing of the carrier signal based on the time misalignment.