Method of reducing near-end crosstalk in an MxU networking architecture

• US 6,999,433 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sigma Designs Israel S.D.I Ltd. (Uphill Investment Co.)
• Original Assignee: Coppergate Communications Limited (Sigma Designs Incorporated)
• Inventors: Baum, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN KIM T
• Application Number:
  US10/272,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20040076174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 370/386, 370/503, 370/516, 370/401, 370/504, 370/465, 370/508, 370/509, 370351-360, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6427 Subscriber Access Module; Concentrator; Group equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6478 Digital subscriber line, e.g. DSL, ADSL, HDSL, XDSL, VDSL
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

HPNA MxU network for an MxU, the MxU including a plurality of HPNA LANs, each of the HPNA LANs operating according to a synchronous communication specification. Each of the HPNA LANs includes a plurality of nodes, one of the nodes within each HPNA LAN being a gateway node, a selected one of the nodes within each HPNA LAN being defined a LAN-master node and each HPNA LAN is coupled with a WAN via the respective gateway node. The LAN-master nodes allow the gateway nodes to transmit within a selected HPNA LAN downstream signals during at least one time slot, and the LAN-master nodes allow the nodes other than the gateway nodes to transmit upstream signals within a selected HPNA LAN to the respective gateway or transmit HN signals within a selected HPNA LAN, between nodes other than the respective gateway nodes during at least another timeslot.

Claims

1. An HPNA (Home Phoneline Networking Alliance) MXU network for an MxU (broadband network for multi-users), the MxU network comprising:

a plurality of HPNA LANs (local area networks), each of said HPNA LANs operating according to a synchronous communication specification, each of said HPNA LANs comprising a plurality of nodes, one of said nodes within each HPNA LAIN being a gateway node, a selected one of said nodes within each HPNA LAN being defined a LAN-master node, each said HPNA LANs being coupled with a WAN (wide area network), via said respective gateway node,

wherein communication lines within said HPNA LANs, directly coupled to said gateway nodes, are at least partially bound together,

wherein the transmission direction within a selected HPNA LAN, by said respective gateway node, is defined downstream,

wherein the transmission direction within a selected HPNA LAN, to said respective gateway node, is defined upstream,

wherein the transmission direction within a selected HPNA LAN, between nodes other than said respective gateway nodes, is defined as HN,

wherein said LAN-master nodes allow said gateway nodes to transmit downstream signals during at least one timeslot, and

wherein said LAN-master nodes allow said nodes other than said gateway nodes to transmit upstream signals or HN signals, during at least another timeslot.

2. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 1, wherein for at least one of said LANs, said respective gateway node is integrated with said respective LAN-master node.

3. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 1, further comprising a synchronizer, synchronizing said LAN-master nodes according to said timeslots.

4. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 3, wherein said synchronizer comprises a clock, said clock coupled with a plurality of said LAN-master nodes.

5. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 1, wherein each of said LANs operate according to a single timeslot scheme, simultaneously.

6. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 5, wherein said timeslot scheme comprises:

a downstream timeslot, allocated for transmission of downstream data signals; and

an upstream+HN timeslot, allocated for transmission of upstream and HN data signals.

7. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 6, wherein said timeslot scheme further comprises a miscellaneous timeslot, allocated for transmission of miscellaneous data signals, said miscellaneous data signals associated with a second communication specification.

8. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 7, wherein said miscellaneous data signals are associated with a legacy HPNA specification.

9. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 5, at least one of said LANs further comprising at least one legacy node, said at least one node operating according to a second communication specification.

10. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 5, wherein said timeslot scheme is determined dynamically.

11. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 1, wherein said synchronous communication specification is HPNA3.

12. The HPNA MxU network according to claim 1, wherein said MxU is taken from the list consisting of:

an MDU (multi-dwelling unit);

an MTU (multi-tenant unit);

an MPU (multi-public unit);

an MCU (multi-company unit);

an MEU (multi-embedded unit); and

an MHU (multi-hospitality unit).

13. A synchronizer for synchronizing a plurality of HPNA MxU network LAN-masters therebetween, the synchronizer comprising:

means for coupling said synchronizer with said LAN-masters;

means for allocating timeslots, according to a timeslot scheme, to said LAN-masters, said timeslots determining when each of a plurality of nodes of said HPNA MxU network are enabled to transmit upstream, downstream and HN data signals.

14. The synchronizer according to claim 13, wherein said means for allocating timeslots comprises at least a clock.

15. The synchronizer according to claim 13, further being incorporated within one of said plurality of HPNA MxU network LAN-masters.