Method and apparatus for changing parallel clock signals in a digital data transmission

• US 7,366,091 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2000
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Torvinen, Marko, Lahti, Harri
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZHU, BO HUI ALVIN
• Application Number:
  US09/937,588
• Time in Patent Office: 2,952 Days
• Field of Search: 370/334, 370/465, 370/252, 370217-218, 370/221, 370/225, 370/515, 455/8, 455/134
• US Class Current: 370/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/74 for increasing reliability, e.g. using redundant or spare channels or apparatus replacing by standby devices for amplifiers H03F1/52, H03F1/542
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/06 using space diversity

Abstract

The object of the invention is to introduce an advanced method and arrangement for changing parallel data transmission connections in an assured data transmission link. According to the method of the invention, the transmission path to be received is changed, prior to the passage of errors, and the data transmission of the link remains free of errors, in case even one of the transmission paths transmits the data as error-free, even if errors occur in other paths. The error-free quality of the link is maintained also when error-free and erroneous data transmission paths are suddenly exchanged. This is realised by calculating, in the parallel outdoor units (OU) located in succession to the common indoor unit (IU), a check sum for the transmission paths, for the data located in the interval under observation, said check sum enabling error correction; by checking the correctness of the data in the receiving outdoor units or by correcting small correctable errors; and by selecting, in the receiving indoor unit, on the basis of a quality factor describing the error-free quality of paths, another more error-free transmission path, in case for instance weather conditions cause errors in the currently employed connection.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting a primary transmission path;

calculating a check sum for the data flow of a length of a processed section of the data flow, said check sum being added to the processed section of the data flow in order to form a data frame to be transmitted;

transmitting the data frame in at least two transmission paths that include the primary transmission path;

correcting correctable errors in received data frames and calculating an error sum for each of the at least two transmission paths;

comparing the error sum of one of the transmission paths with an error sum of another of the at least two transmission paths and changing to the transmission path with the smaller error sum;

changing a clock signal to the transmission path with the smaller error sum after waiting for sufficiently accurate cophasal clock signals; and

forwarding data of the processed section of the data flow from the transmission path with the smaller error sum to an output cable.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the check sum is calculated by multiplying the data flow by a polynome suitable for modelling.

3. An indoor unit comprising:

at least a changeover device for receiving and changing a propagation assured signal on a basis of an error sum obtained from an outdoor unit;

wherein said changeover device is configured to change clock signals after waiting for sufficiently accurate cophasal clock signals; and

wherein the changeover device comprises;

a multiplexer for receiving the clock signals of signal pairs to be received and for selecting one of the clock signals;

data frame decoding blocks for receiving the clock signals and data signals and for forming them into control signals and data signals which are decoded from data frames;

elastic buffer and control blocks for receiving the control signals and data signals decoded from the data frames and for receiving the selected clock signal in order to synchronize the data signals decoded from the data frames;

a data signal multiplexer for receiving the synchronized data signals from the elastic buffer and the control blocks; and

a decoding block for receiving at least one of the synchronized data signals from the data signal multiplexer and for controlling the data signal multiplexer.

4. The indoor unit according to claim 3, wherein the indoor unit comprises part of a radio link in a mobile telecommunications system.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a first indoor unit for dividing data which flows over a radio link, said first indoor unit having a first changeover device for receiving propagation assured data;

antennas for transmitting and receiving parallel clock signals; and

a second indoor unit for selecting a data flow of the divided data, said second indoor unit having a second changeover device for receiving the propagation assured data;

wherein said changeover devices are configured to change clock signals after waiting for sufficiently accurate cophasal clock signals, and the first and second outdoor units comprise means for processing data to be transmitted using an algorithm that models the data to be transmitted, checks the data to be received and corrects errors in the data,

wherein each of the changeover devices comprises;

a multiplexer for receiving the clock signals of signal pairs to be received and for selecting one of the clock signals,

data frame decoding blocks for receiving the clock signals and data signals and for forming them into control signals and data signals which are decoded from data frames,

elastic buffer and control blocks for receiving the control signals and data signals decoded from the data frames and for receiving the selected clock signal in order to synchronize the data signals decoded from the data frames,

a data signal multiplexer for receiving the synchronized data signals from the elastic buffer and control blocks, and

a decoding block for receiving one of the synchronized data signal from the data signal multiplexer and for controlling the data signal multiplexer.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus comprises part of a radio link in a mobile telecommunications system.