Method and system for combining symmetric DSL signals and voice signals

• US 7,391,764 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2004
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Benhov GmbH, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Temper Avionics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kasmir, Seton P., Chaplik, Naom
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hyun; Soon D.
• Application Number:
  US10/753,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20040146068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

This invention provides a simplified communication system that transmits voice and SDSL signals between customer premise equipment (“CPE”) on a single twisted-pair line. The system preferably includes at least one combiner for combining voice and SDSL signals into a combined voice/SDSL signal that can be transmitted to the CPE on a single twisted pair of wires, preferably a pair of wires currently being used to transmit the voice signal to the CPE. One combiner is ideally located at a common wiring closet of the building where the CPE is located. The combiner is ideally coupled to the existing pair of wires for the voice signal. This eliminates the need to add another set of wires between the common wiring closet and the CPE for the SDSL signal. A second combiner, normally located at or near the CPE separates the combined voice/SDSL signal into the separate voice and SDSL signals for processing by the CPE. The second and first combiners normally also combine and separate, respectively, the voice and SDSL signals transmitted from the CPE.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating telephony voice signals with symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL) signals, comprising:

a combiner including a first port configured to receive a telephony voice signal, a second port configured to receive an SDSL signal, a third port configured to be coupled to a single communication medium to enable the simultaneous transmission of the voice and SDSL signals over the single communication medium, and circuitry configured to process the telephony voice signal and SDSL signal to attenuate at least a portion of partially interfering signals that exist in an overlap frequency range.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry comprises a voice signal filtering section coupled to said first port and to said third port, said voice signal filtering section being configured to attenuate the frequency spectrum of the voice signal above a first predetermined cutoff frequency and an SDSL signal filtering section coupled to said second port and to said third port, said SDSL filtering section being configured to attenuate the frequency spectrum of the SDSL signal below a second predetermined cutoff frequency.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the single communication medium is a single twisted pair of wires.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency spectrum of the telephony voice signal during steady state conditions and the frequency spectrum of the SDSL signal may overlap, and wherein the telephony voice signal may include a plurality of transients during non-steady state conditions, and wherein the voice signal and SDSL signal filtering sections are configured to communicate both the voice and SDSL signals, via the third port, onto the single communication medium without significant interference even when transients are present on the voice signal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the voice signal filtering section includes a low pass filter having a cutoff frequency higher than an upper frequency spectrum of the telephony voice signal during steady state conditions, and the SDSL signal filtering section includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency higher than the cutoff frequency of the low pass filter.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein both the telephony voice signal and the SDSL signal are processed to attenuate overlapping signals.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the telephony voice signal is processed with said low pass filter and the SDSL signal is processed with said high pass filter.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the low pass filter includes a plurality of capacitors and a plurality of inductors and at least one of the inductors of the low pass filter is coupled to the single communication medium.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the low pass filter farther includes a plurality of diodes, and at least one of the plurality of inductors of the low pass filter is coupled in parallel with the plurality of diodes.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the high pass filter comprises a low order filter.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the high pass filter is formed of an inductor in parallel with the second port, and two capacitors in series with the second port.

12. An apparatus for communicating telephony voice signals with digital data symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL) signals, comprising:

a voice signal port configured to receive a telephony voice signal;

an SDSL signal port configured to receive an SDSL signal;

a combined voice/SDSL signal port configured to be coupled to a two-wire communication line;

a voice signal filtering section coupled to said voice signal port and to said combined voice/SDSL signal port, said voice signal filtering section including a low pass filter having a cutoff frequency higher than an upper frequency spectrum of the telephony voice signal during steady state conditions and being configured to attenuate a frequency spectrum of the voice signal above a first predetermined frequency; and

an SDSL signal filtering section coupled to said SDSL signal port and to said combined voice/SDSL signal port, said SDSL filtering section including a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency higher than the cutoff frequency of the low pass and being configured to attenuate a frequency spectrum of the SDSL signal below a second predetermined frequency;

wherein the apparatus enables simultaneous reception of telephony voice and SDSL signals via said voice signal and SDSL signal ports, respectively, and transmission of combined voice and SDSL signals via a two-wire communication line coupled to said combined voice/SDSL signal port; and

wherein the apparatus further enables reception of combined voice and SDSL signals via said two-wire communication line and transmission of voice and SDSL signals via the voice and SDSL signal ports, respectively.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the frequency spectrum of the telephony voice signal during steady state conditions and the frequency spectrum of the SDSL signal may overlap, and wherein the telephony voice signal may include a plurality of transients during non-steady state conditions, and wherein the voice signal and SDSL signal filtering sections are configured to communicate both the voice and SDSL signals, via the third port, onto the single communication medium without significant interference even when transients are present on the voice signal.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein both the telephony voice signal and the SDSL signal are processed to attenuate overlapping signals.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the low pass filter includes a plurality of capacitors and a plurality of inductors and at least one of the inductors of the low pass filter is coupled to the two-wire communication line.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the low pass filter further includes a plurality of diodes, and at least one of the plurality of inductors of the low pass filter is coupled in parallel with the plurality of diodes.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the high pass filter comprises a low order filter.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the high pass filter is formed of an inductor in parallel with the SDSL signal port, and two capacitors in series with the SDSL signal port.

19. A method for communicating a telephony voice signal and a symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL) signal on a single combined line, where the frequency spectrum of the telephony voice signal during steady state conditions and the frequency spectrum of the SDSL signal may overlap, and where the telephony voice signal may include a plurality of transients during non-steady state conditions, the method comprising:

receiving a telephony voice signal;

receiving an SDSL signal;

processing said telephony voice signal with a low pass filter having a cutoff frequency higher than an upper frequency spectrum of the telephony voice signal during steady state conditions to attenuate a frequency spectrum of the voice signal above a first predetermined frequency;

processing said SDSL signal with a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency higher than the cutoff frequency of the low pass to attenuate a frequency spectrum of the SDSL signal below a second predetermined frequency; and

transmitting combined voice and SDSL signals to a remote location via a two-wire communication line.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, further comprising receiving combined voice and SDSL signals via said two-wire communication line and outputting voice and SDSL signals via separate voice and SDSL signal ports, respectively.

21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the SDSL signal is modulated using a four level format.

22. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the SDSL signal is modulated using a 2B1Q format.

23. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the attenuation of the telephony voice signal includes the suppression of transients that are of a higher voltage than that of the telephony voice signal during steady state conditions.

24. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the method of attenuating the telephony voice signal has a minimum effect on the SDSL signal.

25. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the method of attenuating the SDSL signal is a low order attenuation method.