Off-line broadband network interface

• US 7,440,410 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2004
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ojard, Eric, Frank, Edward H., Trachewsky, Jason, Peterson, Kevin H., Holloway, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer; Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUONGCHAU BA
• Application Number:
  US10/887,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20040252648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0054 Maximum-likelihood or sequential decoding, e.g. Viterbi, Fano, ZJ algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0065 Serial concatenated codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40013 Details regarding a bus controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40032 Details regarding a bus interface enhancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03057 with a recursive structure H04L25/03031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2647 Arrangements specific to the receiver only equalisation H04L27/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/027 extracting the synchronising or clock signal from the received signal spectrum, e.g. by using a resonant or bandpass circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/041 using special codes as synchronising signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/10 Arrangements for initial synchronisation

Abstract

A network interface is presented that receives packet data from a shared medium and accomplishes the signal processing required to convert the data packet to host computer formatted data separately from receiving the data packet. The network interface receives the data packet, converts the analog signal to a digitized signal, and stores the resulting sample packet in a storage queue. An off-line processor, which may be the host computer itself, performs the signal processing required to interpret the sample packet. In transmission, the off-line process converts host-formatted data to a digitized version of a transmission data packet and stores that in a transmission queue. A transmitter converts the transmission data packet format and transmits the data to the shared medium.

Claims

1. A method of processing a data packet, comprising:

receiving a data packet at a station on a network, the data packet having a preamble which includes a destination tag and a training sequence;

obtaining a channel model using the training sequence;

encoding each of one or more addresses that the station receives with the channel model to produce a result; and

comparing the result with the destination tag.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more addresses that the station receives is convolved with the channel model to produce the result.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple data packets are received, and wherein a channel model is obtained for each of the multiple data packets.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the multiple data packets are received at one of a plurality of stations on a network, and wherein a training sequence in a preamble of each of the multiple data packets remains fixed for every station on the network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the training sequence is repeated multiple times in the preamble.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the training sequence is repeated three times in the preamble.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if a match is found between the result and the destination tag, the data packet is processed and used to refine the channel model for subsequently received packets.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein if a match is not found between the result and the destination tag, the data packet is discarded.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the training sequence is a periodic sequence with period N where N is greater than a maximum channel length.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein N=8 and the training sequence comprises a sequence of QPSK symbols.

11. A method of processing a data packet, comprising:

receiving a data packet having a preamble which includes a destination tag and a training sequence;

obtaining a channel model using the training sequence;

decoding the destination tag using the channel model to produce a result; and

comparing the result with one or more received addresses.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the result is produced by convolving the destination tag with the channel model.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein multiple data packets are received, and wherein a channel model is obtained for each of the multiple data packets.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the multiple data packets are received at one of a plurality of stations on a network, and wherein a training sequence in a preamble of each of the multiple data packets remains fixed for every station on the network.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the training sequence is repeated multiple times in the preamble.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the training sequence is repeated three times in the preamble.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein if a match is found between the result and the destination tag, the data packet is processed and used to refine the channel model for subsequently received packets.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein if a match is not found between the result and the destination tag, the data packet is discarded.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the training sequence is a periodic sequence with period N where N is greater than a maximum channel length.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein N=8 and the training sequence comprises a sequence of QPSK symbols.