Wideband cable modem with narrowband circuitry
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A cable modem, comprising:
- wideband circuitry configured to receive radio frequency (RF) band data arriving downstream from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) external to the cable modem over multiple different downstream channels at the same time, the wideband circuitry demodulating signals in the different downstream channels and then formatting the demodulated signals into individual packets or frames for sending out over an Internet Protocol (IP) network interface;
a narrowband circuit configured to operate in a narrowband mode; and
a control bus coupling the narrowband circuit and the wideband circuitry and configured to allow the narrowband circuit to control the wideband circuitry via the control bus in order to selectively extract Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) data in a preconverted, modulated format from one of the multiple downstream channels such that the narrowband circuit receives the data after the data has been preprocessed by a conversion operation in the wideband circuitry and while the data is in a modulated format suitable for demodulation by the narrowband circuit;
wherein the wideband circuitry includes a first Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) demodulator and the narrowband circuit comprises a second different QAM demodulator; and
wherein the control bus passes the selectively extracted DOCSIS data from the wideband circuitry prior to such data being processed by the first QAM demodulator such that the selectively extracted DOCSIS data bypasses the first QAM demodulator of the wideband circuitry and is directed to the second different QAM demodulator of the narrowband circuit for demodulation.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A hybrid cable modem includes wideband circuitry configured to receive data over multiple different downstream channels at the same time. The wideband circuitry demodulates signals on the different downstream channels and then formats the demodulated signals back into packets or frames for sending out over an Internet Protocol (IP) home network. Narrowband cable modem circuitry is coupled to the wideband circuitry and selectively extracts Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) data from one of the multiple downstream channels being processed by the wideband circuitry.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. A cable modem, comprising:
- wideband circuitry configured to receive radio frequency (RF) band data arriving downstream from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) external to the cable modem over multiple different downstream channels at the same time, the wideband circuitry demodulating signals in the different downstream channels and then formatting the demodulated signals into individual packets or frames for sending out over an Internet Protocol (IP) network interface;
a narrowband circuit configured to operate in a narrowband mode; and
a control bus coupling the narrowband circuit and the wideband circuitry and configured to allow the narrowband circuit to control the wideband circuitry via the control bus in order to selectively extract Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) data in a preconverted, modulated format from one of the multiple downstream channels such that the narrowband circuit receives the data after the data has been preprocessed by a conversion operation in the wideband circuitry and while the data is in a modulated format suitable for demodulation by the narrowband circuit;
wherein the wideband circuitry includes a first Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) demodulator and the narrowband circuit comprises a second different QAM demodulator; and
wherein the control bus passes the selectively extracted DOCSIS data from the wideband circuitry prior to such data being processed by the first QAM demodulator such that the selectively extracted DOCSIS data bypasses the first QAM demodulator of the wideband circuitry and is directed to the second different QAM demodulator of the narrowband circuit for demodulation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- wideband circuitry configured to receive radio frequency (RF) band data arriving downstream from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) external to the cable modem over multiple different downstream channels at the same time, the wideband circuitry demodulating signals in the different downstream channels and then formatting the demodulated signals into individual packets or frames for sending out over an Internet Protocol (IP) network interface;
-
10. A method for operating a cable modem, comprising:
-
receiving radio frequency (RF) band data signals arriving downstream from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) external to the cable modem over multiple different wideband downstream RF channels; operating wideband circuitry that processes the RF band data signals on the multiple wideband channels and converts the wideband channel signals into Internet Protocol (IP) packets for sending over an IP network interface; and operating a narrowband cable modem circuit to control the wideband circuitry via a control bus to selectively extract Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) data in a preconverted, modulated format from one of the multiple wideband channels processed in the wideband circuitry and to send the selectively extracted DOCSIS data over the IP network interface; wherein the wideband circuitry includes a first QAM demodulator and the narrowband cable modem circuit comprises a second different QAM demodulator, and wherein the method further comprises; passing the selectively extracted DOCSIS data from the wideband circuitry prior to such data being processed by the first QAM demodulator such that the selectively extracted DOCSIS data bypasses the first QAM demodulator of the wideband circuitry and is directed to the second different QAM demodulator of the narrowband cable modem circuit for demodulation. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24)
-
-
18. A cable modem, comprising:
- wideband circuitry configured to receive radio frequency (RF) band data arriving downstream from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) external to the cable modem over multiple different downstream channels at the same time, the wideband circuitry including a block converter for down converting the RF band data as a block over the multiple different downstream channels, a first Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) demodulator for demodulating signals in the different downstream channels, and a framer for formatting the demodulated signals into individual packets or frames for sending out over an Internet Protocol (IP) network interface; and
a narrowband circuit coupled to the wideband circuitry configured to operate in a narrowband mode and including a processor configured to control the wideband circuitry via a control bus to selectively extract Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) data from one of the multiple downstream channels after the DOCSIS data is processed by the block converter and before the DOCSIS data is processed by the first QAM demodulator;
wherein the narrowband circuit comprises a second different QAM demodulator; and
wherein the control bus passes the selectively extracted DOCSIS data from the wideband circuitry prior to such data being processed by the first QAM demodulator such that the selectively extracted DOGS IS data bypasses the first QAM demodulator of the wideband circuitry and is directed to the second different QAM demodulator of the narrowband circuit for demodulation. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- wideband circuitry configured to receive radio frequency (RF) band data arriving downstream from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) external to the cable modem over multiple different downstream channels at the same time, the wideband circuitry including a block converter for down converting the RF band data as a block over the multiple different downstream channels, a first Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) demodulator for demodulating signals in the different downstream channels, and a framer for formatting the demodulated signals into individual packets or frames for sending out over an Internet Protocol (IP) network interface; and
-
25. An apparatus, comprising:
-
a narrowband cable modem having a first Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) demodulator; wideband circuitry coupled to the narrowband cable modem and configured to receive radio frequency (RF) band data arriving downstream from a cable modem termination system (CMTS) over multiple different downstream channels at the same time, the wideband circuitry including a second QAM configured to demodulate signals in the different downstream channels; wherein the narrowband cable modem and the wideband circuitry are located in a same wideband cable modem; and means for selectively extracting Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) data from one of the multiple downstream channels and passing said selectively extracted DOCSIS data from the wideband circuitry prior to such data being processed by the first QAM demodulator such that the selectively extracted DOCSIS data bypasses the first QAM demodulator of the wideband circuitry and is directed to the second different QAM demodulator of the narrowband cable modem for demodulation. - View Dependent Claims (26)
-
Specification